Microsoft Flight Simulator

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination delivers exceptional performance in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it among the top tier of tested systems. The data shows that every resolution and preset combination tested exceeds the 60 FPS playable threshold, making this a system that can handle the most demanding flight simulation scenarios without compromise.

CPU and GPU Roles

Microsoft Flight Simulator scales heavily with both components, but the data reveals a clear pattern: the GPU becomes the dominant constraint as resolution increases, while the CPU headroom at lower resolutions is substantial. At 1920x1080, the jump from Low to Ultra settings costs 94.2 FPS (from 222.4 down to 128.2), yet the system maintains triple-digit performance throughout. This indicates that at 1080p, the Ryzen 9 7900X with its 12 cores and 24 threads provides enough processing power to feed the RTX 4090 effectively, and the bottleneck shifts toward the graphics card's workload as settings increase.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance envelope tightens. The Low preset delivers 183.9 FPS, while Ultra drops to 106.9 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra here is 77 FPS, compared to 94.2 FPS at 1080p. This narrowing gap suggests that at 1440p, the GPU is starting to take on more of the rendering burden, but the CPU still has ample headroom. The RTX 4090's 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 384-bit bus provide 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth, which becomes increasingly important as pixel count and texture detail rise.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's role becomes even more pronounced. The Low preset still achieves 134 FPS, but Ultra drops to 75.7 FPS. The performance gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 58.3 FPS, the smallest relative difference of all three resolutions. This compression of scaling indicates that the RTX 4090 is now the primary limiter, with its 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 compute being taxed by the sheer pixel throughput required at 4K. The CPU, meanwhile, remains well within its capabilities, as evidenced by the fact that even at 4K Ultra, the system stays far above the 60 FPS threshold.

The data shows that at 1080p, the CPU has significant influence, but the GPU still dictates the upper ceiling. At 4K, the GPU is unequivocally the limiting factor. For users targeting high refresh rates at lower resolutions, the Ryzen 9 7900X's single-thread performance (2,016.5 in Cinebench R23 single-core) ensures that flight simulation logic, AI traffic, and physics calculations do not become a bottleneck.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 113th out of 3,714 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the top 3% of all configurations tested, a remarkable achievement given the sheer number of possible hardware pairings. The percentile data reinforces this: the CPU sits at the 91st percentile against all CPUs, while the GPU rests at the 88th percentile against all GPUs. Together, they form a pairing that outperforms the vast majority of systems.

The rank of 113 is particularly notable because it indicates that while this combo is exceptional, there are still 112 other configurations that deliver higher average FPS in this specific game. This is likely due to the fact that Microsoft Flight Simulator is heavily dependent on raw single-thread performance and memory bandwidth, and some CPU pairings with even higher clock speeds or additional cache may edge out this combination in specific scenarios. However, the practical difference for the user is minimal, as this system already clears every playability threshold by a wide margin.

Breaking down the component-level context, the Ryzen 9 7900X's nearest rivals in the CPU benchmark database include the AMD EPYC 7313P (0.2% faster), the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 (0.3% slower), the Intel Xeon 634 (0.6% faster), and the Intel Core i7-14700F (0.6% slower). These deltas are negligible in real-world gaming, meaning that swapping to any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical results. On the GPU side, the RTX 4090's nearest rivals are the Intel Arc Pro A60 (0% difference), the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (0.3% slower), the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (2.5% slower), and the AMD Radeon PRO V710 (2.9% slower). These are professional-grade cards that would not typically be considered for gaming, but the data confirms that the RTX 4090 is not alone at the top of the performance pyramid.

The Verdict

This PC can absolutely run Microsoft Flight Simulator, and it does so with authority. The verdict data is unambiguous: at every resolution tested, all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) achieve average frame rates above the 60 FPS playable threshold. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers 128.2 FPS, which is more than double the playable threshold. At 2560x1440, Ultra maintains 106.9 FPS, still well above 60. Even at 3840x2160, the most demanding resolution tested, Ultra holds at 75.7 FPS, leaving a comfortable 15.7 FPS margin above the playable threshold.

The best settings for each resolution are all Ultra, which is the highest quality preset available. This means users do not have to compromise on visual fidelity to achieve smooth gameplay. For those with high-refresh-rate monitors, the 1080p Low preset at 222.4 FPS and 1440p Low at 183.9 FPS demonstrate that this system is capable of pushing well beyond 144 Hz in less demanding scenarios. At 4K, the Medium preset at 104.4 FPS and High at 80.2 FPS offer additional headroom for users who want to ensure maximum frame stability during complex scenes with dense cloud formations or heavy airport traffic.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average frame rates are as follows: Low preset produces 222.4 FPS, Medium produces 184.2 FPS, High produces 134.5 FPS, and Ultra produces 128.2 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra is consistent, with a 94.2 FPS drop from the lowest to highest settings. The step from Medium to High is the largest single drop at 49.7 FPS, while the step from High to Ultra is only 6.3 FPS, suggesting diminishing returns at the highest preset.

At 2560x1440, the performance profile shows: Low at 183.9 FPS, Medium at 142.4 FPS, High at 109.9 FPS, and Ultra at 106.9 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 41.5 FPS, from Medium to High is 32.5 FPS, and from High to Ultra is just 3 FPS. This pattern indicates that the Ultra preset at 1440p is only marginally more demanding than High, making Ultra the clear choice for users who want the best visual quality without a significant performance penalty.

At 3840x2160, the results are: Low at 134 FPS, Medium at 104.4 FPS, High at 80.2 FPS, and Ultra at 75.7 FPS. The scaling here shows a 29.6 FPS drop from Low to Medium, a 24.2 FPS drop from Medium to High, and a 4.5 FPS drop from High to Ultra. The 4K resolution places the most stress on the GPU, but the RTX 4090's 24 GB of VRAM and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth ensure that even the Ultra preset remains viable. Across all resolutions, the gap between High and Ultra is consistently small, ranging from 3 to 6.3 FPS, which suggests that Ultra should be the default setting for this combo.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rival data for the CPU and GPU provides insight into what other hardware would behave similarly in this game. For the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X, the Intel Core i7-14700F is the closest consumer alternative, with a benchmark score only 0.6% lower. The AMD EPYC 7313P is 0.2% faster, but this is a server-grade processor that would require a different platform. The Intel Xeon Phi 7290 and Intel Xeon 634 are both within 0.6% of the Ryzen 9 7900X's average benchmark score, but these are enterprise parts not typically used in gaming systems. For practical purposes, the Core i7-14700F would deliver nearly identical performance in Microsoft Flight Simulator, making it a viable alternative for users who prefer Intel platforms.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4090's nearest rivals are all professional workstation cards. The Intel Arc Pro A60 matches the RTX 4090's average benchmark score exactly (0% delta), which is surprising given the different market positioning. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 is 0.3% slower, while the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M is 2.5% slower and the AMD Radeon PRO V710 is 2.9% slower. None of these cards are typical gaming choices, but the data confirms that the RTX 4090's gaming performance is not unique—other high-end cards can achieve similar raw compute scores. However, the RTX 4090's combination of 16384 shading units, 128 RT cores, and 512 tensor cores gives it a feature set that these workstation cards may lack for gaming-specific workloads.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Microsoft Flight Simulator at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 75.7 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the highest FPS this combo achieves at 1080p?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 222.4, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: How does the Ryzen 9 7900X compare to its closest CPU rival?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700F is 0.6% slower in average benchmark score, meaning the two CPUs would perform nearly identically in game.

Q: Is the Ultra preset significantly more demanding than High at 1440p?

A: No. At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 106.9 FPS versus 109.9 FPS for High, a difference of only 3 FPS.

Q: What is the performance gap between Low and Ultra at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, Low averages 134 FPS and Ultra averages 75.7 FPS, a drop of 58.3 FPS from the lowest to highest settings.

Q: Does this combo rank among the top configurations for this game?

A: Yes, it ranks 113th out of 3,714 tested combos, placing it in the top 3% of all systems tested.