Microsoft Flight Simulator

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination delivers a highly capable Microsoft Flight Simulator experience, with the data showing that 60 FPS is achievable at every tested resolution, provided the settings are tuned appropriately. The benchmark results indicate that this combo ranks in the 826th position out of 3,714 tested combinations, placing it firmly in the upper echelon of systems for this title. At 4K, the system requires a compromise on visual fidelity to maintain smooth performance, but at 1440p and 1080p, even the Ultra preset clears the playable threshold with room to spare.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of performance scaling across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the combo is exceptionally strong. The Low preset yields an average of 166.8 FPS, which is more than double the 60 FPS playable threshold. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 129.7 FPS, still a very high figure. The High preset delivers 93.5 FPS, and the Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, still maintains an average of 90.9 FPS. The performance gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is substantial, representing a 75.9 FPS difference, but even the most demanding setting leaves significant headroom.

At 2560x1440, the same pattern holds, but with a noticeable reduction in headroom at the top end. The Low preset averages 133.9 FPS, which is a 32.9 FPS drop compared to 1080p Low. Medium follows with 103.7 FPS, and High with 80.1 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p averages 75.3 FPS, which is 15.6 FPS lower than the 1080p Ultra result. This indicates that the resolution increase from 1080p to 1440p has a significant impact on the GPU load, but the system still comfortably exceeds the 60 FPS threshold at all settings.

The 3840x2160 results are where the system begins to show its limits. At 4K, the Low preset averages 97 FPS, which is the only setting that provides a large margin above the playable threshold. The Medium preset averages 76.1 FPS, still above 60 FPS. However, the High preset drops to an average of 58 FPS, which is below the playable threshold. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with an average of 55.2 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K shows a 41.8 FPS difference, highlighting the extreme load that higher quality settings place on the GPU at this resolution. The data shows that for 4K gaming, the user must choose between Low and Medium settings to maintain smooth performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's ranking of 826 out of 3,714 tested combinations places it in the top 22.2% of all systems tested for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This is a strong result, indicating that the Ryzen 9 9900X and RTX 4070 pairing is well-suited for this title. The percentile ranking for the CPU is 92, meaning it outperforms 92% of all CPUs in the database, while the GPU's percentile is 81. This suggests that the CPU is a relatively stronger component in this pairing for this game, though both are well above average.

The combo's position in the ranking indicates that it will outperform the vast majority of systems, but there is still a significant number of combinations that are faster. The data does not specify which combinations rank higher, but the score suggests that systems with more powerful GPUs, such as those in the higher tiers of the GeForce 40-series, would likely achieve higher frame rates, particularly at 4K. The ranking is a holistic measure of the combo's ability to run the game, and a rank of 826 out of 3,714 is a clear indicator of a high-performance setup.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearestRivals data for the CPU and GPU provides insight into what other hardware would perform similarly. For the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X, the closest rivals are the AMD EPYC 9015, which has an average score 0.1% lower, and the AMD EPYC 7313, which is 0.2% higher. The Intel Core i9-14900 is 1.1% higher, and the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M is 1.4% higher. These deltas are all very small, meaning that a system using any of these CPUs would deliver nearly identical CPU-bound performance in Microsoft Flight Simulator. The Intel Core i9-14900 is the most relevant consumer alternative, as the EPYC and Xeon parts are server-oriented.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070, the nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Tesla P4, which is 0.1% higher, and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, which is 0.4% higher. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile is 1.3% higher, and the AMD Radeon PRO W6400 is 1.3% lower. These deltas are again very small, indicating that the RTX 4070's performance is closely matched by these other GPUs. The RTX 4080 Mobile is an interesting comparison, as it shows that a laptop GPU can come close to the desktop RTX 4070's performance in this game. For a desktop user, the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 would be a similar-performing alternative, though it is an older architecture.

The Verdict

The verdict is clear: this PC can run Microsoft Flight Simulator, and it does so with excellent performance at most settings. The data shows that at 1920x1080, all four presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—clear the 60 FPS threshold. The best settings at 1080p are Ultra, with an average of 90.9 FPS. At 2560x1440, the same is true: all four presets clear 60 FPS, with Ultra averaging 75.3 FPS. This makes 1440p the sweet spot for this combo, as it offers high visual quality with a comfortable performance margin.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes. The verdictByResolution data shows that only Low and Medium settings are playable, with Medium being the best playable setting at an average of 76.1 FPS. The High preset, at 58 FPS, and the Ultra preset, at 55.2 FPS, both fall short of the 60 FPS playable threshold. Therefore, for 4K gaming, the user must accept Medium settings to maintain smooth performance. The system is capable of running the game at 4K, but not at the highest visual presets. For users prioritizing visual quality over resolution, the 1440p Ultra experience is the recommended path, as it provides a high-fidelity experience that remains well above the playable threshold.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals how the CPU and GPU each contribute to performance at different resolutions. The scaling between 1080p and 1440p shows a moderate drop in FPS across all settings. For example, at Ultra, the FPS drops from 90.9 at 1080p to 75.3 at 1440p, a reduction of 17.2%. At Low, the drop is from 166.8 to 133.9, a 19.7% reduction. This consistent scaling suggests that the GPU is becoming a more significant bottleneck as resolution increases, but the CPU's high single-thread performance, as evidenced by its 3dmark single-thread score of 1,286, is sufficient to keep up at both resolutions.

The transition from 1440p to 4K shows a much more pronounced GPU bottleneck. At Ultra, the FPS drops from 75.3 to 55.2, a 26.7% reduction. At High, the drop is from 80.1 to 58, a 27.6% reduction. This larger percentage drop indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at 4K. The CPU's role becomes less critical at higher resolutions, as the frame rate is increasingly constrained by the GPU's ability to render the larger number of pixels. The data shows that the CPU's performance, which is in the 92nd percentile, is not the limiting factor at any resolution; rather, the RTX 4070's GPU performance, in the 81st percentile, dictates the frame rate at 4K.

The preset scaling within a resolution also highlights the GPU's role. At 4K, the difference between Low and Ultra is 41.8 FPS, while at 1080p, the same difference is 75.9 FPS. This suggests that at lower resolutions, the CPU has more headroom to feed the GPU, allowing the GPU's performance to scale more dramatically with settings. At 4K, the GPU is already saturated, so reducing settings has a smaller absolute impact on FPS. In summary, the CPU is a strong partner that does not hold the system back, but the GPU is the decisive component for achieving high frame rates at 4K, while at 1080p and 1440p, both components work together effectively to deliver high performance.

FAQ

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: No. The measured data shows an average of 55.2 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The best playable setting at 4K is Medium, which averages 76.1 FPS.

Q: What is the highest quality preset that clears 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 averages 75.3 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. All presets at 1440p are playable.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-14900?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X has an average benchmark score that is 1.1% lower than the Intel Core i9-14900, indicating nearly identical performance.

Q: Which component is more important for performance at 4K?

A: The GPU is the primary limiting factor at 4K. The FPS drops significantly from 1440p to 4K, and the preset scaling is smaller, indicating the RTX 4070 is the bottleneck.

Q: Is the RTX 4070's performance close to any other GPUs?

A: The data shows the RTX 4070 is 0.4% higher than the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 and 1.3% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 1080p?

A: The Ultra preset at 1920x1080 is the best playable setting, with an average of 90.9 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold.