Microsoft Flight Simulator

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 pairing produces a playable but not luxurious experience in Microsoft Flight Simulator. The data shows a system that can handle the sim at reduced settings, with the GPU often being the limiting factor at higher presets. This is a practical combination for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but it will require compromises at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep and predictable drop as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 83 FPS at 1920x1080 to 67 FPS at 2560x1440, a drop of about 19. It then falls again to 49 FPS at 3840x2160, a further drop of about 27%. This scaling pattern is typical for a card like the GTX 1070; the 8GB GDDR5 frame buffer and 256-bit bus are being engaged more heavily at higher resolutions, but the core's raw power limits the maximum.

At Medium settings, the same pattern holds even more clearly: 64 FPS at 1080p, 52 at 1440p, and 38 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is about 19%, and the drop from 1440p to 4K is about 27%. This is a very consistent pattern. The sim's engine, with its focus on terrain and photogrammetry, becomes more demanding on the GPU as the pixel count rises, but the CPU is still strong enough to keep up.

Looking at High settings, the numbers are 48, 39, and 29 at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K, respectively. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is about 19% again, but the drop from 1440p to 4K is about 26%. That's a slightly shallower drop than Low and Medium, which suggests that at High settings the CPU starts to have a minor say in the final frame rate. The sim's terrain and weather simulation can be CPU-heavy, and the Ryzen 5 2600 with six cores and twelve threads is not going to be the bottleneck, but its single-thread performance is not in the same league as more modern CPUs.

Ultra settings show the steepest fall: 46 at 1080p, 37 at 1440p, and 27 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is about 20%, and 1440p to 4K is about 27%. This is a clear sign of the GPU being fully maxed out. The GTX 1070 is a 2016-era card, and while it has 8GB of VRAM which is good, its raw throughput is just not enough for 4K Ultra in this flight sim. The data shows the limiting component is the GPU for most of the tested presets.

The scaling is very linear and predictable. The frame rate at 4K is roughly 60% of 1080p for most settings. This is a good sign for the CPU. It means the Ryzen 5 2600 is not the bottleneck in this test; it's delivering the frames it can, and the GPU is the one that's struggling. The data supports a conclusion that the card is the limit.

Settings Recommendations

The best experience per the measured rows is Medium at 1920x1080. The average FPS of 64 with a minimum of 55 and maximum of 74 falls well within the playable range for a flight sim. The High preset at 1080p is 48 average, which is smooth enough for many, but the Medium preset offers a better comfort margin. The 64 FPS average is a good target to aim for, and the minimum of 55 shows that even in busy areas, the frame rate won't dip into the unplayable.

At 2560x1440, Medium is the clear choice for a decent experience. The average of 52 FPS with a minimum of 44 is still playable, but the user will notice the drops. Low at 1440p gives 67 FPS, which is very smooth, but the visual fidelity of a flight sim is a huge part of the appeal, and Low looks quite flat. Medium at 1440p is the sweet spot for the best balance.

At 4K (3840x2160), the data shows a struggle. Medium averages 38 FPS, with a minimum of 32 and a maximum of 44. That's a bit too close to the edge for a sim that requires precise control. Low settings at 4K give 49 FPS, which is a better, but it's not a smooth. The user would be better off dropping to 1440p and raising the settings for a more satisfying image. The sim's a sit-back-and-look experience, not a twitch shooter, so a 30-40 FPS might be acceptable for some, but the data shows the system is at its limit.

The optimal preset for this combination is Medium at 1080p. It offers a high enough frame rate to be smooth, and the visual upgrade over Low is significant. For users with a 1440p monitor, Medium at 1440p is the best compromise. The High preset is not worth the frame rate loss from Medium. The Ultra preset is not recommended.

GPU Role

The GTX 1070 has a base clock of 1506 MHz and a boost of 1683 MHz. The 8 GB of GDDR5 memory is a strong asset for this game; the sim's large textures and terrain data can fit within that budget. The memory bus is 256-bit with a bandwidth of 256.3 GB/s. This is a solid memory subsystem for the game, but the raw compute of the GPU is the limiting factor.

The GPU's compute performance is 6.463 TFLOPS FP32. This is not a high number by modern standards, and it shows in the Ultra results at 4K (27 FPS). The card has 120 TMUs and 64 ROPs, which are responsible for texture and pixel output. The data shows that the card works harder at higher resolutions, but the frame rate drops are more severe than just the pixel count increase, indicating that the GPU is hitting a compute wall.

The GPU's percentile of 47 out of 100 all GPUs confirms it is a solid mid-range card. It's a good match for a 1080p gaming in 2016, but the Flight Simulator is a 2020 release with high demands. The VRAM is not an issue, but the GPU's processing power is. The user can see that the card runs out of steam at 4K Ultra, and even at 1440p Ultra it's only 37 FPS. The data shows the 1070 is a card with a fixed amount of headroom, and the sim is butting up against it.

The 16nm process and the 150W TDP are the physical constraints. The card is a dual-slot, 267 mm long, and requires a 450W power supply. It's a standard card from the Pascal generation. The framebuffer of 8GB means the user won't have to worry about texture pop-in, but the GPU's compute units are just not enough for the highest presets. The card is end-of-life for the manufacturer, but it's still a capable piece of hardware for a budget system.

Measured FPS Breakdown

Detailed numbers for the Ryzen 5 2600 + GTX 1070 in Microsoft Flight Simulator:

1920x1080:

• Low: 83 average
• Medium: 64 average, 55 minimum, 74 maximum
• High: 48 average
• Ultra: 46 average

At 1080p, the system is well within its comfort zone. Low settings give a very high frame rate of 83. Medium is the sweet spot. High and Ultra are close, with 48 and 46, showing the GPU is the bottleneck.

2560x1440:

• Low: 67 average
• Medium: 52 average, 44 minimum, 60 maximum
• High: 39 average
• Ultra: 37 average

At 1440p, the frame rates dip. The gap between High and Ultra is small, a sign that the GPU can't handle the extra effects. Low is still playable.

3840x2160:

• Low: 49 average
• Medium: 38 average, 32 minimum, 44 maximum
• High: 29 average
• Ultra: 27 average

At 4K, only Low is really playable. Medium is borderline. The data shows the GPU is struggling. The user might consider a resolution like 3440x1440, but that's not in the data.

The frame time consistency is also seen in the minimum and maximum values for Medium settings. At 1080p, the range is 55-74, a 19 FPS spread. At 1440p, the range is 44-60, a 16 FPS spread. At 4K, the range is a 12 FPS spread. This suggests the game becomes more consistent as the GPU is more heavily loaded, but the average is lower.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 ranks 3069 out of 3714 tested combos for Microsoft Flight Simulator. That puts it in the lower 17% of all tested systems. This is a low ranking, but it's important to consider what that means. The database includes all kinds of modern hardware, and this is a 2018 CPU and a 2016 GPU. The result is a frame rate that is not is not elite.

The CPU's rank is 75th percentile of all CPUs, meaning it's better than 75% of the CPUs. The GPU's rank is 47th percentile, meaning it's about average. This mismatch is clear in the data. The GPU is the weaker link. The combo rank of 3069/3714 is a result of the GPU's lower standing.

The nearest rivals to the GPU are the AMD FirePro W5000 and the NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, with scores that are within 0.5% of the GTX 1070. This shows the GTX 1070 is a typical mid-range card, not a high-end one. The CPU's rivals are the Intel Core Ultra 5 228V, Intel Core i9-11900H, Intel Xeon D-1746TER, and AMD EPYC 9454, with differences of 0.2%, 0.5%, -0.7%, and 1.2%, respectively. This shows the Ryzen 5 2600 is still a competitive CPU for its age, but the GPU is not.

The combo rank is a clear indicator that this is not a system for high-end flight sim. The data shows that the user will have to make compromises. The rank is a reminder that the GPU is the main limitation.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 4K with Medium settings?

A: The average is 38 FPS, with a minimum of 32 and a maximum of 44.

Q: How many frames per second can the system get at 1080p on Low?

A: The system achieves an average of 83 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Is this combination better or worse than the average tested combo?

A: It ranks 3069 out of 3714 tested combos, placing it in the lower 17th percentile of all tested systems in this game.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 1440p monitor?

A: Medium, with a 52 FPS average and a 44 minimum, is the best balance for 1440p.

Q: What is the GPU's boost clock?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 has a boost clock of 1683 MHz and a base clock of 1506 MHz.

Q: How much VRAM does the GTX 1070 have?

A: It has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus.