Microsoft Flight Simulator

# Microsoft Flight Simulator with AMD Ryzen 5 3600 + AMD Radeon RX 580 — Benchmark Analysis

This combination ranks 3376 out of 3714 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the lower 9% of all tested hardware pairings. The data shows a system that can run the simulator, but only at lower resolutions and settings presets. The pairing of a Ryzen 5 3600 with an RX 580 produces playable frame rates primarily at 1080p Low, with performance dropping sharply as resolution and visual fidelity increase. For a flight simulator that emphasizes scenery detail and smooth camera movement, this combo delivers a baseline experience rather than a visually rich one.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 3376 out of 3714 tested combinations places it near the bottom of the database for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This is a fundamentally constrained pairing for this specific title, which is known for demanding both GPU and CPU resources. The rank reflects the cumulative effect of an older mid-range GPU and a capable but not top-tier CPU working together under the heavy load of a modern flight simulator.

Benchmark results indicate that this combo is best suited for users who prioritize playability over visual quality. The measured FPS data shows that the system can achieve 54 FPS at 1080p Low, which is the only configuration that approaches a smooth experience. Every other settings and resolution combination falls below 43 FPS, with several configurations dipping into the high teens and low twenties. The ranking position suggests that most other tested combos deliver either higher average frame rates or better performance at higher quality settings.

When contextualized against the individual component benchmarks, the CPU performs at the 71st percentile among all tested processors, while the GPU sits at the 53rd percentile among all tested graphics cards. This disparity indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck in this pairing for Microsoft Flight Simulator. The CPU has sufficient headroom, but the GPU cannot translate that into higher frame rates at demanding settings. The rank of 3376 reflects this GPU limitation more than any CPU deficiency.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580 features 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 256.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. Its base clock runs at 1257 MHz with a boost clock of 1340 MHz, and the memory operates at 2000 MHz with 8 Gbps effective speed. The GPU contains 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs, delivering 6.175 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and a pixel rate of 42.88 GPixel/s. This is a Polaris 20 chip built on a 14 nm process from GlobalFoundries, with a TDP of 185 W.

For Microsoft Flight Simulator, the GPU's memory capacity and bandwidth are critical. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for the game's texture streaming at 1080p and 1440p, but the 256.0 GB/s bandwidth becomes a limiting factor at higher resolutions. The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern: at 3840x2160, the average frame rate ranges from 18 FPS at Ultra to 32 FPS at Low. At 2560x1440, the range is 24 FPS at Ultra to 43 FPS at Low. At 1920x1080, the range improves to 30 FPS at Ultra and 54 FPS at Low.

The GPU's compute throughput of 6.175 TFLOPS is modest by modern standards, and the benchmark results reflect this. The RX 580 scores 8813 in Passmark G3D and 12928 in average benchmark score, placing it at the 53rd percentile. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (deltaPct -0.1), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER (deltaPct -0.4), and AMD Radeon 740M (deltaPct 0.5). These close scores indicate that the RX 580 performs in line with its contemporaries, but none of these GPUs are particularly strong for Microsoft Flight Simulator at high settings.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 2 architecture (Matisse codename) built on a 7 nm process from TSMC. It operates at a base clock of 3.60 GHz with a boost clock of 4.20 GHz, and has a 65 W TDP. The cache configuration includes 64 KB L1 per core, 512 KB L2 per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support is DDR4 with dual-channel configuration, providing 51.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The CPU supports PCIe Gen 4 with 16 lanes.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU handles physics, flight model calculations, and world generation. The Ryzen 5 3600's multi-threaded performance is solid, as evidenced by its benchmark scores: 15045 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, 6318 in Cinebench R20 multi-core, and 1516 in Cinebench R15 multi-core. Single-thread scores are 2124 in Cinebench R23 and 892 in Cinebench R20. The CPU's average benchmark score of 17035 places it at the 71st percentile, with nearest rivals including the Intel Core i7-1260P (deltaPct 0.2), Intel Core i5-11400 (deltaPct -0.2), and AMD EPYC 7573X (deltaPct -0.2).

For this game, the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are adequate, but the single-thread performance is more relevant since flight simulators often rely on a primary simulation thread. The benchmark results show that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this combo; the GPU constrains performance far more significantly. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 54 FPS, which suggests the CPU can feed the GPU adequately at lower settings. As settings increase, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, and the CPU's additional headroom goes unused.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of this combo's performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system achieves its best results. Low settings produce an average of 54 FPS, Medium produces 42 FPS (with a minimum of 36 and maximum of 48), High produces 31 FPS, and Ultra produces 30 FPS. The 1080p Low result is the only configuration that reaches a consistently playable frame rate, while Medium is borderline acceptable at 42 FPS.

At 2560x1440, performance drops noticeably. Low settings average 43 FPS, Medium averages 34 FPS (with a minimum of 29 and maximum of 39), High averages 25 FPS, and Ultra averages 24 FPS. The step from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 20% performance at Low settings, but the gap narrows at higher presets because the GPU is already saturated. At 1440p, only Low settings approach playability, and Medium may be tolerable for less demanding flight scenarios.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles significantly. Low settings average 32 FPS, Medium averages 25 FPS (with a minimum of 21 and maximum of 29), High averages 19 FPS, and Ultra averages 18 FPS. None of these configurations deliver a smooth experience, and even Low settings at 4K fall below the 30 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for playable flight simulation. The GPU's 256-bit memory bus and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for 4K rendering in this game.

The data shows a consistent pattern: each resolution step down from 1080p to 1440p to 2160p costs approximately 20-25% of average FPS at the same settings. The gap between Low and Ultra settings at each resolution is also consistent, with Ultra typically delivering about 44-56% of the Low setting's average FPS. This suggests the RX 580's compute and memory resources are being fully utilized at higher presets, with no headroom for additional graphical features.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Microsoft Flight Simulator at 1080p?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where it averages 54 FPS. Medium settings drop to 42 FPS, and High and Ultra both hover around 30-31 FPS. For a consistent experience, Low is the recommended preset at 1080p.

Q: Is 1440p playable with this hardware?

A: At 1440p Low, the system averages 43 FPS, which is playable for most users. Medium settings average 34 FPS, which may be acceptable for less demanding scenarios, but High and Ultra drop to 25 and 24 FPS respectively, which is below comfortable playability.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 5 3600 scores 17035 on average, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core i7-1260P (17007) and 0.2% higher than the AMD EPYC 7742 (16998). It trails the Intel Core i5-11400 (17067) and AMD EPYC 7573X (17070) by 0.2% each. These differences are negligible in real-world gaming.

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile and how does it compare to similar cards?

A: The RX 580 sits at the 53rd percentile among all tested GPUs with an average benchmark score of 12928. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile, scores 12940 (0.1% higher), while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER scores 12986 (0.4% higher). The AMD Radeon 740M and AMD FirePro W5100 score 12870 and 12847 respectively.

Q: Is there any resolution where the combo achieves 60 FPS?

A: No. The highest average FPS recorded is 54 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. No measured configuration reaches 60 FPS, and the system falls short of that target across all tested resolutions and settings presets.

Q: How does the combo rank overall for this game?

A: It ranks 3376 out of 3714 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 9% of all hardware pairings tested in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This is a low ranking, indicating that most other combos deliver better performance in this specific title.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the recommended configuration for this combo is 1920x1080 with Low settings, which produces an average of 54 FPS. This is the only settings combination that approaches a smooth, consistent experience, and it provides roughly 29% more performance than the next best configuration (2560x1440 Low at 43 FPS). For users who prioritize visual quality over frame rate, 1920x1080 Medium at 42 FPS is a viable alternative, offering a better balance of appearance and playability.

At 2560x1440, Low settings at 43 FPS are acceptable for users with 1440p monitors, but the visual trade-off is significant compared to 1080p Medium. The 1440p Medium setting at 34 FPS may work for users who prefer higher resolution over smoother motion, but the frame rate is marginal for a flight simulator where camera panning and terrain streaming require consistent performance. High and Ultra settings at any resolution are not recommended, as they produce average FPS below 31 at 1080p and below 25 at 1440p.

For 4K users, this combo is not viable for Microsoft Flight Simulator. Even Low settings at 3840x2160 only achieve 32 FPS, and Medium drops to 25 FPS. The GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 256-bit memory bus are insufficient for 4K rendering in this title. Users with 4K displays should consider lowering the resolution to 1080p or 1440p, or upgrading the GPU before attempting to run this game at native 4K.

The data indicates that the RX 580 is the limiting factor in this combo, with the Ryzen 5 3600 providing adequate CPU performance. Users who want to improve frame rates should focus on GPU upgrades, as the CPU has headroom based on its benchmark scores (71st percentile) relative to the GPU (53rd percentile). For the current hardware, the best experience is achieved at 1080p Low, with 1080p Medium as a secondary option for users who accept lower frame rates in exchange for better visuals.