Microsoft Flight Simulator

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Microsoft Flight Simulator with the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 reveals a clear pattern of scaling from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 138 FPS, which drops to 125.2 FPS at 1440p, and then to 100.7 FPS at 4K. This represents a 27% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, indicating that the GPU still has headroom even at the highest pixel counts.

Moving to High settings, the scaling steepens. The 1080p result is 103.2 FPS, falling to 81.4 FPS at 1440p, and then to 62.5 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K here is 39.4%, showing that the added graphical complexity of High settings makes the resolution transition more punishing. The pattern continues with Ultra settings, where 1080p yields 101.1 FPS, 1440p yields 81.8 FPS, and 4K yields 59.7 FPS — a 41% decline from the lowest to highest resolution.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the system is partially CPU-bound, particularly at lower settings. The Ryzen 5 3600, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, shows its limitations when the GPU is not heavily taxed. At Low settings, the jump from 1080p (138 FPS) to 1440p (125.2 FPS) is only 9.3%, which is smaller than the subsequent drop to 4K (100.7 FPS), another 19.6% decline. This implies that at 1080p Low, the CPU is the limiting factor, while at 4K, the GPU begins to dominate.

For Medium settings, the scaling is more uniform: 126.4 FPS at 1080p, 109.7 FPS at 1440p, and 83.8 FPS at 4K. The 1080p-to-4K reduction is 33.7%, placing it between Low and High in terms of scaling severity. This indicates that Medium presets balance the load between CPU and GPU more evenly, avoiding the extreme CPU bottleneck seen at Low settings while not pushing the GPU as hard as High or Ultra.

At 4K, the system maintains playable frame rates across all presets. Even Ultra, the most demanding setting, produces 59.7 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold. This suggests that the RTX 5070, with its 12 GB of GDDR7 memory and 672.0 GB/s bandwidth, is well-suited for this game at high resolutions. The 4K Ultra result of 59.7 FPS is only 4.5% lower than the 4K High result of 62.5 FPS, showing that the gap between High and Ultra narrows as resolution increases.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU-GPU combo in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: The data indicates that 1440p offers the sweet spot. At High settings, the system delivers 81.4 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold, while 4K High drops to 62.5 FPS. The 1080p results are higher but show CPU limitations, particularly at Low settings where the frame rate is 138 FPS but likely constrained by the Ryzen 5 3600.

Q: How does the RTX 5070 compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 5070 has an average benchmark score of 41687, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro 5300, scores 41610, putting the RTX 5070 0.2% ahead. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 scores 41441, which is 0.6% behind the RTX 5070, while the NVIDIA Tesla M40 is 0.5% behind and the AMD Radeon Pro 580X trails by 0.7%.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 3600 a bottleneck for the RTX 5070 in this game?

A: The evidence suggests partial CPU bottlenecking at 1080p Low settings. The frame rate of 138 FPS at 1080p Low is only 10.2% higher than the 1440p Low result of 125.2 FPS, whereas the drop from 1440p to 4K is 19.6%. This smaller scaling between 1080p and 1440p indicates the CPU is limiting performance at the lower resolution.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between High and Ultra settings at 4K?

A: At 4K, High settings produce 62.5 FPS while Ultra produces 59.7 FPS — a difference of only 4.5%. This small gap suggests that Ultra settings are nearly as playable as High at this resolution, with minimal performance cost for the extra visual fidelity.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 3600 stack up against its nearest rivals in CPU benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 5 3600 has an average benchmark score of 18129, placing it in the 76th percentile of all CPUs. Its closest rival, the Intel Core i5-11400, scores 18150, which is 0.1% higher. The AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS scores 18101 (0.2% lower), the AMD Ryzen 5 1600 scores 18158 (0.2% higher), and the AMD EPYC 9274F scores 18189 (0.3% higher).

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

A: Yes, the measured data shows 4K Ultra produces 59.7 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS mark. For users who prefer smoother gameplay, dropping to High settings yields 62.5 FPS, a marginal 4.5% improvement. The system is capable of handling the game at maximum settings at 4K, though users seeking consistent 60+ FPS may prefer High.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimizing the experience in Microsoft Flight Simulator with this hardware combination. At 4K, High settings deliver 62.5 FPS, which is the best balance of visual quality and performance at this resolution. Ultra settings reduce the frame rate to 59.7 FPS — a 4.5% drop — which may cause occasional stutter on displays with a 60 Hz refresh rate. Medium settings at 4K yield 83.8 FPS, providing a significant performance buffer while still offering decent visual fidelity.

For 1440p, High settings are the recommended choice, producing 81.4 FPS. This is comfortably above 60 FPS and leaves headroom for demanding flight scenarios. Ultra settings at 1440p yield 81.8 FPS, which is nearly identical to High, suggesting that the extra visual features come at minimal cost at this resolution. The 1440p Medium result of 109.7 FPS offers a substantial performance margin for users with high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 1080p, the system is capable of exceeding 100 FPS at all settings except Low, which reaches 138 FPS. For users with 144 Hz displays, Medium settings at 126.4 FPS provide the best combination of smoothness and visual quality. High settings at 103.2 FPS and Ultra at 101.1 FPS are both viable for 100+ FPS gaming. The data shows that Low settings at 1080p (138 FPS) are likely CPU-limited, as the jump to Medium only reduces the frame rate by 8.4%, while the visual improvement is substantial.

Considering all resolutions, the best overall experience is achieved at 1440p with High settings, delivering 81.4 FPS with no significant compromise in visual quality. This provides a smooth, immersive flight simulation experience without the performance risks associated with 4K Ultra. For users prioritizing maximum visual fidelity, 4K High at 62.5 FPS is the optimal choice, as the Ultra preset at this resolution offers diminishing returns for a 4.5% performance loss.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates for Microsoft Flight Simulator with the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 are as follows:

At 1920x1080, Low settings produce 138 FPS, Medium settings produce 126.4 FPS, High settings produce 103.2 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 101.1 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra at this resolution is only 2%, indicating that the Ultra preset adds minimal graphical overhead at 1080p. The gap between Low and Medium is 8.4%, while the gap between Medium and High is 18.4%, making High the most significant performance step in the preset ladder.

At 2560x1440, Low settings yield 125.2 FPS, Medium settings yield 109.7 FPS, High settings yield 81.4 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 81.8 FPS. Notably, Ultra at 1440p produces a slightly higher frame rate than High, which is an anomaly likely due to measurement variance. The drop from Medium to High at this resolution is 25.8%, representing the largest performance penalty between consecutive presets. The 1440p results are 9.3% lower than 1080p at Low settings, 13.2% lower at Medium, 21.1% lower at High, and 19.1% lower at Ultra.

At 3840x2160, Low settings produce 100.7 FPS, Medium settings produce 83.8 FPS, High settings produce 62.5 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 59.7 FPS. This resolution shows the most pronounced scaling, with a 40.7% reduction from Low to Ultra. The difference between High and Ultra at 4K is 4.5%, which is the smallest gap between these two presets across all resolutions. The 4K results are 27% lower than 1080p at Low, 33.7% lower at Medium, 39.4% lower at High, and 41% lower at Ultra.

Across all settings, the frame rate drops as resolution increases, but the rate of decline varies significantly. At Low settings, the 1080p-to-4K reduction is 27%, while at Ultra settings it is 41%. This indicates that higher presets amplify the GPU load, making resolution scaling more severe. The system achieves playable frame rates at every resolution and preset combination, with the lowest result being 59.7 FPS at 4K Ultra.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 plays a central role in determining the frame rates observed in Microsoft Flight Simulator. With 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus, the GPU provides 672.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth, which is critical for streaming the high-resolution textures and detailed terrain that define this game. The memory operates at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective), and the GPU's base clock is 2325 MHz with a boost clock of 2512 MHz.

The RTX 5070's architecture, Blackwell 2.0, includes 6144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units. It also features 48 ray tracing cores and 192 tensor cores, which support the game's advanced lighting and visual effects. The GPU's FP32 performance is 30.87 TFLOPS, with FP16 performance also at 30.87 TFLOPS (1:1), indicating strong compute capabilities for both standard and reduced-precision workloads.

The GPU's benchmark performance places it in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 41687. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro 5300, has an average score of 41610, which is 0.2% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 trails by 0.6%, while the NVIDIA Tesla M40 and AMD Radeon Pro 580X are 0.5% and 0.7% behind, respectively. These comparisons show that the RTX 5070 sits at the top of its performance tier.

In the context of Microsoft Flight Simulator, the GPU's role becomes more prominent as resolution and settings increase. At 4K Ultra, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, as evidenced by the 59.7 FPS result. The GPU's 12 GB memory capacity is sufficient for this game's demands, as no memory-related performance degradation is apparent in the measured data. The 250 W TDP and dual-slot design indicate a power-hungry but manageable card, with a suggested PSU of 600 W.

The RTX 5070's combination of high memory bandwidth and substantial compute resources makes it well-suited for flight simulation, which requires both fast texture loading and complex geometry processing. The GPU's performance at 4K, where it maintains 59.7 FPS at Ultra settings, demonstrates that it can handle the most demanding scenarios this game presents. The benchmark data shows that the GPU is the dominant factor in determining frame rates at high resolutions, while the CPU plays a larger role at 1080p and lower settings.