Microsoft Flight Simulator

The AMD Ryzen 5 4600G pairs a 6-core, 12-thread Zen 2 design with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. For a flight simulator like Microsoft Flight Simulator, which heavily relies on single-thread performance for its primary simulation loop, the CPU's 726 single-thread score in 3dmark and 1919 score in Cinebench R23 single-core indicate a modest but workable foundation. The processor's multi-threaded capabilities, shown by a 13593 Cinebench R23 multi-core score, are less critical for this genre, but they do assist with background tasks and complex scenery loading. The data suggests this CPU is not the bottleneck in most scenarios, as its benchmark scores place it in the 75th percentile of all CPUs, though its nearest rivals—like the Intel Core i5-12450H and Intel Core i3-14100T—deliver nearly identical average scores, with deltas of 0.1% and -0.8% respectively, making the 4600G's performance parity clear.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Ryzen 5 4600G's architecture, Zen 2 on the Renoir codename, provides 6 cores and 12 threads, which is sufficient for Flight Simulator's engine that can utilize multiple threads for tasks like terrain rendering and AI traffic. The 8 MB of shared L3 cache is a factor, but the game's performance at 1080p shows the CPU holding up well: at Low settings, the average FPS reaches 143.1, which is only 12.1 FPS less than the 1440p Low result of 127.6. This small drop indicates the CPU is not being overtaxed even at lower resolutions where the GPU has more headroom. The boost clock of 4.20 GHz helps maintain frame pacing, and benchmark results like the 3dmark 2-thread score of 1430 reinforce that the CPU can handle the two-thread load typical of many simulation game loops. However, the data also reveals that when settings are pushed to Ultra at 1080p, the FPS falls to 103.0, a drop of 40.1 FPS from Low, which points to the GPU becoming the primary limiter rather than the CPU.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing, featuring 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. Its boost clock of 2475 MHz and 7168 shading units provide substantial raw compute, reflected in a Passmark G3D score of 29995 and a percentile rank of 84 among all GPUs. In Flight Simulator, this GPU's role becomes evident when comparing settings at the same resolution. At 4K, moving from Low to Ultra drops the average FPS from 106.7 to 57.5, a 49.2 FPS reduction. This steep decline is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where the RTX 4070 SUPER's 12 GB VRAM and 35.48 TFLOPS FP32 performance are being stretched by the game's high-resolution textures and complex lighting. The GPU's nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA RTX A6000 with a -0.2% delta and the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE with a -0.3% delta, show that this card sits in a competitive performance tier, though the specific frame rates here are unique to the 4600G pairing.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

Examining the FPS progression across resolutions reveals the shifting bottleneck. At High settings, the average FPS moves from 106.6 at 1080p to 83.8 at 1440p and finally to 63.6 at 4K. This represents a 40.3% drop from 1080p to 4K, which is substantial but not linear, suggesting a mix of CPU and GPU influence. The drop from 1440p to 4K is 20.2 FPS, while the drop from 1080p to 1440p is 22.8 FPS, showing a consistent scaling pattern. In contrast, at Low settings, the 1080p result of 143.1 FPS falls to 106.7 FPS at 4K, a 36.4 FPS reduction. The fact that Low settings at 4K still deliver over 100 FPS indicates the GPU has significant headroom when not burdened by high-quality effects. The limiting component is clearly the GPU at higher settings, as the CPU maintains similar frame rates across resolutions when settings are low, but the GPU's workload increases sharply with resolution and detail level.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of the Ryzen 5 4600G and RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 398th out of 1795 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the top 22.2% of all system pairings, which is a strong showing given that the CPU is a lower-tier part compared to the GPU. The rank reflects that while the CPU is not a top performer—its average benchmark score of 17489 is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 5355GE at 17482—the GPU's high percentile rank of 84 compensates. The data implies that for a flight simulator, which is often GPU-limited at high settings, this combo punches above its CPU's weight class. The higher rank likely comes from the GPU's ability to sustain high frame rates even with a modest CPU, as seen in the 4K Ultra result of 57.5 FPS, which is still playable.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS rows, the data suggests that the Medium preset offers the best balance between visual fidelity and performance across all resolutions. At 1080p, Medium delivers 129.0 FPS, which is 14.1 FPS less than Low but 23.0 FPS more than High. At 1440p, Medium achieves 115.0 FPS, a strong result that is only 12.6 FPS below Low and 31.2 FPS above High. Even at 4K, Medium maintains 82.3 FPS, which is 19.2 FPS below Low but 18.7 FPS above High. For users seeking maximum smoothness, Low settings at 1080p provide the highest frame rate of 143.1 FPS, but the Medium preset's 4K performance of 82.3 FPS is notably above the 60 FPS threshold, making it the most versatile option. Ultra settings, while visually rich, dip to 57.5 FPS at 4K, which may be too low for some users, though it remains playable at 1080p with 103.0 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

1080p (1920x1080):

• Low: 143.1 FPS
• Medium: 129.0 FPS
• High: 106.6 FPS
• Ultra: 103.0 FPS

1440p (2560x1440):

• Low: 127.6 FPS
• Medium: 115.0 FPS
• High: 83.8 FPS
• Ultra: 81.4 FPS

4K (3840x2160):

• Low: 106.7 FPS
• Medium: 82.3 FPS
• High: 63.6 FPS
• Ultra: 57.5 FPS

The data reveals a consistent pattern: the gap between Low and Medium is small at 1080p (14.1 FPS) but grows to 24.4 FPS at 4K, indicating that the Medium preset's additional effects tax the GPU more at higher resolutions. The drop from High to Ultra is minimal at 1080p (3.6 FPS) but expands to 6.1 FPS at 4K, showing that Ultra settings have diminishing returns on performance but still cost more at higher resolutions. The 1440p results show the narrowest range between High and Ultra, just 2.4 FPS, which suggests this resolution is a sweet spot for the combo, where the GPU is neither overburdened nor underutilized.

FAQ

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 4600G a bottleneck for the RTX 4070 SUPER in this game?

A: The data suggests it is not a severe bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 143.1 FPS, and the CPU's 75th percentile ranking with a single-thread score of 1919 in Cinebench R23 indicates it can keep pace. The bottleneck shifts to the GPU at higher settings, as shown by the FPS drop from 106.6 at 1080p High to 63.6 at 4K High.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: The 1440p resolution offers the most balanced experience. At Medium settings, it delivers 115.0 FPS, which is only 14 FPS less than 1080p Medium but provides significantly more detail. The narrow gap between High and Ultra at 1440p (2.4 FPS) also indicates the GPU is not being pushed to its limits there.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 SUPER compare to its nearest rival in terms of benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 42576, which is 0.2% lower than the NVIDIA RTX A6000's 42653 and 0.3% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE's 42723. This places it in a tight performance cluster, but the measured FPS in this game are specific to this combo.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Flight Simulator?

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 4K Low, it achieves 106.7 FPS, and at 4K Medium, it reaches 82.3 FPS. However, at 4K High and Ultra, it drops to 63.6 and 57.5 FPS respectively, which may be below some users' targets for a smooth experience.

Q: What is the CPU's multi-threaded performance relative to its rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 4600G has a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 13593. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i3-14100T, has an average score that is 0.8% higher, while the Intel Core i3-13100F is 1% higher. The AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 5355GE is within 0% delta, showing near-identical multi-threaded performance.

Q: How much FPS is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: The average FPS drops from 106.6 at 1080p High to 63.6 at 4K High, a 43.0 FPS reduction. This represents a 40.3% decrease, indicating that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at this settings level.