Microsoft Flight Simulator

The AMD Ryzen 5 4600G paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D presents a stark contrast in component tiers within Microsoft Flight Simulator. The data indicates a configuration where a top-tier, high-bandwidth GPU is constrained by a mid-range Zen 2 processor. The benchmark results show a system that delivers playable frame rates across all tested settings, but the scaling patterns reveal a significant CPU bottleneck that caps performance, especially at lower resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a pronounced dependency on resolution, which is a classic indicator of CPU limitation. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 140 FPS. When the resolution increases to 1440p, the average FPS drops to 130, and at 4K, it falls further to 118 FPS. This represents a 15.7% performance decrease from 1080p to 4K. The relatively modest drop suggests that the CPU is struggling to feed the GPU frames even at lower resolutions, as a purely GPU-bound scenario would typically show a much steeper decline when pixel count quadruples.

The trend holds across other settings. With High settings, the frame rate goes from 115 FPS at 1080p to 107 FPS at 1440p, and then down to 88 FPS at 4K. This is a 23.5% reduction from 1080p to 4K, indicating that as graphical load increases, the GPU begins to become more of a factor, but the CPU remains a limiting force. The most extreme example of this bottleneck is visible in the Medium preset, where the 4K average of 107 FPS is only 16.4% lower than the 1080p score of 128 FPS. The min FPS figures for Medium settings also support this: 109 FPS at 1080p versus 91 FPS at 4K.

The RTX 5090 D, with its 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth, is clearly capable of massive throughput. The fact that the 1080p Low preset does not yield significantly higher frame rates than the 4K Low preset (140 vs 118 FPS) suggests that the Ryzen 5 4600G, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is hitting its ceiling. The data shows that to leverage the full potential of this GPU, a higher resolution is required to shift the workload onto the graphics card. The scaling behavior strongly implies that at 1080p and 1440p, the CPU is the primary component determining the final frame rate, while the GPU only becomes the bottleneck at 4K Ultra settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the performance difference between 1080p and 4K at the Ultra preset?

A: At 1080p Ultra, the system averages 113 FPS. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 84 FPS. This represents a 25.7% reduction in frame rate when moving from Full HD to 4K resolution.

Q: How much faster is the Low preset compared to Ultra at 1440p?

A: The Low preset at 1440p achieves an average of 130 FPS, which is 23.8% higher than the Ultra preset's 105 FPS at the same resolution. The gap is smaller than expected due to CPU limitations.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 4600G a bottleneck for the RTX 5090 D in this game?

A: The data suggests a significant CPU bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system produces 140 FPS, while at 4K Low it produces 118 FPS. The relatively small performance delta when pixel count quadruples indicates that the CPU is limiting frame generation before the GPU can be fully utilized.

Q: What is the combo's ranking among all tested configurations?

A: This specific combination of components ranks 298th out of 2996 tested combos for Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the top 10% of all tested configurations.

Q: Does increasing graphical settings have a linear effect on performance?

A: No. The performance scaling is non-linear. For example, at 4K, moving from Low (118 FPS) to Medium (107 FPS) causes a 9.3% drop, but moving from High (88 FPS) to Ultra (84 FPS) only causes a 4.5% drop. This suggests that the CPU bottleneck is less impactful at higher graphical loads.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo based on the data?

A: The 1440p resolution appears to offer the best balance. At High settings, it achieves 107 FPS, which is only 7% lower than the 1080p High score but provides a significantly sharper image. The 4K High score of 88 FPS is still playable but shows a more substantial performance hit.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 4600G is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 2 architecture, codenamed Renoir. It operates with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 13,593 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1,919 in single-core. Its performance percentile places it at 71, meaning it outperforms 71% of all CPUs in the database.

In the context of Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU's role is critical for handling game logic, physics, and draw calls. The benchmark results show that this processor becomes the limiting factor, particularly at lower resolutions. The evidence is clear when comparing the FPS at 1080p Low (140 FPS) to 1440p Low (130 FPS). If the GPU were the bottleneck, the frame rate would typically be much higher at 1080p, as the GPU would have less work to do. The fact that the FPS does not scale significantly with resolution indicates that the CPU is unable to issue draw commands fast enough to keep the RTX 5090 D saturated.

The Ryzen 5 4600G's 8 MB of shared L3 cache is relatively modest, and its memory bandwidth is rated at 51.2 GB/s. These factors, combined with its 65 W TDP, position it as a solid entry-level performer, but not one suited for feeding a flagship GPU. The data shows that its 3DMark max threads score of 4,889 and single-thread score of 726 are not sufficient to unlock the full potential of the GeForce RTX 5090 D in this simulator. The benchmark results indicate that while the CPU can maintain playable frame rates, it is the primary bottleneck, preventing the system from reaching the higher frame rates that the GPU could otherwise deliver.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at how the system performs across different resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system achieves an average of 140 FPS on Low, 128 FPS on Medium, 115 FPS on High, and 113 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset has a min FPS of 109 and a max of 147. The difference between High and Ultra is minimal, with only a 1.7% performance drop, suggesting that the CPU is becoming a limiting factor even at these settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong. The Low preset averages 130 FPS, Medium averages 119 FPS (min 101, max 137), High averages 107 FPS, and Ultra averages 105 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is gentle, with a 7.1% drop on Low and a 7.0% drop on High. This consistent, modest decline across settings is a clear indication of a CPU bottleneck, as the GPU has more pixels to render but the frame rate does not suffer proportionally.

At 3840x2160, the system finally starts to show more significant scaling. The Low preset averages 118 FPS, which is 15.7% lower than the 1080p Low result. Medium averages 107 FPS (min 91, max 124), High averages 88 FPS, and Ultra averages 84 FPS. The 4K Ultra score of 84 FPS is 25.7% lower than the 1080p Ultra score. This larger drop at higher settings suggests that the GPU is becoming more involved, but the CPU is still holding back performance. The data shows a clear pattern: the system is playable at all tested configurations, but the frame rate ceiling is imposed by the Ryzen 5 4600G, not the RTX 5090 D.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a flagship graphics card based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, featuring 21,760 shading units, 170 RT cores, and 680 tensor cores. It has 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock is rated at 2407 MHz. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 44,065 in Passmark G3D and 14,326 in 3DMark Steel Nomad, placing it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the GPU's role is to render the complex scenery, lighting, and terrain. The data shows that the RTX 5090 D is powerful enough to handle the game at high settings, but its performance is often capped by the CPU. The most telling evidence is the 1080p Low result of 140 FPS. A GPU of this caliber should be able to produce significantly higher frame rates at such a low graphical load if it were not being starved of data by the processor.

The GPU's 32 GB of VRAM is ample for the game, even at 4K Ultra settings, where the average FPS is 84. The min FPS of 91 at 4K Medium suggests that the card can maintain consistent frame delivery when the CPU allows it. The benchmark results indicate that the RTX 5090 D is operating well below its potential in this configuration. For instance, the 4K Ultra score of 84 FPS is only 25.7% lower than the 1080p Ultra score of 113 FPS, which is a relatively small penalty for a 4x increase in pixel count. This demonstrates that the GPU has headroom to render more frames, but it is constrained by the CPU's ability to process the game simulation.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the user's target resolution and performance preference. For players using a 1080p display, the High preset at 115 FPS offers an excellent experience, as the jump to Ultra only provides a marginal 1.7% performance increase. The Medium preset at 128 FPS is also a strong choice if a higher frame rate is desired, as the visual difference between Medium and High is often less critical in a flight simulator.

For 1440p, the High preset at 107 FPS is the most balanced option. It provides a significant visual upgrade over Medium (119 FPS) with only a 10.1% performance cost. The Ultra preset at 105 FPS is also viable, as it delivers nearly the same frame rate as High, with only a 1.9% difference. This suggests that at 1440p, the CPU bottleneck is so pronounced that the Ultra settings are effectively "free" in terms of performance.

At 4K, the situation changes. The High preset at 88 FPS is the highest playable setting that maintains a smooth experience. The Ultra preset at 84 FPS is also playable, but the 4.5% drop from High may not justify the extra graphical load. The Medium preset at 107 FPS is the best choice for players who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity, as it offers a 21.6% performance increase over High. Given the CPU bottleneck, the data suggests that 1440p High or 4K Medium are the most efficient configurations, providing a balance between visual quality and performance that aligns with the system's capabilities.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested configurations for Microsoft Flight Simulator, this combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 4600G and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks 298th out of 2996 total combos. This places it in the top 9.9% of all tested systems, indicating that despite the CPU bottleneck, the sheer power of the RTX 5090 D ensures a high overall performance level.

The ranking is notable because it highlights the impact of the CPU. The GPU alone has an average benchmark score of 77,712, and its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (76,904) and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78,940). The CPU has an average benchmark score of 17,507, with its nearest rivals being the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 5355GE (17,482) and the Intel Core 7 150U (17,395). The combination's rank of 298 suggests that the system is performing well overall, but the data indicates that a more powerful CPU would likely push this combo significantly higher in the rankings.

The fact that the combo ranks in the 90th percentile of all tested systems, despite the clear CPU limitation, speaks to the extraordinary capability of the RTX 5090 D. However, the benchmark results also show that the Ryzen 5 4600G is holding the system back from achieving its full potential. Had this GPU been paired with a processor closer to its performance tier, the rank would likely be much higher. As it stands, this combo delivers a playable and impressive experience, but the data clearly shows that the CPU is the weak link in the chain.