Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator is a notoriously demanding title, and the pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 with the Intel Arc B570 produces a dataset that clearly illustrates the balance between CPU and GPU load. The measured frames per second (FPS) across resolutions and presets reveal a system that is consistently playable but requires careful settings management to achieve a smooth experience, with performance scaling that points directly to the graphics card as the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable pattern as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 50 FPS at 1080p to 41 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 30 FPS at 4K. This represents a 40% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K, a significant hit that indicates the rendering load is scaling heavily with pixel count. The progression is not linear, however, suggesting that the GPU is becoming increasingly saturated as the resolution climbs.

The scaling story becomes even more apparent when examining the Low preset. At 1080p Low, the system achieves a robust 86 FPS average. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 69 FPS, and at 4K Low, the average falls to 51 FPS. The fact that the game can nearly double its frame rate at 1080p by switching from High to Low (50 to 86 FPS) shows that the settings are having a massive impact on the GPU workload. The 4K Low result of 51 FPS being higher than the 1080p High result of 50 FPS is a strong indicator that the Intel Arc B570 is the limiting component; reducing graphical fidelity at a higher resolution yields better performance than increasing fidelity at a lower resolution.

This behavior is classic for a GPU-bound scenario. The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU enough data, but the GPU's raw throughput is the ceiling. As resolution increases, the GPU's fillrate and memory bandwidth become the dominant factors, and the measured FPS drops accordingly. The gap between 1080p and 1440p at High settings is 9 FPS, while the gap between 1440p and 4K at High settings is 11 FPS. This relatively consistent drop reinforces that the rendering pipeline is the limiting factor, not the CPU, as the CPU workload would not increase proportionally with resolution in the same way. The benchmark results indicate that users targeting 4K will need to significantly lower settings to approach playable frame rates, while 1080p offers a much more comfortable performance envelope.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. This configuration is generally well-suited for modern gaming, and its performance in synthetic benchmarks, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 16429 and a single-core score of 2319, places it in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs. The data suggests this is a capable processor for Flight Simulator, which relies on a mix of single-thread performance for simulation logic and multi-threading for rendering tasks.

The role of the CPU in this specific pairing is best understood by observing the FPS scaling at 1080p. At the Low preset, the system hits 86 FPS, and at Medium, it achieves 67 FPS. The fact that these frame rates are significantly higher than the 4K results indicates that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at lower resolutions. The Ryzen 5 5500's 12 threads and 16 MB of L3 cache provide enough headroom to keep the game's engine fed, allowing the GPU to become the limiting factor. The 3dmark_16_threads score of 5386 and the max_threads score of 5411 show that the processor scales well with additional threads, which is beneficial for a simulator that has to process complex flight models and scenery data.

However, the CPU's influence can be inferred from the fact that the 1080p High preset (50 FPS) is not dramatically higher than the 1440p High preset (41 FPS). If the CPU were severely limiting, the frame rate would be similar across resolutions, as the CPU workload would remain constant. Since the frame rate does drop with resolution, it confirms the GPU is the main constraint. The Ryzen 5 5500's performance relative to its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i5-12500 (average score 19668, deltaPct -0.4) and the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430 (average score 19617, deltaPct -0.1), shows it is competitively positioned. Its average benchmark score of 19593 is nearly identical to its rivals, suggesting that system-to-system variation with other components would have a larger impact than the CPU choice itself in this game.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture and features 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. Its base and boost clocks are both 2500 MHz, and it has 2304 shading units. The GPU's average benchmark score of 20556 places it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, and it is a direct competitor to parts like the Intel Arc A750 (avgScore 20582, deltaPct -0.1) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (avgScore 20534, deltaPct 0.1).

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the Arc B570's role is clearly that of the performance limiter. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU's workload is the primary factor in the frame rate drops from 1080p to 4K. The 10 GB VRAM capacity is a notable point; while it is sufficient for many titles, Flight Simulator's high-resolution textures and detailed scenery can be demanding. The fact that the 4K High preset yields only 30 FPS suggests that the GPU is running out of throughput, and potentially memory bandwidth, to process the scene efficiently.

The GPU's performance scaling with settings is also telling. At 4K, the difference between Low (51 FPS) and Ultra (28 FPS) is a massive 23 FPS. This significant spread shows that the Arc B570's compute units and memory subsystem are heavily taxed by the higher-fidelity effects like shadows, reflections, and volumetric clouds. The 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score of 2649 is a low score for modern standards, reinforcing that the card is positioned at the entry-to-mid range of the GPU market. The data indicates that the Arc B570 is a capable card for 1080p gaming, but its performance at 4K is limited, making it a component that requires users to balance resolution and detail settings carefully.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and the Intel Arc B570 ranks at 2988 out of 3714 tested combos in this game. This places it in the bottom 20% of all tested configurations, which is a key context for understanding the performance data. The ranking reflects that while the individual components are not top-tier, their combined performance in this specific title is on the lower end of the spectrum, likely because of the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions.

This rank is consistent with the FPS data. A rank of 2988 out of 3714 suggests that many other combinations of CPUs and GPUs are able to achieve higher frame rates in Microsoft Flight Simulator. The data implies that this combo is suited for 1080p gaming, where it can achieve playable frame rates at Medium and High settings, but it will struggle at 4K, where the average FPS at Ultra is just 28. The rank is not a reflection of the CPU's capability, as it is in the 73rd percentile for all CPUs, but rather a result of the GPU being in the 65th percentile, which is a lower relative standing. When paired together, the overall system performance is dragged down by the GPU's inability to keep up with the CPU's output at higher resolutions. The fact that the combo rank is so low indicates that for a smooth experience, users would likely need to prioritize lower resolutions or presets, as the hardware simply does not have the headroom for high-fidelity 4K simulation.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 50 FPS.

Q: How does the combo's overall ranking compare to other tested systems?

A: This combo ranks 2988 out of 3714 tested combinations in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the lower 20% of all tested systems.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K resolution?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary limiting factor. The average FPS drops from 51 at 4K Low to 30 at 4K High, showing a strong sensitivity to graphical settings, which is a characteristic of a GPU-bound workload.

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate this combo can achieve?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 86, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Does the Intel Arc B570 have enough VRAM for this game?

A: The GPU has 10 GB of GDDR6 memory. While this is sufficient for many scenarios, the performance drop at 4K High settings (30 FPS) suggests that the GPU's memory bandwidth and capacity are being heavily taxed by the game's high-resolution assets.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 5500 compare to the Intel Core i5-12500?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 has an average benchmark score of 19593, which is 0.4% lower than the Intel Core i5-12500's score of 19668. This indicates they are very closely matched in synthetic performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this hardware combination is firmly in the 1080p resolution range. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, with an average FPS of 67 and a minimum of 57 FPS. This provides a smooth, playable experience for a flight simulator, where consistent frame rates are more important than peak values. The High preset at 1080p is also viable, with an average of 50 FPS, but the increased visual detail comes at a cost of 17 FPS compared to Medium.

For users with a 1440p monitor, the Low preset is the only setting that guarantees a consistently smooth experience, with an average of 69 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p drops to an average of 54 FPS, which may be acceptable for some but is less ideal. The High and Ultra presets at 1440p are not recommended, as they fall to 41 FPS and 39 FPS respectively, which can feel sluggish for a simulator that requires precise control. At 4K, the data suggests that even the Low preset, with an average of 51 FPS, is the only reasonable choice; all other presets drop below 40 FPS, with Ultra averaging just 28 FPS, making it unsuitable for a smooth experience. The benchmark data clearly shows that to maximize the playability of this combo, users should prioritize 1080p resolution and use the Medium preset, which provides the best combination of frame rate stability and graphical quality.