Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator is a demanding flight simulation that stresses both the processor and the graphics card heavily. In this configuration, the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 produce a balanced pairing where the GPU is the primary driver of frame rates at higher resolutions, while the CPU's six cores and twelve threads provide a solid foundation for the simulation's complex physics and world-streaming calculations. The measured data shows that this combo delivers playable performance across all tested settings, but the optimal experience depends heavily on your display resolution and preference for visual fidelity over raw frame rate.

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

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 CPU sits in the 73rd percentile of all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 19,593 points. In the context of Microsoft Flight Simulator, which is known for its heavy single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads related to terrain rendering and aircraft systems, the Ryzen 5 5500's performance is competitive but not class-leading. Its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430 (average score 19,617, just 0.1% higher), the Intel Core i5-12500 (19,668, 0.4% higher), and the Intel Core i7-10700F (19,499, 0.5% lower). These deltas are all within a single percentage point, indicating that the Ryzen 5 5500 is squarely in the middle of a tightly packed performance tier.

For this specific game, the CPU's role becomes more apparent when examining the frame rate scaling across settings. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 162 FPS, but this drops to 96 FPS at High and 92 FPS at Ultra. This 70 FPS spread at the same resolution suggests that while the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at lower settings, the game's engine demands more from the processor as visual complexity increases. The 16 MB of L3 cache and 51.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth are adequate for the simulation's data streaming needs, though they are not exceptional. The CPU's 3dmark scores further illustrate its threading capabilities: a single-thread score of 836 and a max-threads score of 5,411 show that it scales reasonably well with additional cores, but the single-thread performance is modest compared to higher-end options. In practice, benchmark results indicate that the Ryzen 5 5500 will not bottleneck the RTX 4070 at 4K, where the GPU is the limiting factor, but at 1080p with lower settings, the CPU's limits become more visible in the diminishing returns between High and Ultra presets.

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

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience depends on your target frame rate and resolution. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers a 128 FPS average with a minimum of 109 FPS and a maximum of 147 FPS, which is an excellent balance of smoothness and visual quality for a flight simulator where camera panning and fast terrain flybys benefit from high frame rates. The High preset at 96 FPS is still very playable, but the jump from Medium to High only adds visual detail at the cost of 32 FPS, which is a significant trade-off. Ultra at 1080p drops to 92 FPS, which is barely different from High and not worth the additional GPU load for most users. The Low preset at 162 FPS is unnecessary for this genre, as flight simulators typically do not require competitive-level frame rates.

For 2560x1440, the Medium preset again stands out as the sweet spot, delivering 103 FPS with a minimum of 88 FPS and a maximum of 119 FPS. This resolution offers a sharper image than 1080p while maintaining frame rates above the 60 FPS threshold that many consider essential for smooth flight. High at 1440p yields 78 FPS, which is acceptable, but the 25 FPS drop from Medium to High is noticeable. Ultra at 1440p falls to 74 FPS, which is still playable but approaches the lower boundary of what the data suggests is comfortable. At 3840x2160, the Medium preset provides 76 FPS with a minimum of 65 FPS, making it the only 4K setting that consistently stays above 60 FPS. High and Ultra at 4K produce 57 FPS and 55 FPS respectively, which are borderline for smooth gameplay and may cause noticeable stutter during complex scenes. Low at 4K at 98 FPS is an option for those prioritizing frame rate over everything, but the visual degradation is severe for a game that relies on scenery detail. Overall, the data recommends Medium as the best preset for this combo, offering the most balanced performance across all three resolutions.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: Can this combo run Microsoft Flight Simulator at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Yes, but only at Medium settings. The measured data shows 76 FPS average at 3840x2160 with Medium settings, with a minimum of 65 FPS. High and Ultra at 4K drop to 57 FPS and 55 FPS respectively, which fall below the 60 FPS threshold for consistently smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU pairing?

A: The 2560x1440 Medium preset offers the best combination of visual clarity and performance, with a 103 FPS average and a minimum of 88 FPS. This resolution provides significantly more detail than 1080p while maintaining frame rates well above 60 FPS, unlike 4K where only Medium stays above that threshold.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 5500 compare to its nearest CPU rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 5 5500 has an average benchmark score of 19,593, which is essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430 (19,617, 0.1% higher) and the Intel Core i5-12500 (19,668, 0.4% higher). It is slightly ahead of the Intel Core i7-10700F (19,499, 0.5% lower). All four CPUs perform within a 1% margin of each other.

Q: Is the RTX 4070's 12 GB of VRAM sufficient for this game?

A: The data shows that the RTX 4070 with 12 GB of GDDR6X memory achieves playable frame rates at all tested settings and resolutions, including 4K Ultra at 55 FPS. However, the performance drop from Medium to High and Ultra at 4K suggests that VRAM capacity, combined with other factors, becomes a limiting factor at the highest settings.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 162 FPS, while Ultra achieves 92 FPS. This represents a 70 FPS difference, or a 43% reduction in frame rate when moving from the lowest to the highest preset. The largest single drop occurs between Low (162 FPS) and Medium (128 FPS), a 34 FPS decrease.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations in this game?

A: The combo ranks 881st out of 3,714 tested combinations for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the top 24% of all tested configurations, indicating that it performs well above average for this specific game title.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination ranks 881st out of 3,714 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places the configuration in the 76th percentile of all tested systems, meaning it outperforms roughly three-quarters of the combinations in the database for this specific game. This rank is notable because it puts the combo in the upper echelon of tested hardware pairs, though it is not near the top, where extreme processors and flagship GPUs would reside. The ranking reflects a balanced system that can handle the game's demanding workloads without major bottlenecks, as evidenced by the consistent frame rates across resolutions and settings.

In practical terms, this rank means the combo is well-suited for high-refresh-rate 1080p and 1440p gaming, as well as capable 4K gaming at Medium settings. The 881st position out of 3,714 suggests that while there are many faster configurations, this pairing still delivers a strong experience for most users. The rank also implies that upgrading either component would yield diminishing returns for this game, as the current pairing already achieves frame rates that exceed the threshold for smooth gameplay in most scenarios. The data does not include comparisons to other specific combos, but the overall rank provides a clear indication that this is a capable mid-to-high-tier setup for Microsoft Flight Simulator.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is the dominant component in this pairing for Microsoft Flight Simulator, as evidenced by the frame rate scaling across resolutions. The GPU features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock reaches 2475 MHz, and it contains 5,888 shading units, 46 RT cores, and 184 tensor cores. The GPU sits in the 81st percentile of all tested graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 37,648 points. Its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (37,628, 0.1% higher), the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37,507, 0.4% higher), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile (38,135, 1.3% higher). These narrow margins indicate the RTX 4070 is well-positioned in its performance tier.

In the context of this game, the GPU's role becomes clear when examining the frame rate differences between resolutions at the same settings. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 96 at 1080p to 78 at 1440p and further to 57 at 4K. This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where the RTX 4070's rendering capabilities are the primary constraint as pixel count increases. The 12 GB of VRAM appears sufficient for all tested settings, as the game runs at 55 FPS at 4K Ultra without crashing or showing signs of memory-related stutter. However, the performance gap between Medium (76 FPS at 4K) and High (57 FPS at 4K) suggests that the GPU's compute resources, rather than VRAM capacity, are the limiting factor at higher settings. The GPU's 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 455.4 GTexel/s texture rate are substantial, but Microsoft Flight Simulator's complex rendering of terrain and weather effects pushes the card to its limits at 4K with high visual fidelity.

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

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of how this combo performs across all major resolutions and presets. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates: Low averages 162 FPS, Medium averages 128 FPS with a minimum of 109 FPS and a maximum of 147 FPS, High averages 96 FPS, and Ultra averages 92 FPS. The 1080p results show a clear plateau between High and Ultra, with only a 4 FPS difference, suggesting that the Ultra preset adds visual effects that do not significantly impact the GPU's workload at this resolution. The gap between Low and Medium is 34 FPS, which is the largest single-setting jump at 1080p.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates scale down proportionally: Low averages 133 FPS, Medium averages 103 FPS with a minimum of 88 FPS and a maximum of 119 FPS, High averages 78 FPS, and Ultra averages 74 FPS. The 1440p results show a similar pattern to 1080p, with Medium offering a substantial improvement over Low (30 FPS increase) while High and Ultra remain close together (4 FPS difference). The minimum FPS at Medium (88 FPS) ensures that even in the most demanding scenes, the frame rate stays well above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck: Low averages 98 FPS, Medium averages 76 FPS with a minimum of 65 FPS and a maximum of 88 FPS, High averages 57 FPS, and Ultra averages 55 FPS. The 4K results reveal a significant performance cliff between Medium and High, with a 19 FPS drop, while High and Ultra are nearly identical (2 FPS difference). The minimum FPS at 4K Medium (65 FPS) is just above the 60 FPS line, making it the only 4K preset that consistently maintains playable frame rates. The Low preset at 4K (98 FPS) is technically the smoothest, but the visual quality reduction is substantial for a game where scenery detail is a core feature. Across all resolutions, the Medium preset provides the most consistent experience, with minimum FPS values that never fall below 65 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay in all but the most extreme scenarios.