Microsoft Flight Simulator

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 combination delivers a playable, if not spectacular, Microsoft Flight Simulator experience. The data shows a system that is clearly capable of handling the sim at 1080p and 1440p, but one that begins to struggle at the highest resolution. The benchmark results place this pairing at rank 1814 out of 2996 tested combos, indicating a mid-pack performance tier that aligns with its component class.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a predictable but significant performance drop as resolution increases. At 1080p with High settings, the system averages 62 FPS. Moving to 1440p High reduces the average to 50 FPS, a 19% decrease. The jump to 2160p High is far more punishing, with the average falling to 37 FPS, which is a 40% drop from the 1440p figure and a 40% drop from the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern strongly suggests that the graphics card becomes the limiting factor as pixel count rises.

The trend holds across all settings presets. With Low settings, the system achieves 106 FPS at 1080p, 85 FPS at 1440p, and 63 FPS at 2160p. The percentage drops between each step are nearly identical to those seen at High settings, reinforcing that the resolution scaling is consistent regardless of visual fidelity. The RTX 5050’s 8 GB memory buffer and 320.0 GB/s bandwidth are tasked with increasingly heavy data loads at higher resolutions, and the data indicates the card’s throughput cannot keep pace at 4K.

Interestingly, the gap between 1080p and 1440p is smaller than the gap between 1440p and 2160p. At Low settings, the 1440p result is 19.8% lower than 1080p, while the 2160p result is 25.9% lower than 1440p. At High settings, the respective drops are 19.4% and 26.0%. This non-linear scaling points to a memory bandwidth bottleneck. The RTX 5050’s 128-bit memory bus is likely saturated at 4K resolutions, causing the disproportionate performance hit.

The data implies that for a smooth experience, users should target 1080p or 1440p. The 2160p results, with averages ranging from 35 to 63 FPS depending on settings, are only viable on Low presets. The 35 FPS average at 4K Ultra is below the threshold for a fluid simulation experience, suggesting that this combo is not designed for native 4K gaming in this title.

GPU Role

The RTX 5050 is a 5 nm GPU with a boost clock of 2572 MHz and a base clock of 2317 MHz. It features 2560 shading units, 80 texture mapping units, and 32 raster output units. The memory subsystem consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 320.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This configuration yields a pixel rate of 82.30 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 205.8 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance pegged at 13.17 TFLOPS.

The GPU’s performance percentile stands at 66, placing it above average among all tested graphics cards. Its average benchmark score of 21035 is closely matched by its nearest rivals, including the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, which scores 20713 (a 1.6% delta), and the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL, which scores 21153 (a -0.6% delta). This indicates the RTX 5050 sits firmly in the mid-range segment.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the GPU’s role is most evident at higher resolutions. The benchmark data shows that at 1080p Low, the CPU is likely able to feed the GPU adequately, resulting in 106 FPS. However, as resolution increases to 2160p, the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth become the primary constraints. The 35 FPS at 4K Ultra suggests the card is heavily taxed, and the 8 GB VRAM may be a limiting factor for texture-heavy scenes at this resolution.

The memory clocks run at 2500 MHz, which translates to 20 Gbps effective. This is a moderate speed for the GDDR6 standard. The 320.0 GB/s bandwidth is a critical figure; when compared to the demands of 4K rendering, it appears insufficient to maintain high frame rates. The data shows that the 4K High average of 37 FPS is only 5 FPS higher than the 4K Ultra average of 35 FPS, suggesting that the card is hitting a hard performance ceiling regardless of modest settings changes.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. The CPU features 16 MB of L3 cache and supports DDR4 memory with a dual-channel bus, providing 51.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth. It runs on the AMD Socket AM4 platform and is built on a 7 nm process.

The CPU’s benchmark scores are respectable for its class. It achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 16429 and a single-core score of 2319. In Geekbench, it scores 7976 multicore and 1730 single-core. Its average benchmark score of 19593 places it at the 73rd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-12500 (score 19668, -0.4% delta) and the Intel Core i7-10700F (score 19499, 0.5% delta), showing the Ryzen 5 5500 is competitive with those parts.

In the context of Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU’s role is more pronounced at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 106 FPS, which is a strong indicator that the CPU can handle the simulation’s physics and scenery processing at that resolution. However, the 3dmark single-thread score of 836 and the passmark single-thread score of 3058 suggest that single-threaded performance is moderate, which could be a limiting factor in a game known for its CPU-intensive flight model calculations.

The data shows that at 1080p, the gap between Low and Ultra settings is 47 FPS (106 vs 59). This is a larger difference than at 2160p, where the gap is 28 FPS (63 vs 35). This indicates that at 1080p, the GPU has headroom to render more detailed frames, but the CPU is still keeping up. At 4K, the GPU is so heavily loaded that the CPU’s performance becomes less relevant. The 6-core, 12-thread configuration appears sufficient for this title, as the sim is not known to scale well beyond 8 threads.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The dataset provides average FPS for each resolution and settings combination, with some entries also including minimum and maximum FPS. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 106 FPS, while Medium averages 82 FPS with a range of 70 to 95 FPS. High averages 62 FPS, and Ultra averages 59 FPS. The 1080p results show a clear hierarchy where each step up in settings reduces performance, but all presets remain playable.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 85 FPS. Medium averages 66 FPS, with a measured range of 57 to 76 FPS. High averages 50 FPS, and Ultra averages 48 FPS. The 1440p results show that Low and Medium are suitable for smooth gameplay, while High and Ultra dip below the 60 FPS threshold. The minimum FPS of 57 at Medium is notable, as it indicates occasional frame drops even at this settings level.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 63 FPS, which is the only 4K preset to break the 60 FPS barrier. Medium averages 49 FPS, with a range of 42 to 56 FPS. High averages 37 FPS, and Ultra averages 35 FPS. The 4K data shows that only the Low preset provides a consistently smooth experience, while Medium is borderline and High/Ultra are not recommended for competitive or immersive play.

The minimum FPS figures are only provided for the Medium preset at each resolution. At 1080p, the minimum is 70 FPS, which is still quite playable. At 1440p, the minimum is 57 FPS, which is close to the 60 FPS target. At 2160p, the minimum is 42 FPS, which indicates noticeable stuttering in busy scenes. The absence of min/max data for other presets limits further analysis, but the Medium preset figures provide a useful reference for frame time consistency.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Microsoft Flight Simulator with this hardware?

A: The data suggests 1920x1080 is the most reliable resolution for a smooth experience. The system achieves 62 FPS on High and 59 FPS on Ultra at this resolution. At 2560x1440, High and Ultra drop to 50 and 48 FPS respectively, which may be acceptable but are below the 60 FPS target.

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

A: Native 4K is only viable on the Low preset, which averages 63 FPS. The Medium preset averages 49 FPS, and High/Ultra average 37 and 35 FPS respectively. This indicates that 4K is not a practical target for this GPU unless the user is willing to significantly reduce visual quality.

Q: How does the RTX 5050 compare to its nearest rivals in this game?

A: The RTX 5050 has an average benchmark score of 21035. Its closest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, scores 20713, which is 1.6% lower. The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL scores 21153, which is 0.6% higher. These small deltas suggest the RTX 5050 performs similarly to these cards in general benchmarks, though game-specific results may vary.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 5500 a bottleneck for the RTX 5050?

A: At 1080p, the CPU appears capable of keeping up, as evidenced by the 106 FPS average on Low settings. However, the single-thread benchmark scores (836 in 3dmark) are modest. At higher resolutions, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, so the CPU’s impact is reduced.

Q: What settings preset provides the best balance of visuals and performance at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 averages 66 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS. This provides a solid frame rate while maintaining moderate visual fidelity. High and Ultra drop to 50 and 48 FPS respectively, which may cause noticeable stutters in dense areas.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: This combination ranks 1814 out of 2996 tested combos. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the performance distribution, indicating that while it is not a top-tier setup, it is far from the bottom and can handle the game at reasonable settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the user’s target resolution. For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset at 59 FPS is a viable option for those seeking maximum visual fidelity, as it remains close to the 60 FPS target. However, the High preset at 62 FPS offers a slightly better frame rate with a marginal visual downgrade. The Medium preset at 82 FPS is the best choice for users who prioritize smoothness over visual detail.

For 2560x1440, the Medium preset stands out as the sweet spot. It averages 66 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS, providing a mostly smooth experience. The High preset at 50 FPS is playable but may exhibit frame drops in complex scenes. The Low preset at 85 FPS is the best for competitive or high-refresh-rate play, but it sacrifices significant visual quality. Ultra at 48 FPS is not recommended for this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only one that provides a consistently smooth experience, averaging 63 FPS. The Medium preset at 49 FPS is borderline, with a minimum of 42 FPS that could be distracting. High and Ultra at 37 and 35 FPS respectively are not recommended for this resolution. Users with 4K displays should consider either lowering the resolution or accepting the Low preset’s visual compromises.

The data suggests that the Medium preset offers the best balance of performance and visual quality across all resolutions. At 1080p, it delivers 82 FPS, at 1440p it delivers 66 FPS, and at 2160p it delivers 49 FPS. The minimum FPS figures for Medium are also provided, showing 70 FPS, 57 FPS, and 42 FPS respectively, which helps set expectations for frame time consistency. For a mostly smooth experience, Medium at 1440p is the recommended configuration.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 1814 out of 2996 places this system in the 60.5th percentile of all tested combinations. This means that roughly 60% of tested systems perform better than this one. The rank reflects the mid-range nature of both the Ryzen 5 5500 and the RTX 5050. The CPU’s percentile of 73 is higher than the GPU’s percentile of 66, suggesting that the graphics card is the more limiting component in this pairing.

The CPU’s average benchmark score of 19593 is very close to its nearest rivals, with the Intel Core i5-12500 only 0.4% higher and the Intel Core i7-10700F 0.5% lower. This indicates that the Ryzen 5 5500 is well-matched against comparable Intel offerings. The GPU’s average score of 21035 is also tightly clustered with its rivals, with the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT being 1.6% lower and the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile being 1.6% higher.

In the context of Microsoft Flight Simulator specifically, the rank suggests that while this combo is not at the top tier, it is capable of delivering a satisfying experience at 1080p and 1440p. The 1080p Ultra result of 59 FPS is a meaningful achievement for a mid-range system. The 1440p Medium result of 66 FPS shows that this combo can handle the sim at a higher resolution with moderate settings. The rank indicates that users should not expect 4K performance from this setup, but they can enjoy the game at standard resolutions without major compromises.