Microsoft Flight Simulator

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D pairing in Microsoft Flight Simulator produces a fascinating bottleneck inversion: the CPU becomes the primary constraint at lower resolutions, while the GPU’s immense headroom is only fully realized at 4K. The data shows a combo that delivers playable frame rates across all tested configurations, but the performance scaling reveals that this processor is the limiting factor in most scenarios, not the graphics card.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K tells a clear story about where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 162 FPS, but at 4K with Low settings, it drops to 136 FPS—a reduction of 26 FPS, or roughly 16%. This relatively modest drop suggests that even at 1080p, the system is not fully GPU-bound; the CPU is already holding back the RTX 5090 D from reaching its true potential.

Moving to High settings, the scaling becomes more pronounced. The 1080p High result of 133 FPS falls to 120 FPS at 1440p, then to 88 FPS at 4K. The 4K High figure represents a 34% decrease from the 1080p High score. This steeper drop indicates that as resolution increases, the GPU workload grows substantially—but the fact that 1080p High (133 FPS) is only marginally higher than 4K Medium (118 FPS) suggests the CPU is capping performance in the lower-resolution scenarios.

The Ultra preset shows the tightest spread: 131 FPS at 1080p, 114 FPS at 1440p, and 84 FPS at 4K. The 1080p Ultra result being only 3 FPS higher than 4K High (88 FPS) is a striking indicator of CPU limitation. At 1080p, the processor cannot feed the RTX 5090 D enough data to differentiate between High and Ultra presets, as both land within 2 FPS of each other (133 vs 131). This narrow gap at lower resolutions confirms that the Ryzen 5 5500’s six cores are the performance ceiling.

The Medium preset provides the most detailed data, including minimum and maximum frame rates. At 1080p Medium, the combo averages 148 FPS with a min of 126 and max of 170. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 137 FPS with a range of 117–158. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 118 FPS with a range of 100–135. The minimum frame rates show consistent scaling: 126 → 117 → 100 as resolution increases. This pattern indicates that even the worst-case frame times scale predictably with pixel count, but the 1080p max of 170 FPS being only 12 FPS above the 1440p max (158 FPS) again points to CPU limits rather than GPU capacity.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, running on the AM4 socket. Its base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.20 GHz place it as a mid-range desktop part, with a 65W TDP. The CPU’s benchmark data shows a single-thread score of 836 in 3dmark and 2319 in Cinebench R23, which are modest figures compared to higher-tier processors. In multi-threaded workloads, it reaches 5411 in 3dmark max threads and 16429 in Cinebench R23 multicore.

The processor’s 16 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support (with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth) are adequate for gaming, but the data clearly shows this CPU is the weak link in this pairing. The 1080p results across all settings—from 162 FPS at Low to 131 FPS at Ultra—show a remarkably tight band of only 31 FPS. When a GPU as powerful as the RTX 5090 D is paired with a CPU of this class, the expectation would be for larger spreads between settings at 1080p, as the GPU should be able to handle even Ultra presets with ease.

The benchmark results for the Ryzen 5 5500 place it at the 73rd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19593. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430 (avgScore 19617, deltaPct -0.1), the Intel Core i5-12500 (avgScore 19668, deltaPct -0.4), and the Intel Core i5-11600KF (avgScore 19723, deltaPct -0.7). These deltas are all within 1% of the 5500’s score, indicating that this processor sits in a tightly competitive mid-range tier. However, the data suggests that for Microsoft Flight Simulator specifically, the CPU’s single-thread performance (836 in 3dmark single thread) is what matters most, and that score is not sufficient to fully utilize the RTX 5090 D.

The processor’s 3dmark 2-thread score of 1645 and 4-thread score of 3151 show decent scaling, but the game’s engine appears to be limited by the CPU’s ability to process the simulation logic—flight dynamics, weather, scenery loading—which is heavily single-thread dependent. The fact that 1080p Ultra (131 FPS) is nearly identical to 1080p High (133 FPS) suggests that the CPU is maxed out before the GPU can even begin to show differences between these presets.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Microsoft Flight Simulator, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks 154th out of 2996 tested combos. This ranking places it in the top 5% of all configurations tested, which is a strong showing given the CPU’s mid-range positioning. The rank of 154 out of 2996 indicates that while the CPU holds back the GPU, the sheer power of the RTX 5090 D still boosts this combo above the vast majority of alternatives.

The RTX 5090 D itself is a top-tier GPU, ranking in the 92nd percentile among all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 77712. Its nearest rivals in the GPU database include the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (avgScore 78940, deltaPct -1.6), the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (avgScore 79605, deltaPct -2.4), and the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (avgScore 76904, deltaPct 1.1). Despite being outscored by these rivals in synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 5090 D’s actual in-game performance in this title is strong enough to push the combo to rank 154.

The discrepancy between the GPU’s synthetic benchmark ranking (92nd percentile) and the combo’s in-game rank (154th out of 2996) highlights the CPU bottleneck. If the combo were GPU-bound, one would expect the in-game rank to be closer to the GPU’s percentile. Instead, the rank suggests that the Ryzen 5 5500 is dragging the combo down from where the GPU alone would place it. The GPU’s 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth are far beyond what this flight simulator needs at the tested resolutions, further confirming that the CPU is the constraint.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. The Low preset produces 162 FPS, Medium averages 148 FPS (min 126, max 170), High reaches 133 FPS, and Ultra hits 131 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is only 31 FPS, which is modest for a GPU of this caliber. The Medium preset’s minimum of 126 FPS is still well above the 100 FPS threshold that most users consider smooth, so even the most demanding 1080p settings remain playable.

At 2560x1440, the results show a similar pattern with slightly lower numbers. Low averages 151 FPS, Medium averages 137 FPS (min 117, max 158), High averages 120 FPS, and Ultra averages 114 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra narrows to 37 FPS, but the absolute values remain high. The Medium preset’s minimum of 117 FPS indicates that even in heavy scenes, frame rates stay comfortably above 100 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the combo still delivers respectable performance. Low averages 136 FPS, Medium averages 118 FPS (min 100, max 135), High averages 88 FPS, and Ultra averages 84 FPS. The 4K Ultra result of 84 FPS is the lowest average across the entire dataset, but it remains playable on high-refresh displays. The Medium preset’s minimum of 100 FPS at 4K is notable—it shows that even at the highest resolution, the combo can maintain triple-digit frame rates with the right settings.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset consistently provides the most balanced performance with the only available minimum and maximum data. At 1080p, the 126–170 FPS range shows good consistency; at 1440p, the 117–158 FPS range is slightly tighter; at 4K, the 100–135 FPS range demonstrates that even the lowest dips stay at or above 100 FPS.

FAQ

Q: Is the RTX 5090 D being fully utilized in this game?

A: No. The data indicates the CPU is the bottleneck. At 1080p, the difference between High (133 FPS) and Ultra (131 FPS) is just 2 FPS, which shows the processor cannot feed the GPU enough data to differentiate between these presets.

Q: What is the best resolution to play at with this combo?

A: The 1440p Medium preset offers an excellent balance, delivering 137 FPS average with a minimum of 117 FPS. This provides high frame rates without the CPU limitation seen at 1080p.

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

A: It ranks 154th out of 2996 tested combos, placing it in the top 5% of all configurations tested for Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 5500 holding back the RTX 5090 D?

A: Yes. The 1080p Ultra result of 131 FPS is nearly identical to the 1080p High result of 133 FPS, indicating the CPU reaches its limit before the GPU can show its full potential.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 4K with this combo?

A: At 4K, the Low preset averages 136 FPS, Medium averages 118 FPS, High averages 88 FPS, and Ultra averages 84 FPS. The Medium preset maintains a minimum of 100 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU’s benchmark performance compare to its rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 5500 scores 19593 on average, which is within 0.7% of its nearest rivals: the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430 (19617, -0.1%), Intel Core i5-12500 (19668, -0.4%), and Intel Core i5-11600KF (19723, -0.7%).

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience with this combo, the Medium preset at 1440p is the clear sweet spot. The data shows 137 FPS average with a minimum of 117 FPS, which provides smooth gameplay without the CPU bottleneck that limits higher presets at lower resolutions. The minimum frame rate of 117 FPS ensures that even in demanding scenes—such as dense urban areas or complex weather—the experience remains fluid.

At 4K, the Medium preset is also the recommended choice. It delivers 118 FPS average with a minimum of 100 FPS, which is the only 4K configuration in the dataset that maintains triple-digit minimums. The High and Ultra presets at 4K drop to 88 FPS and 84 FPS respectively, which, while playable, do not offer the same margin for frame rate dips.

For users prioritizing maximum visual fidelity, the 1080p Ultra preset at 131 FPS is a viable option, but the 2 FPS difference from High (133 FPS) suggests there is little benefit to Ultra over High at this resolution due to CPU limitations. The 1440p High preset at 120 FPS is also a strong choice, providing better image quality than Medium while still maintaining triple-digit frame rates.

The Low presets, while delivering the highest frame rates (162 FPS at 1080p, 151 FPS at 1440p, 136 FPS at 4K), sacrifice too much visual quality for this GPU. The RTX 5090 D’s capabilities are wasted at Low settings, and the frame rate gains over Medium are not proportional to the visual downgrade. The Medium preset at 1440p offers the best compromise between the CPU’s limitations and the GPU’s potential, delivering consistently high frame rates with solid visual quality.