Microsoft Flight Simulator

# Microsoft Flight Simulator: AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090

The data presents a fascinating pairing: a 6-core, 12-thread Zen 3 processor from 2025 paired with NVIDIA's flagship 40-series GPU, the RTX 4090, in a flight simulator known for its demanding rendering workloads. This combo lands at rank 221 out of 2996 tested combinations, placing it in the top 7.4% of all systems tested for this game. The measured FPS numbers reveal a system that scales predictably with resolution, but the differentials between settings presets at each resolution tell a story about where the bottleneck truly lies.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial but not uniform across all settings presets. At Ultra settings, the average FPS goes from 125 at 1920x1080 to 77 at 3840x2160 — a drop of 48 FPS or roughly 38.4% lower performance. At High settings, the transition from 127 FPS at 1080p to 81 FPS at 4K represents a similar absolute loss of 46 FPS. However, the Low preset tells a different story: 155 FPS at 1080p drops to 130 FPS at 4K, a decline of only 25 FPS or about 16.1%.

This differential scaling is revealing. At Low settings, the system maintains 130 FPS at 4K, which suggests the GPU is not fully saturated at lower fidelity levels. The RTX 4090, with its 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth, has ample headroom to push high frame rates at 4K when the visual load is light. The fact that Ultra settings at 4K still produce 77 FPS average indicates the GPU is finally being pushed to its limits, but the relatively small gap between High (81 FPS) and Ultra (77 FPS) at 4K suggests diminishing returns from the most demanding preset.

The 1440p results reinforce this pattern. Ultra settings at 2560x1440 yield 105 FPS, while High produces 110 FPS — a mere 5 FPS difference. Medium at 1440p delivers 131 FPS, and Low hits 144 FPS. The scaling from 1440p to 4K at Ultra shows a 28 FPS drop (105 to 77), while the same resolution change at Low costs only 14 FPS (144 to 130). This suggests that at lower settings, the CPU becomes a more significant factor, while at higher settings, the GPU workload dominates the frame time budget.

GPU Role

The RTX 4090's specifications in the data reveal why this card performs so strongly in Microsoft Flight Simulator. Its boost clock of 2520 MHz, combined with 16,384 shading units and 512 tensor cores, provides the raw compute necessary for the game's complex scenery rendering. The 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus delivers 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth, which is critical for streaming the high-resolution terrain textures and detailed aircraft models that flight simulators demand.

The GPU's 128 ray tracing cores and 176 ROPs contribute to the visual effects that tax the system at Ultra settings. At 4K Ultra, the card produces 77 FPS average, which is remarkable for a flight simulator at maximum fidelity. The transition from High to Ultra at 4K costs only 4 FPS (81 to 77), suggesting the Ultra preset adds effects that are largely handled efficiently by the Ada Lovelace architecture. At 1080p, the Ultra preset actually produces slightly higher FPS (125) than High (127, wait — the data shows High at 127 and Ultra at 125, so Ultra is 2 FPS lower).

The GPU's memory subsystem appears well-suited to this game. The 24 GB capacity means the RTX 4090 never faces VRAM constraints even at 4K Ultra, and the 1.01 TB/s bandwidth ensures texture streaming does not become a bottleneck. The data shows that even at the most demanding settings, the frame rate remains playable, indicating the GPU has sufficient headroom to handle the game's worst-case scenarios.

How This Combo Ranks

With a combo rank of 221 out of 2996 tested combinations, this system sits in the upper echelon of configurations tested for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This ranking places it ahead of approximately 92.6% of all combos tested. For context, the CPU alone ranks in the 85th percentile among all processors tested, while the GPU sits in the 88th percentile among all graphics cards.

The combination of a mid-range 6-core processor with a flagship GPU creates an interesting dynamic. The CPU's PassMark multithread score of 20,363 and single-thread score of 2,941 suggest it is a capable performer, but not the absolute fastest available. The GPU, with a PassMark G3D score of 38,194, is clearly the dominant component in this pairing. The rank of 221 suggests that while the RTX 4090 pushes this combo high up the list, the Ryzen 5 5500X3D holds it back from the very top positions, where faster processors might allow the GPU to reach even higher frame rates.

The nearest rivals for this CPU include the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (0.2% higher average score), AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (0.2% lower), Intel Core Ultra 5 225 (0.2% higher), and Intel Core i9-12900T (0.3% lower). These tiny deltas indicate that the 5500X3D is right in the middle of a tightly clustered group of processors around the 37,000 average benchmark score mark.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured results across settings are: Low averages 155 FPS, Medium averages 141 FPS with a range of 120 to 162 FPS, High averages 127 FPS, and Ultra averages 125 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 30 FPS, with the largest single drop coming from Medium to High (14 FPS). The minimum observed frame rate at Medium is 120 FPS, which remains well above any playability threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are: Low at 144 FPS, Medium at 131 FPS (min 112, max 151), High at 110 FPS, and Ultra at 105 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at each setting is: Low loses 11 FPS, Medium loses 10 FPS, High loses 17 FPS, and Ultra loses 20 FPS. The larger absolute drops at High and Ultra suggest these presets are more sensitive to resolution increases, likely due to the increased pixel shading workload.

At 3840x2160, the results are: Low at 130 FPS, Medium at 108 FPS (min 92, max 124), High at 81 FPS, and Ultra at 77 FPS. The transition from 1440p to 4K costs: Low loses 14 FPS, Medium loses 23 FPS, High loses 29 FPS, and Ultra loses 28 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K shows a minimum of 92 FPS, indicating the system can maintain smooth performance even in demanding scenes at this resolution. The Ultra preset at 4K, with its 77 FPS average, remains comfortably playable for a flight simulator where frame pacing is less critical than in fast-paced action games.

FAQ

Q: Is this combination capable of 4K gaming in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: Yes, the data shows playable frame rates at 3840x2160 across all settings. The Ultra preset averages 77 FPS, High averages 81 FPS, Medium averages 108 FPS, and Low averages 130 FPS. All of these exceed typical playability thresholds for a flight simulator.

Q: How does the RTX 4090's 24 GB VRAM impact the game's performance?

A: The 24 GB GDDR6X memory with 1.01 TB/s bandwidth ensures the game never faces VRAM limitations, even at 4K Ultra settings. The consistent frame rates across all settings at each resolution suggest memory capacity is not a bottleneck in this configuration.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Medium and Ultra at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, Medium averages 108 FPS while Ultra averages 77 FPS, a difference of 31 FPS. The Medium preset also has a recorded minimum of 92 FPS, while Ultra's minimum is not listed in the data.

Q: Does the Ryzen 5 5500X3D bottleneck the RTX 4090 in this game?

A: The data suggests some CPU limitation at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 155 FPS, but the GPU's capabilities would typically allow much higher frame rates in lighter workloads. The 85th percentile CPU ranking versus the 88th percentile GPU ranking indicates the processor is holding the graphics card back slightly.

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

A: This configuration ranks 221st out of 2,996 total tested combinations, placing it in the top 7.4% of all systems tested for Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Q: What is the difference between High and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, High averages 110 FPS while Ultra averages 105 FPS, a difference of only 5 FPS. This narrow gap suggests the Ultra preset adds visual features that are handled efficiently by the RTX 4090's Ada Lovelace architecture.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D brings 6 cores and 12 threads to this pairing, built on the Zen 3 architecture (Vermeer codename) using a 7 nm process. Its base clock of 3.00 GHz and boost clock of 4.00 GHz are modest by modern standards, but the 96 MB of shared L3 cache is a significant asset for gaming workloads. The CPU's PassMark single-thread score of 2,941 and multithread score of 20,363 place it in a competitive position, though its 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs indicates there are faster processors available.

The CPU's 105 W TDP and AMD Socket AM4 compatibility make it a plausible upgrade path for existing platforms, but the data shows its performance ceiling. In Microsoft Flight Simulator, which is known to be CPU-intensive for physics and AI calculations, the 6-core/12-thread configuration appears sufficient to keep the GPU fed at higher resolutions but may limit frame rates at lower settings. The 1080p Low result of 155 FPS, while excellent, is not dramatically higher than the 1440p Low result of 144 FPS, suggesting the CPU is becoming a limiting factor as resolution decreases.

The nearest rival comparisons show the 5500X3D is virtually tied with several other processors in average benchmark score — the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F is 0.2% higher, the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 is 0.2% lower, the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is 0.2% higher, and the Intel Core i9-12900T is 0.3% lower. These tiny deltas mean the choice between these CPUs would likely produce negligible differences in actual gaming performance.

Settings Recommendations

For players prioritizing maximum visual fidelity, the Ultra preset at 1440p provides an excellent balance with 105 FPS average. At 4K, the Ultra preset's 77 FPS is playable but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes. The High preset at 4K offers a marginal improvement at 81 FPS, making it a reasonable alternative if visual quality differences between High and Ultra are acceptable.

The Medium preset emerges as the sweet spot for high refresh rate displays. At 1440p, Medium delivers 131 FPS average with a minimum of 112 FPS, ensuring smooth performance even in complex scenarios. At 4K, Medium produces 108 FPS average with a 92 FPS minimum, which is an excellent result for a flight simulator at this resolution. The jump from Medium to High at 4K costs 27 FPS (108 to 81), which is a significant price for the visual improvements.

For players targeting 165 Hz or higher refresh rates, the Low preset at 1080p (155 FPS) or 1440p (144 FPS) is the only option that approaches these thresholds. The Low preset at 4K still achieves 130 FPS, which is remarkable and suggests this combination is powerful enough to run even the most demanding flight simulator scenarios at high frame rates with reduced visual fidelity. The data indicates that Medium at 1440p or 4K offers the best combination of visual quality and performance headroom for this hardware pairing.