Microsoft Flight Simulator

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 and Intel Arc B370 combination ranks 2770th out of 2996 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the bottom 8% of all tested systems. This low standing is consistent across every resolution and settings tier measured, with the combo producing 4K Ultra results of just 17 FPS and only reaching 50 FPS at 1080p Low. The data indicates this pairing is positioned for entry-level flight simulation, capable of playable frame rates only at lower resolutions and settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 2770 out of 2996 tested combinations places this system in the lower percentile of all tested hardware pairings for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This rank reflects the combined performance ceiling imposed by both the CPU and GPU, and the measured frame rates confirm that the system struggles to maintain smooth gameplay under demanding conditions.

The CPU itself performs at the 74th percentile against all CPUs in the benchmark database, indicating that the processor is not the primary bottleneck in this pairing. Its average benchmark score of 20468 places it marginally ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V, which scores 20454, a delta of 0.1%. The AMD Ryzen 5 8500G trails by 0.2% with a score of 20425, and the AMD EPYC 9454P also scores 20422, another 0.2% delta. The AMD EPYC 7713 sits 0.5% behind with 20363. These near-identical scores suggest the CPU is competitive with modern mid-range processors.

The GPU tells a different story. The Intel Arc B370 ranks at the 5th percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of just 1184 from the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. Its nearest rivals are all older or lower-tier cards: the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scores 1186 (-0.2% delta), the ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190 (-0.5% delta), and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192 (-0.7% delta). The AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1168, which is 1.4% behind. This places the GPU in the company of legacy hardware, explaining the overall combo rank despite the capable CPU.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 provides six cores and twelve threads based on the Zen 3 architecture, built on a 7 nm process at TSMC. The base clock runs at 3.50 GHz with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, and the processor carries 32 MB of shared L3 cache alongside 512 KB of L2 cache per core and 64 KB of L1 cache per core. This configuration delivers solid multi-threaded performance, as reflected in benchmarks like Cinebench R23 multicore scoring 18309 and single-core scoring 2584.

The CPU’s role in Microsoft Flight Simulator is substantial, as the simulator is known for heavy single-thread and moderate multi-thread usage. The single-core performance here is respectable — the 3DMark single-thread score of 882 and PassMark single-thread score of 3256 indicate the processor can handle the main simulation thread adequately. The multi-threaded capabilities, demonstrated by a PassMark multithread score of 21541 and Geekbench multicore score of 9158, provide headroom for background tasks and additional simulation threads.

However, the measured frame rates suggest that the CPU is not the limiting factor in most scenarios. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 50 FPS, which is the highest measured result across all settings. If the CPU were the primary bottleneck, we would expect to see similar frame rates across different resolutions at the same settings. Instead, the data shows significant drops when moving to higher resolutions, indicating the GPU becomes the constraint. The CPU’s 74th percentile ranking versus all CPUs, compared to the GPU’s 5th percentile ranking, reinforces this interpretation.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process at Intel. It features 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster operation units, along with 10 ray tracing cores. The base clock runs at 300 MHz with a boost clock of 2400 MHz, producing a pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s. The FP32 compute performance is 6.144 TFLOPS, with FP16 at 12.29 TFLOPS using a 2:1 ratio.

The GPU’s memory configuration is system-shared, meaning it relies on the host system’s DDR4 memory rather than dedicated VRAM. The memory bus width and bandwidth are listed as system-dependent, which introduces variability in performance based on the rest of the system configuration. The 25 W TDP and IGP slot width classify this as a low-power integrated solution, which aligns with its 5th percentile ranking among all GPUs.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the GPU’s limitations become apparent at higher settings. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184 places it near legacy discrete GPUs like the ATI Radeon HD 5770, which is not designed for modern flight simulation at high resolutions. The measured frame rates reflect this: at 4K Ultra, the system produces only 17 FPS, while even at 1080p Ultra, it manages just 28 FPS. The GPU’s role is clearly the dominant constraint, with the CPU’s relative strength unable to compensate for the graphics bottleneck.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best performance. Low settings produce an average of 50 FPS, which is the single highest measured result in the entire dataset. Medium settings drop to 39 FPS with a minimum of 33 FPS and a maximum of 45 FPS. High settings average 30 FPS, and Ultra settings average 28 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a decline of 22 FPS, representing a 44% reduction in performance from the lowest to highest settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, all frame rates decrease. Low settings average 41 FPS, a drop of 9 FPS from 1080p. Medium settings average 32 FPS with a range of 27 to 36 FPS. High settings average 24 FPS, and Ultra settings average 23 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 18 FPS, a 44% reduction, mirroring the percentage drop seen at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles significantly. Low settings average 30 FPS, Medium settings average 23 FPS with a range of 20 to 27 FPS, High settings average 18 FPS, and Ultra settings average 17 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 13 FPS, a 43% reduction. Notably, the minimum FPS recorded across all measurements is 20 FPS at 4K Medium, indicating that even the lower settings can produce stutter-prone frame rates at this resolution.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the GPU-bound nature of this system. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 50 at 1080p to 41 at 1440p, a reduction of 18%, and further to 30 at 4K, a 40% reduction from 1080p. At Medium settings, the progression goes from 39 FPS at 1080p to 32 FPS at 1440p (18% reduction) to 23 FPS at 4K (41% reduction). High settings show 30 FPS at 1080p, 24 FPS at 1440p (20% reduction), and 18 FPS at 4K (40% reduction). Ultra settings follow a similar pattern: 28 FPS at 1080p, 23 FPS at 1440p (18% reduction), and 17 FPS at 4K (39% reduction).

The consistent 40% reduction from 1080p to 4K across all settings indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting component. A CPU-bound system would show smaller frame rate differences when resolution increases, as the CPU workload remains relatively constant. Instead, the proportional scaling with resolution confirms that the Intel Arc B370’s rendering capabilities are the bottleneck. The CPU’s 74th percentile ranking versus the GPU’s 5th percentile ranking supports this analysis, with the processor having ample headroom that the graphics solution cannot utilize.

The drop from 1440p to 4K is slightly steeper than from 1080p to 1440p in percentage terms at some settings, but the overall pattern remains consistent. The 4K results, ranging from 17 to 30 FPS depending on settings, are all below the threshold for smooth simulation gameplay, while 1080p Low at 50 FPS provides the only measured result that approaches acceptable playability.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: The data shows 1920x1080 produces the highest frame rates across all settings, with Low settings averaging 50 FPS, Medium at 39 FPS, High at 30 FPS, and Ultra at 28 FPS. Higher resolutions result in significant frame rate drops.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 scores 20468, which is 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V (20454), 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 8500G (20425), 0.2% ahead of the AMD EPYC 9454P (20422), and 0.5% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7713 (20363).

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Arc B370 scores 1184, which is 0.2% behind the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186), 0.5% behind the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190), 0.7% behind the AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192), and 1.4% ahead of the AMD FirePro M2000 (1168).

Q: What is the highest average FPS measured for this system?

A: The highest average FPS is 50, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The next highest is 41 FPS at 2560x1440 with Low settings, followed by 39 FPS at 1080p Medium.

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

A: The measured 4K results range from 17 FPS at Ultra to 30 FPS at Low settings. The Medium setting produces 23 FPS with a minimum of 20 FPS, indicating that 4K performance is below playable thresholds for most users.

Q: Which settings preset shows the smallest performance gap between resolutions?

A: Ultra settings show the smallest absolute difference between 1080p (28 FPS) and 4K (17 FPS), an 11 FPS drop. However, the percentage reduction is similar across settings, with all presets showing roughly a 39-44% reduction from 1080p to 4K.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data indicates that 1080p Low is the only configuration that provides a frame rate approaching smooth gameplay, with an average of 50 FPS. This setting is recommended for users who prioritize playability over visual fidelity. The 1080p Medium setting at 39 FPS offers a balance between performance and visuals, with the minimum of 33 FPS still maintaining reasonable playability. Users seeking higher visual quality can consider 1080p High at 30 FPS, though this dips below the 30 FPS threshold that many consider minimum for flight simulation.

For users who must play at 1440p, the Low setting at 41 FPS is the only viable option, while Medium at 32 FPS may be acceptable for less demanding scenarios. The 1440p High and Ultra settings at 24 and 23 FPS respectively are likely to produce noticeable stuttering. At 4K, all settings produce frame rates below 30 FPS, with Low at 30 FPS being the only measured result at that threshold. The 4K Medium setting shows a minimum of 20 FPS, which will result in significant frame pacing issues.

The data suggests that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming with settings kept at Low or Medium. The CPU’s strong single-thread performance ensures the simulation logic runs smoothly, but the GPU’s low percentile ranking limits the system to entry-level visual settings. Users seeking higher resolutions or Ultra settings would need to consider a more powerful GPU, as the current configuration demonstrates a clear graphics bottleneck across all measured scenarios.