Microsoft Flight Simulator

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Microsoft Flight Simulator with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 reveals a clear pattern: this combination is heavily GPU-limited at higher resolutions, while the CPU provides sufficient headroom at lower settings. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 118.8 FPS, but dropping to 1440p Low reduces that to 94.1 FPS, and 4K Low yields 69 FPS. This scaling curve shows diminishing returns as resolution increases, which is typical of a simulator that renders dense terrain and atmospheric effects.

The gap between 1080p and 4K narrows significantly as settings increase. At Low settings, the drop from 1080p to 4K is 49.8 FPS, a 41.9% reduction. At Medium settings, the drop is 42.1 FPS (from 94.6 to 52.5), a 44.5% reduction. At High settings, the drop is 32.6 FPS (from 71.2 to 38.6), a 45.8% reduction. At Ultra, the drop is 23.8 FPS (from 63.6 to 39.8), a 37.4% reduction. The fact that the absolute FPS loss shrinks at higher settings while the percentage loss remains relatively stable suggests that both the CPU and GPU are being taxed more evenly as visual complexity increases.

The limiting component becomes evident when comparing the 1080p Low result of 118.8 FPS against the 4K Ultra result of 39.8 FPS. The difference is 79 FPS, a 66.5% reduction. This magnitude of scaling indicates that the RTX 4060's 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus are the primary bottlenecks at 4K, particularly with Ultra settings that demand more texture memory and higher pixel throughput. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads can keep frames flowing at lower resolutions, but at 4K the GPU's compute resources are saturated.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific configuration ranks 1035 out of 1795 tested combos for Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database. The percentile placement reflects a system that delivers playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p but struggles to maintain smooth performance at 4K with high visual fidelity. The RTX 4060 sits at the 66th percentile among all GPUs, while the Ryzen 5 5600 ranks in the 79th percentile among all CPUs, indicating that the processor is relatively stronger than the graphics card in this pairing.

The combo rank of 1035 out of 1795 suggests that roughly 42% of tested configurations perform better in this game. That percentage aligns with the GPU's moderate standing; the RTX 4060's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6600M (0.6% higher average score) and the Intel Arc B580 (0.7% lower average score), showing that this GPU is competitive with mid-range options but not exceptional. The CPU's nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon D-1746TER (0.6% higher) and the AMD EPYC 9554P (0.6% lower), confirming that the Ryzen 5 5600 is solidly mid-pack in processing power.

For Microsoft Flight Simulator specifically, the ranking is more favorable than the raw benchmark scores suggest. The game is known for being demanding on both CPU and GPU, but the measured data shows that this combo can hit 63.6 FPS at 1080p Ultra, which is playable. The 4K Ultra result of 39.8 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold many users target, but the 1440p High result of 54.4 FPS approaches it.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Microsoft Flight Simulator at 60 FPS?

A: Yes, at 1080p. The measured data shows 118.8 FPS at Low settings, 94.6 FPS at Medium, and 71.2 FPS at High. At 1440p, only Low settings exceed 60 FPS with 94.1 FPS; Medium drops to 76.4 FPS, and High falls to 54.4 FPS. At 4K, no preset reaches 60 FPS, with the best result being 69 FPS at Low.

Q: What is the best resolution for this hardware?

A: The sweet spot is 1440p with Medium settings, delivering 76.4 FPS. This balances visual quality with smooth performance. At 1080p, Ultra settings are viable at 63.6 FPS, making that a strong choice for visual fidelity. 4K is only practical at Low settings (69 FPS) or Medium settings (52.5 FPS).

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its nearest rivals in this context?

A: The RTX 4060's average benchmark score of 23181 places it 0.6% below the AMD Radeon RX 6600M and 0.7% above the Intel Arc B580. Its percentile rank of 66 among all GPUs indicates it sits above the median but well below high-end cards. The 8 GB VRAM and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for 1080p and 1440p but constrain 4K performance.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 5600 a bottleneck for this game?

A: The data suggests it is not a primary bottleneck at most settings. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz provide strong single-thread performance, which matters for flight simulators. The 1080p Low result of 118.8 FPS indicates the CPU can feed frames quickly; the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings.

Q: What FPS should users expect at 4K with this combo?

A: The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 ranges from 38.6 (High) to 69 (Low). Medium settings produce 52.5 FPS, and Ultra produces 39.8 FPS. Users targeting 4K should accept either reduced settings or lower frame rates, as the GPU's 128-bit memory bus and 8 GB VRAM limit performance.

Q: How does this combo compare to other tested configurations?

A: It ranks 1035 out of 1795 combos, meaning roughly 760 configurations perform better. The rank is consistent with the mid-range positioning of both components. The CPU's 79th percentile ranking is higher than the GPU's 66th percentile, suggesting an upgrade path would involve a stronger graphics card rather than a processor swap.

Settings Recommendations

For Microsoft Flight Simulator, the measured data points to 1080p Ultra as the optimal experience for visual quality without sacrificing playability. The 63.6 FPS at Ultra settings is above the 60 FPS threshold and represents the highest preset this combo can handle at full resolution. Users who prioritize frame rate over fidelity should consider 1440p Medium, which delivers 76.4 FPS and represents a 20% improvement over 1440p High's 54.4 FPS.

At 4K, the trade-offs are steep. Ultra settings produce 39.8 FPS, which is borderline playable for a flight simulator but may feel sluggish during complex maneuvers. Medium settings at 52.5 FPS offer a better compromise, while Low settings at 69 FPS provide the smoothest 4K experience. Given that flight simulators often involve panoramic views and dense scenery, the resolution-dependent quality settings matter more than in fast-paced genres.

The data suggests that High settings provide diminishing returns over Medium. At 1080p, the difference between Medium (94.6 FPS) and High (71.2 FPS) is 23.4 FPS, a 24.7% reduction for modest visual gains. At 1440p, the gap is 22 FPS (76.4 to 54.4), a 28.8% reduction. For users with variable refresh rate monitors, Medium settings at 1440p or Ultra at 1080p are the recommended presets based on measured performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. Low settings average 118.8 FPS, Medium averages 94.6 FPS, High averages 71.2 FPS, and Ultra averages 63.6 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 46.4% reduction in frame rate, with the largest single-step drop occurring from Medium to High (23.4 FPS). The Ultra result remains above 60 FPS, making 1080p the only resolution where all presets are playable.

At 2560x1440, performance decreases across the board. Low settings average 94.1 FPS, Medium averages 76.4 FPS, High averages 54.4 FPS, and Ultra averages 51.5 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 42.6 FPS, a 45.3% reduction. Notably, the gap between High and Ultra narrows to just 2.9 FPS, suggesting that Ultra's additional effects have minimal impact at this resolution. High settings fall below 60 FPS, making Medium the highest playable preset.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become pronounced. Low settings average 69 FPS, Medium averages 52.5 FPS, High averages 38.6 FPS, and Ultra averages 39.8 FPS. The Ultra result is actually 1.2 FPS higher than High, which may reflect measurement variance or scene-specific differences. All presets except Low fall below 60 FPS, and the gap between Low and Ultra is 29.2 FPS, a 42.3% reduction. The 4K results confirm that the RTX 4060 is not suited for maximum settings at this resolution.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, manufactured on a 7 nm process. Its base clock is 3.50 GHz with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, and it features 32 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU's single-thread score of 882 in 3dmark and 2584 in Cinebench R23 indicates strong per-core performance, which is critical for flight simulators that often rely on a primary simulation thread.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are also relevant. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 18309 and the 3dmark max threads score of 5659 show that all 12 threads can be utilized effectively. In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor at most settings. The 1080p Low result of 118.8 FPS suggests that the CPU can handle the game's simulation logic and draw calls without bottlenecking the GPU. However, at 4K Ultra, the CPU's role diminishes as the GPU becomes the constraint.

The Ryzen 5 5600's 79th percentile ranking among all CPUs places it ahead of the Intel Xeon D-1746TER (0.6% lower average score) and behind the AMD EPYC 9554P (0.6% higher). For this game, the CPU's boost clock of 4.40 GHz and 32 MB L3 cache provide ample headroom. Users upgrading from older 4-core processors would see significant gains, but the data suggests that the RTX 4060, not the CPU, limits this combo's performance.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock is 2460 MHz, and it offers 3072 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 48 raster operation units. The GPU's FP32 performance of 15.11 TFLOPS and its 24 ray tracing cores are competitive for its class, but the 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus are limiting factors at high resolutions.

The GPU's benchmark results show a 3dmark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2302 and a Passmark G3D score of 19545. Its percentile rank of 66 among all GPUs places it in the mid-range tier. The nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6600M (0.6% higher) and the Intel Arc B580 (0.7% lower), confirming that the RTX 4060 is entry-level to mid-range in performance.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the GPU's role is decisive. The 4K results, ranging from 38.6 to 69 FPS, show that the 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus cannot sustain high frame rates at that resolution. At 1080p, the GPU has enough bandwidth and memory to deliver 63.6 FPS at Ultra, but the 1440p High result of 54.4 FPS indicates that the GPU's compute resources are stressed at moderate resolutions. The 115 W TDP and 300 W suggested PSU reflect an efficient design, but the performance data reveals that this GPU is best paired with 1080p or 1440p displays for this simulator.