Microsoft Flight Simulator

# Microsoft Flight Simulator, AMD Ryzen 5 5600 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070

This combination places 833rd out of 3,714 tested processor-and-GPU pairings for Microsoft Flight Simulator, putting it comfortably in the top quarter of all configurations. The pairing pairs a six-core Zen 3 CPU with a 12 GB Ada Lovelace GPU, and the measured frame rates suggest a system that is well-balanced for this simulator, though the data reveals some interesting shifts in bottleneck behavior as resolution climbs.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear, predictable pattern: as resolution increases, average frame rates drop, but the magnitude of that drop varies significantly depending on the quality preset. At Low settings, the system delivers 165 FPS at 1920x1080, 133 FPS at 2560x1440, and 98 FPS at 3840x2160, a steady decline of roughly 19% and 26% respectively between each step. This indicates that even at Low settings, the GPU is becoming more stressed at higher resolutions, but the CPU is still keeping pace.

At Medium settings, the same resolution scaling shows 128 FPS, 103 FPS, and 76 FPS respectively. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is about 20%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is steeper at 26%. High settings tell a similar story: 96 FPS, 78 FPS, and 57 FPS, drops of 19% and 27%. Ultra settings produce 92 FPS, 74 FPS, and 55 FPS, with the 4K figure representing a 40% reduction from the 1080p result.

The pattern here suggests that the RTX 4070 is the primary limiting factor at 4K, particularly on higher presets. The fact that Ultra at 1080p (92 FPS) is only slightly lower than High at 1080p (96 FPS) implies that the CPU is handling the simulation workload well at lower resolutions, but the GPU begins to struggle as pixel count rises. At 4K, the gap between Low (98 FPS) and Ultra (55 FPS) is a massive 44%, a clear indication that the GPU's shading and memory bandwidth are being taxed heavily at this resolution. The data implies that for 4K gaming, users should expect to compromise on settings, while 1080p and 1440p offer much more headroom.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, built on a 7 nm process at TSMC. It has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, with 32 MB of shared L3 cache. Its benchmark profile shows strong single-threaded performance, a 3dmark_single_thread score of 882 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,584 points, which is relevant for Microsoft Flight Simulator, a title known for its reliance on single-thread performance for the simulation engine.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 74 against all tested CPUs indicates it sits above average, and its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V (avg score 20,454, just 0.1% behind) and the AMD Ryzen 5 8500G (avg score 20,425, 0.2% behind). The 5600's average benchmark score of 20,468 puts it slightly ahead of these competitors, though the deltas are marginal, within 0.5% of the AMD EPYC 9454P and EPYC 7713, which are far more expensive server parts.

In the game, the CPU's role is most apparent at lower resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the system reaches 165 FPS, which is only 24% higher than the 4K Low result (98 FPS). This suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough frames even at 1080p, but the GPU still becomes the bottleneck at higher resolutions. The fact that Ultra at 1080p (92 FPS) is actually lower than Low at 1440p (133 FPS) points to the GPU being the dominant constraint in most scenarios, the CPU has enough headroom to push higher frame rates if the GPU could keep up. The 6-core layout with 12 threads appears sufficient for this simulator, as the frame times don't show signs of CPU starvation at any resolution tested.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD104 chip, manufactured on a 5 nm process. It features 5,888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output units, with 46 ray tracing cores and 184 tensor cores. The GPU has a base clock of 1,920 MHz and a boost clock of 2,475 MHz, with 12 GB of GDDR6X memory running at 1,313 MHz (21 Gbps effective) across a 192-bit bus, yielding 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 81 against all GPUs places it above the CPU's percentile ranking of 74, indicating the GPU is the stronger component in this pairing. Its average benchmark score of 37,648 is closely matched by the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (37,628, 0.1% behind) and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37,507, 0.4% behind), while the RTX 4080 Mobile is 1.3% ahead and the Radeon PRO W6400 lags by 1.3%.

In the measured game data, the GPU's capabilities are clearly highlighted at 4K. At Ultra settings, the system only manages 55 FPS at 3840x2160, which is below the 60 FPS threshold many users consider smooth. The drop from High to Ultra at 4K is just 2 FPS (57 to 55), suggesting that the Ultra preset is heavily taxing the GPU's compute resources and memory bandwidth. The 12 GB VRAM appears sufficient for 4K, but the data implies that the GPU's raw rasterization throughput is the limiting factor. At 1080p, the GPU is less stressed, with the Low preset hitting 165 FPS, but even here, Ultra settings drop to 92 FPS, which shows that the RTX 4070 still feels the load of this simulator's demanding rendering.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 833 out of 3,714 tested configurations places this system in the 78th percentile of all tested combos, meaning roughly 78% of tested systems perform worse in this game. This is a strong showing, though not elite. The rank reflects a balance where the GPU's strength (81st percentile) and CPU's capability (74th percentile) combine to produce solid results.

Given that the GPU's synthetic benchmarks are within 1.3% of several rivals like the RTX 4080 Mobile and RX Vega 56, the game performance is likely comparable to those pairings when matched with similar CPUs. The fact that this combo ranks in the top quarter of all tested systems suggests that for Microsoft Flight Simulator, this hardware combination is more than adequate for most resolutions and settings. However, the 4K Ultra result of 55 FPS indicates that this system is not in the top tier capable of maxing out the game at 4K, that would require a more powerful GPU. The data shows this combo is a solid mid-to-high tier performer, with the GPU being the component that separates it from lower-ranked systems.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, every preset delivers playable frame rates: Low hits 165 FPS, Medium 128 FPS, High 96 FPS, and Ultra 92 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra is only 4 FPS (96 to 92), so the Ultra preset is clearly the best choice at 1080p if the user wants maximum visual fidelity, the performance cost is minimal relative to the potential visual gain.

At 2560x1440, the situation is similar but with less headroom. Low runs at 133 FPS, Medium at 103 FPS, High at 78 FPS, and Ultra at 74 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra here is also just 4 FPS (78 to 74), making Ultra a reasonable choice. However, users who prioritize frame rate stability might prefer High, since the data shows both are well above 60 FPS. Medium is the best balance for those who want smoother motion, offering 103 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the choices become more constrained. Low delivers 98 FPS, Medium 76 FPS, High 57 FPS, and Ultra 55 FPS. The step from Medium to High is significant, a 25% drop, while the step from High to Ultra is negligible (2 FPS). For 4K, Medium is the recommended preset, as it maintains a 76 FPS average with a minimum of 65 FPS and a maximum of 88 FPS, which is smooth and responsive. High and Ultra both dip below 60 FPS, which may cause perceptible stutter in a simulator where smoothness is critical. The data suggests that the RTX 4070 cannot sustain 60 FPS at 4K with High or Ultra settings in this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system produces its highest frame rates. Low settings average 165 FPS. Medium settings average 128 FPS, with a minimum of 109 FPS and a maximum of 147 FPS. High settings average 96 FPS. Ultra settings average 92 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 73 FPS, indicating that the preset choice has a major impact at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, performance scales down. Low settings average 133 FPS. Medium settings average 103 FPS, with a minimum of 88 FPS and a maximum of 119 FPS. High settings average 78 FPS. Ultra settings average 74 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 59 FPS, slightly narrower than at 1080p, as the GPU becomes more of a limiting factor.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates drop further. Low settings average 98 FPS. Medium settings average 76 FPS, with a minimum of 65 FPS and a maximum of 88 FPS. High settings average 57 FPS. Ultra settings average 55 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 43 FPS, and notably, the minimum FPS at Medium (65 FPS) is higher than the average FPS at High (57 FPS) and Ultra (55 FPS). This highlights the steep performance cliff between Medium and High at 4K.

FAQ

Q: What frame rate does this system achieve at 4K with Medium settings?

A: The system averages 76 FPS at 3840x2160 with Medium settings, with a minimum of 65 FPS and a maximum of 88 FPS.

Q: Is this CPU or GPU more likely to bottleneck Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: The GPU is the more likely bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the system hits 165 FPS on Low settings, but at 4K on Ultra it falls to 55 FPS, indicating the RTX 4070's rendering throughput is the limiting factor as resolution increases.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 5600 compare to its closest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 5 5600 has an average benchmark score of 20,468, which is 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V (20,454) and 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 8500G (20,425) and AMD EPYC 9454P (20,422).

Q: What is the best settings preset for a smooth 60+ FPS experience at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, High settings average 78 FPS and Ultra settings average 74 FPS, both above 60 FPS. Medium settings offer a higher 103 FPS average if smoother motion is desired.

Q: How much performance is lost by moving from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings?

A: At Ultra settings, the system delivers 92 FPS at 1920x1080 and 55 FPS at 3840x2160, representing a 40% reduction in average frame rate.

Q: Does the 12 GB of VRAM on the RTX 4070 appear to be a limitation in this game?

A: The measured data does not indicate VRAM capacity issues, as the system still delivers playable frame rates at 4K on Medium (76 FPS). The performance drops at 4K are more consistent with compute and bandwidth limits than memory exhaustion, but the data cannot definitively separate these factors.