Microsoft Flight Simulator

# CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor built on the Zen 3 architecture (codenamed "Vermeer") using TSMC's 7 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz, drawing a 65 W TDP. The CPU features 64 KB L1 cache per core, 512 KB L2 cache per core, and a shared 32 MB L3 cache. Memory support includes DDR4 with dual-channel configuration, providing 51.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The processor supports PCIe Gen 4 with 20 lanes (CPU only) and has ECC memory support enabled. It was released on 2025-09-15 and remains in active production.

In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU achieves a single-thread score of 2872 and a multi-thread score of 19236 on PassMark. Its average benchmark score is 36945, placing it in the 85th percentile among all CPUs. The nearest rivals show tight competition: the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 scores 36938 (0% delta), the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D scores 37018 (-0.2% delta), the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 scores 37093 (-0.4% delta), and the Intel Core i9-12900T scores 37112 (-0.5% delta). This indicates the 5600F sits squarely in a competitive mid-range performance band, within half a percent of several other processors.

For Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU's role is primarily in handling the simulation logic, flight dynamics, and world-generation tasks. The 6-core/12-thread configuration provides adequate parallel processing for the game's multi-threaded engine, though the boost clock of 4.00 GHz is more relevant for the single-thread-heavy aspects of flight simulation. The 32 MB shared L3 cache helps with the large streaming datasets typical of terrain and scenery loading. The PassMark physics score of 1043 and integer math score of 59339 suggest solid computational throughput for the game's physics and logic systems. The floating-point math score of 34548 supports the complex aerodynamic calculations inherent to the simulation. Data encryption (13839) and compression (232836) scores are less directly relevant but indicate the CPU handles background tasks without bottlenecking the main game thread. The single-thread score of 2872 places it competitively, and the multi-thread score of 19236 ensures that the game's auxiliary threads (AI traffic, weather, audio) do not starve the main simulation loop.

# GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 is based on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 32 chip (codenamed "Wheat Nas"), fabricated on TSMC's 5 nm process with 28,100 million transistors on a 346 mm² die. It features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 624.1 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The GPU has 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 96 raster operation units, along with 40 ray tracing cores. Clock speeds are 1900 MHz base, 2041 MHz game, and 2459 MHz boost, with memory clocked at 2438 MHz (19.5 Gbps effective). The card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, with PCIe 4.0 x16 interface.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RX 7700 achieves a PassMark G3D score of 20974 and a GPU compute score of 10963. Its average benchmark score is 15852, placing it in the 58th percentile among all GPUs. The nearest rivals show interesting comparisons: the AMD Radeon R9 370X scores 15862 (-0.1% delta), the AMD Radeon RX 9060 scores 16014 (-1% delta), the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 scores 15679 (1.1% delta), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti scores 16129 (-1.7% delta). This positions the RX 7700 within a narrow performance band around its immediate competitors, though the 16 GB VRAM capacity is notably higher than typical for this performance class.

For Microsoft Flight Simulator, the GPU's role is rendering the vast, detailed scenery, dynamic lighting, and volumetric clouds. The 16 GB VRAM is particularly advantageous for this game, as high-resolution textures for terrain and aircraft can consume significant memory. The 624.1 GB/s memory bandwidth supports the heavy texture streaming demands. The 2459 MHz boost clock provides the raw compute throughput needed for the game's complex shader work, while the 40 ray tracing cores can handle the optional ray-traced effects. The PassMark DirectX 12 score of 96 and DirectX 11 score of 186 indicate strong API-level performance. The pixel rate of 236.1 GPixel/s and texture rate of 393.4 GTexel/s are relevant for the high-resolution rendering required at 4K. The FP32 throughput of 25.18 TFLOPS provides ample computational headroom for the game's rendering pipeline.

# Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Examining the measured FPS data across all resolutions and settings, the Medium preset consistently offers the best balance between visual quality and frame rate. At 1920x1080, Medium delivers 98 FPS average with a minimum of 84 FPS and maximum of 113 FPS. This is a substantial improvement over High (74 FPS) and Ultra (70 FPS), while still providing a smooth experience. The Low preset at 1080p reaches 126 FPS, but the visual compromise is unnecessary given that Medium maintains frame rates well above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, Medium achieves 79 FPS average with a minimum of 67 FPS and maximum of 91 FPS. This remains comfortably playable, while High drops to 60 FPS and Ultra falls to 57 FPS, both approaching or crossing the 60 FPS threshold where motion smoothness degrades. The Low preset at 1440p reaches 102 FPS, but again, Medium provides a better visual experience without sacrificing playability.

At 3840x2160, Medium delivers 59 FPS average with a minimum of 50 FPS and maximum of 67 FPS. This is marginally below the 60 FPS target but remains playable with occasional dips. High at 4K drops to 44 FPS, and Ultra falls to 42 FPS, both of which are noticeably less smooth. The Low preset at 4K reaches 75 FPS, but the visual fidelity loss is significant for a game where scenery detail is central to the experience.

The data indicates that Medium is the optimal preset across all three resolutions. For users prioritizing frame rate stability, the minimum FPS values at Medium (84 FPS at 1080p, 67 FPS at 1440p, 50 FPS at 4K) show that the preset maintains acceptable performance even in demanding scenes. The High and Ultra presets provide diminishing visual returns for the performance cost, particularly at 4K where the frame rate drops below 45 FPS. Low is only recommended for users who prioritize maximum frame rate over visual quality.

# How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F and AMD Radeon RX 7700 ranks 1704 out of 3714 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places the combo in the 54th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning approximately 46% of tested combos perform better and 54% perform worse. This mid-pack ranking is consistent with the individual component positions: the CPU is in the 85th percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 58th percentile among all GPUs. The combo ranking being lower than the CPU's percentile suggests that the GPU is the more limiting factor in this pairing for this specific game.

The ranking reflects the measured FPS data across all resolutions and settings. The combo's performance is competitive with systems built around similarly positioned components, but it does not reach the upper echelon of tested configurations. The CPU's strong single-thread performance helps in the simulation-heavy aspects of the game, while the GPU's mid-range positioning caps the overall frame rate at higher resolutions and settings. The 16 GB VRAM provides headroom for texture-heavy scenarios, but the raw compute throughput is the binding constraint at 4K Ultra.

The ranking also indicates that this combo is well-matched for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where the measured FPS values are generally smooth, but struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K with higher presets. Users considering this combo should expect a solid mid-range experience, with the understanding that the GPU will be the primary bottleneck when pushing higher resolutions and visual fidelity.

# Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals clear resolution scaling trends that indicate the GPU is the primary limiting component. At Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 98 at 1080p to 79 at 1440p (a 19.4% decrease) and then to 59 at 4K (a 25.3% decrease from 1440p). The total drop from 1080p to 4K is 39 FPS, representing a 39.8% reduction. This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where increasing pixel count directly impacts the rendering workload.

For the Low preset, the scaling is similar: 126 FPS at 1080p drops to 102 FPS at 1440p (19% decrease) and then to 75 FPS at 4K (26.5% decrease from 1440p). The High preset shows 74 FPS at 1080p, 60 FPS at 1440p (18.9% decrease), and 44 FPS at 4K (26.7% decrease). Ultra follows the same pattern: 70 FPS at 1080p, 57 FPS at 1440p (18.6% decrease), and 42 FPS at 4K (26.3% decrease from 1440p).

The consistency of these scaling percentages across all presets is notable. The 1080p-to-1440p drop is consistently around 19%, while the 1440p-to-4K drop is consistently around 26%. This uniform scaling suggests that the GPU's rendering throughput is the dominant factor, as the CPU's workload (simulation logic, physics, and world generation) does not scale with resolution. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see similar FPS values across resolutions, as the CPU's workload remains constant regardless of pixel count. Instead, the consistent FPS drops with increasing resolution confirm that the RX 7700 is the bottleneck.

The data also shows that the gap between presets is relatively consistent across resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 56 FPS (126 vs 70). At 1440p, this gap is 45 FPS (102 vs 57). At 4K, the gap is 33 FPS (75 vs 42). The narrowing gap at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU's compute resources become increasingly saturated, reducing the performance headroom for higher presets.

# FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the average FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings?

A: The average FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings is 79 FPS, with a minimum of 67 FPS and a maximum of 91 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: This combo ranks 1704 out of 3714 tested combos, placing it in the 54th percentile of all tested configurations.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between the Low and Ultra presets at 1920x1080?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 126 FPS average, while the Ultra preset achieves 70 FPS average, a difference of 56 FPS.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7700 is in the 58th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 15852.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS values at 3840x2160 with Medium settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the minimum FPS is 50 and the maximum FPS is 67, with an average of 59 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's average benchmark score compare to its nearest rival?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F has an average benchmark score of 36945, which is essentially tied with the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 at 36938 (0% delta), and within 0.5% of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (37018, -0.2% delta) and AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (37093, -0.4% delta).

# Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

1920x1080:

• Low: 126 FPS average
• Medium: 98 FPS average, 84 FPS minimum, 113 FPS maximum
• High: 74 FPS average
• Ultra: 70 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 102 FPS average
• Medium: 79 FPS average, 67 FPS minimum, 91 FPS maximum
• High: 60 FPS average
• Ultra: 57 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 75 FPS average
• Medium: 59 FPS average, 50 FPS minimum, 67 FPS maximum
• High: 44 FPS average
• Ultra: 42 FPS average

The measured data shows that the Medium preset is the only one with complete minimum and maximum FPS values recorded across all resolutions. The Low, High, and Ultra presets only have average FPS values available. The Medium preset's minimum FPS values (84 FPS at 1080p, 67 FPS at 1440p, 50 FPS at 4K) provide insight into the worst-case performance during demanding scenes, which is useful for assessing playability consistency.

Across all resolutions, the Low preset provides the highest frame rates, with 126 FPS at 1080p being the single highest measured value. The Ultra preset provides the lowest frame rates, with 42 FPS at 4K being the single lowest measured average. The High preset sits close to Ultra in performance, with only a 4 FPS difference at 1080p (74 vs 70) and a 2 FPS difference at both 1440p (60 vs 57) and 4K (44 vs 42). This indicates that the visual quality difference between High and Ultra is achieved at a relatively small performance cost, whereas the jump from Medium to High costs significantly more performance (24 FPS at 1080p, 19 FPS at 1440p, 15 FPS at 4K).