Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator is a demanding title that stresses both the CPU and GPU heavily, and the combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F with the Intel Arc B370 produces a very specific performance profile. The data shows this combo ranks 2770 out of 2996 tested combinations, placing it in the lower percentile of systems tested for this game. This pairing yields playable frame rates only at lower resolutions and settings, with performance dropping sharply as graphical demands increase.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall performance ranking of this CPU and GPU combo in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: The combo ranks 2770 out of 2996 tested combinations, indicating it sits near the bottom of the performance spectrum for this specific title, outperforming only a small fraction of the tested systems.

Q: What is the best average frame rate this combo can achieve in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 50, which is achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset. This is the only configuration that breaks the 50 FPS barrier in the measured data.

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

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F has an average benchmark score of 36945. Its closest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 5 225, scores 36938, showing a delta of 0%. The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D scores 37018, which is -0.2% relative to the 5600F.

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

A: The Intel Arc B370 has a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184. Its closest rival, the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, scores 1186, a delta of -0.2%. The ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190, a delta of -0.5%.

Q: Is the GPU or the CPU more likely to be the limiting factor in this game?

A: The Intel Arc B370's performance percentile is very low, and its memory bandwidth is system-dependent, suggesting the GPU is a significant bottleneck. The CPU's 85th percentile ranking indicates it is a relatively stronger component, so the GPU is the primary constraint.

Q: What is the difference in performance between the Medium and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Medium preset yields an average of 39 FPS, while the Ultra preset yields an average of 28 FPS. This represents a significant performance cost for the higher visual fidelity.

How This Combo Ranks

The overall ranking of 2770 out of 2996 combos places this system in a difficult position for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This is a low position, indicating that this hardware combination will struggle to provide a smooth experience in most scenarios. The data shows that the pairing is heavily constrained, and the benchmark results confirm that expectations must be modest. The system is not entirely without merit, but its position in the rankings suggests it is designed for lower-demand tasks or older titles, not for a modern, hardware-intensive flight simulator.

This low ranking is a direct result of the components' individual standings. The CPU, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, is a much stronger performer, sitting in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 36945 places it in a competitive position, with its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 5 225, scoring a nearly identical 36938. This shows the processor is capable of handling complex simulation tasks. However, the Intel Arc B370 GPU is an extremely weak link, sitting in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 1184 is on par with the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, which is a very old mobile part. This massive disparity in component strength means the GPU will almost certainly hold the system back, preventing the CPU from ever being fully utilized.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated GPU (IGP) based on the Xe3-LPG architecture and is built on a 3 nm process. Its performance characteristics are the primary reason for this combo's low ranking. The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1184, placing it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, a very low standing. Its nearest rivals include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and the ATI Radeon HD 5770, which are both very old and slow graphics processors, indicating that the Arc B370's raw performance is in the same tier as hardware from over a decade ago.

The GPU's memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it uses a portion of the system's main memory instead of dedicated VRAM. This memory bandwidth is also listed as "System Dependent," which can be a major handicap for a game like Microsoft Flight Simulator that requires fast access to large amounts of texture and geometry data. The GPU's boost clock is listed as 2400 MHz, but the shared memory architecture and low overall performance, as indicated by its benchmark scores, are the defining features. In this game, the GPU's limitations are evident in the measured FPS, as it struggles to maintain playable frame rates even at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the system's capabilities across different resolutions and settings. The system is tested at 3840x2160 (4K), 2560x1440 (1440p), and 1920x1080 (1080p) with Low, Medium, High, and Ultra presets.

At 4K, the performance is very poor. The Low preset yields an average of 30 FPS, Medium drops to 23 FPS, High is 18 FPS, and Ultra is 17 FPS. These frame rates are below the threshold for a playable experience, particularly the High and Ultra settings which produce a stuttery and unresponsive feel. The minimum FPS of 20 at Medium settings further confirms that the experience is not smooth.

At 1440p, the situation improves slightly but remains challenging. The Low preset achieves 41 FPS on average, which is playable. The Medium preset averages 32 FPS, with a minimum of 27 and a maximum of 36. High settings drop to 24 FPS, and Ultra is 23 FPS, both of which are not ideal for a fluid simulation. The step up from Low to Medium is a significant 9 FPS drop, while the jump from Medium to High is smaller, indicating diminishing returns at higher settings.

At 1080p, the system performs at its best. The Low preset delivers a playable 50 FPS, the best result in the entire dataset. Medium settings average 39 FPS, with a minimum of 33 and a maximum of 45, which is a solid and playable experience. High settings drop to 30 FPS, while Ultra is 28 FPS. The 1080p results show a clear pattern: the system is only comfortable at the Low and Medium presets, with the higher presets pushing the GPU to its limits.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combo is found at 1920x1080 with the Medium preset. This configuration delivers an average FPS of 39, with a minimum of 33, ensuring a relatively consistent and playable frame rate. The jump from Low to Medium provides a noticeable visual improvement without sacrificing too much performance. This is the sweet spot for this hardware pairing, offering a balance between visual fidelity and smoothness that is absent at higher settings.

The Low preset at 1080p is the only configuration that achieves a 50 FPS average. This is an option for players who prioritize frame rate above all else. However, the Medium preset's average of 39 FPS is a better overall experience, as it is still comfortably playable and looks better. The High and Ultra presets at 1080p should be avoided, as they drop the average FPS to 30 and 28 respectively, which will be noticeable in a flight simulator where smooth camera panning is important.

At higher resolutions, the system is not adequately equipped. The 1440p Low preset at 41 FPS is the only viable option outside of 1080p, but the 1080p Medium preset is a better choice because it offers a higher minimum FPS (33 vs 27) and a better visual quality. Playing at 4K is not recommended, as even the Low preset only manages a 30 FPS average, which is too low for a demanding simulation title. The data clearly shows that the system is best utilized at 1080p Medium.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer. It has a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz. This is a strong CPU, as evidenced by its 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 36945 puts it in the same league as the Intel Core Ultra 5 225, which scores 36938, and the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D, which scores 37018, showing a delta of -0.2%. This indicates that the processor has ample computational power to handle the complex physics and AI calculations required by Microsoft Flight Simulator.

The CPU's performance in various benchmarks supports this. Its Passmark score for single-thread performance is 2872, and its multithread score is 19236. These are respectable numbers that suggest it can handle the game's simulation threads without becoming a major bottleneck. The L3 cache is 32 MB, which is shared, and the memory bus is dual-channel DDR4 with a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. This memory configuration is adequate for the CPU's needs.

The data suggests that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck in this combo. The GPU's performance is so low that the CPU is likely waiting on it to finish rendering frames. The CPU's high percentile ranking compared to the GPU's 5th percentile ranking creates a massive imbalance. In this scenario, the CPU has the potential to drive a much more powerful graphics card, but its capabilities are entirely capped by the Arc B370's inability to keep up.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, which reveals the nature of the bottleneck. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 50 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low, the average FPS drops to 41, a decrease of 9 FPS. At 4K Low, the average FPS is 30, a further drop of 11 FPS from 1440p. This scaling indicates that the GPU is being pushed harder at higher resolutions, as the number of pixels it needs to process increases dramatically.

The pattern is similar across all settings. For example, at Medium settings, the system posts 39 FPS at 1080p, 32 FPS at 1440p, and 23 FPS at 4K. This consistent drop-off with increasing resolution is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario. The GPU's rendering capability is the limiting factor. The CPU's performance does not change with resolution, so if the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would remain relatively flat as resolution increases. Instead, the FPS falls sharply, confirming that the Intel Arc B370 is the component holding back the system.

This is further emphasized by the fact that the gap between 1080p and 4K is not a small percentage but a significant drop. For instance, at the High preset, the FPS goes from 30 at 1080p to 18 at 4K, a 40% reduction. This substantial loss of performance at higher resolutions strongly suggests that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are insufficient for the demands of 4K rendering in this game. The system is clearly optimized for 1080p gaming, and any attempt to scale to higher resolutions will result in a poor experience.