Microsoft Flight Simulator

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Microsoft Flight Simulator with this combination of AMD Ryzen 5 5600F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 shows a clear and consistent pattern as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo averages 148 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 Low drops this to 127 FPS, a reduction of 14.2%. At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls further to 94 FPS, another 26.0% reduction from 1440p. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is therefore a total drop of 36.5%.

The pattern holds across all settings presets but with different magnitudes. At High settings, the averages are 92 FPS at 1080p, 74 FPS at 1440p, and 55 FPS at 4K. That is a 19.6% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 25.7% drop from 1440p to 4K, for a cumulative 40.2% reduction. At Medium settings, the progression is 123 FPS at 1080p, 99 FPS at 1440p, and 73 FPS at 4K. The drops are 19.5% and 26.3% respectively, totaling 40.7%. At Ultra, 1080p yields 88 FPS, 1440p yields 71 FPS, and 4K yields 52 FPS. The step-downs are 19.3% and 26.8%, totaling 40.9%.

The consistency of these percentage drops across presets is notable. Whether at Low or Ultra, the relative performance loss from 1080p to 1440p hovers around 19-20%, and the loss from 1440p to 4K hovers around 26-27%. This uniformity suggests that the scaling behavior is dominated by the GPU's rendering workload rather than by CPU limitations, which would typically manifest as a flattening of the curve at lower resolutions. The fact that even at 1080p Low the system only reaches 148 FPS — and not much higher — hints that the CPU may still be a factor, but the smooth, predictable resolution scaling points to the GPU as the primary constraint.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested CPU-GPU combinations for Microsoft Flight Simulator, this pairing ranks 817th out of 2,996 combos. That places it in the top 27.3% of all tested configurations. The percentile rank indicates a solidly above-average setup, though not an elite one. Given the hardware involved — a mid-range 5000-series CPU paired with a high-end Ampere GPU — this ranking is plausible.

The combo rank must be interpreted in context. Microsoft Flight Simulator is known to be heavily demanding on both CPU and GPU, and many of the 2,996 tested combos likely include newer, higher-end parts. The Ryzen 5 5600F sits at the 85th percentile among all CPUs in the database, meaning it outperforms 85% of tested processors. The RTX 3080, however, sits at the 68th percentile among all GPUs, a more modest position. The combination of a strong CPU with a GPU that is above average but not top-tier yields a combo rank that is respectable but not near the top.

The nearest rival CPUs in the database give some context for the processor's standing. The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 has an average score of 36,938, essentially identical to the Ryzen 5 5600F's 36,945, with a delta of 0%. The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D scores 37,018, just 0.2% higher. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 scores 37,093, 0.4% higher. The Intel Core i9-12900T scores 37,112, 0.5% higher. These deltas are all within noise, indicating the 5600F is competitively positioned among its immediate peers.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is built on the Ampere architecture with the GA102 chip, manufactured on Samsung's 8 nm process. It carries 28,300 million transistors on a 628 mm² die. The GPU has 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus, yielding a memory bandwidth of 760.3 GB/s. The base clock is 1440 MHz with a boost clock of 1710 MHz, and memory runs at 1188 MHz with 19 Gbps effective data rate. The card has 8,704 shading units, 272 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output units. It also includes 68 RT cores and 272 tensor cores. The pixel rate is 164.2 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 465.1 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance of 29.77 TFLOPS.

In benchmark tests, the RTX 3080 achieves a Passmark G3D score of 25,086 and a Passmark GPU compute score of 14,397. Its average benchmark score is 23,172, placing it at the 68th percentile among all GPUs. The nearest rivals in the database are the NVIDIA P106-100 with an average score of 23,249 (0.3% higher), the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 at 23,250 (0.3% higher), the AMD Radeon RX 6600M at 23,273 (0.4% higher), and the AMD Radeon R9 M290X at 23,276 (0.4% higher). These are all essentially equivalent scores, suggesting the RTX 3080's position is tightly clustered.

For Microsoft Flight Simulator specifically, the 10 GB VRAM capacity is a relevant factor. The game loads large textures for terrain and aircraft, and at 4K Ultra settings, the measured average FPS of 52 indicates the GPU is being pushed hard. The high memory bandwidth of 760.3 GB/s helps feed the large framebuffer at high resolutions, but the data shows that 4K Ultra still falls below 60 FPS, suggesting the GPU is the limiting component at that extreme setting.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides 12 distinct data points across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 148 FPS. The Medium preset averages 123 FPS, with a minimum of 104 FPS and a maximum of 141 FPS. The High preset averages 92 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 88 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is therefore 60 FPS, with Ultra delivering 59.5% of the Low performance.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 127 FPS. The Medium preset averages 99 FPS, with a minimum of 84 FPS and a maximum of 114 FPS. The High preset averages 74 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 71 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 56 FPS, with Ultra delivering 55.9% of the Low performance.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 94 FPS. The Medium preset averages 73 FPS, with a minimum of 62 FPS and a maximum of 84 FPS. The High preset averages 55 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 52 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 42 FPS, with Ultra delivering 55.3% of the Low performance.

The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum values. At 1080p Medium, the range is 104 to 141 FPS, a spread of 37 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the range is 84 to 114 FPS, a spread of 30 FPS. At 4K Medium, the range is 62 to 84 FPS, a spread of 22 FPS. The narrowing range at higher resolutions indicates that variance decreases as the GPU becomes more consistently the bottleneck.

The FPS deltas between presets are consistent across resolutions. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium costs 25 FPS (16.9%), from Medium to High costs 31 FPS (25.2%), and from High to Ultra costs 4 FPS (4.3%). At 1440p, Low to Medium costs 28 FPS (22.0%), Medium to High costs 25 FPS (25.3%), and High to Ultra costs 3 FPS (4.1%). At 4K, Low to Medium costs 21 FPS (22.3%), Medium to High costs 18 FPS (24.7%), and High to Ultra costs 3 FPS (5.5%). The pattern is clear: the jump from Medium to High is the largest cost, while the jump from High to Ultra is minimal.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F is a 5000-series processor with 6 cores and 12 threads. It has a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The architecture is Zen 3, codenamed Vermeer, built on TSMC's 7 nm process. The chip contains 4,150 million transistors on a 74 mm² die. Cache configuration includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and 32 MB of shared L3. The CPU supports DDR4 memory in dual-channel configuration with a memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. It has ECC memory support and uses PCIe Gen 4 with 20 lanes. The integrated graphics are N/A, and the CPU sits in the AMD Socket AM4.

In Passmark benchmarks, the 5600F scores 19,236 in multithread, 2,872 in single thread, and 2,872 in singlethread (duplicate entry). Other scores include 59,339 in integer math, 34,548 in floating point math, 16,266 in extended instructions, 23,482 in random string sorting, 23,283 in data compression, 13,839 in data encryption, 120 in find prime numbers, and 1,043 in physics. The average benchmark score is 36,945, placing it at the 85th percentile among all CPUs.

For Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU's single-thread performance is critical. The game simulates flight physics, weather, and AI traffic, much of which relies on single-core performance. The 5600F's single-thread score of 2,872 is above average, and its 85th percentile overall ranking suggests it handles the game's CPU demands well. The 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient for the game's multi-threaded aspects, though the data does not show a CPU bottleneck at lower resolutions — the 148 FPS at 1080p Low suggests the GPU is still the primary limiter, as a CPU-bound scenario would typically show less resolution scaling.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo achieves at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo averages 148 FPS, the highest measured value across all resolutions and settings.

Q: Does this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra?

A: No. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 52, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the FPS difference between High and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 74 FPS while Ultra averages 71 FPS, a difference of only 3 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU rank among all tested CPUs?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F sits at the 85th percentile among all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 36,945.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 4K Medium?

A: At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the minimum FPS is 62, with an average of 73 and a maximum of 84.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU more likely the limiting factor at 4K?

A: The resolution scaling data suggests the GPU is the primary limiter. At 4K Low, the combo achieves 94 FPS, but at 4K Ultra it drops to 52 FPS, indicating the GPU's rendering load is the dominant constraint.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear basis for recommending settings based on target performance. For players seeking the highest frame rates, the Low preset at 1080p delivers 148 FPS, which is well above any display refresh rate in common use. Even at 4K Low, the combo achieves 94 FPS, which is smooth for most gaming scenarios.

For a balanced experience, the Medium preset stands out. At 1080p, it delivers 123 FPS with a minimum of 104 FPS, ensuring consistent performance without drops below triple digits. At 1440p, Medium yields 99 FPS with a minimum of 84 FPS, which is still very playable. At 4K, Medium averages 73 FPS with a minimum of 62 FPS, meaning the lowest recorded frame rate stays above the 60 FPS threshold. This makes Medium the only preset at 4K that guarantees a minimum above 60 FPS.

The High preset offers diminishing returns relative to Medium. At 1080p, High costs 31 FPS compared to Medium, a 25.2% reduction, while the visual improvement may not justify the loss for many users. At 1440p, High averages 74 FPS, which is acceptable but leaves less headroom. At 4K, High averages 55 FPS, dipping below the 60 FPS target.

The Ultra preset provides the smallest marginal gain over High, with only a 3-4 FPS difference at every resolution. Given that Ultra at 4K averages 52 FPS and at 1440p averages 71 FPS, the additional visual fidelity comes at a measurable cost in smoothness. The data suggests that Ultra is only appropriate for players who prioritize maximum visual quality over frame rate stability.

The most practical recommendation is the Medium preset across all resolutions. At 1080p, it offers a high average (123 FPS) with a strong minimum (104 FPS). At 1440p, it stays above 60 FPS at all times (minimum 84 FPS). At 4K, it is the only preset that keeps the minimum above 60 FPS (minimum 62 FPS). For players with a 1440p or 4K display, Medium provides the best combination of visual fidelity and performance stability. For 1080p users who want higher frame rates, Low at 148 FPS is the clear choice. The High preset is a middle ground, but the data shows it offers no advantage over Medium in terms of minimum frame rate stability at 4K, where both fall below 60 FPS — though Medium's average of 73 FPS versus High's 55 FPS makes Medium the better option.