Microsoft Flight Simulator

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600G paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT delivers an exceptionally strong performance profile in Microsoft Flight Simulator, ranking 2nd out of 3714 tested combos. This combination produces frame rates that are remarkably high across all resolutions and settings, suggesting a well-balanced pairing for this flight simulator. The data reveals interesting scaling patterns that point to both CPU and GPU headroom, depending on the resolution and preset chosen.

Resolution Scaling

Examining the measured FPS rows, the scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a consistent and significant drop in performance, but the absolute numbers remain impressive. At 1080p with High settings, the combo achieves 247 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same High preset, the average drops to 165 FPS, which represents a 33% reduction. Continuing to 4K at High, the average falls to 93 FPS, a further 44% decrease from the 1440p figure. This pattern of roughly one-third to nearly one-half performance loss with each resolution step indicates that the GPU is becoming progressively more stressed as pixel count rises.

The scaling behavior across all settings tells a similar story. At Low settings, the 1080p result is 307 FPS, which drops to 205 FPS at 1440p (a 33% decline) and then to 116 FPS at 4K (a 43% decline from 1440p). At Ultra settings, the trend is slightly less steep: 200 FPS at 1080p, 134 FPS at 1440p (33% drop), and 76 FPS at 4K (43% drop). The consistency of these percentage drops across different presets suggests that resolution scaling is primarily a function of GPU workload rather than CPU limitations.

The fact that even at 4K Ultra, the average FPS remains above 75 indicates that neither component becomes a severe bottleneck at any tested resolution. However, the data does imply that the RX 6600 XT is the limiting factor at 4K, as the frame rate drops more steeply there compared to the transition from 1080p to 1440p. At 1080p, the extremely high FPS figures—often exceeding 200 and reaching 307 at Low—suggest that the CPU may be the more influential component, as the GPU has ample room to render frames quickly. The question becomes whether the Ryzen 5 5600G’s six cores and twelve threads can sustain these frame rates in more complex flight scenarios, which the benchmark data alone cannot fully answer.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with a Navi 23 chip, manufactured on a 7 nm process by TSMC. Its memory configuration comprises 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s. The memory clock runs at 2000 MHz, which translates to 16 Gbps effective. The GPU’s base clock is 1968 MHz, with a game clock of 2359 MHz and a boost clock of 2589 MHz. These clocks are relatively high for this class, and the measured performance in Microsoft Flight Simulator reflects that capability.

The GPU’s percentile rank among all GPUs is 70, and its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 with an average score delta of 0.7%, the Intel Arc A350M with a delta of -0.8%, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti with a delta of 0.8%, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER with a delta of 1.1%. This places the RX 6600 XT in a competitive position, though the RTX 2080 SUPER comparison is notable given that card’s higher tier. The data shows the RX 6600 XT outperforms the RTX 2080 SUPER by a slim 1.1% margin in average benchmark score, which is surprising given the generational difference.

The GPU’s FP32 performance is 10.60 TFLOPS, and it has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. With 32 ray accelerators, it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate. In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the GPU’s role becomes more apparent at higher resolutions. At 4K, the average FPS at Ultra is 76, which is 24% lower than the 4K High result of 93 FPS. This gap between High and Ultra suggests that the Ultra preset imposes significant additional GPU load, likely through enhanced shadow quality, terrain detail, and post-processing effects. The VRAM capacity of 8 GB may also be a factor at 4K, though the measured data does not indicate any memory-related stuttering or frame drops.

The texture rate of 331.4 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 165.7 GPixel/s provide ample throughput for the game’s scenery rendering. The GPU’s bus interface is PCIe 4.0 x8, which, combined with the CPU’s PCIe Gen 3 support, could theoretically limit bandwidth, but the measured FPS figures suggest this is not a practical constraint in this title. The GPU’s power draw is listed at 160 W TDP, and it uses a single 8-pin power connector, which is modest for the performance delivered.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600G is a Zen 3 architecture processor with the Cezanne codename, featuring 6 cores and 12 threads. Its base clock is 3.90 GHz with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, and it has a 65 W TDP. The CPU’s cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and a 16 MB L3 cache. It supports DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration, providing a memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. The integrated Radeon Vega 7 graphics are present but not utilized in this discrete GPU pairing.

The CPU’s benchmark scores show a strong single-threaded performance, with a 3DMark single-thread score of 872 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1409. Multi-threaded performance is also solid, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 10551 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 8428. The CPU’s percentile rank among all CPUs is 74, placing it above most processors. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i3-1220P with a delta of 0.1%, the Intel Core Ultra 7 256V with a delta of -0.1%, the AMD Ryzen 5 7530U with a delta of -0.2%, and the Intel Core Ultra 7 155U with a delta of -0.4%. These rivals are all close in average benchmark score, indicating that the 5600G sits in a highly competitive mid-range segment.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU’s role is most evident at 1080p, where the frame rates are extraordinarily high. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 307 FPS, which is 50% higher than the 4K Low result of 116 FPS. This wide gap suggests that at lower resolutions, the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with more frame data, but the GPU becomes the limiter as resolution increases. The CPU’s boost clock of 4.40 GHz provides the single-thread performance that flight simulators often rely on for physics, flight modeling, and AI traffic calculations.

The 16 MB L3 cache is moderate compared to some newer processors, but the data shows it is sufficient for this game. The memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s may seem modest, yet the measured FPS figures indicate no obvious memory-bound behavior. The CPU’s release date of April 2021 and its 5000 series designation place it in a well-established generation, and its 74th percentile ranking confirms it performs above the median CPU. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 5451 and max-thread score of 5455 are nearly identical, suggesting that the 12 threads are fully utilized in multi-threaded workloads, which could benefit flight simulator’s background simulation tasks.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which settings preset offers the best experience. At 1080p, the High preset delivers 247 FPS, while Medium yields 279 FPS and Ultra produces 200 FPS. The difference between High and Medium is 32 FPS, but High may offer better visual quality. At 1440p, the High preset achieves 165 FPS, Medium achieves 187 FPS, and Ultra achieves 134 FPS. The Medium preset provides the highest average FPS at 1440p, but High is only 22 FPS behind and likely offers superior visuals. At 4K, the High preset delivers 93 FPS, Medium 105 FPS, and Ultra 76 FPS.

Considering the game’s nature as a flight simulator, where smoothness is critical for controlling aircraft and reading instruments, the data suggests that High settings provide an optimal balance at most resolutions. At 1080p, High’s 247 FPS is well above the threshold for smooth gameplay, and even Ultra’s 200 FPS is excellent. At 1440p, High’s 165 FPS is still very high, while Ultra’s 134 FPS remains playable. At 4K, High’s 93 FPS and Medium’s 105 FPS are both viable, but Ultra’s 76 FPS may be acceptable for those prioritizing visual fidelity over frame rate.

The Low preset, while offering the highest FPS at each resolution—307 at 1080p, 205 at 1440p, and 116 at 4K—likely sacrifices too much visual detail for a flight simulator, where terrain and cloud rendering are central to the experience. Ultra, on the other hand, provides the most immersive visuals but at a cost of 20-25% fewer FPS compared to High at each resolution. For this reason, High settings are recommended as the best compromise, delivering strong performance without the excessive frame rate drops seen at Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600G and AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT ranks 2nd out of 3714 tested combinations in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This is an exceptional result, placing this pairing in the top 0.05% of all tested combos. The rank reflects the measured FPS data, which shows consistently high performance across all resolutions and settings. The fact that this combo outperforms nearly every other tested configuration suggests that both components are exceptionally well-suited to this game’s requirements.

The GPU’s percentile rank of 70 and CPU’s percentile rank of 74 are both above average, but the combined rank of 2 indicates that their synergy in this specific game is far greater than their individual percentiles might suggest. This implies that Microsoft Flight Simulator benefits from a balanced pairing where neither component bottlenecks the other excessively. The CPU’s strong single-thread performance and the GPU’s high boost clock likely contribute to this synergy.

Compared to the GPU’s nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER, which has a delta of 1.1% in average benchmark score, the RX 6600 XT edges ahead. However, the rank of 2 out of 3714 means that this combo is outperformed by only one other configuration, which could involve a higher-tier CPU or GPU. The data does not provide details on that top combo, but the margin is likely small given the high FPS numbers achieved here.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: Based on the measured FPS, 1440p with High settings offers 165 FPS, which is a strong balance between visual quality and performance. At 4K High, the average drops to 93 FPS, still playable, but 1440p provides much higher headroom.

Q: How does the RX 6600 XT compare to its nearest rival, the RTX 2080 SUPER?

A: The RX 6600 XT has an average benchmark score delta of 1.1% higher than the RTX 2080 SUPER, meaning it performs slightly better in synthetic tests. In this game, the measured FPS confirms strong performance, though the direct comparison in-game is not provided in the data.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 5600G a bottleneck for the RX 6600 XT?

A: The data does not indicate a severe bottleneck. At 1080p, the combo reaches 307 FPS at Low settings, suggesting the CPU can feed the GPU effectively. At 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, as seen in the larger FPS drops with resolution increases.

Q: What settings preset gives the highest FPS at 4K?

A: Low settings at 4K produce an average of 116 FPS, which is the highest at that resolution. Medium delivers 105 FPS, High 93 FPS, and Ultra 76 FPS. Low sacrifices visual detail but offers the smoothest performance.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM on the RX 6600 XT cause issues at 4K?

A: The measured data does not show any frame rate anomalies or minimum FPS drops at 4K that would suggest VRAM limitations. The minimum FPS at 4K Medium is 90, which is close to the average of 105, indicating stable performance.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: It ranks 2nd out of 3714 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the top tier of all pairings. This is a higher rank than the individual percentile scores of the CPU (74) and GPU (70) would suggest, highlighting the strong synergy.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four settings presets, providing a comprehensive view of performance. At 1920x1080, the Low preset yields an average of 307 FPS, Medium yields 279 FPS with a minimum of 238 and maximum of 321, High yields 247 FPS, and Ultra yields 200 FPS. These figures show that even at Ultra, the 1080p performance is exceptionally high, with no preset dropping below 200 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset produces an average of 205 FPS, Medium produces 187 FPS with a minimum of 159 and maximum of 214, High produces 165 FPS, and Ultra produces 134 FPS. The Medium preset’s minimum FPS of 159 is still well above typical display refresh rates, ensuring smooth gameplay. The step from High to Ultra at 1440p is a 31 FPS drop, which is noticeable but not drastic.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset achieves 116 FPS, Medium achieves 105 FPS with a minimum of 90 and maximum of 121, High achieves 93 FPS, and Ultra achieves 76 FPS. The 4K results show a clear gradient where each setting step reduces FPS by roughly 10-17 FPS. The Ultra preset’s 76 FPS is the lowest average recorded, but it remains above the 60 FPS threshold commonly considered the minimum for smooth gameplay. The minimum FPS of 90 at 4K Medium indicates that even during demanding scenes, the frame rate stays high, suggesting consistent performance without significant stutters.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset consistently delivers the second-highest FPS, with High trailing by 20-30 FPS, and Ultra trailing by another 30-40 FPS. The Low preset always leads by a substantial margin, but its visual quality trade-offs make it less suitable for a game that relies heavily on scenery detail. The data provides a clear picture: this combo excels at 1080p and 1440p, offers very good 4K performance, and maintains high minimum FPS values that prevent jarring frame drops.