Microsoft Flight Simulator

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

This combination pairs AMD's 6-core Zen 3 APU with NVIDIA's Ada Lovelace mid-range flagship, creating a system that handles Microsoft Flight Simulator's demanding flight sim workloads with notable headroom at lower resolutions but tightening at 4K. The measured data shows a combo that ranks 476th out of 1795 tested combinations, placing it comfortably in the upper quartile of all tested systems. The RTX 4070's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth provide ample memory throughput, while the Ryzen 5 5600G's 6 cores and 12 threads handle the simulation's physics and scenery loading tasks. The results reveal a system that scales predictably across resolutions, with the CPU becoming more relevant at 1080p and the GPU dominating at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K tells a clear story about where the bottleneck sits. At Ultra settings, the system delivers 90.9 FPS at 1920x1080, dropping to 72.9 FPS at 2560x1440, and further down to 52.9 FPS at 3840x2160. That represents a 41.8% performance loss from 1080p to 4K, which is substantial but not catastrophic. The scaling pattern indicates a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, as the RTX 4070's rendering load increases with pixel count.

The Low settings preset shows even more dramatic scaling. At 1080p Low, the system hits 164.8 FPS, but at 4K Low it falls to 98.4 FPS — a 40.3% reduction. This larger absolute drop at Low settings suggests the CPU is capable of feeding frames faster than the GPU can render at higher resolutions. The fact that 4K Low (98.4 FPS) outperforms 1080p Ultra (90.9 FPS) by 8.3% is telling: resolution matters less than settings for this combo, indicating the GPU is the primary limiter once you push visual quality up.

Medium settings show a similar pattern: 129.8 FPS at 1080p, 100.6 FPS at 1440p, and 72.6 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is a 27.8% drop, while 1080p to 1440p is a 22.5% drop. This consistent degradation suggests the RTX 4070 is being pushed hard at every step up in resolution. The 1080p to 4K gap at Medium (44.1%) is the largest of all presets, reinforcing that the GPU is the limiting factor when you balance quality and resolution.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 5 5600G brings 6 cores and 12 threads with a 3.90 GHz base clock and 4.40 GHz boost clock. Its Zen 3 architecture and 16 MB L3 cache provide solid single-thread performance, which matters for flight simulators that often rely on a primary simulation thread. The CPU's Cinebench R23 scores — 2365 single-core and 16758 multi-core — show it can handle both the simulation logic and background tasks without becoming a severe bottleneck at most settings.

The data confirms the CPU's relevance at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 164.8 FPS, which is 67.7% higher than 4K Low's 98.4 FPS. This large gap at the same settings indicates the CPU is capable of driving higher frame rates, and the GPU is what holds things back at higher resolutions. The CPU's PassMark single-thread score of 3177 and multi-thread score of 19717 place it in the 78th percentile of all CPUs, making it a capable partner for the RTX 4070.

However, the CPU does show some limitations in this pairing. The Ryzen 5 5600G's PCIe Gen 3 interface (16 lanes) could theoretically limit data transfer to the GPU compared to newer PCIe Gen 4 platforms, though the measured results don't show obvious signs of this bottleneck. The 65W TDP and dual-channel DDR4 memory support (51.2 GB/s bandwidth) are adequate for flight simulation workloads. The CPU's nearest rivals — the Intel Core i7-11600H and i7-11800H — score within 0.2% of the 5600G, showing that this processor is competitive with mobile H-series parts despite being a desktop APU.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data points to Medium settings as the sweet spot for this combination. At 1080p Medium, the system delivers 129.8 FPS, which is 35.2% higher than High settings' 96 FPS and 42.9% higher than Ultra's 90.9 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium costs only 21.2% performance (164.8 to 129.8 FPS) while providing significantly better visual quality for a flight simulator where terrain and cloud detail matter.

At 1440p, Medium settings produce 100.6 FPS, which is ideal for smooth gameplay on high-refresh displays. The drop from Medium to High at 1440p is 24.3% (100.6 to 76.1 FPS), which is noticeable but acceptable if you prioritize visual fidelity. At 4K, Medium settings yield 72.6 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for competitive flight sim usage. High settings at 4K drop to 53.6 FPS, and Ultra is nearly identical at 52.9 FPS — a marginal difference of 1.3% that doesn't justify the extra visual load.

For users targeting 60 FPS minimums, Medium at 4K is the safest choice. The 72.6 FPS average provides some headroom above the 60 FPS threshold, though the lack of min FPS data means frame pacing could vary. At 1080p, even Ultra settings exceed 90 FPS, so users with 1080p displays can push settings higher without concern. The gap between High (96 FPS) and Ultra (90.9 FPS) at 1080p is only 5.3%, making Ultra a reasonable choice for maximum fidelity at that resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system shows strong performance across all presets. Low settings produce 164.8 FPS, Medium delivers 129.8 FPS, High achieves 96 FPS, and Ultra manages 90.9 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra represents a 44.8% performance reduction, but even the lowest figure exceeds 90 FPS, making 1080p a comfortable resolution for this combo.

Moving to 2560x1440, the numbers step down predictably. Low settings hit 130.5 FPS, Medium reaches 100.6 FPS, High drops to 76.1 FPS, and Ultra settles at 72.9 FPS. The 1440p results show that this system can handle high-refresh gaming at Medium settings (over 100 FPS) while still providing playable performance at Ultra (above 70 FPS).

At 3840x2160, the GPU's workload becomes the dominant factor. Low settings produce 98.4 FPS, Medium delivers 72.6 FPS, High drops to 53.6 FPS, and Ultra falls to 52.9 FPS. The 4K data shows a clear distinction between Medium and High, with a 26.2% performance gap (72.6 to 53.6 FPS). The near-identical results between High and Ultra at 4K (53.6 vs 52.9 FPS) suggest that Ultra settings add little visual benefit beyond High while costing slightly more performance.

The transition from 1440p to 4K at each settings level shows consistent GPU scaling. Low drops from 130.5 to 98.4 FPS (24.6% loss), Medium from 100.6 to 72.6 FPS (27.8% loss), High from 76.1 to 53.6 FPS (29.6% loss), and Ultra from 72.9 to 52.9 FPS (27.4% loss). This relatively uniform scaling indicates the RTX 4070 is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, with the CPU able to keep pace across all settings.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Microsoft Flight Simulator at 60 FPS in 4K?

A: Yes, at Medium settings the system delivers 72.6 FPS at 3840x2160, which exceeds the 60 FPS threshold. However, High settings drop to 53.6 FPS and Ultra to 52.9 FPS, so you'll need to stick with Medium or lower for 4K 60 FPS.

Q: What's the best resolution for maximum visual quality with this setup?

A: At 2560x1440 Ultra, the system achieves 72.9 FPS, which is playable and provides excellent visual detail. This resolution offers a better balance than 4K, where Ultra settings drop below 60 FPS.

Q: How much performance do you lose going from 1080p to 1440p?

A: At Ultra settings, 1080p delivers 90.9 FPS while 1440p delivers 72.9 FPS — a 19.8% reduction. At Low settings, the drop from 164.8 to 130.5 FPS represents a 20.8% loss.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 5600G holding back the RTX 4070 in this game?

A: At lower resolutions, the CPU appears capable of feeding the GPU effectively, as shown by 164.8 FPS at 1080p Low. At higher resolutions, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, with 4K Ultra producing only 52.9 FPS regardless of CPU capability.

Q: What settings should I use for competitive multiplayer or fast-paced flying?

A: For maximum frame rates, use Low settings at 1080p (164.8 FPS) or 1440p (130.5 FPS). These settings prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity, which can be beneficial for responsive controls in dense environments.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: It ranks 476th out of 1795 tested combinations, placing it in the top 26.5% of all systems tested for this game. This indicates strong performance despite the CPU's mid-range positioning.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 476 out of 1795 tested systems places it in the upper quartile of all configurations tested for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This positioning reflects the RTX 4070's strong GPU performance — it sits in the 81st percentile of all GPUs with a PassMark G3D score of 26927 — combined with the Ryzen 5 5600G's respectable 78th percentile CPU ranking.

The GPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (0.6% higher average score) and the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A (1.9% higher), while the RTX 4080 Mobile scores 2.2% higher. This shows the RTX 4070 is competitive with both older high-end desktop parts and newer mobile flagship GPUs. The CPU's nearest rivals — Intel Core i7-11600H (0.2% higher), i7-11800H (0.2% lower), and AMD EPYC 7713P (0.2% lower) — all perform within a fraction of a percent, indicating the 5600G is well-matched with these mobile and server parts.

The measured FPS data supports this ranking. At 1080p Ultra, the combo delivers 90.9 FPS, which is smooth for a flight simulator. At 1440p Medium, it hits 100.6 FPS, providing an excellent balance of quality and speed. The fact that this system outperforms over 70% of tested combos while using a mid-range CPU demonstrates that the RTX 4070 is the dominant contributor to gaming performance. For users with 1080p or 1440p displays, this combo offers strong headroom across all settings, while 4K users will need to compromise on settings to maintain playable frame rates.