Microsoft Flight Simulator

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600G paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 delivers a remarkably consistent experience in Microsoft Flight Simulator, with measured frame rates that scale predictably across resolutions and presets. The data shows a pairing where the RTX 5090’s immense compute resources are frequently held in check by the CPU’s six Zen 3 cores, yet the combination still produces playable-to-smooth results at every tested setting. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data, component roles, and how this specific combo ranks among 1,795 tested configurations.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: The highest measured average is 169.2 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. At the same resolution, the Ultra preset still delivers a strong 135.4 FPS average.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the average frame rates range from 76 FPS on Ultra to 142.6 FPS on Low. The High preset yields 82.4 FPS, while Medium produces 109.2 FPS.

Q: Is the RTX 5090 the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data suggests a CPU limiting scenario at lower resolutions. At 1920x1080, the difference between Low (169.2 FPS) and Ultra (135.4 FPS) is only 33.8 FPS, a much smaller spread than the 66.6 FPS gap seen at 4K between Low (142.6 FPS) and Ultra (76 FPS).

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 73rd out of 1,795 tested combinations in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the top 4% of all tested pairings.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 5 5600G has an average benchmark score of 19,983. Its closest rival, the Intel Core i7-11600H, scores 19,949, a delta of 0.2%. The AMD EPYC 7713P and Intel Core i7-11800H both score 20,024, representing a -0.2% delta.

Q: What is the recommended preset for a balance of visual quality and performance?

A: The Medium preset provides the most balanced experience. At 1440p, it delivers 142.4 FPS, which is 32.4 FPS higher than High (110.7 FPS) and 36.4 FPS higher than Ultra (106 FPS), while maintaining significantly better visual fidelity than Low.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture part with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. Its 21,760 shading units and 170 RT cores are built on a 5 nm process at TSMC. The GPU’s boost clock is 2407 MHz. These specifications place it in the 94th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84,306.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the GPU’s role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution rises. The data shows that at 3840x2160, the RTX 5090’s raw throughput directly translates into frame rate scaling. Moving from Low to Ultra at 4K costs 66.6 FPS (from 142.6 down to 76), a 46.7% reduction in average FPS. This indicates that at 4K, the GPU is fully engaged, and the settings menu has a massive impact on performance.

The GPU’s 32 GB VRAM allocation appears sufficient for the highest settings at 4K, as the Ultra preset still maintains a 76 FPS average. The memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s is likely a key factor in handling the vast texture streaming requirements of a flight simulator. The RTX 5090’s nearest rival, the RTX 5090 D, scores 84,241 with a 0.1% delta, confirming this is near the apex of GPU performance available in the database.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600G is a six-core, twelve-thread processor based on the Zen 3 (Cezanne) architecture, built on a 7 nm process at TSMC. It has a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. The CPU supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s and has 16 MB of L3 cache. Its average benchmark score is 19,983, placing it in the 78th percentile of all CPUs.

The CPU’s influence is most apparent at lower resolutions. At 1920x1080, the frame rate ceiling appears to be around 169 FPS, regardless of how much GPU headroom exists. The benchmark results indicate that the 5600G’s single-thread performance (a Geekbench single-core score of 1,933) and multi-thread capability (a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 16,758) are sufficient for flight simulation, but they do cap the maximum achievable frame rate.

The data shows a clear pattern: at 1080p, the settings have a limited effect (135.4 to 169.2 FPS, a 33.8 FPS spread). This is a classic sign of CPU limitation. The CPU is delivering its maximum frame output, and the GPU is not being fully utilized. The 5600G’s nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-11600H (19,949 score, 0.2% delta) and the AMD EPYC 7713P (20,024 score, -0.2% delta), show that this processor sits at a performance plateau where small score differences do not translate into significant FPS changes in this specific game.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear picture of how each preset affects performance. The optimal choice depends heavily on the target resolution and the user’s preference for visual fidelity versus raw frame rate. The data suggests that the Medium preset offers the best compromise between the two.

At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers 155.4 FPS, which is nearly indistinguishable from the Low preset’s 169.2 FPS in terms of smoothness, but offers substantially better visual quality. The High preset at 137.3 FPS and Ultra at 135.4 FPS are statistically similar, but they represent a 20 FPS drop from Medium.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the clear winner. It produces 142.4 FPS, which is 31.7 FPS higher than High (110.7) and 36.4 FPS higher than Ultra (106). The Low preset’s 156.1 FPS is only 13.7 FPS higher than Medium, making the visual quality loss of Low a poor trade-off.

At 3840x2160, the Medium preset’s 109.2 FPS is the only setting that comfortably exceeds the 100 FPS threshold. High (82.4 FPS) and Ultra (76 FPS) are playable but begin to show the strain of 4K rendering. Low (142.6 FPS) offers high frame rates but sacrifices significant visual detail.

For users with high refresh rate monitors, the Low or Medium presets at 1080p or 1440p are the only options that can fully utilize a 144Hz or higher panel. For 4K users, Medium is the recommended choice, as it provides a 33.2 FPS advantage over High while maintaining a solid frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600G and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 73rd out of 1,795 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the top 4.1% of all configurations. This high rank is primarily attributable to the RTX 5090’s dominance in GPU-bound scenarios, particularly at higher resolutions.

The ranking suggests that while the CPU is not a top-tier performer (78th percentile), the GPU’s strength (94th percentile) compensates for the processor’s limitations, especially at 4K where the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The data shows that the combo is more competitive at 4K, where its rank would likely be higher, than at 1080p, where the CPU limits the overall frame rate.

This pairing highlights an interesting dynamic: a mid-range CPU from 2021 paired with a flagship GPU from 2025. The result is a system that excels at high resolutions but leaves performance on the table at lower resolutions. The 73rd rank reflects this duality—it is a top-tier performer for 4K gaming but would rank lower in a 1080p-only comparison.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured average frame rates for this combo is as follows:

1920x1080:

• Low: 169.2 FPS
• Medium: 155.4 FPS
• High: 137.3 FPS
• Ultra: 135.4 FPS

2560x1440:

• Low: 156.1 FPS
• Medium: 142.4 FPS
• High: 110.7 FPS
• Ultra: 106 FPS

3840x2160:

• Low: 142.6 FPS
• Medium: 109.2 FPS
• High: 82.4 FPS
• Ultra: 76 FPS

The scaling pattern is consistent and logical. At 1080p, the Low preset provides the highest frame rate, with a 13.8 FPS gap to Medium. The jump from Medium to High costs 18.1 FPS, but the difference between High and Ultra is minimal at only 1.9 FPS. This suggests that the High and Ultra presets have similar GPU loads at 1080p, with the CPU acting as the limiting factor.

At 1440p, the scaling becomes more pronounced. The gap between Low and Medium is 13.7 FPS, but the gap between Medium and High jumps to 31.7 FPS. The High to Ultra transition costs only 4.7 FPS. This indicates that the GPU is starting to become more of a factor, but the CPU still exerts a significant influence.

The 4K results show the most dramatic scaling. Low to Medium costs 33.4 FPS, Medium to High costs 26.8 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 6.4 FPS. The total spread from Low to Ultra is 66.6 FPS, nearly double the 33.8 FPS spread seen at 1080p. This confirms that at 4K, the RTX 5090 is the primary determinant of performance, and the settings menu has a substantial impact on the resulting frame rate. The data indicates that the GPU’s 32 GB VRAM and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth are sufficient to handle the Ultra preset’s demands, as the 76 FPS average still represents a playable experience.