Microsoft Flight Simulator

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT is a 6-core, 12-thread processor built on the Zen 3 architecture with a Cezanne codename. Its base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.60 GHz place it as a mid-range desktop part, and the 16 MB of L3 cache (with 512 KB L2 per core) provides enough on-die storage for flight-sim workloads that stream terrain and aircraft data. The chip's 65W TDP and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth are typical for the AM4 platform, and its integrated Radeon Vega 7 graphics are irrelevant here since a discrete GPU is paired.

In synthetic benchmarks, the 5600GT posts a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 17,272 and a single-core score of 2,438. The multi-threaded results show scaling from 5,523 in 3DMark's 16-thread test to 5,554 at max threads, indicating the 12 threads are being utilized efficiently. The PassMark multi-thread score of 20,325 and single-thread score of 3,348 reinforce that this CPU sits in the 74th percentile of all processors — a solid mid-pack position. Its nearest rivals in aggregate benchmark score are the Intel Core i5-12490F (20,802, delta -0.3%), Intel Xeon 6325P (20,821, delta -0.4%), and Intel Core Ultra 5 125U (20,826, delta -0.4%), meaning the 5600GT's average score of 20,733 is essentially neck-and-neck with those parts.

For Microsoft Flight Simulator, a game that is famously CPU-bound at lower resolutions due to its complex flight-model physics and world-simulation threads, the 5600GT's 6 cores and 12 threads are adequate but not exceptional. The 4.60 GHz boost clock helps single-threaded performance, which matters for the game's main simulation loop. At 1080p, the CPU has to feed frames quickly enough to keep the GPU busy, and the data shows high FPS numbers that suggest the processor is keeping up — but the gap between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p (155 vs. 86 FPS) hints that the CPU's headroom is being tested by the game's simulation overhead at higher detail levels.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with the Navi 48 chip, manufactured on a 4nm process from TSMC. It packs 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth — a configuration that is well-suited to flight simulators, which load large texture packs and detailed scenery. The GPU's 3,584 shading units, 224 TMUs, and 128 ROPs are paired with 56 ray-tracing cores, and the boost clock of 2520 MHz (with a game clock of 2070 MHz) drives a pixel rate of 322.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 564.5 GTexel/s.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RX 9070 scores 6,290 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 131,539 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 58,705 in Geekbench Vulkan. Its PassMark G3D score of 25,381 places it in the 69th percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rivals show the RX 9070 in a tight cluster: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z (23,736, delta +0.6%), AMD Radeon RX 6800S (24,063, delta -0.8%), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile (23,628, delta +1.1%), and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER (24,170, delta -1.2%). This means the RX 9070's average benchmark score of 23,877 is competitive with those older high-end parts, though the deltaPct values are all under 1.2%, indicating very similar raw compute performance.

For Flight Simulator, the RX 9070's 16 GB VRAM is a critical asset — the game can consume large amounts of memory for high-resolution textures and photogrammetry data. The 2520 MHz boost clock and high memory bandwidth ensure that texture streaming and rendering at 4K don't stall, which is reflected in the measured FPS: at 4K Ultra, the combo still manages 51 FPS, and at 4K High it reaches 54 FPS. The GPU's performance is the primary driver of the resolution scaling seen in the data, as the CPU's role diminishes at higher pixel counts.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Looking at the measured FPS across all resolutions, the Medium preset offers the most balanced experience. At 1080p Medium, the combo delivers 121 FPS average with a minimum of 103 FPS and a maximum of 139 FPS — a range that keeps gameplay smooth even in dense scenery. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 97 FPS with min/max of 83/112, still comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for a flight sim where smooth panning matters. At 4K Medium, the average is 72 FPS with a min of 61 FPS, which is playable on most displays.

The High preset is the next step up, but the gains in visual fidelity come at a noticeable cost. At 1080p High, the average is 91 FPS (30 FPS lower than Medium), at 1440p High it's 73 FPS, and at 4K High it's 54 FPS. The jump from Medium to High roughly cuts performance by 25-30%, which is a significant hit for what is typically a modest visual improvement in this game's settings hierarchy.

The Ultra preset pushes the combo to its limits. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 86 FPS, which is still playable but shows the CPU starting to bottleneck — the drop from High to Ultra is only 5 FPS at this resolution, suggesting the game's simulation threads are limiting. At 1440p Ultra, the average is 70 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 51 FPS, which is borderline for a smooth experience. The Low preset is not recommended for any resolution above 1080p, as it sacrifices too much visual quality; however, it does demonstrate the combo's headroom with 155 FPS at 1080p Low.

The best recommendation is Medium for 1080p and 1440p users, as it maintains high frame rates with acceptable visual quality. For 4K, Medium is the only preset that stays above 60 FPS average, making it the clear choice unless the user prioritizes visuals over smoothness — in which case High at 54 FPS is the alternative.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT and AMD Radeon RX 9070 ranks 1,098 out of 3,714 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. That places it in the top 29.6% of all configurations tested for this game, which is a respectable position given the CPU's mid-range standing. The rank reflects the balance between the 5600GT's 74th-percentile CPU performance and the RX 9070's 69th-percentile GPU performance — neither component is a top-tier part, but their pairing delivers above-average results in this specific title.

The combo rank of 1,098 suggests that most of the 1,097 combos ahead of it feature either a stronger CPU (such as high-core-count Ryzen 7/9 parts or Intel Core i7/i9 chips) or a more powerful GPU. However, the fact that this combo outranks 2,616 other combinations indicates that the RX 9070's 16 GB VRAM and the 5600GT's 12 threads are sufficient to handle Flight Simulator's demanding workload better than many other pairings. The rank is particularly notable because the 5600GT is not a flagship CPU, yet the combo still lands in the top third — a signal of the game's scaling with GPU memory and the CPU's adequate single-threaded performance.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data shows a clear and consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, but the rate of that degradation varies by settings preset. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 155 at 1080p to 125 at 1440p (a 19.4% decrease) and then to 92 at 4K (a further 26.4% decrease). At Medium settings, the drop is from 121 at 1080p to 97 at 1440p (19.8% decrease) and then to 72 at 4K (25.8% decrease). At High settings, the numbers are 91, 73, and 54 — representing a 19.8% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 26% drop from 1440p to 4K. At Ultra settings, the pattern is similar: 86, 70, and 51, with a 18.6% drop and then a 27.1% drop.

The consistency of these percentage drops across all four settings presets is revealing. If the CPU were the primary bottleneck, we would expect the FPS to plateau or drop less steeply at higher resolutions, because the CPU's workload (game logic, physics, simulation) does not change with resolution — only the GPU's rendering workload does. Instead, the FPS drops by roughly 20% from 1080p to 1440p and another 26% from 1440p to 4K, regardless of settings. This indicates that the GPU is the limiting component across the board, as its rendering workload scales directly with pixel count.

However, the absolute FPS numbers at 1080p tell a more nuanced story. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 155 FPS, which is very high and suggests the CPU can feed frames rapidly. At 1080p Ultra, the FPS drops to 86, and the difference between High (91) and Ultra (86) is only 5 FPS — a small gap that hints the CPU's simulation threads are starting to cap performance at very high detail levels. But since the resolution scaling remains proportional even at Ultra, the GPU is still the dominant constraint. A more powerful CPU would likely not improve these numbers significantly, whereas a more powerful GPU would push the 4K averages higher.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: 155 FPS average
• Medium: 121 FPS average, with a minimum of 103 FPS and a maximum of 139 FPS
• High: 91 FPS average
• Ultra: 86 FPS average

At 1080p, the combo delivers its highest frame rates, with the Low preset reaching 155 FPS — a figure that would satisfy even high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset's minimum of 103 FPS ensures no dips below the triple-digit threshold, which is excellent for a flight simulator that must handle sudden scenery loads. The High and Ultra presets both remain above 85 FPS, making 1080p the resolution where users can crank the settings without worrying about smoothness.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: 125 FPS average
• Medium: 97 FPS average, with a minimum of 83 FPS and a maximum of 112 FPS
• High: 73 FPS average
• Ultra: 70 FPS average

At 1440p, the combo still performs admirably. The Low preset's 125 FPS is strong, and the Medium preset's 97 FPS average with an 83 FPS minimum keeps gameplay fluid. The High preset at 73 FPS is playable, and the Ultra preset at 70 FPS is surprisingly close to High — a mere 3 FPS difference — suggesting that the GPU's 16 GB VRAM is sufficient to handle the extra texture detail at this resolution without a major performance penalty.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: 92 FPS average
• Medium: 72 FPS average, with a minimum of 61 FPS and a maximum of 83 FPS
• High: 54 FPS average
• Ultra: 51 FPS average

At 4K, the combo's limits become apparent. The Low preset's 92 FPS is still smooth, and the Medium preset's 72 FPS average with a 61 FPS minimum keeps the experience above the 60 FPS target. However, the High preset drops to 54 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 51 FPS — both below the 60 FPS threshold that most users consider the minimum for a comfortable experience in a flight simulator. The gap between Medium and High at 4K (18 FPS) is the largest jump between any consecutive settings at any resolution, indicating that the High preset's additional rendering features (likely shadows, reflections, and terrain detail) are particularly demanding on the GPU at this pixel count.

The data shows that the RX 9070's 16 GB VRAM prevents texture-swapping issues at 4K Ultra, as the FPS does not collapse catastrophically — instead, it degrades gracefully from Medium to High to Ultra. The 51 FPS at 4K Ultra is playable on a VRR display, but the Medium preset at 72 FPS is the recommended sweet spot for 4K users who want a smooth experience without sacrificing too much visual quality. The measured minimum of 61 FPS at 4K Medium is a strong indicator that this configuration can maintain playable frame rates even in demanding scenarios over dense urban areas or complex weather systems.