Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator is one of the most demanding titles in the benchmark database, and the pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 produces a specific, data-rich profile. The measured results show a configuration that is consistently playable at lower settings but quickly becomes strained as visual fidelity and resolution increase. This analysis breaks down the performance metrics, focusing on where the bottleneck lies and how this specific combination stacks up against the broader field of tested hardware.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data reveals a steep and predictable drop as resolution scales from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, a clear indicator of the GPU becoming the primary limiting factor at higher pixel counts. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combination achieves an average of 81.2 FPS, which is a strong baseline. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same Low settings, the average falls to 64.8 FPS, a reduction of roughly 20%. The jump to 3840x2160 at Low settings yields an average of 46.4 FPS, which is a 43% drop from the 1080p result. This scaling pattern is classic for a GPU with a 256-bit memory interface and 8 GB of GDDR5 memory; the fill rate and bandwidth demands of 4K simply outpace what the GTX 1070 can deliver.

The trend is even more pronounced when examining the High settings. The average frame rate at 1080p High is 46.8 FPS, which drops to 37.0 FPS at 1440p, and then plummets to 27.2 FPS at 4K. The gap between the Low and High settings at 4K is significant—46.4 FPS versus 27.2 FPS—which suggests that while the resolution is a major factor, the shader complexity and texture detail also heavily tax the GPU. The data indicates that for a smooth experience, users would need to stay at 1080p or 1440p with moderate settings. The 4K results, particularly the 27.2 FPS average at High and 28.7 FPS at Ultra, are below the threshold for comfortable playability, showing that this combo is not suited for 4K gaming in this simulator.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070, an end-of-life product from the GeForce 10-series, is the clear bottleneck in this configuration at higher resolutions. Its performance profile, with a base clock of 1506 MHz and a boost clock of 1683 MHz, is complemented by 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 256.3 GB/s. The benchmark results for this GPU show a Passmark G3D score of 13498, placing it in the 51st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the database are the NVIDIA Quadro K4200, which is 0.7% faster, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER, which is 1.4% faster. This places the GTX 1070 in a mid-range tier, capable of handling modern titles at 1080p but struggling with the sheer data throughput required by Flight Simulator’s detailed scenery at higher resolutions.

The VRAM capacity of 8 GB is a critical factor in this game. Flight Simulator is known for loading vast textures for terrain and aircraft, and the data suggests that at 4K, the memory bandwidth and capacity are insufficient. The average FPS at 4K Ultra is 28.7, which is only slightly higher than the 4K High result of 27.2. This small difference between High and Ultra at 4K suggests that the GPU is saturated and the additional settings have minimal impact on the frame rate because the hardware is already maxed out. The GPU’s compute capability, rated at 6.463 TFLOPS FP32, is simply not enough to process the complex geometry and lighting calculations at 4K resolution in this simulation, leading to the sub-30 FPS averages observed.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT provides a solid foundation that does not appear to be the primary constraint in this pairing. This 5000-series processor features 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 17272 and single-core score of 2438 indicate strong processing power. The CPU sits in the 78th percentile of all CPUs, with its average benchmark score of 20740 being nearly identical to that of the Intel Core i7-10700, which has a delta of 0%. This suggests that the 5600GT is more than capable of feeding the GTX 1070 with draw calls and physics calculations.

Evidence that the CPU is not the bottleneck can be seen in the frame rate scaling from 1080p to 1440p. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 81.2 to 64.8, a significant decline that is characteristic of a GPU limitation. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see a smaller difference between these resolutions, as the CPU load would be similar. Furthermore, at 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is substantial—81.2 FPS versus 45.2 FPS—which demonstrates that the GPU is handling the increased graphical load directly. The 5600GT’s 16 MB of L3 cache and Zen 3 architecture, paired with its high boost clock, ensure that it can keep up with the simulation’s single-threaded demands, allowing the GPU to be the decisive factor in the final output.

How This Combo Ranks

In the comprehensive database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 ranks 1538 out of 1795 total combos for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the lower 15% of all tested configurations, indicating that it is a below-average performer for this particular title. The rank is heavily influenced by the GPU, as the 1070’s 51st percentile overall GPU ranking is dragged down by the extreme demands of this simulator. The combination’s performance is not an outlier but rather a reflection of the hardware’s capabilities; the CPU is a strong modern part, but the GPU is a legacy component from 2016.

The ranking implies that most other tested combinations, including those with newer mid-range GPUs, will outperform this setup. The data shows that while the 5600GT is a competent processor, it cannot compensate for the GTX 1070’s limitations in a game that is heavily reliant on GPU memory bandwidth and raw shading power. For users with this hardware, the expectation should be for a playable experience at 1080p with adjusted settings, rather than a high-refresh-rate or high-resolution experience. The combo rank of 1538 serves as a clear warning that this is a pairing for entry-level 1080p gaming in this specific simulator, not for high-fidelity or high-resolution play.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the performance envelope for this combination. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low settings average 81.2 FPS, Medium settings average 62.0 FPS, High settings average 46.8 FPS, and Ultra settings average 45.2 FPS. This shows a clear progression where the frame rate is halved from Low to Ultra, indicating that the GPU is handling the increasing workload without the CPU becoming a constraint. The 1080p results are the only resolution where all settings produce playable frame rates, with even Ultra maintaining an average above 45 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 64.8 FPS at Low, 48.3 FPS at Medium, 37.0 FPS at High, and 35.8 FPS at Ultra. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 20-25% at each setting level, which is a typical scaling factor for a GPU with this memory bandwidth. At this resolution, the Low and Medium settings remain playable, but High and Ultra dip below the 40 FPS threshold, which can feel less smooth in a simulation that requires precise control.

At 3840x2160, the performance becomes marginal. The average FPS at Low is 46.4, which is still technically playable, but the Medium setting drops to 40.0 FPS. The High and Ultra settings fall to 27.2 FPS and 28.7 FPS respectively, which are not suitable for a smooth experience in a flight simulator where situational awareness is critical. The 4K data confirms that this hardware combination is not viable for high-fidelity 4K gaming. The step from 1440p to 4K represents a much larger performance hit than from 1080p to 1440p, highlighting the 1070’s limits with the massive pixel count of 4K. Overall, the data points to 1080p as the sweet spot for this combo, with 1440p being a compromise for lower settings.