Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator is a demanding title that stresses both CPU and GPU heavily, and this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 produces a set of results that clearly show where the bottlenecks lie. The data shows a system that is very capable at high resolutions but begins to show its CPU limitations at lower resolutions. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across resolutions and settings, interprets what those numbers mean for the components, and offers practical advice for configuring the game.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic resolution scaling pattern, but with some notable twists that highlight the specific character of this CPU-GPU combo. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 178 FPS, which is the highest average recorded in the entire dataset. However, this is not where the system shines; it is where the CPU begins to show its limits. Moving from 1080p Low to 1440p Low, the average FPS drops to 166, a reduction of about 7%. Then, moving from 1440p Low to 4K Low, the average FPS falls to 125, a much steeper drop of about 25%. This pattern suggests that while the GPU is becoming more of a factor as resolution increases, the CPU is still doing heavy lifting even at 1080p, preventing the GPU from reaching even higher frame rates.

The scaling story becomes more complex when looking at higher settings. At High settings, the FPS drops from 123 at 1080p to 99 at 1440p (a 20% reduction), and then to 73 at 4K (a further 26% reduction). The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings is roughly 41%. This is a significant reduction, and it indicates that at High settings, the GPU is starting to become the primary limiting factor as resolution climbs. The gap between Low and High settings at each resolution is also telling. At 1080p, the difference is 55 FPS (178 vs 123), but at 4K, the difference shrinks to 52 FPS (125 vs 73). This shrinking gap suggests that at 4K, the GPU's workload is so heavy that the setting changes have a relatively smaller impact on the final frame rate compared to the lower resolution.

Looking at the Medium and Ultra presets provides more insight into the scaling. At 4K, the Medium preset yields 97 FPS, while the Ultra preset yields 70 FPS. The gap between Medium and Ultra at 4K is 27 FPS, which is similar to the gap at 1080p (162 FPS for Medium, 117 FPS for Ultra, a 45 FPS difference). This indicates that the Ultra preset is consistently demanding across all resolutions, and the GPU is the main driver of performance differences between these two presets. The data suggests that this system is best balanced at 1440p, where the CPU is not as much of a bottleneck as at 1080p, and the GPU is not as overburdened as at 4K. At 1440p, the FPS ranges from 166 on Low to 95 on Ultra, providing a wide range of playable performance depending on user preference for visual fidelity over raw frame rate.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. In the context of Microsoft Flight Simulator, which is known to be heavily reliant on single-threaded performance for its simulation logic, this CPU's capabilities are a crucial factor. The benchmark results for this CPU show a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1541 and a multi-core score of 11838. The single-core performance is strong, which should help with the game's main thread, but the multi-core score is modest by modern standards. The CPU's percentile ranking of 75 versus all CPUs indicates it is a solid mid-range performer, but it is not a top-tier part.

The measured FPS data strongly suggests that the CPU is a limiting factor at lower resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the system hits 178 FPS, but this number does not scale up as much as one would expect when compared to higher resolutions. For example, the 4K Low score of 125 FPS is still quite high, which indicates that even at 4K, the CPU is able to feed the GPU enough data. However, the fact that the 1080p Low score is not significantly higher than the 1440p Low score (178 vs 166) points to a CPU bottleneck. If the GPU were the only limiting factor, the 1080p score would be much higher relative to the 1440p score. This is a common pattern in simulation games where the CPU's ability to calculate physics, AI, and other game logic is the primary constraint.

The CPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals shows that it is in a competitive but not dominant position. The data shows that the Ryzen 5 5600X has an average benchmark score of 21771, which is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 7 4800H (21749, a 0.1% difference) and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U (21874, a -0.5% difference). It also trails the Intel Core i7-11700 (21891, a -0.5% difference) and the AMD EPYC 9554P (21899, a -0.6% difference) by a very small margin. This indicates that the CPU is performing at a level consistent with other mid-range parts from its generation. In this game, this means that while the 5600X is not the absolute fastest, it is more than capable of delivering high frame rates, but it will not be the component that pushes the system to extreme FPS levels at 1080p.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is a high-end graphics card based on the Ada Lovelace architecture, featuring 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, with a memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. Its boost clock is rated at 2505 MHz, and it has a substantial 9728 shading units. The GPU's benchmark scores are impressive, with a Passmark G3D score of 34457 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 263779. Its percentile ranking of 86 versus all GPUs places it firmly in the high-performance tier. The data clearly shows that this GPU has enough raw power to handle Microsoft Flight Simulator at high resolutions, but its performance is often constrained by the CPU at lower settings.

The GPU's role in the measured results is most apparent at 4K resolution. At 4K with Ultra settings, the system averages 70 FPS, which is a very playable frame rate for a flight simulator. The fact that it can maintain 97 FPS at 4K Medium settings shows that the RTX 4080 has significant headroom. The memory capacity of 16 GB is also a key asset for this game, as Microsoft Flight Simulator is known for loading large amounts of terrain and aircraft data. The high memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s ensures that the GPU can quickly access this data, reducing stutter and maintaining smooth performance. The GPU's closest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, has an average benchmark score of 54209, which is only 0.1% higher than the RTX 4080's score of 54247. This indicates that the RTX 4080 is performing at the top of its class, and its in-game results are likely a true reflection of its hardware capabilities.

At 1080p and 1440p, the GPU is not the limiting factor. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the FPS is 178, but this is likely capped by the CPU's ability to process the game's simulation thread. The GPU is more than capable of rendering frames at a much higher rate, but it is waiting on the CPU. This is a common scenario where a high-end GPU is paired with a mid-range CPU. The GPU's performance at 4K, however, is where it truly flexes its muscles, showing a clear scaling pattern that indicates it is the primary driver of performance at that resolution. The RTX 4080 is an end-of-life product, but its benchmark numbers show it is still a top-tier performer.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and the user's preference for frame rate versus visual fidelity. For users with a 4K display, the Medium preset is the sweet spot. The average FPS of 97 at 4K Medium is a significant jump from the 73 FPS at High, and it is more than adequate for a smooth flight simulation experience. The High preset at 73 FPS is also playable, but Medium provides a much larger margin of headroom, which is beneficial in a game where frame rates can dip in dense city areas or during complex weather scenarios. The Ultra preset at 70 FPS is also viable, but the visual improvement over Medium may not justify the 27 FPS loss. The data suggests that Medium is the best balance of performance and visual quality at 4K.

At 1440p, the situation is different. The High preset delivers 99 FPS, which is excellent, and the Ultra preset delivers 95 FPS, which is also very good. The difference between High and Ultra at this resolution is only 4 FPS, so it is clearly worth using the Ultra preset if the user wants the best visuals. The Medium preset at 132 FPS is overkill for a flight simulator, which does not benefit from frame rates above 60 FPS as much as fast-paced shooters do. The Low preset at 166 FPS is unnecessary for this genre. Therefore, at 1440p, the Ultra preset is the recommended choice, as it offers a near-maximum visual experience without a significant performance penalty.

For users still on a 1080p display, the data shows that the system is CPU-limited at all settings. The Ultra preset at 117 FPS is the best choice, as it provides the highest visual quality while still maintaining a very high frame rate. The High preset at 123 FPS is only 6 FPS faster, so there is no reason to drop to a lower preset. The Medium preset at 162 FPS is not worth it, as the visual downgrade is substantial and the extra frame rate is not needed. In this scenario, the user is leaving performance on the table due to the CPU limit, but the Ultra preset ensures that the system is doing as much work as possible to produce the best image. Overall, the recommendation is to use Ultra at 1080p and 1440p, and Medium at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Microsoft Flight Simulator, this specific pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 has a combo rank of 311 out of 3714 tested combos. This places it in the top 8.4% of all tested systems, which is a strong showing. This ranking is impressive given that the CPU is not a top-tier part, and it highlights the importance of the GPU in this game, especially at higher resolutions. The high combo rank reflects that the RTX 4080 is able to push the system to high frame rates, even with a mid-range CPU, because the game's workload shifts more to the GPU as resolution increases.

The ranking also suggests that this combo is better than the sum of its parts. The CPU's percentile rank of 75 and the GPU's percentile rank of 86 are both high, but the combined result is better than either of those individual rankings would suggest. This is because in Microsoft Flight Simulator, the GPU is the dominant component for the majority of the visual experience, and the RTX 4080 is powerful enough to compensate for the CPU's limitations. The data shows that this combo is well-balanced for 1440p and 4K gaming, which is why it ranks so highly. For users who are playing at 1080p, the combo rank might be lower than it would be at higher resolutions, as the CPU bottleneck would hold back the system. However, for the target audience of this game, which is often playing at high resolutions with high settings, this is an excellent combination.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is a detailed breakdown of the measured FPS for this system in Microsoft Flight Simulator, covering all resolutions and settings.

1080p (1920x1080):

• Low: 178 FPS average. This is the highest frame rate in the entire dataset, indicating the CPU is the limiting factor, as the GPU is not being fully utilized.
• Medium: 162 FPS average, with a minimum of 138 FPS and a maximum of 187 FPS. This shows a wide variance, typical of a CPU-bound scenario.
• High: 123 FPS average. This is a more balanced setting, but the CPU is still preventing the GPU from hitting higher numbers.
• Ultra: 117 FPS average. The drop from High to Ultra is only 6 FPS, showing that the visual settings have a minimal impact at this resolution due to the CPU limit.

1440p (2560x1440):

• Low: 166 FPS average. This is very close to the 1080p Low score, reinforcing the CPU bottleneck.
• Medium: 132 FPS average, with a minimum of 112 FPS and a maximum of 152 FPS. This is a solid performance level.
• High: 99 FPS average. This is a substantial drop from Medium, showing that the GPU is starting to become more involved.
• Ultra: 95 FPS average. The gap between High and Ultra is only 4 FPS, making Ultra the clear choice for maximum quality.

4K (3840x2160):

• Low: 125 FPS average. This is still a high frame rate, but the 32% drop from 1440p Low shows the GPU is now being taxed.
• Medium: 97 FPS average, with a minimum of 83 FPS and a maximum of 112 FPS. This is the recommended setting for 4K, offering a great balance.
• High: 73 FPS average. A significant drop from Medium, showing the heavy load on the GPU.
• Ultra: 70 FPS average. This is the most demanding setting, but it is still playable, with a minimum frame rate that is not recorded but likely remains above 60 FPS in most scenarios.