Microsoft Flight Simulator

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 produces a fascinating split in Microsoft Flight Simulator. At 4K, the RTX 5090 is clearly the dominant force, but at 1080p, the Ryzen 5 5600X starts to show its age. This pairing delivers playable frame rates across all presets at every resolution, but the optimal experience depends heavily on whether you prioritize visual fidelity or raw frame rate. The data shows that for the best balance of smoothness and image quality, the High preset is the sweet spot, offering a significant performance boost over Ultra with a minimal visual compromise in a game that is already demanding.

Settings Recommendations

Benchmark results indicate that the High preset is the best overall choice for this combination. At 1920x1080, High delivers 139.9 FPS, which is 6.2 FPS higher than Ultra (133.7 FPS). At 2560x1440, the gap widens to just 1.6 FPS (111.6 FPS vs 110.0 FPS). The most dramatic difference appears at 3840x2160, where High achieves 79.5 FPS, edging out Ultra's 77.7 FPS.

The Low preset is for pure frame rate chasers. It is the only preset to break 170 FPS at 1080p (176.5 FPS) and 160 FPS at 1440p (163.9 FPS). However, the visual cost in a simulator like this is likely too steep for most users. Low at 4K (139.4 FPS) provides a smoother experience than High at 1440p, but the reduction in draw distance and terrain detail undermines the immersion that defines the game.

The Medium preset is a solid alternative but sits in an awkward position. At 1080p (162.2 FPS) and 1440p (152.3 FPS), it offers a massive jump over High (139.9 and 111.6 FPS respectively), but at 4K (107.6 FPS), it only provides a 28.1 FPS advantage over High (79.5 FPS). Given the minimal performance difference between High and Ultra at all resolutions, High is the recommended starting point. For users with 4K displays who want to maximize detail, Ultra is viable at 77.7 FPS, but High’s 79.5 FPS suggests you are leaving performance on the table for virtually no visual gain.

FAQ

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X a bottleneck for the RTX 5090 in this game?

A: The data suggests a CPU limitation becomes apparent at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the frame rate increases from 133.7 FPS (Ultra) to 176.5 FPS (Low), showing the GPU has headroom that the CPU cannot fill. The delta between these settings shrinks at 1440p and nearly disappears at 4K, indicating the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the best resolution to play at with this combo?

A: If you have a high-refresh-rate 1440p monitor, this is the sweet spot. The combination achieves 111.6 FPS on High and 110.0 FPS on Ultra, which is an excellent experience. At 4K, the frame rates are playable but hover around 77-79 FPS on the higher presets, which is more suited to a 60Hz display.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High across all resolutions?

A: The performance penalty for choosing Ultra over High is minimal. At 1080p, the difference is 6.2 FPS (133.7 vs 139.9). At 1440p, it is 1.6 FPS (110.0 vs 111.6). At 4K, it is 1.8 FPS (77.7 vs 79.5). The data indicates you can enable Ultra settings without a significant frame rate loss.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: Yes, but with caveats. The average FPS at 4K ranges from 77.7 FPS on Ultra to 139.4 FPS on Low. This means you can achieve a solid 60+ FPS experience with High or Ultra settings, but you will not be able to hit the 144 FPS mark that is possible at 1080p.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and High settings?

A: The difference is substantial, especially at lower resolutions. At 1080p, Low (176.5 FPS) is 36.6 FPS faster than High (139.9 FPS). At 1440p, the gap is 52.3 FPS (163.9 vs 111.6). At 4K, the gap is 59.9 FPS (139.4 vs 79.5), showing that the GPU has more room to work when the CPU is less stressed.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. The CPU’s benchmark scores, such as 18,578 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,622 in single-core, show it is a capable processor. However, in Microsoft Flight Simulator, the core count and clock speed directly impact the simulation’s physics and AI calculations.

The data strongly suggests the CPU is the bottleneck at 1080p. When the resolution drops, the GPU’s workload decreases, but the frame rate does not scale proportionally. For instance, from 1440p High (111.6 FPS) to 1080p High (139.9 FPS), the increase is only 28.3 FPS. In contrast, from 4K High (79.5 FPS) to 1440p High (111.6 FPS), the increase is 32.1 FPS. This pattern indicates that the 5600X’s single-thread performance is limiting the maximum frame rate, preventing the RTX 5090 from reaching its full potential in CPU-bound scenarios.

The CPU’s 32 MB of L3 cache is a positive factor, as it helps reduce memory latency. The processor’s performance relative to its rivals, such as being 0.3% behind the AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT and 0.5% behind the Intel Core i5-12490F in average benchmark score, places it in a solid mid-range tier. It is not a top-tier CPU, but it has enough grunt to keep the RTX 5090 fed at 4K, where the GPU becomes the definitive limiting factor.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 50th out of 1,795 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the top 2.8% of all tested configurations. The ranking is strong, but it is not at the very top, which reflects the fact that the CPU is a generation older than the GPU.

The RTX 5090 is a flagship GPU, sitting in the 94th percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 84,306 is 0.1% higher than the GeForce RTX 5090 D, but 1.6% lower than the NVIDIA CMP 40HX. The CPU, on the other hand, is in the 78th percentile of all CPUs. This mismatch in tier is the reason the combo does not rank higher. If the CPU were a more modern, high-end part, the combo would likely be in the top 10. As it stands, the data shows that while the combo is excellent, there is untapped potential in the GPU that the CPU cannot fully utilize at lower resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the changing bottleneck. At High settings, the FPS drops from 139.9 at 1080p to 111.6 at 1440p, a decrease of 28.3 FPS. From 1440p to 4K (79.5 FPS), the drop is 32.1 FPS. This steady decline indicates that the GPU is becoming more heavily loaded as the pixel count increases.

The pattern is different on Low settings. From 1080p (176.5 FPS) to 1440p (163.9 FPS), the drop is only 12.6 FPS. However, from 1440p to 4K (139.4 FPS), the drop is 24.5 FPS. The smaller drop at lower resolutions on Low settings suggests the CPU is the limiting factor. When the GPU is less stressed (Low settings), the CPU can maintain higher frame rates, but it cannot push past the ~176 FPS ceiling. As resolution increases, the GPU workload grows, and the CPU bottleneck diminishes. This analysis confirms that the Ryzen 5 5600X is the limiting component at 1080p, while the RTX 5090 becomes the limiting component at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the frame rates are consistently high. The Low preset achieves 176.5 FPS, followed by Medium at 162.2 FPS. High hits 139.9 FPS, and Ultra is the slowest at 133.7 FPS. The total spread between Low and Ultra is 42.8 FPS, showing that the CPU is the primary constraint here.

At 2560x1440, the results are more varied. Low remains the fastest at 163.9 FPS, with Medium close behind at 152.3 FPS. High and Ultra are nearly identical, with 111.6 FPS and 110.0 FPS respectively. The gap between Low and Ultra shrinks to 53.9 FPS, indicating the GPU is starting to take on more of the load.

At 3840x2160, the performance is heavily GPU-bound. Low delivers 139.4 FPS, Medium drops to 107.6 FPS, and High (79.5 FPS) and Ultra (77.7 FPS) are within 1.8 FPS of each other. The spread from Low to Ultra is 61.7 FPS. The data shows that at 4K, the RTX 5090’s raw power is the deciding factor, and the CPU’s influence wanes. The High and Ultra presets are the most demanding, but they still offer a playable experience above 60 FPS.