Microsoft Flight Simulator

# Microsoft Flight Simulator: AMD Ryzen 5 7400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER

The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER delivers a playable Microsoft Flight Simulator experience across most settings, with the data showing a clear ceiling at 4K Ultra where the combo falls to 33 FPS average. This combination ranks 2058th out of 2996 tested combos in this game, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database. The measured results indicate that 1440p Medium provides the best balance of smoothness and visual fidelity, while 1080p Low offers the highest frame rates at 101 FPS average. The CPU’s 6-core, 12-thread configuration with a 4.70 GHz boost clock proves sufficient for the simulator’s demands, but the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM and Turing architecture become the limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU combo in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: The measured data shows 2560x1440 Medium delivers 63 FPS average with a minimum of 54 FPS and maximum of 73 FPS, making it the sweet spot. The 3840x2160 Ultra setting falls to 33 FPS average, which is below the 35 FPS High preset at the same resolution.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 7400F compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 7400F has an average benchmark score of 32750, placing it 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14600T (score 32707) and 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H (score 32697). It trails the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H by 0.2% (score 32812) and leads the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 by 0.3% (score 32662).

Q: Is the RTX 2060 SUPER strong enough for 4K gaming in this simulator?

A: At 3840x2160, the measured results show 60 FPS average on Low, 47 FPS on Medium, 35 FPS on High, and 33 FPS on Ultra. Only the Low preset reaches the 60 FPS threshold, while Medium and High remain playable but below 60 FPS.

Q: What frame rates can be expected at 1080p across different settings?

A: At 1920x1080, the data shows 101 FPS average on Low, 78 FPS average on Medium (minimum 67, maximum 90), 59 FPS average on High, and 56 FPS average on Ultra. This indicates smooth performance at all settings except Ultra, which dips below 60 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER rank against other GPUs in the database?

A: The GPU holds a 62nd percentile ranking among all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 18093. It trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile by 0.4% (score 18159), the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 by 0.5% (score 18189), the AMD Radeon RX 460 by 1.5% (score 18373), and the Intel Arc A770M by 1.6% (score 18383).

Q: Does the combo’s overall rank of 2058 out of 2996 indicate good performance?

A: The rank places this combo in the 31st percentile of tested combinations, meaning roughly 69% of tested combos perform better. The data suggests this is a capable but not high-end pairing, suitable for 1080p and 1440p gaming rather than 4K at high settings.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 7000 series, built on the Zen 4 architecture with the Raphael codename. Its base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost clock of 4.70 GHz provide the foundation for handling Microsoft Flight Simulator’s complex simulation logic, which relies heavily on single-threaded performance for flight dynamics and scenery loading. The CPU’s 32 MB shared L3 cache and 1 MB per-core L2 cache help maintain responsive frame pacing in dense urban environments where the simulator streams terrain data.

The processor’s benchmark scores demonstrate its capability: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21765 and single-core score of 3072 indicate strong per-thread performance, which is critical for a flight simulator that must process physics, weather, and autopilot systems in real time. The Passmark multithread score of 25645 and single-thread score of 3689 further confirm the CPU’s balanced workload handling. The 83rd percentile ranking against all CPUs places it well above average, and its nearest rivals show a tightly clustered competition: the Intel Core i5-14600T at 32707 (0.1% behind), the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H at 32697 (0.2% behind), the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H at 32812 (0.2% ahead), and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 at 32662 (0.3% behind).

In the measured FPS data, the CPU’s role becomes evident when comparing resolution scaling. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 101 FPS average, suggesting the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at lower graphical loads. However, at 4K Ultra with 33 FPS average, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, as the CPU maintains its 4.70 GHz boost clock capability while the GPU struggles with the increased pixel count. The 65 W TDP and 5 nm process node ensure thermal headroom for sustained performance during long flight sessions, while the DDR5 memory support with dual-channel configuration and 83.2 GB/s bandwidth provides sufficient data throughput for streaming scenery tiles.

The Cinebench R15 scores of 2193 multi-core and 309 single-core, alongside the R20 scores of 9141 multi-core and 1290 single-core, paint a picture of a processor that excels in both lightly and heavily threaded workloads. Microsoft Flight Simulator benefits from this versatility: the main simulation thread demands high single-core performance, while background tasks such as AI traffic, weather updates, and audio processing can utilize the additional threads. The Passmark physics score of 1660 and data compression score of 289999 indicate solid computational throughput for the game’s physics calculations.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimal settings across three resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers 78 FPS average with a minimum of 67 FPS and maximum of 90 FPS, offering a smooth experience without sacrificing visual quality. The High preset at 59 FPS average remains playable but falls below the 60 FPS threshold, while Ultra drops to 56 FPS average. For players prioritizing frame rate, the Low preset at 101 FPS average provides maximum smoothness, but the Medium preset represents the best trade-off between visual fidelity and performance.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Medium preset again emerges as the recommended choice, with 63 FPS average, 54 FPS minimum, and 73 FPS maximum. The High preset at 47 FPS average remains playable but shows a noticeable drop, while Ultra falls to 45 FPS average. The Low preset at 81 FPS average offers a high-frame-rate alternative, though it sacrifices significant visual detail. The data indicates that Medium at 1440p is the highest setting that maintains a minimum frame rate above 50 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the options become more limited. The Low preset achieves 60 FPS average, making it the only 4K setting that hits the standard smoothness target. Medium drops to 47 FPS average with a minimum of 40 FPS, while High falls to 35 FPS and Ultra to 33 FPS. For 4K users, the data suggests either accepting the Low preset for smooth performance or tolerating sub-50 FPS on Medium for enhanced visuals. The minimum frame rates are only provided for Medium presets: 40 FPS at 4K, 54 FPS at 1440p, and 67 FPS at 1080p, with maximums of 54, 73, and 90 respectively.

Across all resolutions, the pattern is consistent: Medium provides the best playable experience, with the frame rate penalty for High and Ultra being substantial. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a 19% performance drop on Medium (78 to 63 FPS), while the jump to 4K results in a 40% drop from 1440p (63 to 47 FPS). This indicates diminishing returns at higher resolutions, reinforcing the recommendation to prioritize 1080p or 1440p with Medium settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 2058 out of 2996 tested combinations places it in the 68.7th percentile, meaning it outperforms approximately 31% of all tested combos but falls behind the majority. This rank reflects the pairing of a mid-range CPU with an older-generation GPU, resulting in a system that is capable for 1080p and 1440p gaming but not competitive at 4K high settings. The Ryzen 5 7400F’s 83rd percentile CPU ranking contrasts sharply with the RTX 2060 SUPER’s 62nd percentile GPU ranking, indicating that the GPU is the weaker component in this pairing.

When interpreting this rank, it is important to consider that Microsoft Flight Simulator is an exceptionally demanding title, particularly on GPUs due to its extensive draw distances and detailed terrain rendering. The combo’s position in the lower-middle tier of the database suggests that users should have modest expectations for high-resolution performance. The measured data confirms this: at 4K Ultra, the combo achieves only 33 FPS average, which is below the playable threshold for most users. At 1440p Medium, the 63 FPS average is more respectable, and at 1080p Medium, the 78 FPS average provides a solid experience.

The rank also reflects the age of the GPU relative to the CPU. The RTX 2060 SUPER, released in 2019, uses the Turing architecture with 12 nm process node, while the Ryzen 5 7400F, released in 2025, uses the Zen 4 architecture with 5 nm process node. This generational gap contributes to the performance imbalance, as the CPU has significant headroom that the GPU cannot fully utilize at higher resolutions. The Passmark G3D score of 16462 for the GPU, compared to the CPU’s average benchmark score of 32750, illustrates the disparity in raw compute capability.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, providing the memory capacity and throughput necessary for Microsoft Flight Simulator’s large textures and complex scenery. The GPU’s boost clock of 1650 MHz and base clock of 1470 MHz are modest by modern standards, but the 2176 shading units and 136 texture mapping units handle the simulator’s rendering workload at lower resolutions effectively. The 64 ROPs and pixel rate of 105.6 GPixel/s contribute to the measured frame rates, while the 7.181 TFLOPS FP32 performance places it at the lower end of modern discrete GPUs.

The GPU’s 62nd percentile ranking against all GPUs indicates it sits slightly above average, but its nearest rivals reveal a tight competitive field. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile scores 18159 (0.4% higher), the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 scores 18189 (0.5% higher), the AMD Radeon RX 460 scores 18373 (1.5% higher), and the Intel Arc A770M scores 18383 (1.6% higher). This clustering suggests that the RTX 2060 SUPER performs comparably to these alternatives, despite being an older architecture. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p at Medium settings, but at 4K Ultra, the memory capacity and bandwidth become limiting factors, contributing to the 33 FPS average.

The GPU’s role in the measured FPS data is most apparent when comparing the 1080p and 4K results. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 101 FPS average, indicating that the GPU can render the simulator efficiently at lower resolutions. However, at 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 33 FPS average, a 67% reduction that demonstrates the GPU’s inability to handle the quadrupled pixel count. The Medium presets show the GPU’s capability at each resolution: 78 FPS at 1080p, 63 FPS at 1440p, and 47 FPS at 4K, with corresponding minimums of 67, 54, and 40 FPS. These numbers suggest that the GPU is best utilized at 1080p and 1440p, where it can maintain frame rates above 60 FPS on Medium settings.

The Passmark DirectX 11 score of 130 and DirectX 12 score of 61 indicate that the GPU handles modern graphics APIs, though the DirectX 12 performance is notably lower, possibly due to driver optimization or architecture limitations. The Geekbench OpenCL score of 76957 and Vulkan score of 77402 show consistent compute performance, which is relevant for the simulator’s physics and scenery generation tasks. The GPU’s 175 W TDP and dual-slot design require adequate cooling, but the 450 W suggested PSU provides sufficient power headroom for most systems.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the measured results show a clear performance hierarchy across settings. The Low preset achieves 60 FPS average, making it the only 4K setting to reach the standard smoothness threshold. Medium delivers 47 FPS average with a minimum of 40 FPS and maximum of 54 FPS, providing a playable but not perfectly smooth experience. High drops to 35 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 33 FPS average, both below the 34 FPS threshold for acceptable playability in fast-moving scenes. The data indicates that 4K gaming with this combo requires either Low settings for smoothness or Medium for enhanced visuals with occasional frame rate dips.

At 2560x1440, the performance improves substantially. Low settings achieve 81 FPS average, providing excellent smoothness. Medium delivers 63 FPS average with a minimum of 54 FPS and maximum of 73 FPS, offering a strong balance of visual quality and performance. High drops to 47 FPS average, which is playable but noticeably less smooth. Ultra falls to 45 FPS average, a marginal difference from High, suggesting that the Ultra preset’s additional effects have a limited impact at this resolution. The 1440p data shows that Medium is the recommended setting for this resolution, as it maintains a minimum frame rate above 50 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the combo demonstrates its best performance. Low settings reach 101 FPS average, providing an exceptionally smooth experience for players who prioritize frame rate. Medium delivers 78 FPS average with a minimum of 67 FPS and maximum of 90 FPS, ensuring consistent performance above 60 FPS. High achieves 59 FPS average, just below the 60 FPS threshold, while Ultra drops to 56 FPS average. The 1080p results indicate that Medium is the optimal setting, offering high frame rates with substantial visual improvements over Low. The gap between Medium and High at 1080p (78 to 59 FPS, a 24% reduction) highlights the performance cost of higher graphical presets.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset consistently provides the best balance of frame rate and visual fidelity, with the only exception being 4K where Low is required for 60 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p on Medium shows a 19% reduction in average FPS (78 to 63), while the scaling from 1440p to 4K shows a 25% reduction (63 to 47). These scaling factors indicate that the GPU’s performance degrades predictably with increasing resolution, and users should adjust their expectations accordingly. The minimum frame rates, provided only for Medium presets, show 67 FPS at 1080p, 54 FPS at 1440p, and 40 FPS at 4K, ensuring that even the worst-case scenarios remain playable at 1080p and 1440p.