Microsoft Flight Simulator

# Microsoft Flight Simulator — AMD Ryzen 5 7400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER

This combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 7400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER produces a playable but resolution-sensitive experience in Microsoft Flight Simulator. Across the twelve measured configurations, the average frame rate ranges from 37 FPS at 4K Ultra to 111 FPS at 1080p Low, with the data showing a clear pattern where GPU load dominates at higher resolutions while CPU headroom becomes more apparent at lower settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance drop as resolution increases, which is typical for a flight simulator that stresses both geometry and shading. At 1080p Low, the combo delivers 111 FPS, but this falls to 66 FPS at 4K Low — a drop of roughly 40% when moving from 1080p to 4K at the same settings. This scaling pattern indicates that the RTX 2070 SUPER becomes the limiting factor at higher pixel counts, as the GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are increasingly taxed by the larger framebuffer.

The picture is similar at Medium settings: 86 FPS at 1080p drops to 70 FPS at 1440p, then to 51 FPS at 4K. The 1440p to 4K transition is particularly punishing, with a 27% reduction in average FPS. At High settings, the pattern continues — 65 FPS at 1080p, 52 FPS at 1440p, and 39 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset shows the most severe scaling, going from 62 FPS at 1080p down to 50 FPS at 1440p and finally 37 FPS at 4K.

The data suggests that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The Ryzen 5 7400F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, has enough processing power to feed the GPU at 1080p, but as resolution climbs, the gap between 1080p and 4K performance widens — a sign that the RTX 2070 SUPER's shading units (2560) and texture units (160) are being saturated. At 4K Ultra, the 37 FPS result is barely above playable thresholds, and the lack of min FPS data for that configuration suggests inconsistency may be an issue.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 5 7400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, manufactured on a 5 nm process. Its base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost clock of 4.70 GHz provide solid single-threaded performance, which is crucial for Microsoft Flight Simulator's simulation-heavy workload that often relies on a few primary threads. The 32 MB of shared L3 cache helps maintain data locality for the flight model and scenery streaming.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21765 and a single-core score of 3072, placing it in the 83rd percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-14600T (0.1% ahead) and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H (0.2% behind), indicating that the 7400F sits in a competitive mid-range tier. For a flight simulator, the single-core performance matters more than raw multi-threaded throughput, and the 3072 single-core score is strong enough to avoid becoming the primary limiter at most settings.

The data supports this interpretation: at 1080p Low, the combo produces 111 FPS, which suggests the CPU can push well beyond 100 FPS when the GPU is not heavily burdened. However, at 4K Ultra, the CPU is likely not the bottleneck — the GPU's 9.062 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is the constraint. The PassMark multithread score of 25645 and PassMark single-thread score of 3689 further confirm that the CPU has ample headroom for this game's demands. The 65 W TDP and dual-channel DDR5 memory support (83.2 GB/s bandwidth) also keep the platform responsive without thermal throttling concerns.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture with a 12 nm process, featuring 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. Its base clock of 1605 MHz and boost clock of 1770 MHz, combined with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, deliver 448.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The GPU's FP32 throughput of 9.062 TFLOPS and pixel rate of 113.3 GPixel/s are respectable for a 2019-era card, but they are clearly stretched by Microsoft Flight Simulator's demanding rendering at high resolutions.

The measured data shows the GPU's limits clearly. At 4K Ultra, the combo manages only 37 FPS, and at 4K High it reaches 39 FPS — both below the 40 FPS threshold that many players consider the minimum for a smooth sim experience. The RTX 2070 SUPER's 65th percentile ranking among all GPUs places it in the mid-range, and its nearest rivals include the Intel Arc B570 (1.3% ahead) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (1.2% behind). This positioning suggests that the card is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming but struggles at 4K, especially with higher quality presets.

The GPU's 8 GB VRAM is a potential concern at 4K with Ultra settings, as flight simulator scenery can be texture-heavy. However, the measured data does not include min FPS values for most configurations, so it is difficult to quantify stuttering directly. The 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores are present for ray tracing and DLSS, but the benchmark data does not indicate whether these features were enabled in the measured runs. The 12 GB difference in VRAM compared to higher-tier cards is not reflected in the data, but the FPS numbers suggest that the GPU's compute and memory bandwidth are the binding constraints at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. Low settings produce 111 FPS average, which is smooth for a flight simulator. Medium settings yield 86 FPS average, with a min of 73 FPS and max of 99 FPS — the tightest range in the entire dataset, indicating good frame pacing. High settings drop to 65 FPS average, and Ultra settings fall to 62 FPS average. The 1080p data shows that the CPU and GPU can comfortably handle this resolution even at higher presets, though the jump from Medium to High costs 21 FPS, and Ultra only costs 3 FPS more than High — suggesting diminishing returns at the top end.

At 2560x1440, performance becomes more constrained. Low settings produce 89 FPS average, which remains playable. Medium settings drop to 70 FPS average, with a min of 59 FPS and max of 80 FPS — still a consistent range. High settings fall to 52 FPS, and Ultra drops to 50 FPS. The 1440p data shows a 19 FPS penalty for moving from Low to Medium, and a further 18 FPS penalty for High, but only 2 FPS difference between High and Ultra. This suggests that the Ultra preset at 1440p is not significantly more demanding than High, or that the GPU is already hitting a performance ceiling.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 2070 SUPER is clearly overmatched. Low settings produce 66 FPS average, which is the only 4K configuration that stays above 60 FPS. Medium settings drop to 51 FPS, with a min of 44 FPS and max of 59 FPS — the min FPS is below the 45 FPS threshold that many consider the floor for acceptable playability. High settings fall to 39 FPS, and Ultra drops to 37 FPS. The 4K data shows a 15 FPS penalty from Low to Medium, and a further 12 FPS from Medium to High, but only 2 FPS from High to Ultra. The pattern at 4K mirrors 1440p: the GPU's limits are reached at High settings, and Ultra adds minimal extra cost.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 5 7400F and RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 1697 out of 2996 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the 43rd percentile (roughly the middle of the field). This ranking is consistent with the individual component positions — the CPU is in the 83rd percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 65th percentile among all GPUs. The combo's rank suggests that while the CPU is above average, the GPU drags the overall performance down, particularly at higher resolutions.

Compared to other tested combos, this pairing is not a top-tier performer, but it is far from the bottom. The 2996 total combos mean that there is a wide range of hardware configurations, and this one sits slightly below the median. The data indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor in most scenarios, as the CPU's benchmark scores (e.g., Cinebench R23 multi-core of 21765) are strong relative to its peers. If a different GPU were paired with the 7400F, the combo rank would likely improve, but with the RTX 2070 SUPER, the measured FPS at 4K Ultra (37 FPS) is below what many would consider acceptable for a modern simulator.

The rank also reflects the game's demanding nature. Microsoft Flight Simulator is known for its heavy GPU load, and the RTX 2070 SUPER's 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are modest by 2025 standards. The combo's position at 1697 out of 2996 means that roughly 43% of tested combos perform better, which is a useful reference point for users considering this hardware pairing.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution. At 1080p, the Medium preset offers the best balance: 86 FPS average with a min of 73 FPS and max of 99 FPS. This delivers smooth gameplay without the visual quality sacrifices of Low (111 FPS but likely reduced detail) or the marginal gains of High (65 FPS) and Ultra (62 FPS). The 21 FPS penalty from Medium to High is substantial, and the 3 FPS gain from High to Ultra is not worth the added GPU load.

At 1440p, Medium settings are again the sweet spot: 70 FPS average with a min of 59 FPS and max of 80 FPS. This keeps the frame rate above 60 FPS most of the time, which is important for a flight simulator where smooth panning affects immersion. Low settings (89 FPS) are viable if visual fidelity is less important, but the drop to High (52 FPS) and Ultra (50 FPS) sacrifices smoothness for marginal visual gains. The data shows that High and Ultra at 1440p both sit below 55 FPS, which may introduce noticeable stutter in dense scenery.

At 4K, the choices are more constrained. Low settings (66 FPS) are the only configuration that maintains a playable frame rate above 60 FPS. Medium settings (51 FPS) are borderline, with a min of 44 FPS that could cause noticeable dips. High (39 FPS) and Ultra (37 FPS) are below the 40 FPS threshold and are not recommended for a smooth experience. Users with a 4K display should either accept Low settings or consider lowering the resolution to 1440p for better results.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1080p Medium delivers 86 FPS average with a min of 73 FPS, making it the most consistently playable configuration. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 70 FPS with a min of 59 FPS, which is still acceptable. 4K is only playable at Low settings, where the average is 66 FPS.

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

A: The Ryzen 5 7400F is 0.1% behind the Intel Core i5-14600T and 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H in average benchmark score. It is also 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H and 0.3% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360.

Q: Is the RTX 2070 SUPER capable of running the game at Ultra settings?

A: At 1080p Ultra, the combo achieves 62 FPS average, which is playable. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 50 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 37 FPS. The data suggests that Ultra is only viable at 1080p, while High or Medium settings are better choices at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 4K?

A: At 4K, Low settings produce 66 FPS average, while Ultra produces 37 FPS — a difference of 29 FPS. This is the largest gap between presets in the measured data, indicating that the Ultra preset places significant strain on the GPU at 4K.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 1697 out of 2996 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it slightly below the median. The CPU is in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 65th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The measured data includes min FPS values only for Medium settings. At 1080p Medium, the min is 73 FPS; at 1440p Medium, it is 59 FPS; and at 4K Medium, it is 44 FPS. Other settings do not have min FPS data available.