Microsoft Flight Simulator

# CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, built on TSMC's 5 nm process node. It operates with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, drawing a 65 W TDP. This chip supports DDR5 memory via a dual-channel interface, providing 83.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth, and it uses the AMD Socket AM5 platform with PCIe Gen 5 connectivity for 24 lanes from the CPU. The processor includes 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Ryzen 5 7400F posts a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21765 and a single-core score of 3072. Its PassMark multithread score is 25645, while the single-thread score reaches 3689. These results place the processor at the 83rd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 32750. Compared to its nearest rivals, the Intel Core i5-14600T scores 32707 (0.1% lower), the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H scores 32697 (0.2% lower), the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H scores 32812 (0.2% higher), and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 scores 32662 (0.3% lower). The differences are minimal, indicating that the Ryzen 5 7400F sits at the center of a tightly clustered performance band.

For Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU's role is significant because flight simulation relies heavily on single-thread performance for the main simulation loop, which handles physics, flight dynamics, and scenery loading. The 7400F's strong single-core showing, reflected in its R23 single-core score of 3072 and PassMark single-thread score of 3689, suggests it can manage these tasks effectively. The 6-core, 12-thread configuration also provides headroom for background processes, AI traffic, and weather simulation, which can utilize additional threads. However, the game's performance at higher resolutions will shift the bottleneck toward the GPU, as evidenced by the measured FPS patterns discussed later.

# How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 7400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER achieves a combo rank of 425 out of 2996 tested combinations in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places the pairing in the top 14.2% of all tested combos, indicating a strong overall performance tier. The rank reflects the synergy between the CPU's solid single-thread capabilities and the GPU's substantial rendering power, which together handle the game's demanding mix of CPU-bound simulation logic and GPU-bound graphics rendering.

The Ryzen 5 7400F's average benchmark score of 32750, sitting at the 83rd percentile, pairs with the RTX 4070 SUPER's average benchmark score of 43223, also at the 83rd percentile among GPUs. The GPU's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB with an average score of 43262 (0.1% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile at 43268 (0.1% higher), the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 at 43301 (0.2% higher), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile at 43667 (1% higher). This clustering shows that the RTX 4070 SUPER is competitive with these alternatives, with only the RTX 4090 Mobile showing a meaningful lead of 1%.

In the context of Microsoft Flight Simulator, this combo rank of 425 suggests that the pairing delivers performance that comfortably exceeds the median tested system. The data indicates that users can expect a smooth experience across most settings and resolutions, with the ability to push toward higher graphical presets without significant compromise. The rank also implies that there are 424 combos that perform better, likely featuring higher-tier CPUs or GPUs, but the 7400F + RTX 4070 SUPER combination remains a capable contender for this simulation title.

# Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals distinct patterns as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 across all four settings presets. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 183 at 1080p to 148 at 1440p (a 19.1% reduction), and then to 109 at 4K (a 26.4% reduction from 1440p). This steep decline indicates that even at Low settings, the GPU becomes increasingly stressed at higher resolutions, though the absolute numbers remain high.

At Medium settings, the average FPS falls from 143 at 1080p to 115 at 1440p (a 19.6% drop), and then to 85 at 4K (a 26.1% drop from 1440p). The minimum FPS at Medium settings also scales, from 121 at 1080p to 98 at 1440p, and then to 72 at 4K, showing consistent performance degradation. The maximum FPS follows a similar trajectory: 164 at 1080p, 132 at 1440p, and 98 at 4K.

High settings show comparable scaling: 107 FPS at 1080p, 86 FPS at 1440p (a 19.6% reduction), and 64 FPS at 4K (a 25.6% reduction from 1440p). Ultra settings yield 102 FPS at 1080p, 82 FPS at 1440p (a 19.6% reduction), and 61 FPS at 4K (a 25.6% reduction from 1440p). The consistent percentage drops—roughly 19-20% from 1080p to 1440p and 25-26% from 1440p to 4K—indicate that the GPU is the primary limiting component at higher resolutions, as the CPU's workload remains relatively constant while the GPU's rendering load grows quadratically with pixel count.

The scaling pattern suggests that at 1080p, the CPU may partially limit performance, especially at Low settings where 183 FPS approaches the CPU's capability to feed frames. As resolution increases, the GPU takes over as the bottleneck, which is typical for a simulation title with heavy graphics demands. The 4K results, ranging from 61 FPS at Ultra to 109 FPS at Low, show that the combination can handle 4K with playable frame rates, though Ultra settings dip close to 60 FPS.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are: 183 at Low, 143 at Medium, 107 at High, and 102 at Ultra. The Medium preset reports a minimum of 121 FPS and a maximum of 164 FPS, providing a range of 43 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 40 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is 36 FPS, and between High and Ultra is only 5 FPS. This suggests that the step from High to Ultra has diminishing returns, with the GPU struggling to maintain the extra graphical fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS values drop to: 148 at Low, 115 at Medium, 86 at High, and 82 at Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 98 FPS and a maximum of 132 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium is 33 FPS, Medium to High is 29 FPS, and High to Ultra is just 4 FPS. The close proximity of High and Ultra results at 1440p indicates that the GPU is nearing its limits, with Ultra providing only marginal improvements over High.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS values are: 109 at Low, 85 at Medium, 64 at High, and 61 at Ultra. The Medium preset reports a minimum of 72 FPS and a maximum of 98 FPS. The scaling from Low to Medium is 24 FPS, Medium to High is 21 FPS, and High to Ultra is just 3 FPS. At 4K, Ultra and High are nearly identical in performance, suggesting that the GPU is fully saturated at these settings, and the extra visual features of Ultra come at a negligible cost but also provide minimal benefit.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data, showing that frame pacing is relatively stable with a 26-43 FPS range depending on resolution. The lack of min/max data for other presets means only averages are available, but the consistent pattern of diminishing returns from High to Ultra holds across all three resolutions.

# GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using TSMC's 5 nm process, with the AD104 chip containing 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die. It features 7168 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 80 raster operation units, along with 56 ray tracing cores and 224 tensor cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1980 MHz and a boost clock of 2475 MHz, with memory clocked at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). The 12 GB of GDDR6X memory is connected via a 192-bit bus, providing 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The card delivers 35.48 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, with a pixel rate of 198.0 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 554.4 GTexel/s.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 4070 SUPER scores 4627 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 172795 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 205624 in Geekbench Vulkan. Its PassMark G3D score is 29995, with a PassMark GPU Compute score of 17108. These results place the GPU at the 83rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 43223. The nearest rivals show very close scores: the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB at 43262 (0.1% higher), the RTX 5050 Mobile at 43268 (0.1% higher), the Quadro M6000 at 43301 (0.2% higher), and the RTX 4090 Mobile at 43667 (1% higher). This indicates that the RTX 4070 SUPER is competitively positioned, with only a 1% gap to the RTX 4090 Mobile.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the GPU's 12 GB of VRAM and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for the game's texture-heavy environments, which include detailed terrain, aircraft models, and dynamic weather. The 4K results, where Ultra settings average 61 FPS and High settings average 64 FPS, demonstrate that the GPU is the primary driver of performance at this resolution. The 35.48 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power handles the game's shader workloads, while the 56 RT cores support any ray-traced effects, though the game's implementation is limited. The 220 W TDP and dual-slot design indicate that this is a mid-range power draw card, suitable for most systems.

# FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured data, 2560x1440 provides the best balance of performance and visual quality, with average FPS ranging from 82 at Ultra to 148 at Low. At 4K, Ultra settings average 61 FPS, which is playable but close to the edge, while 1080p offers very high frame rates but does not fully utilize the GPU's capabilities.

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. The Intel Core i5-14600T scores 32707 (0.1% lower), the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H scores 32697 (0.2% lower), the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H scores 32812 (0.2% higher), and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 scores 32662 (0.3% lower). All five CPUs are within 0.3% of each other.

Q: What FPS can I expect at 1080p with High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with High settings, the average FPS is 107. This is a solid frame rate for a flight simulator, which typically does not require the high refresh rates needed in competitive shooters.

Q: Is the RTX 4070 SUPER significantly better than its nearest GPU rivals?

A: No. The RTX 4070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 43223. The NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB scores 43262 (0.1% higher), the RTX 5050 Mobile scores 43268 (0.1% higher), the Quadro M6000 scores 43301 (0.2% higher), and the RTX 4090 Mobile scores 43667 (1% higher). The differences are minimal, with the RTX 4090 Mobile being the only rival with a notable lead.

Q: How does the combo rank in this game?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination ranks 425th out of 2996 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the top 14.2% of all tested systems.

Q: What are the minimum FPS at Medium settings across resolutions?

A: At Medium settings, the minimum FPS is 121 at 1080p, 98 at 1440p, and 72 at 4K. These minimums indicate that frame pacing remains consistent, with no severe drops that would cause stuttering.

# Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset offers the best experience for this combination in Microsoft Flight Simulator. At Medium settings, the average FPS ranges from 143 at 1080p to 85 at 4K, with minimums of 121 at 1080p, 98 at 1440p, and 72 at 4K. These numbers provide a smooth, stutter-free experience across all resolutions, making Medium the most versatile choice. The jump from Medium to High yields a significant performance cost—36 FPS at 1080p, 29 FPS at 1440p, and 21 FPS at 4K—while the visual improvement may not justify the loss for most users.

For users with 1080p displays, High settings at 107 FPS average are an excellent option, offering better visual fidelity than Medium while maintaining high frame rates. Ultra at 102 FPS is also viable at 1080p, but the 5 FPS gain over High is negligible, suggesting that High is the more efficient choice. At 1440p, High settings at 86 FPS average provide a good balance, but Medium at 115 FPS is better suited for users who prioritize smoothness over visual detail. Ultra at 82 FPS at 1440p is within playable range, but the 4 FPS difference from High indicates that the extra settings have little impact.

At 4K, Medium settings at 85 FPS average are the recommended choice, as they offer the best combination of visual quality and performance. High at 64 FPS and Ultra at 61 FPS are both playable, but the 21 FPS difference between Medium and High represents a substantial drop for incremental visual gains. Low settings at 4K produce 109 FPS, which is excessive for a simulator and sacrifices too much visual detail. Overall, the data suggests that Medium is the sweet spot for this CPU/GPU combination, delivering consistent performance across all resolutions while maintaining acceptable visual quality for a flight simulator.