Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator is exceptionally demanding, and the pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 7400F with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 proves to be a high-performance combination, ranking in the 94th percentile of all tested combos. The data shows that this system is capable of delivering very high frame rates across all settings at 1080p and 1440p, while maintaining playable performance even at 4K with maximum settings. The measured results indicate that the RTX 5090 is the dominant component in this pairing, with the CPU providing a solid foundation that allows the GPU to stretch its legs, particularly at higher resolutions where the visual workload increases significantly.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling across resolutions reveals a clear pattern where the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 194 FPS, which drops to 181 FPS at 1440p and further to 142 FPS at 4K. This represents a 27% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K at the Low preset, indicating that while the GPU is still heavily utilized, the CPU is keeping up well enough to not bottleneck the frame rate. The scaling becomes more pronounced at higher settings, where the gap between resolutions widens due to the increased graphical load on the RTX 5090.

Moving from 1080p to 4K at the High preset shows a substantial drop from 139 FPS to 83 FPS, a 40% decrease. This significant reduction underscores that the RTX 5090 is being pushed to its limits at 4K, especially with the more demanding visual effects enabled. The Medium preset tells a similar story, with frame rates falling from 177 FPS at 1080p to 149 FPS at 1440p and then to 110 FPS at 4K. The data suggests that at 1080p, the system is likely partially CPU-bound, as the frame rates across different settings are relatively close, whereas at 4K, the GPU workload dominates and the CPU’s role becomes less critical.

The Ultra preset exhibits the most dramatic scaling, with a 40% drop from 133 FPS at 1080p to 79 FPS at 4K. This shows that the highest quality settings impose a massive load on the graphics card, and the Ryzen 5 7400F is not the limiting factor at this resolution. Instead, the RTX 5090’s raw compute power determines the final frame rate. Analysis of the measured data indicates that for users targeting 4K gaming, the GPU is the clear bottleneck, while at 1080p, the system is more balanced, with the CPU still able to feed the GPU enough data to maintain high frame rates.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1440p offers an excellent balance, with the High preset achieving 112 FPS and the Ultra preset hitting 107 FPS. This resolution provides a significant visual upgrade over 1080p while maintaining high frame rates that are well above the standard 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the CPU handle the game at 4K resolution?

A: At 4K, the Ryzen 5 7400F is not the bottleneck. The frame rates are primarily limited by the RTX 5090’s performance, as evidenced by the 83 FPS average at High settings and 79 FPS at Ultra. The CPU’s 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient to keep up with the GPU’s workload at this resolution.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 7400F a good match for the RTX 5090 in this game?

A: The benchmark results indicate a strong pairing. At 1080p, the system reaches up to 194 FPS at Low settings, showing that the CPU can push high frame rates. The combo ranks 94th out of 2996 tested combinations, placing it in the top 3% of all tested systems, which confirms its effectiveness.

Q: What are the minimum frame rates like at 1440p?

A: The only measured minimum FPS data available is for the Medium preset, which shows a minimum of 127 FPS at 1440p. This indicates that even in demanding scenes, the frame rate remains high, providing a smooth experience without major drops.

Q: How much of a performance difference is there between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: The difference is substantial. The Low preset achieves 194 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 133 FPS, a 31% reduction in average frame rate. This shows that the Ultra preset demands significantly more from the hardware, but the system still delivers a very playable frame rate.

Q: Does the game scale well with the RTX 5090’s capabilities?

A: Yes, the data shows that the GPU is fully utilized. The frame rates scale consistently with resolution and settings, and the RTX 5090’s 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth allow it to handle the high-resolution textures and complex geometry without issue, as evidenced by the playable 4K results.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, running on the AM5 socket. Its base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost clock of 4.70 GHz provide a solid foundation for gaming. In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU’s role is to handle the complex simulation logic, physics, and draw calls. The benchmark results suggest that the CPU is well-suited for this task, as frame rates at 1080p are high across all settings, indicating that the processor is not creating a significant bottleneck.

The CPU’s performance in synthetic benchmarks is competitive with its nearest rivals. Its average benchmark score of 32,750 places it just 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14600T and 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H. This shows that the Ryzen 5 7400F offers comparable processing power to these alternatives. The CPU’s 32 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support contribute to its ability to feed the RTX 5090 with data efficiently, which is crucial for maintaining high frame rates in a simulation-heavy game.

Looking at the measured FPS data, the CPU’s impact is most noticeable at lower resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 194 FPS, which is likely close to the CPU’s maximum output in this scenario. As resolution increases, the frame rate drops, suggesting that the GPU becomes the limiting factor. The CPU’s 83rd percentile ranking among all CPUs confirms that it is a capable processor, but it is not the top-tier option. However, in this specific game, the data indicates that it is sufficient to keep the RTX 5090 well-fed, especially at 1440p and 4K where the GPU workload is more demanding.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance for this combo. At 1440p, it achieves an average of 149 FPS with a minimum of 127 FPS, providing a smooth and responsive experience. The High preset is also an excellent choice, delivering 112 FPS at 1440p, which is still well above the 60 FPS threshold for a good experience. For users with high-refresh-rate 1080p monitors, the High preset at 139 FPS or even the Ultra preset at 133 FPS are viable options, as both provide frame rates that can take advantage of 144Hz displays.

At 4K resolution, the choice becomes more nuanced. The High preset achieves 83 FPS, which is playable but may not be ideal for very demanding scenes. The Ultra preset drops to 79 FPS, which is still acceptable for a flight simulator where precise frame timing is less critical than in fast-paced shooters. The Medium preset at 4K offers 110 FPS, which is a significant improvement over High and Ultra, making it an attractive option for users who want to prioritize smoothness at this resolution. The data suggests that Medium is the sweet spot for 4K, providing a 32% performance increase over High while still looking significantly better than Low.

For users who prefer maximum visual fidelity, the Ultra preset is viable at 1080p and 1440p, with frame rates of 133 FPS and 107 FPS respectively. However, the jump from High to Ultra at 1440p only provides a marginal visual improvement while costing a 4% performance hit. The measured data indicates that the High preset is the most efficient choice for most users, as it provides a substantial visual upgrade over Medium while maintaining high frame rates across all resolutions. The Low preset is not recommended for this hardware, as it leaves significant performance on the table and does not take advantage of the RTX 5090’s capabilities.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 7400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 94th out of 2,996 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This puts it in the 97th percentile of all tested systems, indicating that it is a top-tier configuration for this game. The ranking demonstrates that this pairing is well-optimized for the game’s demands, with the CPU and GPU working together effectively to deliver high frame rates. The high ranking is particularly impressive given that the CPU is not a flagship model, showing that the game is more dependent on GPU performance than CPU performance.

The ranking also suggests that there are only 93 other tested combinations that perform better, which likely include more powerful CPUs paired with the RTX 5090 or similar high-end GPUs. However, the data shows that the Ryzen 5 7400F is not holding back the RTX 5090 significantly, as the frame rates achieved are very high. The CPU’s 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient for this game, which appears to be more reliant on single-threaded performance and GPU throughput. The fact that this combo ranks so highly despite the CPU being a mid-range part confirms the RTX 5090’s dominance in this title.

For context, the Ryzen 5 7400F has an average benchmark score of 32,750, which is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, including the Intel Core i5-14600T and Intel Core Ultra 7 155H. This indicates that the CPU’s performance is in line with other modern processors, and the high combo ranking is primarily driven by the RTX 5090’s exceptional graphics capabilities. The GPU’s percentile ranking of 92nd among all GPUs further reinforces that it is a top-tier component, and the measured FPS data confirms that it is performing as expected in this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers impressive frame rates across all settings. The Low preset achieves an average of 194 FPS, which is the highest recorded for this resolution. The Medium preset follows closely with 177 FPS, showing a minimum of 151 FPS and a maximum of 204 FPS. The High preset reaches 139 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 133 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system can easily drive high-refresh-rate monitors, with even the Ultra preset providing a frame rate well above 100 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 61 FPS, showing a 31% performance hit for the highest quality settings.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show a noticeable decrease from 1080p. The Low preset achieves 181 FPS, which is still very high. The Medium preset delivers 149 FPS with a minimum of 127 FPS and a maximum of 172 FPS. The High preset drops to 112 FPS, and the Ultra preset reaches 107 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is relatively modest at the Low preset, with a 7% decrease, but becomes more significant at higher settings, with a 20% decrease at High and a 20% decrease at Ultra. This suggests that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor at this resolution, but the system still provides an excellent experience for 1440p gaming.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops are more pronounced. The Low preset achieves 142 FPS, which is still playable. The Medium preset delivers 110 FPS with a minimum of 94 FPS and a maximum of 127 FPS. The High preset reaches 83 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 79 FPS. The jump from 1440p to 4K results in a 22% decrease at Low, a 26% decrease at Medium, a 26% decrease at High, and a 26% decrease at Ultra. These numbers show that 4K is the most demanding resolution for this combo, but the system still manages to maintain playable frame rates at all settings, with the Medium preset offering the best balance of performance and visual quality at this resolution.