Microsoft Flight Simulator

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT delivers a solid, if not spectacular, experience in Microsoft Flight Simulator. The data shows that this combination is highly resolution-dependent, offering smooth gameplay at 1080p but struggling to maintain high frame rates at 4K. The CPU provides a strong foundation, but the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor as resolution and settings increase.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 is the optimal resolution. The system achieves an average of 106 FPS at Low settings and 63.9 FPS at High settings, which is significantly smoother than the 47.7 FPS and 38.8 FPS seen at 2560x1440 and 3840x2160 respectively on High.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K resolution with Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate drops to 37 FPS. This is the lowest score recorded for this configuration and indicates that the RX 6650 XT is not capable of delivering a consistently smooth experience at this demanding resolution and preset.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary constraint, especially at higher resolutions. While the Ryzen 5 7500F has high benchmark scores, the RX 6650 XT's performance in this game scales poorly with resolution. For example, moving from 1080p High (63.9 FPS) to 4K High (38.8 FPS) results in a significant drop, highlighting the GPU's limitations.

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

A: The jump from Low to Ultra at 1920x1080 is substantial. The average frame rate drops from 106 FPS at Low to 58.2 FPS at Ultra, a difference of 47.8 FPS. This shows that the Ultra preset places a heavy load on the system's graphics resources.

Q: What is the processor's ranking compared to other CPUs?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F sits in the 82nd percentile among all tested CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 24993 places it slightly above the Intel Core i7-11850H by 0.1%, but slightly below the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X and AMD Ryzen 5 8400F by 0.3%.

Q: What is the graphics card's ranking compared to other GPUs?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT is in the 72nd percentile among all tested GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 29024 is essentially level with the AMD Radeon RX 6800M (0% difference) and the AMD Radeon RX 470 (0.1% ahead).

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark results show a clear trade-off between visual fidelity and frame rate. For the best balance of smoothness and visual quality, the High preset at 1920x1080 is the recommended starting point, yielding an average of 63.9 FPS. This provides a playable experience that is well above the threshold for smooth simulation gameplay.

If a higher frame rate is needed, dropping to Medium at 1080p increases the average to 83.2 FPS, a significant improvement that would be beneficial for players sensitive to stutter. The Low preset at 1080p offers the highest performance at 106 FPS but sacrifices much of the visual detail that makes the simulator immersive.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the most viable option, producing an average of 64.3 FPS. The High preset at this resolution drops to 47.7 FPS, which may feel less fluid. At 3840x2160, the data suggests avoiding the Ultra and High presets, as they produce averages of 37 FPS and 38.8 FPS respectively; the Low preset is the only 4K option that reaches near-playable levels at 58.9 FPS.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT is the limiting factor in this configuration for Microsoft Flight Simulator. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 280.3 GB/s, which is sufficient for 1080p but becomes strained at higher resolutions. The card's boost clock of 2635 MHz and game clock of 2410 MHz help it maintain performance, but the raw compute power is not enough for the most demanding settings.

The GPU's performance in this title demonstrates a clear scaling pattern with resolution. The data shows a consistent drop in average FPS as resolution increases, from 63.9 at 1080p High to 47.7 at 1440p High and finally 38.8 at 4K High. This indicates that the card's 10.79 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is quickly saturated by the simulator's complex rendering load.

The RX 6650 XT's ranking in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 29024, places it in the mid-range tier. Its performance is virtually identical to the AMD Radeon RX 6800M, with a deltaPct of 0. This suggests that while the card is capable, it does not have the headroom to handle the highest presets at 4K, where it delivers a 37 FPS average on Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F and AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT is ranked 1117 out of 1795 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places the system in the bottom 38% of all configurations, indicating that while it is functional, many other hardware pairings deliver better performance in this title.

The ranking reflects the GPU's limitations more than the CPU's capabilities. The Ryzen 5 7500F has an average benchmark score of 24993, which is higher than its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-11850H. In contrast, the RX 6650 XT's average benchmark score of 29024 is only marginally better than the AMD Radeon RX 470. This imbalance suggests the system is held back by the graphics card.

The combo's overall position in the database shows that it is a mid-pack performer for this simulator. The 37 FPS result at 4K Ultra is a clear indicator that this setup is not intended for maximum resolution gaming. However, its 106 FPS score at 1080p Low demonstrates that it can be a capable system when settings are adjusted appropriately.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F provides a robust foundation for this gaming system. With 6 cores and 12 threads based on the Zen 4 architecture, it offers strong single-thread performance, which is crucial for flight simulators. The processor's boost clock of 5.00 GHz and base clock of 3.70 GHz contribute to its high benchmark scores.

The CPU's performance is notable, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 22799 and a single-core score of 3218. This places it in the 82nd percentile of all CPUs, showing it can handle the complex calculations required by the simulator. Its 32 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 83.2 GB/s bandwidth help ensure data is fed to the GPU efficiently.

In this combo, the CPU is clearly not the bottleneck. The data shows that the frame rate drops are primarily correlated with resolution and settings, which is the GPU's domain. The processor's strong scores, such as a Passmark multithread score of 26825 and a Geekbench multicore score of 12686, indicate it has ample headroom to support the RX 6650 XT without holding back performance in most scenarios.