Microsoft Flight Simulator

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates across resolutions reveal a classic GPU-bound curve for this pairing in Microsoft Flight Simulator. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces 68.9 FPS, which drops to 58.8 FPS at 1440p, and further to 41.6 FPS at 4K. That represents a 39.6% reduction from 1080p to 4K at High settings, indicating the Radeon RX 6700 XT is the primary limiter as pixel count climbs.

The scaling pattern shifts dramatically when examining the Low preset. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 124.2 FPS, the highest figure recorded across all tested configurations. Dropping to 1440p Low yields 95 FPS, while 4K Low still manages 67.5 FPS. The gap between 1080p and 4K at Low settings is 45.7%, which is smaller than the High preset's drop. This suggests that at lower graphical loads, the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F's six Zen 4 cores can more effectively feed the GPU, but the GPU still becomes the bottleneck as resolution increases.

Ultra settings tell a more constrained story. At 1080p Ultra, the combo delivers 67.7 FPS, nearly identical to the 68.9 FPS at High. This near-parity indicates that the Ultra preset's additional load saturates the GPU's 12 GB memory and 2560 shading units quickly. At 1440p Ultra, the frame rate falls to 54.1 FPS, and at 4K Ultra it bottoms out at 38 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the lowest in the entire data set, showing that this configuration struggles to maintain playable smoothness at maximum fidelity on 4K panels.

The Medium preset offers the most balanced scaling curve. From 94 FPS at 1080p, it drops to 72.8 FPS at 1440p and 54.4 FPS at 4K. The incremental steps between resolutions are consistent, suggesting that Medium exercises the hardware in a more linear fashion without the abrupt cliffs seen at Ultra. Notably, 1080p Medium (94 FPS) outperforms 1440p High (58.8 FPS) by 59.9%, highlighting how much resolution impacts this title's performance profile.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for smooth gameplay with this CPU/GPU combo?

A: At 1080p, every preset except Ultra exceeds 60 FPS, with Low reaching 124.2 FPS and Medium hitting 94 FPS. For 1440p, only Low (95 FPS) and Medium (72.8 FPS) break the 60 FPS barrier. At 4K, no preset achieves 60 FPS; the highest is Low at 67.5 FPS.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at the same resolution?

A: At 1080p, Ultra (67.7 FPS) is within 1.7% of High (68.9 FPS). At 1440p, the gap widens slightly: High delivers 58.8 FPS versus Ultra's 54.1 FPS. At 4K, the difference grows to 8.7% with High at 41.6 FPS and Ultra at 38 FPS.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 7500F holding back the RX 6700 XT in this game?

A: The data shows the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the CPU can push 124.2 FPS, but as resolution increases, the frame rate drops consistently, indicating the GPU's rendering capacity is the constraint. The CPU's 3DMark single-thread score of 974 and 16-thread score of 6376 suggest sufficient headroom for this simulation.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p and 4K at Medium settings?

A: At Medium settings, 1080p produces 94 FPS while 4K produces 54.4 FPS, a 42.1% reduction. This is the most consistent scaling among presets, with 1440p landing at 72.8 FPS.

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

A: The combo ranks 998th out of 1795 tested combinations, placing it in the 44th percentile. This means a majority of tested combos outperform it, but it still sits above the median.

Q: Which preset offers the highest frame rate at 1440p?

A: Low settings produce the highest 1440p result at 95 FPS. Medium follows at 72.8 FPS, then High at 58.8 FPS, and Ultra at 54.1 FPS.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT's 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is directly relevant to Microsoft Flight Simulator's tendency to load large scenery textures and terrain data. At 4K Ultra, the GPU delivers 38 FPS, which suggests the memory subsystem is being heavily exercised, though the bandwidth figure appears sufficient for the game's demands.

The GPU's clock behavior shows a base of 2321 MHz, a game clock of 2424 MHz, and a boost of 2581 MHz. The effective memory speed is 16 Gbps. These clocks position the card solidly within the Radeon RX 6000 series. Its 40 ray accelerators and RDNA 2.0 architecture support DirectX 12 Ultimate, which the game can leverage for advanced lighting effects.

The GPU's benchmark results place it at the 77th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 33721. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6800, scores 33493, a 0.7% difference. This proximity indicates the RX 6700 XT is performing near expectations for its class. The GPU's 13.21 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 165.2 GPixel/s pixel rate are the raw compute figures that translate into the measured frame rates.

In this game specifically, the GPU's role becomes evident when comparing the Low preset at different resolutions. At 1080p Low, the card produces 124.2 FPS, but at 4K Low, it drops to 67.5 FPS. This 45.7% reduction occurs despite the CPU being capable of higher frame rates, as evidenced by the 1080p Low result. The pixel throughput requirement at 4K overwhelms the GPU's 64 ROPs, making it the decisive component.

The VRAM usage pattern is not directly measured, but the 12 GB capacity is substantial for a 2021-era card. Given that the game's High preset at 4K produces 41.6 FPS and Ultra drops to 38 FPS, the additional settings beyond High appear to cost only 8.7% performance, suggesting the memory capacity is not the primary constraint—rather, the compute units are saturated.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimal settings. At 1080p, Medium settings (94 FPS) offer the best balance between visual fidelity and frame rate, outperforming High (68.9 FPS) by 36.4% while still maintaining a smooth experience. Ultra at 1080p (67.7 FPS) provides virtually no advantage over High in terms of frame rate, making it a poor choice given the minimal performance difference.

For 1440p users, Medium is the recommended preset. At 72.8 FPS, it clears the 60 FPS threshold comfortably and provides a 23.8% improvement over High (58.8 FPS). Low settings at 1440p (95 FPS) are viable for competitive or high-refresh-rate play, but Medium represents the sweet spot for visual quality without sacrificing smoothness. Ultra at 1440p (54.1 FPS) falls below the 60 FPS mark, making it less desirable for most users.

At 4K, the choices are more constrained. Low settings (67.5 FPS) are the only preset that breaks 60 FPS, while Medium (54.4 FPS) and High (41.6 FPS) require compromises. Ultra at 4K (38 FPS) is only recommended for users who prioritize image quality over playability. The 29.5% gap between Low and Medium at 4K suggests that Medium is the most reasonable choice for those who can tolerate slightly sub-60 FPS performance.

The data indicates that High settings offer diminishing returns across all resolutions. At 1080p, High (68.9 FPS) is nearly identical to Ultra (67.7 FPS) but 26.7% slower than Medium. At 1440p, High (58.8 FPS) is 19.2% slower than Medium. At 4K, High (41.6 FPS) is 23.5% slower than Medium. Users should select Medium as the default preset, with Low reserved for maximum frame rates and Ultra only for screenshot-quality sessions.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT ranks 998th out of 1795 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places the configuration in the bottom 44.4% of all tested combinations, indicating that while it is not a top-tier setup for this simulation, it still outperforms 797 other combinations. The rank reflects the demanding nature of the game, which stresses both CPU and GPU heavily.

Contextualizing this rank requires examining the individual component standings. The CPU sits at the 82nd percentile among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 24993. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-11850H, scores 24974, a delta of 0.1%. The AMD Ryzen 7 2700X trails by 0.3%, while the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX leads by 0.4%. This cluster of rivals shows the 7500F is positioned among mid-range to upper-mid-range processors.

The GPU ranks at the 77th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 33721. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6800, scores 33493, a 0.7% delta. The NVIDIA RTX A5000 sits 1.3% behind, while the AMD Radeon HD 7950 and RX 480 are both 1% ahead. These tight margins indicate the RX 6700 XT is performing near the top of its class, though not at the flagship level.

The gap between the combo's 44th percentile rank in-game and the individual component percentiles (82nd for CPU, 77th for GPU) reveals that Microsoft Flight Simulator demands more from the hardware than typical benchmarks suggest. The game's simulation-heavy workload, which taxes single-thread performance and memory bandwidth, likely explains this discrepancy. The CPU's single-thread score of 974 in 3DMark and the GPU's 77th percentile standing are both respectable, yet the combined result falls short of what those individual scores might predict.

This ranking data suggests that users seeking higher positions in the combo chart would need to upgrade both components, as the bottleneck shifts between CPU and GPU depending on settings and resolution. The measured FPS data confirms this: at 1080p Low, the CPU pushes 124.2 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, the GPU limits to 38 FPS. The rank of 998 out of 1795 serves as a useful reference point for buyers evaluating this pairing against other tested configurations.