Microsoft Flight Simulator

# How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F paired with the Intel Arc B390 places at rank 2665 out of 2996 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This puts the combination in the bottom 11% of all tested systems, indicating that this pairing is decidedly entry-level for flight simulation workloads. The data shows a system that can run the game, but with significant compromises required at higher visual settings.

The ranking position is heavily influenced by the GPU's benchmark percentile, which sits at just 9th percentile against all GPUs. The CPU, by contrast, performs at the 77th percentile against all CPUs, showing a substantial imbalance between the two components. This disparity means the Arc B390 is the limiting factor in virtually every scenario, holding back what is otherwise a capable mid-range processor.

In terms of the CPU's standalone performance, the Ryzen 5 7500F posts an average benchmark score of 24964, placing it within 0.2% of the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-11850H. The nearest rivals also include the Intel Core i7-13620H and Intel Core 5 210H, with the 7500F trailing the former by 0.2% and leading the latter by 0.4%. These margins are negligible in real-world terms, confirming that the CPU is competitive with its direct peers.

The GPU's benchmark results tell a different story. The Intel Arc B390 scores 1482 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, which places it just 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and 1.5% ahead of the GeForce 800M. It also leads the GT 625 OEM by 2.5% and the GT 710 by 2.7%. These are all legacy or low-end parts, and the tight clustering of scores indicates that the Arc B390 is operating in a performance tier that is fundamentally unsuited to demanding flight simulation workloads.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is built on the Xe3-LPG architecture, specifically from the Panther Lake chip, and uses a 3 nm process node from Intel. It operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, which is a wide frequency range that allows the GPU to scale up under load. However, the memory configuration is a critical limitation: the GPU uses System Shared memory, meaning it has no dedicated VRAM of its own. Memory bandwidth is listed as System Dependent, which means performance can vary significantly based on the system's RAM configuration.

The GPU's compute resources include 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operation units. It also features 12 ray tracing cores, though the data does not specify tensor core counts. The pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s. Floating point performance is rated at 7.680 TFLOPS for FP32 and 15.36 TFLOPS for FP16 at a 2:1 ratio. These figures are modest by modern standards, which is consistent with the GPU's 9th percentile ranking.

In the context of Microsoft Flight Simulator, the GPU's role is to render the detailed terrain, aircraft models, and weather effects. The game is known for being demanding on both CPU and GPU, but the measured FPS data shows that the Arc B390's shared memory architecture and limited compute resources create a bottleneck. The GPU's TDP is rated at 80 W, and it requires no power connectors, confirming its integrated-class design despite being positioned as a discrete part.

The nearest rival comparisons for the GPU reinforce its low-end positioning. The 1.3% lead over the GT 520MX is effectively a tie, and the 2.7% lead over the GT 710 is still within a margin that would be imperceptible in actual gameplay. This suggests that the Arc B390 is not meaningfully faster than these older parts, and in a game like Flight Simulator, where draw distances and terrain detail are paramount, the GPU's limitations become immediately apparent.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, which is typical of a GPU-bound scenario. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 56 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at Low settings drops the average to 45 FPS, a reduction of approximately 20%. At 3840x2160 with Low settings, the average falls to 33 FPS, which is another 27% drop from the 1440p figure.

This scaling behavior indicates that the GPU is the limiting component, as the CPU's performance headroom is not being fully utilized at higher resolutions. The Ryzen 5 7500F's strong single-thread performance — evidenced by its 3DMark single-thread score of 974 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3218 — means it can feed frames quickly, but the Arc B390 cannot keep pace as pixel counts rise.

The drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is from 56 FPS to 33 FPS, a 41% reduction. At High settings, the same resolution scaling shows a drop from 33 FPS at 1080p to 19 FPS at 4K, a 42% reduction. This consistency across settings levels suggests that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth constraints are the primary factors, rather than any specific setting being disproportionately expensive.

In contrast, if the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see less variation between resolutions, as the CPU's workload remains relatively constant regardless of pixel count. The data clearly shows that higher resolutions produce proportionally lower frame rates, which is the signature of a GPU-limited configuration.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results. With Low settings, the average FPS is 56, which is the highest figure recorded across all tested configurations. Medium settings produce an average of 43 FPS, with a minimum of 37 FPS and a maximum of 50 FPS. High settings reduce the average to 33 FPS, and Ultra settings bring it down to 31 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 25 FPS, meaning that dropping from Ultra to Low yields a 45% performance improvement.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops are more pronounced. Low settings average 45 FPS, which is still playable but represents a 20% reduction from the 1080p Low result. Medium settings average 35 FPS, with a minimum of 30 FPS and a maximum of 40 FPS. High settings average 26 FPS, and Ultra settings average 25 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 20 FPS, a 44% improvement when choosing Low over Ultra.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings average 33 FPS, which is the only configuration at 4K that approaches acceptable performance. Medium settings average 26 FPS, with a minimum of 22 FPS and a maximum of 30 FPS. High settings average 19 FPS, and Ultra settings also average 19 FPS. Notably, the High and Ultra results at 4K are identical at 19 FPS, indicating that the GPU is so constrained that it cannot differentiate between these two settings levels.

The Medium settings row is the only one with complete min/max data across all resolutions. At 1080p, the range is 37-50 FPS; at 1440p, it is 30-40 FPS; at 4K, it is 22-30 FPS. This narrowing range at higher resolutions further confirms the GPU's limitations, as the frame time variance decreases when the GPU is consistently saturated.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the combo achieves an average above 50 FPS, and that is only at Low settings. At 2560x1440, the best average is 45 FPS at Low, while at 3840x2160, the best average is 33 FPS at Low.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which is 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and 1.5% ahead of the GeForce 800M. It also leads the GT 625 OEM by 2.5% and the GT 710 by 2.7%, placing all five GPUs within a 2.7% performance band.

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

A: The GPU is clearly the bottleneck. The Ryzen 5 7500F ranks at the 77th percentile among all CPUs, while the Arc B390 ranks at the 9th percentile among all GPUs. The resolution scaling data confirms this, as FPS drops consistently when moving from 1080p to 4K.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings produce an average of 56 FPS, while Ultra settings produce 31 FPS. This represents a 25 FPS difference, or a 45% improvement when using Low settings over Ultra.

Q: Does the Arc B390 have dedicated video memory?

A: No. The GPU uses System Shared memory for both its memory size and type, with memory bandwidth listed as System Dependent. This means performance is tied to the system's main RAM configuration.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 7500F's multi-threaded performance compare to its rivals?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score is 24964, which is 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-11850H and 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i7-13620H. It trails the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F by 0.2% and leads the Intel Core 5 210H by 0.4%.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and acceptable frame rate. For a playable experience at 1920x1080, Low settings are the clear choice, delivering an average of 56 FPS. This is the only configuration across all tested settings and resolutions that exceeds 50 FPS, making it the recommended starting point for smooth gameplay.

If visual fidelity is a priority at 1080p, Medium settings provide an average of 43 FPS with a minimum of 37 FPS, which remains within a playable range for many users. High settings at 33 FPS and Ultra at 31 FPS are borderline, and the data shows diminishing returns beyond Medium.

At 2560x1440, Low settings are the only viable option for consistent performance, averaging 45 FPS. Medium settings at 35 FPS may be acceptable for less demanding scenarios, but the minimum of 30 FPS suggests potential stuttering during complex scenes. High and Ultra settings at 26 and 25 FPS respectively are likely too low for a smooth experience.

At 3840x2160, the data indicates that this combo is not well-suited for 4K gaming in Microsoft Flight Simulator. Low settings average 33 FPS, which is technically playable but below the 60 FPS target most users prefer. Medium settings at 26 FPS and High/Ultra at 19 FPS are all below acceptable thresholds.

The overarching recommendation is to prioritize 1080p with Low or Medium settings for the best balance of performance and visual quality. Users who insist on 1440p should accept Low settings as the practical ceiling. The identical 19 FPS results for High and Ultra at 4K suggest that the GPU has hit its absolute performance ceiling, and no amount of settings adjustment will yield meaningful improvements at that resolution. For users seeking higher frame rates, the data strongly suggests that the Intel Arc B390 is the limiting factor, and upgrading the GPU would be the most effective path forward.