Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator is a demanding title that stresses both the CPU and GPU heavily, and the measured results for the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 show a system that is capable but consistently limited by the graphics card. The data reveals a clear performance hierarchy across resolutions and settings, indicating that users should prioritize graphical adjustments over CPU tuning to achieve smoother gameplay.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, confirming that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is the primary bottleneck in this configuration. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 92 FPS at 1920x1080 to 74 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of roughly 20%, and then further down to 55 FPS at 3840x2160, which is another 26% drop from the 1440p figure. This scaling pattern is classic GPU-bound behavior: as the pixel count increases, the rendering workload grows faster than the CPU can feed it, and the RTX 2060’s 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth become the limiting factors.

At High settings, the same trend is visible but with lower absolute numbers: 54 FPS at 1080p, 43 FPS at 1440p, and 32 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is about 41%, which is slightly less severe than the Low settings drop of 40%, but this is because the game is already so constrained at High settings that the resolution increase has a more linear impact. The Medium preset shows the most complete data set, with minimum and maximum frame rates recorded: at 1080p it averages 71 FPS (min 61, max 82), at 1440p it averages 58 FPS (min 49, max 66), and at 4K it averages 42 FPS (min 36, max 49). The min-to-max spread narrows as resolution increases, from 21 FPS at 1080p to 13 FPS at 4K, suggesting that higher resolutions smooth out some of the frame time variance but at the cost of overall performance.

The Ultra preset is the most punishing, with averages of 51 FPS at 1080p, 41 FPS at 1440p, and 30 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 30 FPS is exactly at the threshold of playability, and the data indicates that this combination is not suitable for 4K gaming at maximum settings. The scaling from 1440p to 4K at Ultra is a 27% drop, which is smaller than the Low preset’s 26% drop, but the absolute numbers are so low that the experience is compromised regardless. Overall, the resolution scaling data points to a GPU that is undersized for this game at 4K and only marginally acceptable at 1440p for lighter settings.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the combination achieves consistently playable frame rates across all settings, with averages ranging from 51 FPS at Ultra to 92 FPS at Low. At 2560x1440, only Low (74 FPS) and Medium (58 FPS) remain fluid, while 3840x2160 drops to 55 FPS at Low and 30 FPS at Ultra.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score of 15290 places it just 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 (15283) and 0.1% behind the AMD Radeon 680M (15270). It is 0.6% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM (15199) and 0.8% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7600 (15171), indicating that these cards are essentially performance peers in general compute tests.

Q: Does the Ryzen 5 7500F hold back the RTX 2060 in this game?

A: Benchmark results indicate no, as the CPU’s multi-threaded scores are strong (Cinebench R23 multi-core at 22799) and its single-thread performance is high (Geekbench single-core at 2374). The measured FPS scaling with resolution follows a GPU-bound pattern, meaning the CPU is likely not the limiting component.

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

A: At 1920x1080, the average FPS drops from 92 at Low to 71 at Medium, then to 54 at High, and finally to 51 at Ultra. This represents a 44.6% reduction from Low to Ultra, showing that the graphical preset has a massive impact on performance.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this hardware?

A: Only at Low settings, where the average is 55 FPS. Medium drops to 42 FPS, High to 32 FPS, and Ultra to 30 FPS. The minimum frame rates at 4K Medium are 36 FPS, which may cause noticeable stutters in a flight simulator where smooth panning is important.

Q: How does the CPU’s synthetic performance compare to its rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 7500F’s average benchmark score of 24964 is 0.1% above the Intel Core i7-11850H (24935) and 0.2% above the Intel Core i7-13620H (24911). It is 0.2% below the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F (25005) and 0.4% above the Intel Core 5 210H (24872), making it a mid-pack performer among these close competitors.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, built on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, with 32 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration. Its synthetic benchmarks show a balanced profile: single-thread performance is strong (Geekbench single-core at 2374, Cinebench R23 single-core at 3218), while multi-threaded results are also respectable (Cinebench R23 multi-core at 22799, Passmark multithread at 26825).

In the context of Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU’s role is to handle the simulation logic, physics, and draw calls. The measured FPS data suggests that this processor is more than adequate for the RTX 2060, as the frame rates scale predictably with resolution. At 1080p Low, the average of 92 FPS indicates that the CPU can feed the GPU quickly enough, and the drop to 55 FPS at 4K Low is entirely attributable to the graphics card’s rendering limits. The CPU’s 3DMark scores reinforce this interpretation: 16-thread score of 6376 and max-thread score of 6379 show that it can sustain high throughput across all cores, while the 2-thread score of 1902 and 4-thread score of 3621 indicate solid responsiveness for lightly threaded tasks.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the Ryzen 5 7500F sits in a tight performance band. Its average benchmark score of 24964 is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-11850H (24935, +0.1%) and the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F (25005, -0.2%). The deltaPct values are all within ±0.4%, meaning that any of these CPUs would likely deliver indistinguishable frame rates in this game when paired with the same GPU. The 7500F’s 65 W TDP and 5 nm process node make it an efficient choice, but the data shows that its performance headroom is not the deciding factor here; the RTX 2060 is the clear limiter.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combination ranks 2912 out of 3714 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the bottom 21.6% of all configurations, which is a direct reflection of the GPU’s age and the game’s demanding nature. The RTX 2060, released in January 2019, is an end-of-life product with a 12 nm Turing architecture, and its 6 GB VRAM is below the 8 GB that many modern games prefer. The CPU, by contrast, is a relatively recent release (July 2023) with strong synthetic scores, so the ranking is almost certainly dragged down by the graphics card.

The low rank becomes more understandable when looking at the GPU’s synthetic performance. Its Passmark G3D score of 14111 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1242 are modest figures, and its percentile rank of 58 against all GPUs means it outperforms only slightly more than half of the tested graphics cards. The CPU’s percentile rank of 77 against all CPUs is much higher, further confirming the imbalance. In practical terms, this combo rank of 2912 means that most other tested systems will deliver higher frame rates in this game, but the data also shows that the 7500F has headroom for a GPU upgrade without the CPU becoming a bottleneck.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the full range of settings was tested. Low settings produce an average of 92 FPS, which is very smooth for a flight simulator. Medium settings drop to 71 FPS with a minimum of 61 and maximum of 82, providing a good balance. High settings average 54 FPS, which is acceptable but may show some dips during complex scenes. Ultra settings average 51 FPS, only 3 FPS lower than High, suggesting that the Ultra preset adds visual fidelity without a massive performance penalty at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the performance gaps widen. Low settings average 74 FPS, still playable. Medium settings average 58 FPS with a minimum of 49 and maximum of 66, which is borderline for a smooth experience. High settings drop to 43 FPS, and Ultra to 41 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra at 1440p is just 2 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset’s additional effects are not the primary cost at this resolution; the resolution increase itself is the dominant factor.

At 3840x2160, the results are mostly below the ideal 60 FPS threshold. Low settings average 55 FPS, which is the only 4K preset that breaks 50 FPS. Medium settings average 42 FPS with a minimum of 36 and maximum of 49, which will feel stuttery. High settings average 32 FPS, and Ultra averages 30 FPS, right at the edge of playability. The minimum frame rate at 4K Medium (36 FPS) is concerning for a game that requires smooth camera pans, and the lack of minimum data for other 4K presets suggests that the average figures may hide even lower dips.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience with this hardware, the data strongly favors 1920x1080 resolution. At 1080p, even the Ultra preset averages 51 FPS, which is acceptable for a flight simulator where frame pacing matters more than raw speed. However, the Medium preset at 1080p offers a better balance: 71 FPS average with a minimum of 61 FPS, ensuring that the game rarely drops below 60 FPS. This is the recommended target for users who want smoothness without sacrificing too much visual quality.

If a user insists on 2560x1440, the Low preset (74 FPS) is the only setting that maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. Medium at 1440p (58 FPS average, 49 FPS minimum) is workable but may show noticeable stutters in dense urban areas or during weather effects. High and Ultra at 1440p are not recommended, as both average below 45 FPS. At 3840x2160, only Low settings (55 FPS) are viable, and even that is marginal. Medium at 4K (42 FPS) and above will result in a degraded experience, so 4K should be avoided unless the user is willing to accept sub-40 FPS gameplay.

The data also shows that the jump from Low to Medium costs about 21 FPS at 1080p (from 92 to 71), while the jump from High to Ultra costs only 3 FPS (from 54 to 51). This suggests that if a user is on Low, the Medium preset is worth the performance hit for the visual improvement. Conversely, if a user is on High, the Ultra preset is a nearly free upgrade. The sweet spot for this combo is 1080p Medium, which delivers the best combination of frame rate stability (min 61 FPS) and graphical fidelity.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is built on the Turing architecture with a TU106 chip on a 12 nm process, containing 10,800 million transistors on a 445 mm² die. It has 1920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 48 ROPs, with a base clock of 1365 MHz and a boost clock of 1680 MHz. The 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a significant limitation for Microsoft Flight Simulator, a game that streams high-resolution terrain textures and requires large memory buffers.

The GPU’s synthetic benchmarks show a modest performance level. Its Passmark G3D score is 14111, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1242, placing it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rivals are all within 0.8% of its average benchmark score of 15290, confirming that the RTX 2060 is at the bottom of the mid-range tier. In this game, the measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at every resolution. Even at 1080p Low, the 92 FPS average is far from the CPU’s potential, and the frame rate drops in near-linear fashion as resolution increases.

The 6 GB VRAM is particularly problematic at 4K, where the High and Ultra presets average 32 and 30 FPS respectively. While the 12 nm process and 160 W TDP are not unusual for the era, the GPU’s lack of modern features (like the newer DLSS implementations found in later generations) means it relies on raw rasterization power, which is insufficient for this game’s heavy draw distance and weather effects. The data indicates that users should treat the RTX 2060 as a 1080p card for Microsoft Flight Simulator, with 1440p possible only at Low settings. Upgrading the GPU would yield substantial gains, as the Ryzen 5 7500F’s strong single-thread and multi-thread scores (Cinebench R23 single-core 3218, multi-core 22799) would not constrain a faster graphics card.