Microsoft Flight Simulator

# Microsoft Flight Simulator — AMD Ryzen 5 7500F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060

The measured frame rates for this combination show a clear progression across resolutions and settings, with the RTX 4060 and Ryzen 5 7500F delivering playable results at 1080p and 1440p, while 4K Ultra falls below the 40 FPS threshold. The data indicates a system that scales predictably with graphical load, but the CPU's six Zen 4 cores keep pace well enough that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. This pairing ranks 986th out of 1795 tested combos for this game, placing it in the upper-middle portion of the database, which is consistent with a mid-range GPU paired with a strong budget-oriented CPU.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steady decline as resolution increases, which is the expected pattern for a GPU-bound workload. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 118.5 FPS at 1920x1080 to 95.9 FPS at 2560x1440, then further to 70 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 19% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a 27% further reduction from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is not perfectly linear — the 1440p to 4K jump costs more performance proportionally than the 1080p to 1440p step, indicating that pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth constraints become more pronounced at the highest resolution.

At Medium settings, the same pattern holds: 95.7 FPS at 1080p, 77 FPS at 1440p, and 56.1 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 19.5% and 27.1% respectively, nearly identical to the Low setting scaling. This consistency suggests that the rendering workload scales with resolution in a uniform way across these two presets, and that the RTX 4060's 272.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 128-bit bus are the limiting factors at 4K.

High settings show a slightly different pattern: 72 FPS at 1080p, 53.3 FPS at 1440p, and 43.4 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p drop is 26%, larger than the Low and Medium settings, while the 1440p to 4K drop is 18.6%, smaller. This suggests that at High settings, the additional shading and texture work begins to strain the GPU even at 1440p, but the 4K step is less punishing because the workload is already heavy. At Ultra settings, the numbers are 64.2 FPS at 1080p, 55.2 FPS at 1440p, and 39.5 FPS at 4K — the 1080p to 1440p drop is 14%, the smallest of any preset, while the 1440p to 4K drop is 28.4%, the largest.

What this scaling data indicates is that the RTX 4060 is the limiting component across all resolutions. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see smaller FPS differences between resolutions, particularly at 1080p where the CPU's single-thread performance would cap the frame rate. Instead, the consistent double-digit percentage drops at every step indicate the GPU is being fully utilized. The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus width are the structural constraints that prevent 4K from being a smooth experience, as the data shows no preset at 4K exceeds 70 FPS.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F brings six cores and twelve threads, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. This is a Zen 4 architecture part on the AMD Socket AM5 platform, built on a 5 nm process at TSMC. For Microsoft Flight Simulator, which is known to favor strong single-thread performance, the CPU's 3dmark_single_thread score of 974 and cinebench_r23_singlecore score of 3218 are relevant indicators of its capability.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 82 against all CPUs in the database reflects its position in the broader market. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-11850H (0.1% faster in average benchmark score), the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X (0.3% slower), and the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F (0.3% slower). These are all competitive results, and the 7500F's 32 MB of shared L3 cache helps with flight simulation workloads that involve large terrain datasets.

In the context of this game, the CPU appears to be sufficient for the frame rates measured. At 1080p Low, the 118.5 FPS average suggests the CPU is not holding back the GPU, since the RTX 4060 would likely deliver even higher FPS if the CPU were the constraint. The 3dmark_16_threads score of 6376 and 3dmark_max_threads score of 6379 indicate that the CPU's multi-threaded performance is consistent, which is useful for Flight Simulator's background simulation tasks (AI traffic, weather, physics). The passmark_multithread score of 26825 further confirms that the six-core configuration handles parallel workloads competently.

However, the CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions and settings. The jump from 70 FPS at 4K Low to 118.5 FPS at 1080p Low is substantial, but the fact that 1080p Low does not exceed 120 FPS suggests a ceiling that could be imposed by the CPU's single-thread performance or by the game engine's frame pacing. The cinebench_r15_singlecore score of 324 and geekbench_singlecore score of 2759 are moderate for a modern desktop CPU, and Flight Simulator's draw call overhead at 1080p with fewer pixels to shade can become CPU-bound. Still, the measured data shows that the CPU keeps up with the GPU's output at all tested settings, meaning the 7500F is not the weak link in this pairing.

Settings Recommendations

Examining the measured FPS across all settings and resolutions, the most balanced experience is found at 2560x1440 with Medium settings, which delivers 77 FPS. This is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and the visual quality improvement over Low settings is significant for a flight simulator where reading instruments and terrain details matters. At 1080p, Medium settings produce 95.7 FPS, which is also excellent, but the 1440p Medium result provides a better balance of resolution and frame rate for users with a capable display.

For users prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity, 1080p Low at 118.5 FPS is the fastest measured configuration, and 1440p Low at 95.9 FPS is nearly as fast while offering more screen real estate. The 4K Low result of 70 FPS is playable and shows that even at the highest resolution, dropping to Low settings yields a smooth experience — this is the only 4K preset that exceeds 60 FPS in the data.

High settings present a trade-off: 1080p High at 72 FPS is solid, and 1440p High at 53.3 FPS is borderline but acceptable for a simulation genre. The 4K High result of 43.4 FPS is below the ideal threshold but could be viable with V-sync or frame limiting. Ultra settings should be avoided at 4K (39.5 FPS) and are only recommended at 1080p where 64.2 FPS is achievable. At 1440p Ultra, the 55.2 FPS result is marginal, and users would be better served by Medium settings at that resolution.

The data suggests that Medium settings provide the best experience per measured row: it is the only preset that delivers above 55 FPS at every resolution, and its 4K result of 56.1 FPS is the highest 4K frame rate among the non-Low presets. For users who want the best visual quality without sacrificing playability, Medium at 1440p is the sweet spot.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of AMD Ryzen 5 7500F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 986th out of 1795 tested combos for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the 55th percentile of all combos in the database, meaning it outperforms slightly more than half of the tested configurations. The rank reflects the mid-range nature of both components: the CPU is in the 82nd percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 66th percentile of all GPUs, so the combo's overall position is a blend of these two factors.

The ranking is not surprising given the game's demanding nature. Flight Simulator is a heavy title that benefits from both high-end CPUs (for simulation logic) and high-end GPUs (for rendering large scenes). The 7500F's 82nd percentile CPU score is strong, but the RTX 4060's 66th percentile GPU score brings the combo down relative to pairings with more powerful graphics cards. The nearest GPU rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6600M (0.6% faster in average benchmark score), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti (0.7% faster), Intel Arc B580 (0.7% slower), and AMD Radeon 760M (0.8% slower) — these are all closely matched, indicating that the RTX 4060 sits in a competitive band of mid-range GPUs.

The rank of 986 out of 1795 means there are 809 combos that perform worse and 985 that perform better. For a mid-range pairing, this is a reasonable result, and the measured FPS data shows that the combo is capable of playable frame rates at popular resolutions and settings. The combo's position is neither exceptional nor disappointing; it is representative of what users can expect from a 6-core Zen 4 CPU with a mainstream Ada Lovelace GPU.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD107 chip, fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It features 3072 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units, along with 24 ray tracing cores and 96 tensor cores. The GPU's boost clock is 2460 MHz, and its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory runs at 2125 MHz (17 Gbps effective), providing 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth over a 128-bit bus.

The GPU's benchmark scores show a mixed profile: its passmark_g3d score of 19545 is respectable, and its geekbench_opencl score of 101030 indicates strong compute capability. However, its passmark_directx_12 score of 76 is notably low, which could impact performance in modern DirectX 12 titles like Flight Simulator. The 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score of 2302 is the only 3DMark result available, and it reflects the GPU's performance in a recent DX12 workload.

In the context of Flight Simulator, the GPU's role is critical at higher resolutions. The measured FPS at 4K across all settings (39.5 to 70 FPS) shows that the GPU is the limiting factor, as the CPU's performance is sufficient to feed it. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is adequate for this game at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K with High or Ultra settings, the memory bandwidth and capacity can become constraints, leading to the lower frame rates observed.

The GPU's 66th percentile ranking against all GPUs, with nearest rivals like the RX 6600M and GTX 780 Ti being within 0.7% in average benchmark score, shows that the RTX 4060 is a mid-pack performer. Its 15.11 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 236.2 GTexel/s texture rate are sufficient for the game's rendering demands at moderate settings, but the 4K Ultra result of 39.5 FPS confirms that the GPU does not have enough headroom for maximum quality at the highest resolution. The pixel rate of 118.1 GPixel/s is a limiting factor at 4K, where the GPU must fill over 8 million pixels per frame.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 2560x1440 with Medium settings delivers 77 FPS, which is the best balance of resolution and frame rate. At 1080p, Medium delivers 95.7 FPS, while 4K Medium drops to 56.1 FPS.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in this title?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, which produces 70 FPS. Medium settings at 4K deliver 56.1 FPS, while High and Ultra fall to 43.4 FPS and 39.5 FPS respectively, which are below ideal playability thresholds.

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

A: The GPU is the limiting component. The FPS drops consistently as resolution increases, which is characteristic of GPU-bound scenarios. The CPU's performance at 1080p Low (118.5 FPS) suggests it is not holding back the GPU at any measured setting.

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested configurations?

A: It ranks 986th out of 1795 combos, placing it in the upper-middle range. The CPU is in the 82nd percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 66th percentile, so the combo's overall position reflects the GPU's lower standing.

Q: What settings should I use for the best experience?

A: Medium settings at 1440p is the recommended configuration, delivering 77 FPS. For 1080p users, Medium at 95.7 FPS is excellent. Avoid Ultra at 4K, as it drops to 39.5 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 23181 is within 0.8% of the AMD Radeon RX 6600M, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti, Intel Arc B580, and AMD Radeon 760M. These are all closely matched in synthetic benchmarks, but the RTX 4060's measured FPS in this game is what matters for actual performance.