Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator pairs the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, a combination that places it at rank 119 out of 2996 tested combos in this database. This top-tier percentile position reflects a pairing of a high-core-count 3D V-Cache CPU with a flagship GPU, and the measured frame rates across resolutions confirm that the system is built for very high performance, though the data also reveals the specific ways this simulator leverages the hardware.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 119 out of 2996 tested combinations places it in the top 4% of all tested pairings for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This is a strong result, indicating that the hardware pairing is well-suited to the game's demands, which are notoriously heavy on both CPU and GPU. The ranking is not the absolute top, but the delta to the very best combos is likely small given the hardware involved.

Benchmark results indicate that the system delivers a consistently high level of performance, with average frame rates ranging from 77 FPS at 4K Ultra to 185 FPS at 1080p Low. This spread shows that the combo has enough headroom to handle very demanding settings while also being able to push high refresh rates at lower resolutions. The 3D V-Cache on the CPU and the sheer compute power of the RTX 4090 work in tandem, but the game's engine will still be bound by one component at any given time depending on the settings and resolution.

The ranking suggests that for most users, this pairing will provide an exceptional experience. The only combos ranked higher likely feature even more powerful CPUs, such as the top-end Ryzen 9 or Core i9 parts, or perhaps configurations with more memory bandwidth. However, the performance gap is not massive, as the 7500X3D's large L3 cache is particularly effective in simulation workloads. The data shows this is a very safe top-tier choice.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 Raphael architecture, built on a 5 nm process. It has a base clock of 4.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.50 GHz. Its key feature is the large 96 MB shared L3 cache, which is crucial for gaming. The CPU's PassMark multithread score is 25047, and its single-thread score is 3494, placing it in the 89th percentile against all CPUs.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU is responsible for simulating physics, weather, and AI traffic, which are heavily single-threaded workloads. The data shows that the 7500X3D excels here, as the single-thread performance is strong. The large L3 cache helps reduce memory latency, which is critical for the simulation's complex data structures. The CPU's performance is also reflected in its nearest rivals; it scores 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H and 0.5% higher than the Intel Core i9-13950HX in average benchmark scores.

The 65W TDP is notably low for a processor with this level of gaming performance, which suggests it runs efficiently. The CPU's 12 threads are sufficient for the game, as the engine does not scale perfectly with high core counts. The data implies that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at lower resolutions, as frame rates scale well with GPU load. The boost clock of 4.50 GHz ensures that the single-threaded simulation logic operates as fast as possible. The 7500X3D's performance is a key reason why the combo ranks so highly, as a weaker CPU would limit the RTX 4090 even at 1080p.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is a massive GPU, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with an AD102 chip on a 5 nm process. It features 16384 shading units, 128 RT cores, and 512 tensor cores. It has 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing 1.01 TB/s of memory bandwidth. The GPU's base clock is 2235 MHz with a boost clock of 2520 MHz. Its PassMark G3D score is 38194, and it has a 88th percentile ranking among all GPUs.

For Microsoft Flight Simulator, the GPU handles rendering the world, including terrain textures, buildings, and lighting. The 24 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for even the highest-resolution texture packs, preventing any memory-related stuttering. The 1.01 TB/s bandwidth ensures that textures can be streamed quickly as the player moves across the world. The data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings. For example, at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 77, indicating that the GPU is fully saturated.

The RTX 4090's performance is so high that at 1080p, the frame rates are likely CPU-limited, as the CPU cannot feed the GPU fast enough. The GPU's nearest rivals in benchmark score are the Intel Arc Pro A60 (0% delta) and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (0.3% higher), though these are workstation cards that do not reflect gaming performance. The 450W TDP and triple-slot cooler indicate that this is a power-hungry card that requires a robust power supply. The data confirms that the RTX 4090 is a top-tier part that can handle this simulator at any resolution, but its full potential is only realized when the CPU can keep up.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Microsoft Flight Simulator with this combo?

A: Based on the measured FPS, 1440p is the sweet spot. It provides a high average frame rate of 110 FPS on High settings, which is a good balance between visual fidelity and smoothness. 4K is also viable, but average frame rates drop below 100 FPS on most settings.

Q: How does the CPU's cache affect performance in this game?

A: The CPU has 96 MB of shared L3 cache. The data indicates that this large cache is beneficial for the simulation's complex workloads, as the CPU's nearest rivals with similar average scores (e.g., Intel Core i9-13950HX, 0.5% delta) are high-end parts. The cache helps maintain high frame rates, especially at lower resolutions where the CPU is the limiting factor.

Q: Is the 24 GB of VRAM on the GPU necessary for this game?

A: The RTX 4090 has 24 GB of GDDR6X memory. While the game does not require this much VRAM, the data shows that the combo achieves high frame rates at 4K Ultra, which suggests that memory capacity is not a bottleneck. The 1.01 TB/s memory bandwidth also helps with texture streaming.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 4K?

A: At 4K, the average frame rate on Low is 138 FPS, while on Ultra it is 77 FPS. This is a difference of 61 FPS, or roughly a 44% reduction in performance for the Ultra preset. This shows that the Ultra preset is demanding, but the system still maintains a playable frame rate.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other systems tested?

A: The combo ranks 119 out of 2996 tested combinations. This places it in the top 4% of all tested systems for this game, indicating that it is a very high-performance pairing that is well-suited to the simulator.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the CPU is the bottleneck at 1080p. The average frame rate on High is 136 FPS, while at 1440p it is 110 FPS, and at 4K it is 81 FPS. The scaling is not linear, which indicates that at 1080p, the CPU is holding back the GPU.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows how the system's performance scales with resolution. At 1080p High, the average frame rate is 136 FPS. Moving to 1440p High, the average drops to 110 FPS, a decrease of 26 FPS or about 19%. Moving to 4K High, the average drops to 81 FPS, a further decrease of 29 FPS or about 26%. This scaling pattern indicates that the system becomes more GPU-bound as the resolution increases.

The delta between 1080p and 4K at High settings is 55 FPS, meaning the 4K performance is about 60% of the 1080p performance. This is a significant drop, but it is expected for a game like Microsoft Flight Simulator, which is very GPU-intensive at higher resolutions. At the Low preset, the scaling is similar: 185 FPS at 1080p, 172 FPS at 1440p, and 138 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K is 47 FPS, or about 25%.

The data shows that the limiting component changes with resolution. At 1080p, the frame rates are high, but the scaling between Low and High presets is less pronounced, suggesting a CPU limitation. At 4K, the drop from Low to Ultra is much larger (61 FPS), which indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The RTX 4090's 24 GB of VRAM and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth are sufficient to avoid memory issues, but the sheer amount of pixel processing required at 4K is what causes the frame rate to drop.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on the best settings for this combo. For the highest visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness, the High preset is the recommended choice. At 1440p, it yields an average of 110 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for a smooth experience. At 4K, the High preset produces an average of 81 FPS, which is still very playable.

The Ultra preset is tempting for the best graphics, but the data shows a notable performance cost. At 4K, Ultra averages 77 FPS, which is only 4 FPS lower than High. However, at 1440p, Ultra averages 105 FPS, which is only 5 FPS lower than High. This suggests that the jump from High to Ultra is not as costly as the jump from Medium to High at lower resolutions. For a stable experience, the Medium preset offers a good balance, with 146 FPS at 1440p and 108 FPS at 4K.

For users with high-refresh-rate monitors, the Low preset is the only way to fully utilize them at 1080p, where it averages 185 FPS. However, the visual quality is significantly reduced. The data indicates that the optimal experience for most users will be the High preset at 1440p, which provides a high frame rate and good visual quality. At 4K, the High preset is still recommended, as it maintains an average above 80 FPS, which is acceptable for a flight simulator.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1080p:

• Low: Average 185 FPS. This is the highest frame rate in the entire dataset, indicating the system is CPU-bound at this setting.
• Medium: Average 169 FPS, with a minimum of 143 FPS and a maximum of 194 FPS. The minimum is still high, suggesting good frame pacing.
• High: Average 136 FPS. This is a substantial drop from Medium, showing the increased GPU load.
• Ultra: Average 130 FPS. The drop from High to Ultra is only 6 FPS, indicating the GPU is still not fully saturated.

1440p:

• Low: Average 172 FPS. A 13 FPS drop from 1080p, showing the GPU is starting to take on more work.
• Medium: Average 146 FPS, with a minimum of 124 FPS and a maximum of 168 FPS. The minimum is still above 120 FPS.
• High: Average 110 FPS. This is a more significant drop from Medium (36 FPS), showing the GPU load increasing.
• Ultra: Average 105 FPS. The drop from High to Ultra is only 5 FPS, similar to the 1080p trend.

4K:

• Low: Average 138 FPS. This is a 34 FPS drop from 1440p Low, showing the GPU is now the primary limiter.
• Medium: Average 108 FPS, with a minimum of 92 FPS and a maximum of 124 FPS. The minimum is still above 90 FPS.
• High: Average 81 FPS. This is a 29 FPS drop from 1440p High, indicating heavy GPU load.
• Ultra: Average 77 FPS. The drop from High to Ultra is only 4 FPS, showing that the GPU is nearly saturated at this resolution.

The data shows a clear pattern: the CPU is the bottleneck at 1080p and Low settings, while the GPU takes over as the resolution and settings increase. The RTX 4090's performance is truly exceptional, but even it cannot maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra, which confirms the game's demanding nature.