Microsoft Flight Simulator

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 pairing in Microsoft Flight Simulator is a study in balanced performance. The CPU handles the heavy simulation logic, while the GPU manages the vast visual world. The measured frames per second (FPS) reveal a clear pattern: this combo is capable of smooth gameplay at 1080p and remains playable at higher resolutions, provided the settings are tuned appropriately. The data shows a system that is well-matched, with neither component becoming a severe bottleneck until you push toward 4K with maximum detail.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is significant and tells a clear story about where the workload shifts. At 1080p with High settings, the combo delivers 70.9 FPS. Moving to 1440p High drops that to 57.4 FPS, a 19% reduction. Jumping to 4K High further reduces the average to 39.4 FPS, a 31% drop from the 1440p figure. This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is becoming the primary limiting factor as resolution increases.

The data shows a more dramatic shift when looking at the Low preset. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 120.6 FPS. At 1440p Low, it still manages 94.8 FPS. However, at 4K Low, the average plummets to 71.8 FPS. This is a 25% drop from the 1440p number, which is a steeper decline than the High preset's 31% drop from 1440p to 4K. This suggests that at lower graphical detail, the GPU is still the primary constraint at 4K, but the CPU's simulation overhead is more noticeable at 1080p, keeping the frame rate from climbing even higher.

The Ultra preset reveals the system's breaking point. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 68.4 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 56.1 FPS. At 4K Ultra, the system can only muster 36.5 FPS. This 47% reduction from 1080p to 4K is the largest of any preset, confirming that the RTX 4060's 8 GB memory and bus width are heavily taxed by the game's highest visual fidelity at high resolutions. The scaling behavior indicates that for a consistent 60 FPS experience, you will need to make a conscious choice between resolution and graphical detail.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark results suggest that the Ultra preset is not the most practical choice for this combo. While it produces respectable frame rates at 1080p, the margin for error is thin. The data indicates that the High preset offers a better balance. At 1080p High, the system produces 70.9 FPS, which is only 2.5 FPS less than Ultra but with a noticeable reduction in graphical load. At 1440p High, the 57.4 FPS average is close to the 60 FPS target, making it a viable option for users with 1440p monitors.

For maximum smoothness, the Medium preset is the sweet spot. It provides a substantial performance boost over High at every resolution. At 1080p Medium, the system achieves 95.1 FPS, a 34% improvement over High. At 1440p Medium, it hits 73 FPS, which is a 27% increase over High and a solid 60+ FPS experience. Even at 4K Medium, the 51.8 FPS average is more playable than the 39.4 FPS seen at High. The Low preset is there for those who prioritize frame rate above all else, offering 120.6 FPS at 1080p, but the visual compromise is substantial.

The practical advice from the measured rows is to start with the Medium preset as a baseline. If you have a 1080p monitor and want better visuals, the High preset is a good step up. For 1440p users, Medium is the recommended starting point, with High being acceptable if you can tolerate an average below 60 FPS. For 4K, the data suggests that the Medium preset is the only one that provides a reasonably fluid experience, as High and Ultra both fall below 40 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is the workhorse for rendering the game's world. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s, is a defining characteristic. The benchmark results show that this memory configuration is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but it appears to be a limiting factor at 4K Ultra. The 36.5 FPS at 4K Ultra likely reflects the GPU struggling to manage the high-resolution textures and data.

The GPU's boost clock of 2460 MHz and its 3072 shading units are tasked with drawing the detailed aircraft and terrain. The data shows that the card is capable of producing high frame rates at lower settings, indicating that its raw compute power is not the issue. The FP32 performance of 15.11 TFLOPS is adequate for the game's rendering demands. The difference between the Low and Ultra presets at the same resolution highlights the GPU's workload. At 1440p, the gap between Low (94.8 FPS) and Ultra (56.1 FPS) is 38.7 FPS, showing how much headroom the GPU has when visual effects are toned down.

The GPU's 24 RT cores and 96 tensor cores are present, but their impact on this specific benchmark is not directly measured. The data suggests that the game's traditional rasterization workload is the primary driver of the FPS numbers. The 8 GB memory capacity is adequate for the Medium preset, but the significant FPS drop at Ultra settings across all resolutions indicates that the card's memory bandwidth and capacity are more of a constraint than its processing power. The card's 66th percentile ranking among all GPUs and its average benchmark score of 23181 place it as a mid-range performer, which aligns with the measured results.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates its full range. The Low preset produces 120.6 FPS, ensuring a very smooth experience. The Medium preset delivers 95.1 FPS, which is excellent for a flight simulator. The High preset achieves 70.9 FPS, which is still smooth. The Ultra preset yields 68.4 FPS, which is the lowest at this resolution but still above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down. The Low preset maintains a high 94.8 FPS. The Medium preset provides a solid 73 FPS. The High preset achieves 57.4 FPS, which is marginally below the 60 FPS mark. The Ultra preset drops to 56.1 FPS, showing that at this resolution, the Ultra detail level is taxing the GPU.

At 3840x2160, the system's performance is limited. The Low preset is the only one that breaks the 60 FPS barrier, achieving 71.8 FPS. The Medium preset produces 51.8 FPS, which is playable but not perfectly smooth. The High preset drops to 39.4 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 36.5 FPS. These numbers indicate that 4K gaming requires significant compromises in settings for this combo.

The data confirms a consistent hierarchy: Low > Medium > High > Ultra in terms of performance at every resolution. The delta between Medium and High is consistent, but the gap between High and Ultra widens at higher resolutions. For example, at 1080p, the difference between High and Ultra is 2.5 FPS, while at 4K, the difference is 2.9 FPS. The difference between Medium and High is 24.2 FPS at 1080p and 12.4 FPS at 4K, showing that the performance cost of each setting tier is not linear.

How This Combo Ranks

In the comprehensive database of tested hardware combinations for Microsoft Flight Simulator, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 7600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 1003rd out of 1795 total combos. This places it in the 56th percentile of all tested systems, indicating that it performs better than the median but is not a top-tier setup. The rank of 1003 suggests that while this is a competent mid-range system, many other combinations, likely with more powerful GPUs or CPUs, will produce higher frame rates.

The CPU's performance is a key factor. The Ryzen 5 7600 has an average benchmark score of 26617 and ranks in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs, placing it in the upper echelon of processors. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, has a deltaPct of 0.2, meaning they are virtually identical in synthetic benchmarks. The Intel Core i9-12900HK is 0.2% behind, and the AMD EPYC 8024P is also 0.2% behind. This shows that the CPU is not holding the system back in a significant way.

The GPU, however, is a different story. The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 23181 and ranks in the 66th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6600M, is 0.6% ahead. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti is 0.7% ahead, and the Intel Arc B580 is 0.7% behind. This places the GPU as a solid mid-range option. The combo's overall rank of 1003 suggests that the GPU is the more limiting component in this pairing, as the CPU is capable of much more, but the GPU's performance ceiling is what defines the final frame rates.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: Yes, but only with the right settings. The data shows an average of 73 FPS at 1440p with Medium settings, which is above the 60 FPS target. The High preset falls short at 57.4 FPS.

Q: What is the best setting for 4K gaming with this hardware?

A: The benchmark results indicate that the Medium preset is the most viable for 4K. It delivers an average of 51.8 FPS, which is more fluid than the 39.4 FPS seen at High or the 36.5 FPS at Ultra.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 7600 has an average benchmark score of 26617. Its closest competitor is the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, which scores 26574 and is 0.2% behind. The Intel Core i9-12900HK is also 0.2% behind, showing a near-tie in performance.

Q: Does the GPU's 8 GB memory limit its performance in this game?

A: The benchmark data suggests it is a factor at high resolutions. The FPS drops significantly at 4K Ultra (36.5 FPS) compared to 4K Medium (51.8 FPS), indicating that the memory bandwidth and capacity are strained at the highest settings.

Q: What is the performance difference between the High and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: The difference is minimal. The High preset produces 70.9 FPS, while the Ultra preset produces 68.4 FPS, a delta of just 2.5 FPS. The visual upgrade may not be worth the performance cost.

Q: How does this system rank against all other tested combinations?

A: This specific combo ranks 1003rd out of 1795 tested combinations. This places it in the 56th percentile, meaning it performs better than most systems but is not near the top of the leaderboard.