Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator remains one of the most demanding titles in the benchmark database, and the pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 7600 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER produces a fascinating dataset. The measured results show a system that is heavily influenced by both resolution and graphics settings, with the CPU and GPU taking turns as the limiting factor depending on the configuration. The data indicates this combo is well-balanced for high-refresh 1440p play, while 4K Ultra pushes the GPU to its limits.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and reveals where the bottleneck shifts. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 205.4 FPS, but at 4K Low, that figure falls to 119.9 FPS—a reduction of 41.6%. This massive drop at low settings is a clear sign that the CPU is doing the heavy lifting at lower resolutions, while the GPU becomes the primary constraint as pixel count rises. The scaling is even more pronounced when comparing the highest settings: 1080p Ultra runs at 116.7 FPS, while 4K Ultra drops to 65.4 FPS, a 44% decrease.

The pattern changes when looking at Medium and High settings. At 1080p High, the system produces 123.6 FPS, which drops to 98.8 FPS at 1440p and then to 68.5 FPS at 4K. This shows a more gradual decline of about 20% per resolution step, indicating that the GPU is becoming the limiting component earlier at these settings. The data suggests that the RTX 4080 SUPER’s performance headroom is best utilized at 1440p, where the FPS remains above 90 even at Ultra settings. At 4K, the system falls below the 70 FPS threshold for High and Ultra, which could be a concern for users with high-refresh 4K displays.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the clear performance driver in this pairing, especially at higher resolutions and settings. With 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus delivering 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth, the card has ample resources for Flight Simulator’s texture-heavy environments. The boost clock of 2550 MHz and base clock of 2295 MHz allow the GPU to maintain high throughput, which is reflected in its benchmark scores—the card achieves a passmark G3D score of 34245 and an average benchmark score of 53610, placing it in the 88th percentile of all GPUs.

The GPU’s role becomes evident when comparing settings at the same resolution. At 4K, moving from Low to Medium increases FPS from 119.9 to 92.4, but going from Medium to High only drops to 68.5, and Ultra falls to 65.4. This nonlinear scaling suggests the GPU is saturating its compute resources at higher settings. The card’s 10240 shading units and 80 RT cores provide substantial raw power, but Flight Simulator’s draw calls and scenery complexity still create a significant load. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the system is GPU-limited, as the CPU has enough headroom to push higher FPS if the GPU could deliver it.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600 plays a supporting role that becomes more critical at lower resolutions. With 6 cores and 12 threads based on the Zen 4 Raphael architecture, this CPU has a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. Its single-thread performance is strong, as evidenced by a 3DMark single-thread score of 999 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3246. This matters for Flight Simulator, which relies heavily on single-thread performance for its simulation logic.

The CPU’s influence is most visible at 1080p with Low settings, where the system hits 205.4 FPS. This is significantly higher than the 165.7 FPS at 1440p Low, showing that the CPU can feed the GPU enough data at lower resolutions. However, the Ryzen 5 7600’s 32 MB of shared L3 cache is not as large as some rivals, which may impact performance in complex scenery areas. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 26617 places it in the 83rd percentile, with its closest rival being the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D at a 0.2% delta. This indicates the 7600 is competitive, but the data shows that at higher settings, the CPU is not the limiting factor—the GPU takes over as the primary constraint.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo better for 1080p or 4K gaming?

A: The data shows the combo excels at 1440p. At 1080p Ultra, the system produces 116.7 FPS, and at 1440p Ultra it achieves 94.1 FPS, both playable. However, 4K Ultra drops to 65.4 FPS, which is below the 70 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay in a flight sim.

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

A: The Ryzen 5 7600 has an average benchmark score of 26617, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D and 0.2% higher than the AMD EPYC 8024P. It is also 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core i9-11900K, showing it holds its own against older high-end parts.

Q: What settings should I use for the best balance at 4K?

A: The measured data shows that 4K Medium produces 92.4 FPS, while 4K High drops to 68.5 FPS. For a smoother experience, 4K Medium is recommended, as it provides a 35% FPS improvement over High settings.

Q: Does the GPU bottleneck the CPU at any point?

A: Yes, at 4K Ultra, the GPU is clearly the limiting component. The FPS drops to 65.4, and the CPU has enough headroom to push higher frame rates if the GPU could render faster. At 1080p Low, the situation reverses, with the CPU becoming the limiting factor.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 121st out of 1795 tested combinations, placing it in the top 7% of all systems. This indicates it is a strong performer overall, though not the absolute top-tier configuration.

Q: Is the 16 GB VRAM sufficient for this game?

A: The data shows the 16 GB GDDR6X memory is adequate for the tested settings. The GPU maintains playable FPS at 4K Medium and above, and the memory bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s helps with texture streaming, though the game does not appear to be VRAM-limited in these results.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 121 out of 1795 tested combinations places it in the top 6.7% of all systems tested for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This is a strong showing, but it’s important to contextualize the rank. The Ryzen 5 7600’s average benchmark score of 26617 puts it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs, while the RTX 4080 SUPER’s average score of 53610 places it in the 88th percentile of all GPUs. The combination of a high-percentile GPU with a slightly lower-percentile CPU means the system is well-matched, but not perfectly balanced.

The rank suggests that the GPU is doing the majority of the work in pushing the system up the leaderboard. The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, have similar average scores, but the RTX 4080 SUPER’s performance advantage over its rivals like the RX 6900 XT (0.2% delta) helps the combo achieve a higher ranking. For users considering an upgrade, the data indicates that improving the CPU would yield diminishing returns, as the GPU is the primary driver of performance in this game at higher settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the combo’s performance across three resolutions and four settings levels.

1080p (1920x1080):

• Low: 205.4 FPS
• Medium: 161.8 FPS
• High: 123.6 FPS
• Ultra: 116.7 FPS

At 1080p, the system is clearly CPU-bound at Low settings, as the 205.4 FPS figure is significantly higher than any other resolution. The drop from Low to Medium is 21.2%, and from Medium to High is 23.6%, showing a more gradual scaling as the GPU becomes more involved.

1440p (2560x1440):

• Low: 165.7 FPS
• Medium: 129.1 FPS
• High: 98.8 FPS
• Ultra: 94.1 FPS

1440p is the sweet spot for this combo. Even at Ultra settings, the system maintains 94.1 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target for a simulation game. The scaling from Low to Ultra is 43.2%, indicating a balanced load between CPU and GPU.

4K (3840x2160):

• Low: 119.9 FPS
• Medium: 92.4 FPS
• High: 68.5 FPS
• Ultra: 65.4 FPS

At 4K, the GPU becomes the dominant factor. The drop from Low to Medium is 22.9%, but the drop from Medium to High is 25.9%, and the final step to Ultra is only 4.5% lower. This shows that the GPU is nearing its limits at Ultra settings, where the 65.4 FPS figure is the lowest measured in the entire dataset. The 119.9 FPS at 4K Low is impressive, but most users will prefer the visual quality of High settings, which still delivers a playable 68.5 FPS.