Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator presents an extremely demanding workload, and the combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 produces a specific performance profile that is heavily dependent on both resolution and graphical preset. The measured data indicates a configuration that is firmly positioned for 1080p gaming, with the ability to stretch into 1440p at lower settings, while 4K remains largely out of reach for a consistently smooth experience. The bottleneck analysis is clear: the RTX 2060's 6 GB VRAM and overall compute capacity are the primary constraints at higher resolutions and detail levels, while the 6-core/12-thread Ryzen 5 8400F provides sufficient headroom to avoid being the main limiting factor in most scenarios.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand context of all tested hardware combinations for Microsoft Flight Simulator, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 sits at rank 2912 out of 3714 combos. This places it in the lower 22% of all tested configurations, which is a significant indicator of its performance tier. While the raw ranking might seem low, it is essential to contextualize this against the game's extreme hardware requirements. The rank reflects that many other systems, particularly those with higher-end GPUs, will deliver substantially higher frame rates, but it does not mean the combo is incapable of running the game.

The data shows that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck in this pairing. The Ryzen 5 8400F achieves a percentile of 77 against all CPUs, indicating it is more powerful than the majority of processors in the database. Its average benchmark score of 25005 places it in a tight cluster with its nearest rivals, including the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F, which is only 0.2% ahead, and the Intel Core i7-13620H, which is 0.4% ahead. This high CPU percentile contrasts sharply with the GPU's percentile of 58 against all GPUs, making it clear that the graphics card is the component that drags the combo's overall rank down. The GPU's average benchmark score of 15290 is nearly identical to that of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580, with a 0% delta, and the AMD Radeon 680M, which is only 0.1% behind. This suggests that in pure compute terms, the RTX 2060 is performing at a level that is contemporaneous with much older or integrated solutions, despite its feature set.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is the defining component in this system's gaming performance. It is built on the Turing architecture and features 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. The 6 GB VRAM capacity is a critical factor in Microsoft Flight Simulator, a game known for loading vast amounts of terrain and aircraft data. At higher resolutions and detail settings, the demand for VRAM can easily exceed this limit, leading to texture streaming issues and performance degradation. The measured frame rates confirm this, with the average FPS dropping sharply as resolution increases.

The GPU's clock speeds are listed with a base of 1365 MHz and a boost of 1680 MHz. With 1920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 48 ROPs, the card is capable of a texture rate of 201.6 GTexel/s and a pixel rate of 80.64 GPixel/s. Its FP32 performance is rated at 6.451 TFLOPS. These specifications dictate that the card is best suited for 1080p gaming. In the game's benchmark results, the GPU's limitations become apparent when comparing the performance gap between settings. At 1080p, dropping from High to Low settings yields a substantial 38 FPS jump (from 54 to 92 FPS), which indicates that the GPU is the primary constraint even at this resolution. The card also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, which is necessary for the latest graphical features, but enabling them comes at a significant performance cost.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p with Medium settings, the combo achieves an average of 71 FPS. Moving to 1440p with the same settings, the average drops to 58 FPS, a reduction of 18.3%. Scaling further to 4K, the average plummets to 42 FPS, which is a 40.8% drop from the 1440p figure. This scaling pattern is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario; the CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU, but the GPU's rendering capabilities are overwhelmed by the increasing pixel count.

The trend is even more pronounced at the highest quality preset. At Ultra settings, the average FPS goes from 51 at 1080p, to 41 at 1440p, and finally to just 30 at 4K. The difference between 1080p and 4K at Ultra is a 41.2% drop. This demonstrates that the RTX 2060's compute units and memory bandwidth are saturated at these higher resolutions. Conversely, the scaling is less severe at Low settings, where the average FPS goes from 92 at 1080p to 74 at 1440p and 55 at 4K. This is because the reduced graphical load lessens the GPU's burden, though it remains the limiting factor. The data strongly suggests that for a smooth experience, 1080p is the intended resolution for this combo, with 1440p being possible only at lower detail levels.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Microsoft Flight Simulator at 4K resolution?

A: The measured data shows that 4K (3840x2160) performance is limited. At 4K with High settings, the average FPS is 32, and at Ultra it drops to 30 FPS. Only at Low settings does it reach an average of 55 FPS, which is still below the 60 FPS target many players prefer. This indicates 4K is not a viable resolution for a consistently smooth experience with this hardware.

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU combination?

A: The data indicates 1920x1080 is the optimal resolution. At 1080p with Medium settings, the combo averages 71 FPS, and with High settings, it averages 54 FPS. These are the only settings/resolution combinations that provide an average FPS above 60, making 1080p the sweet spot for playable performance.

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

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F's average benchmark score is 25005. This is practically identical to its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F, which scores 24964 and is only 0.2% faster. It is also 0.4% faster than the Intel Core i7-13620H, which scores 24911. The performance difference between these chips is negligible.

Q: Is the CPU or the GPU the main bottleneck in this system?

A: The benchmark results indicate the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The CPU has a higher percentile rank (77) compared to the GPU (58), and the FPS scaling pattern shows significant drops when resolution increases, which is characteristic of a GPU limitation. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient to keep up with the RTX 2060's output.

Q: What are the minimum FPS figures for the Medium preset?

A: For the Medium preset, the measured data includes minimum FPS figures. At 1920x1080, the minimum is 61 FPS. At 2560x1440, the minimum is 49 FPS, and at 3840x2160, the minimum is 36 FPS. These figures show the frame time consistency at this setting.

Q: How does the RTX 2060's performance compare to the AMD Radeon 680M?

A: According to the average benchmark scores, the RTX 2060 scores 15290, while the AMD Radeon 680M scores 15270. The deltaPct is 0.1%, meaning the RTX 2060 is only 0.1% faster. This makes their raw compute performance effectively equivalent, despite the RTX 2060 being a dedicated graphics card.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture (codenamed Phoenix) and built on TSMC's 4 nm process. It has a base clock of 4.20 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. This modern architecture provides strong single-thread and multi-thread performance, which is crucial for a simulation game like Microsoft Flight Simulator that relies heavily on CPU for physics, AI, and complex scenery calculations. The CPU's benchmark scores support this, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 20851 and a single-core score of 2943.

In this specific game, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with data. The measured FPS data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution. For example, at 1440p, the FPS drops from 74 at Low settings to 43 at High settings, a 31 FPS difference. This massive drop is entirely due to the GPU being unable to process the increased graphical load. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would remain more consistent across settings. The CPU's high percentile rank of 77 means it outperforms the majority of CPUs in the database, and its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F (0.2% ahead) and Intel Core i7-11850H (0.3% ahead), are virtually tied in performance. This ensures that the Ryzen 5 8400F provides a stable platform, allowing the RTX 2060 to be the sole determinant of frame rate.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combo is at 1920x1080 with the Medium preset. This configuration yields an average FPS of 71, with a minimum of 61 FPS, ensuring a mostly smooth and consistent frame rate. The High preset at the same resolution drops the average to 54 FPS, which is still playable but may experience noticeable stutters in dense areas. The Ultra preset at 1080p averages 51 FPS, which is on the edge of playability for a simulator.

For users with a 1440p monitor, the only viable option is the Low preset, which achieves an average of 74 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p drops to 58 FPS, which is acceptable but not ideal for a game that benefits from smooth panning. At 4K, no preset provides a satisfactory experience, with the highest average FPS of 55 only achievable at Low settings. Therefore, the recommendation is clear: prioritize 1080p resolution, and use the Medium preset as the default starting point. If higher visual fidelity is desired, the High preset is a reasonable compromise, but users should be prepared for sub-60 FPS averages.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data is taken directly from the measured FPS results for the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combination:

1920x1080:

• Ultra: Average FPS is 51.
• High: Average FPS is 54.
• Medium: Average FPS is 71, with a minimum of 61 and a maximum of 82 FPS.
• Low: Average FPS is 92.

2560x1440:

• Ultra: Average FPS is 41.
• High: Average FPS is 43.
• Medium: Average FPS is 58, with a minimum of 49 and a maximum of 66 FPS.
• Low: Average FPS is 74.

3840x2160:

• Ultra: Average FPS is 30.
• High: Average FPS is 32.
• Medium: Average FPS is 42, with a minimum of 36 and a maximum of 49 FPS.
• Low: Average FPS is 55.

These figures illustrate a system that is capable of delivering playable frame rates only at 1080p. The jump from 1080p Medium (71 FPS) to 1440p Medium (58 FPS) is a 13 FPS loss, while the jump from 1440p Medium to 4K Medium (42 FPS) is a 16 FPS loss. The data confirms that the RTX 2060's performance ceiling is reached at 1080p with medium detail, and any increase in resolution or settings will result in a proportional decrease in frame rate.