Microsoft Flight Simulator

# Microsoft Flight Simulator: AMD Ryzen 5 8400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti delivers a playable but resolution-sensitive experience in Microsoft Flight Simulator. At 1080p, the combo achieves smooth frame rates across most presets, but the demanding 4K Ultra setting drops to 30.6 FPS, indicating that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution climbs. The combination ranks 1321st out of 1795 tested combos in this game, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database, which aligns with its mixed performance profile: strong at lower resolutions, struggling at 4K with high visual fidelity.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, revealing a GPU-bound workload at higher resolutions. At Low settings, performance falls from 104.2 FPS at 1080p to 59.5 FPS at 4K—a 43% reduction. The Medium preset shows a similar pattern: 79.9 FPS at 1080p drops to 48 FPS at 4K, a 40% decline. High settings see the most dramatic fall, from 56.6 FPS at 1080p to 32.5 FPS at 4K, a 43% decrease. Ultra settings mirror this trend, with 53.7 FPS at 1080p falling to 30.6 FPS at 4K, a 43% drop.

This uniform scaling pattern—roughly a 40-43% penalty from 1080p to 4K regardless of preset—strongly indicates the RTX 3060 Ti's 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are the limiting factors. The GPU's 16.20 TFLOPS FP32 compute is sufficient for 1080p, but the pixel throughput demands at 3840x2160 overwhelm it. The 133.2 GPixel/s pixel rate and 253.1 GTexel/s texture rate are simply not enough for 4K in this flight simulator, which renders vast landscapes and dense scenery. The CPU's role diminishes as resolution increases, with the 4.70 GHz boost clock on the Ryzen 5 8400F becoming less relevant when the GPU is saturated.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1321 out of 1795 tested combinations puts it in the 26th percentile of all tested systems for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This is a below-average position, reflecting the RTX 3060 Ti's limitations at higher resolutions in this particular title. The GPU's overall percentile vs all GPUs is 69, and its average benchmark score of 25120 places it near rivals like the AMD Radeon RX 6700M (deltaPct -0.2%), AMD Radeon RX 6600 (-0.5%), and AMD Radeon 890M (-0.5%). However, in this game, the RTX 3060 Ti's performance is more constrained than its synthetic benchmarks suggest.

The CPU, by contrast, performs well relative to its peers. The Ryzen 5 8400F has an 82nd percentile vs all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25064. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X (deltaPct 0%), AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 340 (-0.1%), and AMD EPYC 9474F (-0.2%). This suggests the processor is not the bottleneck—the GPU is. In a game like Microsoft Flight Simulator, which is known for heavy draw calls and complex scenery, the 6-core, 12-thread CPU with a 4.70 GHz boost clock provides adequate headroom, but the 8 GB VRAM on the RTX 3060 Ti becomes a hard ceiling at 4K Ultra.

FAQ

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

A: 1080p is the most viable resolution. At Low settings, the combo achieves 104.2 FPS, and even Ultra settings maintain 53.7 FPS, which is playable. At 1440p, performance drops to 78.6 FPS (Low) and 44.7 FPS (Ultra), while 4K only reaches 59.5 FPS on Low and 30.6 FPS on Ultra.

Q: How does the RTX 3060 Ti compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti scores 25120 on average. The AMD Radeon RX 6700M scores 25180 (-0.2%), the AMD Radeon RX 6600 scores 25235 (-0.5%), and the AMD Radeon 890M scores 25246 (-0.5%). The differences are minimal, indicating near-parity in raw compute.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K?

A: At 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting component. The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is roughly 43% across all settings, which is characteristic of GPU saturation. The CPU's 16 MB shared L3 cache and 4.70 GHz boost clock are not the constraint at this resolution.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the combo delivers 61.2 FPS on average. This is a solid performance level for a flight simulator, providing smooth gameplay without needing to drop to Low settings.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM affect performance at 4K?

A: Yes, the 8 GB GDDR6 memory on the RTX 3060 Ti is likely the primary constraint at 4K. The steep performance drop from 1080p to 4K, combined with the 256-bit memory bus and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, indicates that texture and geometry data exceed what the VRAM can efficiently handle at higher resolutions.

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

A: This combination ranks 1321st out of 1795 tested combos for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the lower-middle tier, consistent with the GPU's 69th percentile standing among all GPUs.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo shows its strongest performance. Low settings deliver 104.2 FPS, Medium reaches 79.9 FPS, High achieves 56.6 FPS, and Ultra still manages 53.7 FPS. These numbers indicate that 1080p is well within the GPU's comfort zone, with even Ultra settings providing a playable experience.

Moving to 2560x1440, the penalty is noticeable but manageable. Low settings produce 78.6 FPS, Medium drops to 61.2 FPS, High falls to 47.6 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 44.7 FPS. The 1440p results show that Medium is the sweet spot for maintaining smooth performance, while High and Ultra approach the 45 FPS threshold where flight simulation becomes less fluid.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles. Low settings yield 59.5 FPS, which is playable, but Medium falls to 48 FPS, High drops to 32.5 FPS, and Ultra reaches only 30.6 FPS. The 4K results clearly indicate that this resolution is only viable with Low settings, and even then, the frame rate is marginal. The gap between Low and Medium at 4K (59.5 vs 48 FPS) suggests that the GPU's memory bandwidth is being saturated by the increased texture and shading demands of Medium settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, based on the GA104 chip with 8 nm process, brings 4864 shading units, 152 TMUs, and 80 ROPs to the table. Its 8 GB GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is the critical specification for Microsoft Flight Simulator's large texture sets. The GPU's boost clock of 1665 MHz and base clock of 1410 MHz, combined with 38 RT cores and 152 tensor cores, deliver 16.20 TFLOPS of FP32 compute.

In this game, the GPU's 69th percentile ranking and average benchmark score of 25120 are misleading. The measured FPS data shows that the RTX 3060 Ti is only adequate at 1080p and struggles at 1440p with High/Ultra settings. The 133.2 GPixel/s pixel rate and 253.1 GTexel/s texture rate are the likely bottlenecks at higher resolutions, as the game's dense scenery and weather effects demand significant pixel and texture throughput. The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4 API compatibility are beneficial, but they do not compensate for the hardware limitations at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution. At 1080p, Ultra settings are viable at 53.7 FPS, but for a smoother experience, High at 56.6 FPS or Medium at 79.9 FPS are better choices. The data suggests that Medium at 1080p provides the best balance of visual quality and performance, nearly doubling the frame rate of Ultra while still delivering a detailed cockpit and terrain.

At 1440p, Medium settings at 61.2 FPS are the clear recommendation. High at 47.6 FPS is borderline, and Ultra at 44.7 FPS may cause noticeable stutters during complex flight maneuvers. Low at 78.6 FPS is playable, but the visual compromise is significant for a flight simulator where situational awareness is crucial.

At 4K, only Low settings at 59.5 FPS are recommended. Medium at 48 FPS is playable but may dip during heavy scenery loads, while High at 32.5 FPS and Ultra at 30.6 FPS are too slow for a satisfying experience. The data shows a consistent ~43% performance drop from 1080p to 4K, making 4K a poor choice for this GPU in this game unless visual fidelity is sacrificed.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads based on Zen 4 architecture, provides solid computational headroom for Microsoft Flight Simulator. Its base clock of 4.20 GHz and boost clock of 4.70 GHz, combined with a 16 MB shared L3 cache and 1 MB L2 cache per core, handle the game's single-threaded physics and multi-threaded scenery loading effectively. The CPU's 82nd percentile ranking and average benchmark score of 25064 place it near the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X (deltaPct 0%), indicating comparable multi-threaded performance.

In the measured FPS data, the CPU does not appear to be the limiting factor at any resolution. The consistent performance drop from 1080p to 4K points squarely at the GPU. The CPU's 16 MB L3 cache is sufficient for the game's asset streaming, and its 4 nm process node with 25,000 million transistors on a 178 mm² die ensures efficient power delivery, though the 65 W TDP is modest. The 83.2 GB/s memory bandwidth from DDR5 support further aids in feeding the GPU with data, but the RTX 3060 Ti's 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth remain the decisive factor in determining frame rates at higher resolutions.