Microsoft Flight Simulator

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates show a predictable but steep drop as resolution climbs, and the shape of that drop reveals where this pairing's bottleneck sits. At 1080p Low, the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti combination produces 167.1 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 133.9 FPS, a 33.2 FPS reduction, while 4K Low falls further to 95.1 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Low settings represents a 72 FPS loss, or roughly a 43% reduction in average frame rate. This is a large absolute drop, but the fact that 4K Low still clears 95 FPS indicates the GPU has substantial headroom even at the highest pixel counts.

The picture changes when settings are raised. At High settings, the progression is 99 FPS at 1080p, 75.7 FPS at 1440p, and 57.7 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 1440p High is 23.3 FPS, while the gap between 1440p and 4K High is 18 FPS. This suggests that at higher presets, the workload becomes more evenly distributed across resolution scaling, with the GPU's memory bandwidth and shading resources being taxed more consistently. Ultra settings tell a similar story: 89.5 FPS at 1080p, 75.7 FPS at 1440p, and 54.1 FPS at 4K. Notably, 1440p Ultra and 1440p High produce identical 75.7 FPS averages, which indicates a hard performance ceiling at that resolution that is not related to pixel count alone.

The limiting component shifts depending on the preset. At Low settings, the CPU's six cores and twelve threads are likely the primary constraint, as the GPU is not being fully utilized. At Ultra, the RTX 3080 Ti's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 34.10 TFLOPS of FP32 compute become the dominant factors, especially at 4K where the 54.1 FPS result is the lowest of all measured configurations. The data clearly shows that resolution scaling is steep but manageable: even the most demanding 4K Ultra preset stays above 54 FPS, which is playable for a flight simulator, while 1080p Low pushes past 167 FPS for high-refresh monitors.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F is a six-core, twelve-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, built on TSMC's 4 nm process. Its base clock of 4.20 GHz and boost clock of 4.70 GHz are modest by modern standards, but the architecture's efficiency compensates. The CPU's benchmark results show a single-thread score of 951 in 3DMark and 3684 in Passmark, which are respectable but not class-leading. In multithreaded workloads, the 8400F scores 6165 in 3DMark max threads and 20851 in Cinebench R23 multicore. These numbers place the CPU in the 82nd percentile of all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 25064.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU's role is to handle the simulation logic, physics, and AI traffic, which are heavily dependent on single-thread performance. The 8400F's boost clock of 4.70 GHz provides adequate single-core throughput, as evidenced by the 3DMark single-thread score of 951. However, the game's engine does not scale perfectly across all twelve threads. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 6091 is only slightly higher than the 8-thread score of 5275, suggesting diminishing returns beyond eight threads. This explains why the 8400F's multithreaded capabilities, while strong for the price, do not translate into disproportionate gains in this title.

The CPU's nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X (25057, 0% delta), the AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 340 (25099, -0.1% delta), and the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F (24993, 0.3% delta). The 8400F sits almost exactly at parity with these processors, with a 0% delta against the Ryzen 7 2700X. In a simulation-heavy game like Microsoft Flight Simulator, this means the 8400F is neither a standout nor a liability — it provides consistent, predictable performance that allows the RTX 3080 Ti to operate without significant CPU-induced stuttering. The 16 MB of shared L3 cache is sufficient for the game's data access patterns, and the dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 83.2 GB/s bandwidth helps feed the GPU's demands at lower resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which preset offers the best balance of visual quality and frame rate. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 167.1 FPS, which is far beyond what a typical flight simulator needs. Medium at 1080p drops to 126.3 FPS, still excellent, while High produces 99 FPS. Ultra at 1080p yields 89.5 FPS, which is the lowest 1080p result but still smooth. For most users at 1080p, the High preset at 99 FPS is the recommended choice because it provides substantial visual improvements over Medium (which is 27.3 FPS lower) while remaining comfortably above 60 FPS.

At 1440p, the decision becomes more nuanced. Low delivers 133.9 FPS, Medium produces 102.3 FPS, and both High and Ultra settle at 75.7 FPS. The fact that High and Ultra are identical at 1440p is a strong signal that the CPU is the limiting factor at this resolution. Choosing Ultra over High costs no performance, so users should select Ultra for the best visuals. The 75.7 FPS average is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a smooth experience for a flight simulator where camera panning can be frequent.

At 4K, the GPU becomes the primary constraint. Low yields 95.1 FPS, Medium drops to 76.9 FPS, High falls to 57.7 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 54.1 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only measured configuration below 60 FPS, and even that is a marginal miss. For 4K users, Medium at 76.9 FPS offers the best experience per the measured rows, as it maintains a high frame rate while still providing better fidelity than Low. High at 57.7 FPS is acceptable for a slower-paced simulator, but the 3.6 FPS gain from High to Ultra is not worth the visual trade-off if frame rate stability is a priority.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti combination ranks 417th out of 1795 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the top 23.2% of all tested configurations, which is a strong showing given the CPU's mid-range positioning. The rank reflects the GPU's high percentile standing — the RTX 3080 Ti sits in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 41224. The CPU, at the 82nd percentile, is nearly as well-regarded in the broader benchmark suite.

The combo's rank is influenced by the fact that Microsoft Flight Simulator is more GPU-intensive at higher resolutions. The RTX 3080 Ti's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 (41441, -0.5% delta), the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 (41610, -0.9% delta), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 (41687, -1.1% delta). The 3080 Ti is within 0.5% of the RTX 3090's average score, which is remarkable given the 3090's higher memory capacity. This GPU strength is what boosts the combo to the 417th position, despite the CPU being only average for its class.

Compared to other combos in the database, this pairing is not a top-tier performer but is clearly capable of handling the game at high settings across all resolutions. The 1795 total combos include many with newer, more expensive CPUs and GPUs, so a top-23% rank indicates that this combination punches above its weight in this specific title. The data suggests that the RTX 3080 Ti is doing the heavy lifting, while the 8400F provides sufficient support without creating a significant bottleneck.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is the dominant component in this pairing. Its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus delivers 912.4 GB/s of bandwidth, which is crucial for a game that streams vast amounts of terrain and texture data. The GPU's 10240 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 112 ROPs provide substantial raw compute, translating to 34.10 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores are less relevant for this title, which does not heavily utilize ray tracing or DLSS in the measured presets.

The GPU's 1665 MHz boost clock is modest, but the architecture's efficiency compensates. The passmark G3D score of 26896 places it in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 41224. The nearest rival, the RTX 3090, scores 41441, a -0.5% delta, meaning the 3080 Ti is essentially performance-equivalent to the 3090 in synthetic benchmarks despite having 24 GB less memory. In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the 12 GB capacity is sufficient for 4K Ultra, as evidenced by the 54.1 FPS result, though it is the lowest measured.

The GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution and settings increase. At 1080p Low, the GPU is likely underutilized, with the CPU capping performance at 167.1 FPS. At 4K Ultra, the GPU is fully saturated, and the 54.1 FPS result reflects the memory bandwidth and shader throughput limits. The 350 W TDP and 750 W suggested PSU indicate this is a power-hungry card, but the measured data shows it delivers consistent performance across the resolution spectrum without thermal throttling issues in the benchmark results.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the average frame rates span a wide range. Low produces 167.1 FPS, Medium 126.3 FPS, High 99 FPS, and Ultra 89.5 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 77.6 FPS, which represents a 46% reduction in performance for the highest visual fidelity. The step from Medium to High is 27.3 FPS, while the step from High to Ultra is 9.5 FPS, showing diminishing returns at the top end.

At 2560x1440, the results compress significantly. Low yields 133.9 FPS, Medium 102.3 FPS, and both High and Ultra produce 75.7 FPS. The 1440p data reveals a clear CPU limitation, as High and Ultra are identical, and the gap between Medium and High is 26.6 FPS. The 1440p Low result is 33.2 FPS lower than 1080p Low, which is a smaller drop than the 72 FPS difference seen between 1080p and 4K Low.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates continue to decline. Low gives 95.1 FPS, Medium 76.9 FPS, High 57.7 FPS, and Ultra 54.1 FPS. The 4K results show a more linear progression, with each preset step costing roughly 19-20 FPS until High, where the drop to Ultra is only 3.6 FPS. The 4K Ultra result of 54.1 FPS is the only measured configuration below 60 FPS, indicating that this is the most demanding scenario for the combo. Across all resolutions, the Low preset consistently provides the highest frame rates, with 1080p Low exceeding 167 FPS and 4K Low staying above 95 FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo achieves in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: The highest measured average is 167.1 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings, which is the most performant configuration across all tested resolutions and presets.

Q: Is the combo capable of 60 FPS at 4K Ultra settings?

A: No, the 4K Ultra preset produces an average of 54.1 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. The closest 4K option above 60 FPS is Medium at 76.9 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 3080 Ti compare to the RTX 3090 in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti has an average benchmark score of 41224, while the RTX 3090 scores 41441, resulting in a -0.5% delta. They are effectively performance-equivalent in the benchmark suite.

Q: Why do 1440p High and 1440p Ultra produce the same average frame rate?

A: Both presets yield 75.7 FPS at 2560x1440, indicating that the CPU is the limiting component at this resolution, as increasing GPU workload does not affect the outcome.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested configurations in this game?

A: The combo ranks 417th out of 1795 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the top 23.2% of all configurations.

Q: What is the CPU's average benchmark score and percentile ranking?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F has an average benchmark score of 25064 and sits in the 82nd percentile of all CPUs, with its nearest rival being the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X at a 0% delta.