Microsoft Flight Simulator

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER presents a compelling combination for Microsoft Flight Simulator, a title known for its demanding simulation workloads. This analysis examines the measured performance data, breaking down how each component contributes to the experience across various resolutions and settings. The dataset places this combo at rank 284 out of 1795 tested combinations, indicating a strong overall position in the benchmark database.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo achieves an average of 59.3 FPS. This is just below the 60 FPS threshold often considered ideal for smooth gameplay, making High settings at this resolution a more comfortable choice.

Q: How does the combo perform at 1080p with Low settings?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded in the dataset is 180.5 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This demonstrates significant headroom for high-refresh-rate monitors at lower graphical loads.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1440p High and 4K High?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the average FPS is 86.9. Moving up to 3840x2160 at the same High settings, the average FPS drops to 64.5. This represents a performance decrease of approximately 25.8% when moving from 1440p to 4K.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU have a higher percentile ranking among its peers?

A: The GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER, has a percentile rank of 84 among all GPUs. The CPU, the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F, has a percentile rank of 82 among all CPUs. Both components are positioned in the upper tier of their respective categories.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the CPU and GPU?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F has a launch MSRP of $170. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER has a launch MSRP of 599 USD.

Q: What is the CPU's single-threaded performance score in Cinebench R23?

A: The Ryzen 5 8400F scores 2943 points in the Cinebench R23 single-core benchmark. This strong single-thread performance is relevant for simulation games that often rely on a few heavily loaded threads.

How This Combo Ranks

The benchmark data places this specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER at rank 284 out of 1795 tested combos for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the top 15.8% of all tested systems, a strong showing that indicates a well-balanced pairing for this specific title. The ranking reflects the system's ability to handle the game's unique blend of CPU-intensive simulation logic and GPU-heavy rendering tasks.

The percentile rankings of the individual components provide context for this overall position. The GPU sits at the 84th percentile, while the CPU is at the 82nd percentile, showing both are above-average parts. The combo's rank, however, is more than just an average of these two; it shows how they interact in this specific game. The 4070 SUPER's performance is enough to push high frame rates at lower resolutions, while the 8400F's Zen 4 architecture provides the necessary processing power to feed the GPU and handle the complex flight model calculations.

Compared to other systems in the database, this combo is not at the absolute top tier but is clearly a high-performance option. The rank of 284 suggests that while there are many faster systems, this pairing is well above the median and is capable of delivering a premium experience in Microsoft Flight Simulator. The data indicates that the system is more likely to be constrained by the GPU at higher resolutions and by the CPU at lower resolutions, which is typical for a modern mid-high range build.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, codenamed Phoenix. It has a base clock of 4.20 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. For a simulation like Microsoft Flight Simulator, which can be sensitive to single-thread performance for its core simulation loop, the CPU's 2943 score in Cinebench R23 single-core is a key indicator of its capability.

The CPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks shows a clear scaling pattern. The 3DMark scores scale from 1874 with 2 threads to 6165 with max threads, indicating good multi-threading capabilities. Its Cinebench R20 multicore score of 8757 and R23 multicore score of 20851 further demonstrate its ability to handle the multiple background tasks that a flight simulator generates, such as AI traffic, weather systems, and terrain loading.

In the measured FPS data, the CPU's influence is most evident at lower resolutions and settings. For instance, at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo hits 180.5 FPS, a figure that is less dependent on GPU rendering power and more on the CPU's ability to prepare frames. The difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p is 75.9 FPS, showing that while the GPU is still important, the CPU provides a solid foundation for high frame rates. The Ryzen 5 8400F's single-thread performance is likely the primary driver in these scenarios, preventing the simulation engine from becoming a bottleneck.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at the combo's performance across a matrix of resolutions and settings. The frame rates scale predictably: higher resolutions and settings require more GPU power, resulting in lower average FPS.

At 1920x1080, the combo is exceptionally strong. The average FPS ranges from 180.5 at Low settings to 104.6 at Ultra. The step from Medium (140.3 FPS) to High (108.8 FPS) is a significant 31.5 FPS drop, suggesting a large increase in graphical fidelity. The delta between Low and Ultra is 75.9 FPS, showing a wide performance envelope.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains excellent but begins to show the GPU's workload. The average FPS at Low settings is 146.3, which drops to 81.4 at Ultra. The difference between High (86.9 FPS) and Ultra (81.4 FPS) is only 5.5 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset at this resolution is heavily GPU-bound. The 1440p High setting at 86.9 FPS is a strong result for a high-refresh-rate QHD monitor.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the dominant limiting factor. The average FPS at Low settings is 106.9, which is still very playable. However, at High settings, the frame rate drops to 64.5, and at Ultra, it falls to 59.3 FPS. The scaling from Medium (86.2 FPS) to High (64.5 FPS) is a steep 21.7 FPS drop. This data suggests that for 4K gaming, users will likely need to choose between High and Medium settings to maintain a smooth experience, as the Ultra preset just misses the 60 FPS mark.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is a powerful graphics card based on the Ada Lovelace architecture. It features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. With 7168 shading units and 56 RT cores, it is well-equipped for rasterization and ray tracing tasks. Its boost clock of 2475 MHz and FP32 performance of 35.48 TFLOPS place it in the upper echelon of consumer GPUs.

The GPU's role in Microsoft Flight Simulator is most apparent at higher resolutions and settings. The difference in average FPS between the Low and Ultra presets shows the GPU's workload. At 3840x2160, the average FPS decreases from 106.9 at Low to 59.3 at Ultra, a drop of 47.6 FPS. This demonstrates the massive increase in pixel and shader work required for the Ultra preset at 4K.

The 12 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for the high-resolution textures and complex scenery that Microsoft Flight Simulator uses. The data shows that the GPU can maintain a playable frame rate even at 4K Ultra, albeit at just under 60 FPS. The GPU's performance relative to its rivals is also notable; its average benchmark score of 42576 places it 1.6% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla M40 and 0.2% behind the NVIDIA RTX A6000.

The 4070 SUPER's performance is the primary factor in the FPS deltas between resolutions at the same settings. For example, at High settings, the average FPS drops from 108.8 at 1080p to 64.5 at 4K. This 44.3 FPS reduction is a direct result of the GPU's rendering capabilities. The card's 84th percentile ranking among all GPUs confirms that it is a high-performing part, and the measured data shows it can deliver a high-quality experience in this demanding simulator, with the CPU providing enough support to keep frame rates high.