Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator is a demanding flight simulation title that stresses both CPU and GPU heavily. The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 produces a specific performance profile across resolutions and settings. This analysis breaks down the measured data for this combo, placing it in context against other tested hardware configurations.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 combination ranks 1814th out of 2996 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the lower half of the tested database, indicating that this pairing is not tuned for maximum frame rates in this specific title. The percentile data reinforces this: the CPU sits at the 77th percentile against all tested CPUs, while the GPU is at the 66th percentile against all tested GPUs. This suggests the combo’s overall rank is dragged down by the GPU, which is the weaker link relative to its own pool of comparisons.

When looking at the CPU’s nearest rivals, the Ryzen 5 8400F produces an average benchmark score of 25005. This is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F, which scores 24964, a delta of just 0.2%. The Intel Core i7-11850H and Intel Core i7-13620H are also extremely close, with scores of 24935 and 24911, representing deltas of 0.3% and 0.4% respectively. On the other side, the AMD EPYC 9474F scores 25103, putting the 8400F 0.4% behind. These margins are negligible, meaning the CPU is performing exactly as expected for its class, with no unusual bottlenecks or advantages.

For the GPU, the RTX 5050’s average benchmark score is 21035. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL, scores 21153, which is 0.6% higher. The AMD Radeon HD 8970M is 1% ahead with a score of 21237, while the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile is 1.6% ahead at 21379. The only rival the RTX 5050 beats is the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, which scores 20713, meaning the 5050 is 1.6% faster. These small deltas show that the RTX 5050 is positioned in a tightly contested performance tier, and its rank in this game reflects that it is not a top-tier solution for Flight Simulator’s heavy load.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, codenamed Phoenix, built on a 4nm process. 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 relies heavily on single-thread performance for game logic and physics, the boost clock is critical. The CPU’s 3DMark single-thread score is 951, and its Cinebench R23 single-core score is 2943. These numbers are modest, indicating that while the chip is capable, it is not a leader in raw single-core throughput.

The CPU’s cache configuration includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 16 MB of shared L3 cache. The relatively small L3 cache compared to higher-end chips can impact performance in scenarios with large data sets, but for this game, the bottleneck appears elsewhere. The 8400F’s multi-threaded scores, such as the 3DMark max-threads score of 6165 and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 20851, show it can handle multi-threaded workloads adequately, but Flight Simulator often does not scale perfectly with many cores.

In this combo, the CPU is not the primary limiter. The data shows that at lower resolutions like 1080p, the frame rates are decent, but they do not reach extremely high values, indicating that the CPU is keeping up with the GPU’s output. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 106 FPS, which is respectable but not exceptional. This suggests the CPU is providing a stable foundation, but the GPU is holding back higher frame rates. The CPU’s performance relative to its rivals is essentially a tie, with deltas under 0.5%, so there is no evidence that this specific processor is underperforming or overperforming in this title.

FAQ

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

A: The highest recorded average frame rate is 106 FPS at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the combo produces an average of 37 FPS on High settings, 49 FPS on Medium, and 35 FPS on Ultra. With Low settings, it reaches 63 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more of a limiting factor in this game?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary limiter. At 1080p Low, the frame rate is 106 FPS, but at 4K Low, it drops to 63 FPS, a 40% reduction. This scaling pattern indicates the GPU struggles with higher resolutions, while the CPU maintains similar performance across resolutions.

Q: What is the best settings preset for smooth gameplay at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset yields an average of 66 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS, which is the highest average above 60 FPS. High settings drop to 50 FPS, and Ultra drops to 48 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 5050 compare to its nearest rival in terms of average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 5050 has an average benchmark score of 21035, which is 1.6% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT’s score of 20713. It is slightly behind other rivals like the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL, which scores 21153.

Q: Does the combo deliver playable frame rates at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 4K Ultra, the combo averages 35 FPS, which is below the typical 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. This is considered barely playable for a simulation, but not ideal for a fluid experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the combo starts with 106 FPS on Low, drops to 82 FPS on Medium, 62 FPS on High, and 59 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 70 FPS and a maximum of 95 FPS, indicating some variance but generally smooth performance. The jump from Low to Medium is a 22% reduction in frame rate, while the drop from High to Ultra is only 5%, suggesting diminishing returns at the highest settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates decrease as expected. Low settings produce 85 FPS, Medium delivers 66 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS and maximum of 76 FPS, High yields 50 FPS, and Ultra produces 48 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra at this resolution is minimal, only 4%, while the drop from Low to Medium is 22%. This pattern shows that the GPU is starting to feel the pressure of increased pixel count, but the CPU is still managing to feed it adequately.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly. Low settings average 63 FPS, Medium averages 49 FPS with a minimum of 42 FPS and maximum of 56 FPS, High averages 37 FPS, and Ultra averages 35 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 22%, but the gap between High and Ultra is only 5%. The 4K resolution clearly taxes the GPU, as even Low settings cannot maintain a solid 60 FPS, just barely exceeding it at 63 FPS. The minimum FPS at 4K Medium is 42, which indicates potential stuttering in busy scenes.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the bottleneck characteristics of this combo. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 106 FPS at 1080p to 85 FPS at 1440p, a 20% reduction, and then to 63 FPS at 4K, a 26% reduction from 1440p. This steady decline suggests that the GPU is the primary limiting factor, as the CPU’s workload does not increase proportionally with resolution.

For Medium settings, the scaling is similar: 82 FPS at 1080p drops to 66 FPS at 1440p (20% drop) and then to 49 FPS at 4K (26% drop). High settings show 62 FPS at 1080p, 50 FPS at 1440p (19% drop), and 37 FPS at 4K (26% drop). The consistent percentage drops across different settings indicate that the GPU is consistently the bottleneck, as the CPU is not causing a disproportionate drop at higher resolutions.

The fact that the frame rate at 1080p Low is 106 FPS, which is not exceptionally high, suggests that the CPU is not limiting at lower resolutions either. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would see a plateau at 1080p, but instead we see scaling that matches GPU load. This points to the RTX 5050 being the limiting component across all tested settings, with the Ryzen 5 8400F providing ample headroom.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the best experience for this combo depends on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset offers the best balance, with an average of 82 FPS and a minimum of 70 FPS. This ensures smooth gameplay without the significant frame rate hit of High or Ultra settings, which drop to 62 FPS and 59 FPS respectively. Low settings at 106 FPS are smoother but sacrifice visual quality, which may not be desirable for a flight simulator where scenery detail matters.

For 2560x1440, the Medium preset is again the optimal choice, delivering 66 FPS average with a minimum of 57 FPS. This is the only preset that maintains an average above 60 FPS at this resolution. High and Ultra settings produce 50 FPS and 48 FPS, which are playable but may feel less fluid, especially in dense urban areas or during complex weather effects. Low settings at 85 FPS are an option, but the visual downgrade may be too severe for a game that relies on visual immersion.

At 3840x2160, the choices are more limited. Low settings average 63 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold, but Medium drops to 49 FPS. For a playable experience at 4K, Low settings are recommended, as they offer the only average above 60 FPS. Ultra settings at 35 FPS are not recommended for smooth gameplay, and High settings at 37 FPS are barely better. The data indicates that this combo is not well-suited for 4K gaming with high visual fidelity, and users should either lower resolution or accept lower settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, built on a 5nm process by TSMC. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 2317 MHz and a boost clock of 2572 MHz. With 2560 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, it delivers a FP32 performance of 13.17 TFLOPS. For a flight simulator that renders vast landscapes and complex lighting, these specifications determine the frame rate at higher resolutions.

The GPU’s 8 GB VRAM is a potential concern at 4K Ultra settings, where texture data can exceed this capacity, but the measured data does not show a catastrophic drop at 4K Ultra compared to 4K High, with only a 5% difference. This suggests that the VRAM is sufficient for the tested presets, or the game is not exceeding the limit. The RTX 5050’s benchmark scores, such as the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2502 and Passmark G3D score of 17326, place it in the 66th percentile, indicating it is a mid-range GPU.

The GPU’s performance relative to its rivals shows it is competitive but not dominant. Its 1.6% advantage over the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT is notable, but it lags behind others like the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile by 1.6%. In the context of this game, the RTX 5050 is clearly the limiting factor, as the CPU provides consistent performance across resolutions while the GPU struggles to maintain high frame rates at 1440p and 4K. The data confirms that for this combo, upgrading the GPU would yield the most significant performance improvement in Microsoft Flight Simulator.