Microsoft Flight Simulator

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 combination delivers a playable but heavily settings-dependent experience in Microsoft Flight Simulator. The data shows this pairing sits near the bottom of the database, ranking 1506 out of 1795 tested combos, placing it in the lower 16% of all configurations. This is a pairing where the GPU clearly acts as the primary constraint, with the CPU’s strong multi-threaded performance unable to compensate for the graphics card’s age at higher resolutions.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X brings a 6-core, 12-thread configuration based on the Zen 5 architecture, with a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its L3 cache totals 32 MB shared, with 1 MB L2 per core, and it supports DDR5 memory over a dual-channel bus. The processor’s benchmark data indicates strong single-thread capability—its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3603 and Geekbench single-core score of 3363 are both notable—which is relevant for a flight simulator that still relies on significant per-core processing for flight dynamics and scenery generation.

However, the measured FPS data reveals that the CPU is rarely the bottleneck in this configuration. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo reaches 81.6 FPS, but at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, it falls to 24.6 FPS. This steep drop across resolutions points to the GPU being the limiting factor, as the CPU’s thread count and clock speeds remain constant. The processor’s 3DMark single-thread score of 1253 and multi-thread score of 7590 suggest it can feed frames faster than the GTX 1070 can render them, particularly at higher settings where pixel throughput dominates.

The CPU’s percentile rank of 85 among all processors places it well above average, and its average benchmark score of 28246 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals—the Intel Core i5-13490F scores 28173 (0.3% lower) and the AMD Ryzen 5 230 scores 28164 (0.3% lower). This parity means the 9600X is delivering expected performance for its class, but that performance is underutilized in this combo. The 65W TDP and 4 nm process node also indicate thermal headroom that would allow sustained boost clocks, yet the frame rates suggest the system is not CPU-limited in any tested scenario.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is a Pascal-architecture card with 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 256.3 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock reaches 1683 MHz, and it houses 1920 shading units. The card’s benchmark scores show it sits near the 51st percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 12331. Its closest rival, the NVIDIA Quadro K4200, scores 12241 (0.7% lower), while the GTX 880M and GTX 1650 SUPER score 12490 and 12504 respectively (1.3% and 1.4% higher). This context shows the GTX 1070 is performing within its expected range, but that range is simply not high enough for demanding simulator workloads at high resolutions.

The memory configuration is particularly relevant for Microsoft Flight Simulator, which streams large textures and terrain data. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p at lower settings, but the data indicates it becomes a constraint at 4K. At 3840x2160, the average FPS drops from 49.8 at Low to 24.6 at Ultra, a 51% reduction. The card’s FP32 throughput of 6.463 TFLOPS and texture rate of 202.0 GTexel/s are modest by modern standards, and the measured results reflect this: even at 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the combo only manages 51.7 FPS.

The GPU’s DirectX 12 support (12_1) is present, but its PassMark DirectX 12 score of 48 is far lower than its DirectX 11 score of 100, suggesting the Pascal architecture lacks optimizations for newer APIs. This is a critical factor in a game that leverages DX12 features for draw calls and multi-threaded rendering. The GTX 1070’s end-of-life production status and 2016 release date further contextualize its performance, as it predates many of the modern rendering techniques used in the simulator.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination ranks 1506 out of 1795 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the bottom 16% of all configurations. This low rank is driven almost entirely by the GPU, as the CPU’s individual percentile (85) is far higher than the GPU’s (51). The measured FPS data confirms this imbalance: the combo never exceeds 81.6 FPS even at the lowest settings, and at Ultra settings across all resolutions it struggles to maintain 40 FPS.

Comparing this to the CPU’s nearest rivals, the Ryzen 5 9600X’s average benchmark score of 28246 is within 0.5% of the Intel Core i5-14500T (28377) and AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (28369). This means swapping the CPU for any of these alternatives would likely produce nearly identical frame rates, as the GPU remains the constant limiting factor. Conversely, the GPU’s nearest rivals—the GTX 880M and GTX 1650 SUPER—sit within 1.4% of its average score, so the combo’s ranking would not meaningfully change with a slightly faster or slower GPU in the same class.

The rank of 1506 is particularly telling when considering the game’s release in 2020 and the hardware’s age. The GTX 1070 was launched in 2016, and the Ryzen 5 9600X in 2024, creating a significant generational gap. This mixing of a modern CPU with an older GPU results in a system that underperforms in a simulation title that is known for heavy CPU and GPU demands. The data shows that at 1920x1080 Ultra, the combo achieves 47.8 FPS, which is just below the 50 FPS threshold that many players consider acceptable for smooth flight simulation.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how this combo scales across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low averages 81.6 FPS, Medium 64.6 FPS, High 49.9 FPS, and Ultra 47.8 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra is small (2.1 FPS), suggesting that Ultra settings introduce diminishing returns for this GPU at 1080p. The jump from Low to Medium is 17.0 FPS, indicating that the Low preset significantly reduces GPU load.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages drop across all settings: Low 68.2 FPS, Medium 51.7 FPS, High 37.2 FPS, and Ultra 38.8 FPS. Interestingly, Ultra is slightly higher than High at this resolution (38.8 vs 37.2), which could indicate measurement variance or specific scene complexity differences. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is most pronounced at High settings (49.9 to 37.2, a 25.5% reduction), while Low settings see a smaller relative drop (81.6 to 68.2, a 16.4% reduction).

At 3840x2160, the performance becomes marginal: Low averages 49.8 FPS, Medium 37.7 FPS, High 30.5 FPS, and Ultra 24.6 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 25.2 FPS, the largest of any resolution, showing that 4K pushes the GTX 1070 to its limits. Even at Low settings, 4K does not hit 60 FPS, and at Ultra it falls below 25 FPS, which is largely unplayable for a flight simulator that requires precise control inputs. The scaling from 1440p to 4K at Medium settings (51.7 to 37.7) represents a 27.1% drop, consistent with the increased pixel count.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of running Microsoft Flight Simulator at 60 FPS?

A: The data shows no configuration achieves 60 FPS at any resolution or settings combination. The highest recorded average is 81.6 FPS at 1920x1080 Low, but this drops to 49.8 FPS at 4K Low and 47.8 FPS at 1080p Ultra.

Q: Which resolution offers the best balance of performance and visual quality?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the combo averages 51.7 FPS, which is close to playable. For a smoother experience, 1920x1080 with High settings yields 49.9 FPS, while 1080p Medium reaches 64.6 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in this setup?

A: The Ryzen 5 9600X has an average benchmark score of 28246, which is 0.3% higher than the Intel Core i5-13490F (28173) and 0.3% higher than the AMD Ryzen 5 230 (28164). It is 0.4% lower than the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (28369).

Q: Is the GPU the primary bottleneck in this system?

A: Yes, the evidence is strong. The GPU’s percentile rank (51) is far lower than the CPU’s (85), and the FPS drops dramatically with resolution increases—from 81.6 FPS at 1080p Low to 49.8 FPS at 4K Low—while the CPU’s workload remains constant.

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this combo?

A: The highest recorded average is 81.6 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. No other resolution or settings combination exceeds this value in the measured data.

Q: How does the GPU’s performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GTX 1070’s average benchmark score is 12331, which is 0.7% higher than the NVIDIA Quadro K4200 (12241) but 1.3% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M (12490) and 1.4% lower than the GTX 1650 SUPER (12504).