Microsoft Flight Simulator

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

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor built on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) using a 4 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU features 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support includes dual-channel DDR5 with a bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s, and the chip connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 24 lanes.

In synthetic benchmarks, this processor demonstrates strong single-thread performance with a Geekbench single-core score of 2923 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2183.5. Multi-threaded results are equally solid: Geekbench multi-core reaches 14438, Cinebench R23 multi-core hits 17528.5, and 3DMark max-threads scores 7590. The CPU's percentile vs all CPUs is 81, placing it in the upper fifth of tested processors. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE (0.2% faster), AMD Ryzen 7 7840H (0.5% slower), AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT (0.6% slower), and AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (0.8% slower) — all within a single percentage point, indicating the 9600X sits in a tightly contested performance band.

For Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU's role is substantial. Flight simulators are notorious for heavy single-threaded loads, especially for physics, flight model calculations, and AI traffic. The 9600X's high boost clock of 5.40 GHz and strong single-thread scores (3dmark single-thread 1253, Passmark single-thread 4570) directly benefit these workloads. However, the game also uses multiple threads for scenery loading, weather simulation, and terrain streaming, where the 6-core/12-thread configuration and 32 MB L3 cache help maintain frame pacing. The measured FPS data shows the CPU does not bottleneck the GPU at lower resolutions — at 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 127 FPS average, which indicates headroom. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 42 FPS, suggesting the GPU becomes the limiting factor. The data indicates a balanced pairing where the CPU can feed the GPU adequately at most settings, though at 1080p Low the high frame rate (127 FPS) suggests the CPU is still capable of pushing further if the GPU allowed.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 ranks 1647 out of 3714 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. That places it in the 55.7th percentile of all combos — slightly above the median but not among the top performers. The rank reflects the measured FPS across all resolutions and settings, weighted by the game's demands. Given that both components sit near the middle of their respective performance distributions (CPU percentile 81, GPU percentile 72), this combined ranking is consistent with expectations.

The GPU's nearest rivals in isolation include the AMD Radeon 860M (0.3% slower), NVIDIA GeForce MX550 (0.3% slower), AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary (0.8% slower), and AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT (1.2% faster). These deltas are small, meaning the RTX 5060 is closely matched with several other GPUs in synthetic tests. However, in actual game performance, the RTX 5060's 8 GB GDDR7 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth likely play a larger role than raw compute scores. The combo rank of 1647 out of 3714 means there are 2067 combos that perform worse — a majority — but also 1646 that perform better, indicating that this pairing is neither a standout nor a weak link. The data shows that for a mid-range CPU and GPU pairing, this rank is reasonable, though not exceptional. Users seeking higher ranks might look to combos with stronger GPUs, as the CPU's percentile (81) is notably higher than the GPU's (72), suggesting the GPU is the more limiting component for achieving a better combo rank.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of resolution scaling. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 127 FPS at 1080p to 103 FPS at 1440p, then to 76 FPS at 4K. That represents a 19% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 26% drop from 1440p to 4K. At Medium settings, the averages go from 99 FPS at 1080p to 80 FPS at 1440p to 59 FPS at 4K — drops of 19% and 26% respectively. High settings show 74 FPS at 1080p, 60 FPS at 1440p, and 44 FPS at 4K, which are drops of 19% and 27%. Ultra settings yield 71 FPS at 1080p, 57 FPS at 1440p, and 42 FPS at 4K — drops of 20% and 26%.

The consistency of these percentage drops (roughly 19-20% from 1080p to 1440p, and 26-27% from 1440p to 4K) across all settings is revealing. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect the FPS to remain relatively flat as resolution increases, because the CPU work per frame would stay constant. Instead, the FPS drops proportionally with the pixel count increase, which is a classic sign of GPU-bound performance. The 4K resolution has 4 times the pixels of 1080p, yet the FPS does not drop to one-quarter — it drops to roughly one-third to one-half depending on settings. This indicates that while the GPU is the primary limiter at higher resolutions, the CPU still provides enough headroom to mitigate some of the pixel-count penalty. At 1080p Low, the 127 FPS average is high enough that the CPU's single-thread performance (boost 5.40 GHz, Passmark single-thread 4570) is likely contributing to frame generation, but at 4K Ultra (42 FPS), the RTX 5060's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus are almost certainly the bottleneck. The data strongly suggests that for this combo, the GPU is the limiting component at 1440p and above, while the CPU is sufficient at 1080p for most settings.

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

The measured FPS data provides a complete matrix of performance across three resolutions and four quality presets.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the averages are: Low 76 FPS, Medium 59 FPS (with a min of 50 and max of 68), High 44 FPS, and Ultra 42 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium is a 22% drop, from Medium to High is a 25% drop, and from High to Ultra is a 5% drop. The small difference between High and Ultra (44 vs 42 FPS) suggests that Ultra settings add minimal visual load beyond High, or that the GPU is already saturated.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), the averages are: Low 103 FPS, Medium 80 FPS (min 68, max 92), High 60 FPS, and Ultra 57 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 22%, from Medium to High is 25%, and from High to Ultra is 5%. These percentages mirror the 4K pattern almost exactly, indicating that the relative cost of each settings tier is consistent regardless of resolution.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the averages are: Low 127 FPS, Medium 99 FPS (min 84, max 114), High 74 FPS, and Ultra 71 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 22%, from Medium to High is 25%, and from High to Ultra is 4%. Again, the same percentage pattern holds. This consistency across resolutions suggests that the game's settings presets scale linearly in their GPU load.

The min/max data for Medium settings shows the frame time variance: at 1080p, the range is 84-114 FPS (a 30 FPS spread); at 1440p, it's 68-92 FPS (a 24 FPS spread); at 4K, it's 50-68 FPS (an 18 FPS spread). The narrowing spread at higher resolutions indicates that as the GPU becomes more loaded, there is less headroom for frame rate fluctuation. The 4K Medium average of 59 FPS with a max of 68 FPS shows that even the best-case scenario stays below 70 FPS, confirming that 4K gaming with this combo is a sub-60 FPS experience on Medium and above.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

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

A: The highest average FPS is 127 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is followed by 103 FPS at 1440p Low and 99 FPS at 1080p Medium.

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K resolution?

A: No. At 4K, only the Low preset exceeds 60 FPS (76 FPS average). Medium averages 59 FPS, which is just below 60, while High and Ultra average 44 and 42 FPS respectively. The data indicates that 4K Medium is borderline, but sustained 60 FPS is not achievable.

Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance compare to its multi-thread performance relative to rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 9600X's single-thread Geekbench score is 2923, and its multi-core score is 14438. Its nearest rival, AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE, is 0.2% faster in average benchmark score, while the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H is 0.5% slower. The CPU's percentile vs all CPUs is 81, indicating strong performance in both single and multi-threaded workloads.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Ultra and High settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, High averages 60 FPS and Ultra averages 57 FPS, a difference of 3 FPS (5% drop). This is consistent with the 4K and 1080p results, where the Ultra preset costs approximately 4-5% performance over High.

Q: Does the GPU's VRAM capacity affect performance at 4K?

A: The RTX 5060 has 8 GB of GDDR7 memory with a 128-bit bus and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. At 4K, the average FPS drops to 42-76 depending on settings, and the GPU's percentile is 72, which is lower than the CPU's 81. This suggests the GPU, including its VRAM and bandwidth, is the limiting factor at 4K, as the FPS scales with resolution in a GPU-bound pattern.

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

A: This combo ranks 1647 out of 3714 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the middle of the pack, with 55.7% of combos performing worse and 44.3% performing better.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 127 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. However, Medium at 99 FPS (with a min of 84) still provides a smooth experience while offering better visual quality. High at 74 FPS is also playable, but Ultra at 71 FPS offers only a 3 FPS gain over High, making High the better choice for 1080p if visual fidelity is desired — the 5% drop from High to Ultra does not justify the additional load.

At 2560x1440, the situation changes. Low at 103 FPS is smooth, but Medium at 80 FPS (min 68) provides a good balance of visual quality and performance. High at 60 FPS is exactly at the 60 FPS threshold, which is acceptable for many users, but Ultra at 57 FPS dips below it. For a consistent 60+ FPS experience at 1440p, Medium is the recommended preset, as it provides a 33% performance margin over High while presumably offering significantly better visuals than Low.

At 3840x2160, the options are constrained. Low at 76 FPS is the only preset that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS. Medium at 59 FPS is technically below 60 but close enough that adaptive sync monitors would handle it well. High at 44 FPS and Ultra at 42 FPS are both below 45 FPS, which is generally considered the lower bound for playable simulation games. The data shows that at 4K, users should either accept Low for smooth performance or Medium for a balance — High and Ultra are not recommended due to the substantial FPS drop. The min FPS of 50 at 4K Medium indicates that frame dips can occur, so users with strict 60 FPS requirements should stick to Low at 4K.

Overall, the best experience per the measured rows is: 1080p High (74 FPS) for visual quality with good performance, 1440p Medium (80 FPS) for balanced gameplay, and 4K Low (76 FPS) for smooth simulation. The Ultra preset is only marginally better than High (1-3 FPS difference) and is never recommended based on this data.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture (GB206 chip) using a 5 nm process at TSMC. It features 3840 shading units, 120 tensor cores, 30 RT cores, and 48 ROPs. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2280 MHz and a boost clock of 2497 MHz. Memory consists of 8 GB of GDDR7 on a 128-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's memory clock is 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). The card has a TDP of 145 W and requires a single 8-pin power connector, with a suggested PSU of 300 W.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 5060 achieves a Passmark G3D score of 20891 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3628. Its percentile vs all GPUs is 72, and its average benchmark score is 26331. The nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 860M (0.3% slower), NVIDIA GeForce MX550 (0.3% slower), AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary (0.8% slower), and AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT (1.2% faster). These small deltas indicate that the RTX 5060 is closely matched with several other GPUs, but its 8 GB GDDR7 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are the key differentiators in memory-intensive scenarios.

For Microsoft Flight Simulator, the GPU's role is critical at higher resolutions. The game's terrain rendering, weather effects, and aircraft detail place significant load on the GPU. The measured FPS data shows that at 4K, the GPU is the limiting factor — the FPS drops proportionally with pixel count, and the 8 GB VRAM is likely saturated by the high-resolution textures. At 1080p, the GPU performs well, delivering 127 FPS at Low and 74 FPS at High. The GPU's 128-bit memory bus, while narrow, is compensated by the high bandwidth of GDDR7 (448.0 GB/s), which helps with the game's large texture streaming requirements. The boost clock of 2497 MHz provides adequate compute throughput, as evidenced by the 1080p results, but at 4K the raw pixel fill rate (119.9 GPixel/s) and texture rate (299.6 GTexel/s) become the bottlenecks. The data clearly shows that the RTX 5060 is a capable 1080p and 1440p card for this game, but at 4K, users must reduce settings to Low to maintain playable frame rates. The GPU's 145 W TDP and dual-slot design indicate a mid-range power draw, consistent with its performance class.