Microsoft Flight Simulator

# Microsoft Flight Simulator: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X + AMD Radeon RX 9070

This combination of an 8-core Zen 2 processor and a 16 GB RDNA 4 graphics card lands at rank 594 out of 1,795 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the top third of all systems. The data shows a pairing that delivers smooth 1080p and 1440p gameplay at high settings, while 4K requires careful preset selection to stay above 50 FPS. The RX 9070's 16 GB frame buffer is ample for this simulator's demanding scenery loads, but the Ryzen 7 3700X's single-thread performance becomes a limiting factor at lower resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: The measured data shows 2560x1440 as the sweet spot. At Medium settings, the combo delivers 99.4 FPS, and at High settings it reaches 71.1 FPS. This resolution balances visual fidelity with frame rates well above playable thresholds.

Q: How does the RX 9070's VRAM affect performance in this game?

A: The 16 GB GDDR6 frame buffer with 644.6 GB/s bandwidth is more than sufficient for Microsoft Flight Simulator. No measured settings row shows signs of memory capacity limiting performance, even at 4K Ultra where the average FPS drops to 49.7.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 3700X a bottleneck for the RX 9070?

A: At 1080p, yes. The data shows only a 17.7 FPS difference between Low (140.8 FPS) and Medium (123.2 FPS) settings, while the jump from Medium to High (93.1 FPS) is much larger. This compression at lower settings indicates CPU limitation before the GPU becomes fully engaged.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems?

A: It ranks 594th out of 1,795 tested combos, placing it in the 67th percentile. This is a strong result, though not elite. The CPU's 85th percentile standing among all processors is higher than the GPU's 79th percentile, suggesting the graphics card is the more limiting component overall.

Q: What preset should I use for the best experience at 4K?

A: Medium settings at 73 FPS is the best 4K option. High settings drop to 54 FPS, and Ultra falls to 49.7 FPS. Medium provides the best balance of visual quality and frame rate at this resolution.

Q: How does the 3700X's multi-threaded performance compare to its rivals?

A: The 3700X scores 28,631 in the average benchmark, essentially matching the Intel Core i5-12600 at 28,654 (0.1% behind) and the Intel Core i5-12600H at 28,666 (0.1% behind). It edges out the AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT by 0.1% and the AMD EPYC 7203P by 0.2%.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 brings substantial rendering resources to this flight simulator. With 3,584 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 128 render output units, it processes the dense terrain and weather effects that Microsoft Flight Simulator presents. The 16 GB GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus delivers 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth, which handles the game's large texture streaming workloads without stutter.

Clock speeds matter here. The GPU's base clock runs at 1330 MHz, but the boost clock reaches 2520 MHz, with a game clock of 2070 MHz. This 1,190 MHz boost window allows the card to scale performance dynamically based on thermal headroom. In the measured results, this translates to the GPU being the primary driver of FPS differences across resolution changes.

The GPU's benchmark scores position it at the 79th percentile among all graphics cards. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6,290 and PassMark G3D score of 25,381 indicate strong raw compute capability. The 36.13 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is particularly relevant for flight simulation, where physics calculations and rendering occur simultaneously.

At 4K Ultra, the combo achieves 49.7 FPS, and at 4K High it reaches 54 FPS. The 16 GB frame buffer prevents any memory-related stuttering, as the game cannot exhaust this capacity at any tested setting. The GPU's 56 ray tracing cores are present but not heavily utilized in this title, as the measured rows show rasterization-focused performance.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X provides 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 2 architecture, manufactured on a 7 nm process. Its base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz are modest by current standards, but the 32 MB L3 cache helps mitigate memory latency in flight simulation workloads.

This CPU's single-thread performance is critical for Microsoft Flight Simulator, which relies heavily on a few primary threads for flight dynamics and scenery loading. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,694 and Geekbench single-core score of 1,672 show adequate but not exceptional performance. The PassMark single-thread score of 2,656 confirms this assessment.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are stronger. Cinebench R23 multi-core scores 19,087, and the average benchmark score of 28,631 places it at the 85th percentile among all CPUs. This positions it well against rivals: it sits 0.1% behind the Intel Core i5-12600 and i5-12600H, and 0.1-0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT and EPYC 7203P.

The 65 W TDP and dual-channel DDR4 memory support at 51.2 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for this title. The data shows the CPU's influence most clearly at 1080p, where the FPS gap between Low and Medium settings is compressed. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 140.8 FPS, but at 1080p Medium it drops to 123.2 FPS—only a 17.6 FPS difference. This suggests the CPU is approaching its limit before the GPU becomes the bottleneck.

How This Combo Ranks

This pairing of the Ryzen 7 3700X and RX 9070 achieves rank 594 out of 1,795 tested combinations in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places the system in the top 33% of all configurations tested, which is a solid result for a mid-generation CPU paired with a current-generation GPU.

The rank reflects the balance between components. The CPU's 85th percentile standing among all processors is higher than the GPU's 79th percentile, indicating the graphics card is slightly more limiting in this pairing. However, the overall combination still outperforms the majority of systems in the database.

The ranking becomes more impressive when considering the CPU's age relative to the GPU. The 3700X launched in July 2019, while the RX 9070 launched in March 2025. Despite this six-year gap, the combination remains competitive, though the data suggests upgrading the CPU would yield meaningful gains, particularly at 1080p where the processor's single-thread limits become apparent.

Settings Recommendations

For the best measured experience, Medium settings provide the optimal balance across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the combo delivers 123.2 FPS; at 1440p Medium, it reaches 99.4 FPS; and at 4K Medium, it maintains 73 FPS. These frame rates are smooth and responsive for a flight simulator.

High settings are viable for users prioritizing visual quality. At 1080p High, the system achieves 93.1 FPS, and at 1440p High, it hits 71.1 FPS. However, at 4K High, performance drops to 54 FPS, which may feel less fluid for users accustomed to higher frame rates.

Ultra settings are only recommended at 1080p, where the system maintains 84.5 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, performance drops to 70.4 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 49.7 FPS. Low settings provide the highest frame rates—140.8 FPS at 1080p, 122.9 FPS at 1440p, and 91.7 FPS at 4K—but sacrifice significant visual detail.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers 140.8 FPS on Low, 123.2 FPS on Medium, 93.1 FPS on High, and 84.5 FPS on Ultra. The progression shows a 47.3 FPS drop from Low to Ultra, with the largest single-step decline occurring between Medium and High at 30.1 FPS.

At 2560x1440, results are 122.9 FPS on Low, 99.4 FPS on Medium, 71.1 FPS on High, and 70.4 FPS on Ultra. The gap between High and Ultra narrows to just 0.7 FPS, indicating diminishing returns at this resolution. The drop from Low to Ultra totals 52.5 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system achieves 91.7 FPS on Low, 73 FPS on Medium, 54 FPS on High, and 49.7 FPS on Ultra. The difference between High and Ultra widens slightly to 4.3 FPS, while the total range from Low to Ultra spans 42 FPS. These numbers show the GPU becoming the dominant bottleneck at 4K, as the resolution increases the rendering load more than the CPU's frame generation capacity.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a balanced workload between CPU and GPU. At Low settings, the system drops from 140.8 FPS at 1080p to 91.7 FPS at 4K—a 34.9% reduction. At Medium settings, the drop is from 123.2 FPS to 73 FPS, a 40.7% reduction. At High settings, performance falls from 93.1 FPS to 54 FPS, a 42% reduction. At Ultra settings, the drop is from 84.5 FPS to 49.7 FPS, a 41.2% reduction.

The relatively consistent percentage drops across settings indicate that neither component is dramatically more limiting than the other. However, the smaller drop at Low settings (34.9%) suggests the CPU is more involved at lower graphics loads. As settings increase, the GPU takes on more work, and the FPS reduction from resolution scaling grows.

At 4K, the Ultra preset's 49.7 FPS and High preset's 54 FPS show that 4K gaming requires Medium settings for smooth performance. The 1440p results show the most balanced scaling, with all settings providing playable frame rates. The 1080p results indicate the CPU's single-thread performance is the ceiling, as even Low settings cannot exceed 140.8 FPS.