Microsoft Flight Simulator

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER combination delivers a playable, though not flawless, Microsoft Flight Simulator experience, with performance that scales predictably with resolution and settings. The data reveals a system that is firmly GPU-limited at higher resolutions, while the CPU holds its own at 1080p, making this a balanced pairing for a demanding flight simulator.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and consistent decline in performance as resolution increases, which is the expected behavior for a GPU-bound workload. At 1080p with High settings, the combo averages 65 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 drops that average to 52 FPS, a reduction of 13 FPS or 20%. The jump to 3840x2160 at High settings yields an average of 39 FPS, which is another 13 FPS reduction from 1440p and a 40% drop from the 1080p figure. This pattern indicates that the RTX 2070 SUPER's rendering capabilities are the primary constraint as pixel count rises.

The scaling pattern becomes even more telling when examining the Low settings preset. At 1920x1080 Low, the system achieves 111 FPS, demonstrating that the CPU and GPU can deliver high frame rates when the graphical load is minimal. However, at 3840x2160 Low, the average FPS falls to 66. This 45 FPS drop (a 41% decrease) when moving from 1080p to 4K on Low settings is almost entirely attributable to the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth struggling with the 8.3 million pixels of 4K resolution. The GPU's 448.0 GB/s bandwidth and 64 ROPs are being taxed heavily at this resolution, regardless of the simpler shading work.

The data suggests that the limiting component shifts depending on the resolution. At 1080p, the system is more balanced, as even the highest preset (Ultra) still manages 62 FPS, indicating the CPU can feed the GPU adequately. But at 4K, the RTX 2070 SUPER becomes the definitive bottleneck. The difference between 1080p Ultra (62 FPS) and 4K Ultra (37 FPS) is a 25 FPS or 40% performance hit, showing that the GPU's 9.062 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 8 GB of VRAM are insufficient to maintain high frame rates at the highest fidelity and pixel count. The 4K Medium result of 51 FPS, compared to the 1080p Medium result of 86 FPS, further reinforces that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER plays the dominant role in determining this game's performance envelope, particularly at higher resolutions. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a crucial resource for a game like Microsoft Flight Simulator that streams vast amounts of terrain and texture data. The benchmark results show that this memory configuration is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the combination of higher resolution textures and the need to fill more pixels appears to strain the memory subsystem, contributing to the sub-60 FPS averages at High and Ultra settings.

The GPU's clock speeds, with a base of 1605 MHz and a boost of 1770 MHz, are relatively modest by modern standards, but they are consistent with its performance class. The data shows that the GPU's 2560 shading units are capable of producing 111 FPS at 1080p Low, but the architecture's limits become apparent when the shader load increases. The DirectX 12 benchmark score of 67 (Passmark) is quite low, which may indicate that the card is not optimally optimized for the latest API features, though it does support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2).

The GPU's overall performance percentile of 65 out of 100 places it in the mid-range of all tested GPUs. Its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Arc B570 and Intel Arc A750, have average benchmark scores that are 1.3% and 1.5% higher, respectively. This competitive positioning explains why the 4K Ultra preset, which demands maximum shader work and memory throughput, results in just 37 FPS. The GPU is simply not powerful enough to maintain smooth frame rates at the highest settings in this resolution, making it the clear performance ceiling for this combo in Microsoft Flight Simulator.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 111 at 1920x1080 with Low settings, indicating a strong upper limit when the GPU load is minimized.

Q: Can this system handle 4K Ultra settings in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: No, it cannot. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo averages only 37 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold generally considered smooth for a flight simulator.

Q: How does the performance at 1440p compare to 1080p on High settings?

A: At 2560x1440 High, the average FPS is 52, which is 13 FPS (or 20%) lower than the 65 FPS achieved at 1920x1080 High, showing a significant performance penalty for the higher resolution.

Q: What is the role of the GPU's VRAM in this game's results?

A: The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the data suggests the memory bandwidth and capacity are strained, contributing to the low average FPS at High and Ultra presets.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck at 1080p Low settings?

A: With a score of 111 FPS at 1080p Low, the system is likely balanced, but the fact that this is the highest score suggests the GPU can still be fully utilized. The CPU's 8 cores and 16 threads are sufficient to feed the GPU at this low graphical load.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its closest rival, the Intel Arc A750?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 20282, which is 1.5% lower than the Intel Arc A750's score of 20582, making the two cards highly comparable in raw performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the system shows a wide range of performance: Low settings produce an average of 111 FPS, Medium produces 86 FPS (with a min of 73 and max of 99), High produces 65 FPS, and Ultra produces 62 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra at 1080p is a mere 3 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset's additional visual fidelity comes at a negligible cost at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the averages drop across the board. Low settings yield 89 FPS, Medium yields 70 FPS (min 59, max 80), High yields 52 FPS, and Ultra yields 50 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 39 FPS, showing that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor. The 1440p Medium result of 70 FPS is still smooth, but High and Ultra dip below the 60 FPS mark, indicating that users will need to adjust settings for a consistent experience.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly overwhelmed. Low settings average 66 FPS, Medium averages 51 FPS (min 44, max 59), High averages 39 FPS, and Ultra averages 37 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium at 4K is 15 FPS, which is significant. The 4K High and Ultra results of 39 and 37 FPS, respectively, are nearly identical, indicating that the GPU has hit a hard performance ceiling where additional settings changes have diminishing returns. The 4K Medium result, with a max FPS of 59, shows that even the best-case scenario barely touches 60 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of all tested hardware combinations, the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER pairing ranks 2138 out of 3714 combos for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the 43rd percentile, meaning that approximately 57% of tested combos perform better in this specific game. This ranking is a direct reflection of the hardware's mid-range status. The GPU's percentile of 65 against all GPUs is dragged down by the fact that the CPU, while capable, is not a top-tier performer, and the game's heavy reliance on both components is evident.

The combo's position is competitive but not exceptional. The RTX 2070 SUPER's nearest GPU rivals, such as the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile and Intel Arc A750, have average benchmark scores that are 1.2% and 1.5% higher, respectively. When paired with a similarly performing CPU, these rival combos would likely rank slightly higher. However, the 3700X's 84th percentile ranking among all CPUs, which places it just 0.2% above the Intel Core i5-13450HX in average benchmark score, helps keep this combo competitive. The data indicates that this is a sensible mid-range pairing that will deliver playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but it will not break any records in the performance rankings.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X plays a supporting but essential role in this combo's performance. Its 8 cores and 16 threads, based on the Zen 2 architecture, provide ample processing power for the complex simulation logic of Microsoft Flight Simulator. The CPU's benchmark scores are respectable, with a Geekbench multi-core score of 8899 and a Passmark multithread score of 22458. The 84th percentile ranking against all CPUs shows it is a solid performer, but its average benchmark score of 34260 is nearly identical to that of the AMD EPYC 4244P and Intel Core i5-13450HX, indicating it is firmly in the middle of the pack.

The CPU's clock speeds, with a base of 3.60 GHz and a boost of 4.40 GHz, are sufficient for gaming. The single-threaded performance, as measured by a Geekbench single-core score of 1593, is adequate but not outstanding. In Microsoft Flight Simulator, which often has a single main simulation thread, this means the CPU will not be the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, but it could limit maximum frame rates at 1080p Low. The fact that the combo achieves 111 FPS at 1080p Low suggests the CPU can keep up with the GPU's output at that level. The 32 MB of L3 cache is also beneficial for storing frequently accessed game data.

The CPU's performance relative to its rivals is a key factor. It is 0.1% faster than the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 and 0.1% faster than the AMD EPYC 4244P, but 0.2% slower than the Intel Core i5-13450HX. This near-tie in CPU performance means that the GPU is the primary differentiator in this combo's final ranking. The data shows that while the CPU is not a weak link, it also does not boost the system's performance. It provides a stable foundation for the RTX 2070 SUPER to operate, allowing the GPU to be the deciding factor in the game's visual fidelity and frame rate.