Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator is an exceptionally demanding title, and the benchmark data for the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination reveals a system that is carefully balanced between its two main components. The measured frames per second (FPS) across resolutions and settings show a clear narrative: this is a setup capable of smooth flight at high refresh rates on less demanding configurations, but one that must make compromises to achieve visual fidelity at higher resolutions. The data suggests a pairing where the GPU’s capabilities are the primary driver of performance scaling, while the CPU provides a stable, if not spectacular, foundation.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 provides a clear picture of where the performance bottleneck lies. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 116.9 FPS, which drops to 98.1 FPS at 1440p and further to 70.2 FPS at 4K. This scaling pattern shows a significant, but not catastrophic, performance hit as pixel count increases. The drop from 1080p to 1440p represents a 16% decrease in performance, while the jump from 1440p to 4K results in a 28% decrease. This indicates that the RTX 4060 is still managing the workload relatively efficiently at 1440p, but the 4K resolution begins to strain its capabilities.

When examining the High settings preset, the scaling tells a slightly different story. The system delivers 69.8 FPS at 1080p, 55.3 FPS at 1440p, and 40.3 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are more pronounced here: a 21% decrease from 1080p to 1440p and a 27% decrease from 1440p to 4K. This suggests that as the graphical load increases with both resolution and settings, the GPU becomes the limiting factor. The data implies that at lower settings, the system is more capable of maintaining performance across resolutions, but at higher settings, the demands of 4K become too great for the RTX 4060 to maintain a fluid experience.

The most telling observation is the performance delta between Low and Ultra at each resolution. At 1080p, the difference is 50.3 FPS (116.9 down to 66.6). At 1440p, the difference is 45 FPS (98.1 down to 53.1). At 4K, the difference is 31.9 FPS (70.2 down to 38.3). This shrinking gap at higher resolutions is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario. The data suggests that at 4K, even the Low preset is demanding enough to keep the GPU fully occupied, leaving less headroom for the settings to make a large impact. The component limiting performance here is unequivocally the graphics card, as the CPU has more than enough power to feed it frames at these pixel densities.

GPU Role

The RTX 4060’s role in this pairing is defined by its memory configuration and clock speeds. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, the card offers a memory bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s. The boost clock of 2460 MHz, combined with 3072 shading units, gives the card a theoretical FP32 performance of 15.11 TFLOPS. These specifications point to a card designed for 1080p and 1440p gaming, which is exactly what the measured FPS confirms. At 1080p Ultra, the card manages 66.6 FPS, and at 1440p Ultra, it achieves 53.1 FPS, both playable figures.

The data shows that the GPU’s performance is heavily influenced by the settings preset. The jump from Medium to High at 1440p results in a drop from 72.5 FPS to 55.3 FPS, a 24% decrease. This suggests that the High preset introduces effects that are particularly taxing on the 8 GB memory buffer or the shading units. The card’s 48 ROPs may also be a limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the pixel processing demand increases. The benchmark results indicate that the RTX 4060 is most comfortable in the Medium to High range at 1440p, where it can maintain frame rates above 55 FPS.

At 4K, the GPU’s limitations become starkly apparent. Even at Medium settings, the card only achieves 53.2 FPS, and at Ultra, it falls to 38.3 FPS. This performance level is below the threshold for a smooth experience in a flight simulator, where consistent frame pacing is crucial for immersion. The VRAM capacity of 8 GB is likely a contributing factor, as Microsoft Flight Simulator’s high-resolution textures can easily exceed this limit, leading to potential stuttering or texture pop-in. The data suggests that the RTX 4060 is not a 4K card for this title, and its 66th percentile ranking among all GPUs reflects this mid-range positioning.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, provides a robust foundation for the simulation’s complex calculations. Its base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz, combined with a 32 MB L3 cache, ensures that the CPU is not a bottleneck in the tested scenarios. The CPU’s benchmarks, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 19087 and a single-core score of 2694, show it is a capable processor, even if it is not the fastest on the market. Its 85th percentile ranking against all CPUs indicates it is a solid performer that can handle the game’s physics and AI calculations without issue.

The measured FPS data supports this conclusion. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see similar FPS numbers across different resolutions at the same settings. Instead, the data shows a clear resolution-dependent scaling, which is the hallmark of a GPU-bound system. For instance, at High settings, the FPS drops from 69.8 at 1080p to 40.3 at 4K. This scaling is entirely due to the GPU’s workload increasing, not the CPU. The 3700X has enough headroom to process the game’s data at all resolutions, allowing the RTX 4060 to be the sole determinant of performance.

The CPU’s memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s is another factor that supports its role as a stable foundation. It is sufficient to feed the GPU with data, ensuring that the graphics card is not starved of information. The 3700X’s performance relative to its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i5-12600 which has a deltaPct of -0.1, shows that it is competitive with newer mainstream processors in general compute tasks. For Microsoft Flight Simulator, this means the CPU will not be the source of frame rate dips, allowing the GPU to be the primary focus for performance tuning.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal experience depends heavily on the user’s target resolution. For 1920x1080, the High preset is the clear choice, delivering 69.8 FPS. This provides a good balance between visual quality and smoothness. The Ultra preset is also viable at 66.6 FPS, but the marginal visual improvement may not justify the performance cost. For users with high refresh rate monitors, the Medium preset at 93 FPS offers a significantly smoother experience, though it sacrifices some graphical fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the best recommendation, achieving 72.5 FPS. This provides a fluid experience while maintaining a decent level of detail. The High preset at 55.3 FPS is acceptable, but it is on the edge of what is considered smooth for a flight simulator. The Ultra preset at 53.1 FPS is not recommended, as the performance dip is noticeable. For 3840x2160, the data strongly suggests that the Low preset at 70.2 FPS is the only playable option. The Medium preset at 53.2 FPS is borderline, but the Low preset offers the best chance of a consistent experience.

The data indicates that the "best experience" is a trade-off between frame rate and visual quality. For a game like Microsoft Flight Simulator, where the scenery is a key part of the experience, the High preset at 1080p offers the most immersive balance. At 1440p, the Medium preset is the sweet spot, providing a significant upgrade in resolution over 1080p while maintaining a playable frame rate. The Ultra preset is only recommended for users who prioritize visuals over frame rate and are willing to accept lower performance.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Microsoft Flight Simulator at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: The data shows an average of 38.3 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is below the threshold for a smooth experience. This setting is not recommended for consistent play.

Q: What is the best preset for a 1440p monitor?

A: The Medium preset is optimal, delivering 72.5 FPS. It offers a good balance between visual fidelity and performance, ensuring a smooth flight.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. At 1080p, the FPS scales significantly with settings (116.9 FPS on Low to 66.6 FPS on Ultra), indicating the graphics card is handling the variable workload.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its closest rival in general performance?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 23181, which is 0.6% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6600M, its closest rival. The performance difference is negligible.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 3700X a bottleneck for this game?

A: The data suggests no. Performance scales with resolution and settings, which is a sign of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU’s 85th percentile ranking supports its adequacy for this title.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 69.8. This provides a smooth experience suitable for most users.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact average FPS figures from the benchmark data.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS |

|---|---|---|

| 1920x1080 | Low | 116.9 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 93.0 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 69.8 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 66.6 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 98.1 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 72.5 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 55.3 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 53.1 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 70.2 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 53.2 |

| 3840x2160 | High | 40.3 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 38.3 |

The data shows a consistent pattern: lower resolutions and lower settings yield higher frame rates. The 1080p Low preset is the only configuration that exceeds 100 FPS, making it ideal for high refresh rate displays. The 4K Ultra preset is the most demanding, yielding the lowest FPS. The incremental gains from High to Ultra are minimal across all resolutions, suggesting that the Ultra preset may not be worth the performance cost.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 1028 out of 1795 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the 57th percentile of all tested systems, indicating it is a mid-pack performer. The ranking suggests that while this combo is capable of running the game, there are many other hardware pairings that can achieve higher frame rates.

The ranking can be interpreted in the context of the individual components’ performance. The RTX 4060’s 66th percentile ranking among all GPUs is higher than the combo’s overall rank, suggesting the GPU is a relatively strong part of the pairing. Conversely, the CPU’s 85th percentile ranking is much higher, indicating it is not the limiting factor. The combo’s lower overall rank is likely due to the demanding nature of the game and the GPU’s limitations at higher resolutions, which drags the average performance down. The data implies that for users with this combo, focusing on 1080p or 1440p gaming will yield the best results, aligning with the GPU’s intended market segment.