Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator with the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER delivers a smooth, high-fidelity experience, but the data shows that the optimal settings preset depends heavily on your target resolution and refresh rate. The benchmark results indicate that this combination is best suited for 1440p High or 4K High, where it maintains playable frame rates without sacrificing the visual detail that defines this title.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data shows a clear hierarchy across presets, with the sweet spot being the High preset at both 1440p and 4K. At 2560x1440, the High preset achieves 84.1 FPS, which is a solid 3.2 FPS higher than the Ultra preset’s 80.9 FPS, while the Medium preset delivers 113 FPS and Low hits 132.3 FPS. The performance gap between High and Ultra is small, but the visual uplift from High to Ultra is often minimal in flight simulators, making High the more efficient choice for maintaining a high refresh rate experience.

For 4K gaming, the High preset is the definitive recommendation. It produces 62.5 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, while the Ultra preset drops slightly to 61.1 FPS and Medium falls to 81.8 FPS. The Low preset at 4K reaches 109.1 FPS, but this requires significant visual compromises that detract from the game’s core appeal. At 1080p, the High preset delivers 108.5 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors, though the Ultra preset’s 103.6 FPS is also viable if you prefer maximum fidelity over a few extra frames.

The data suggests that the Ultra preset is not worth the performance cost at any resolution. The gap between High and Ultra is consistently small—only 3.2 FPS at 1440p and 1.4 FPS at 4K—indicating diminishing returns. For the best balance of visual quality and frame rate, the High preset is the clear winner, especially on 1440p and 4K displays where the RTX 4070 SUPER’s capabilities are fully utilized.

GPU Role

The RTX 4070 SUPER, with its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s, plays a critical role in Microsoft Flight Simulator’s performance. The GPU’s 35.48 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power and 7168 shading units are directly responsible for rendering the dense terrain and detailed aircraft models. The benchmark results show that the GPU is the primary driver of frame rates at higher resolutions, with the 4K High preset achieving 62.5 FPS compared to 84.1 FPS at 1440p High—a 25.7% drop that scales with pixel count.

The GPU’s 1980 MHz base clock and 2475 MHz boost clock allow it to maintain high utilization across all presets. At 4K, the difference between Low and Ultra is 48 FPS (109.1 vs 61.1), demonstrating that the GPU has ample headroom to handle the increased shading and texture loads. The 12 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for the game’s high-resolution textures, as evidenced by the stable performance at 4K Ultra without any min FPS dips reported. The GPU’s 84th percentile ranking among all GPUs and its proximity to the NVIDIA RTX A6000 in average benchmark scores (42576 vs 42653, a -0.2% delta) indicate that this card is well-positioned to handle the game’s demands.

The data shows that the GPU is not the limiting factor at 1080p, where the CPU begins to play a larger role. However, at 1440p and 4K, the RTX 4070 SUPER’s raw compute power dictates the frame rates, making it the dominant component in this pairing.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, provides a strong foundation for Microsoft Flight Simulator’s simulation-heavy workload. The CPU’s Zen 2 architecture, running at a base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz, is responsible for processing the game’s complex flight physics, AI traffic, and world streaming. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 19087 and single-core score of 2694 reflect its capability to handle both multi-threaded and single-threaded tasks.

At 1080p, the CPU’s influence becomes more apparent. The difference between Low and Ultra settings is 34.1 FPS (137.7 vs 103.6), which is less pronounced than at 4K (48 FPS difference), suggesting that the CPU is preventing the GPU from reaching its full potential at lower resolutions. The CPU’s 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs and its average benchmark score of 28631, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core i5-12600’s 28654 (-0.1% delta), indicate that it is a capable partner for the RTX 4070 SUPER.

However, the data reveals that the 3700X is a mild bottleneck at 1080p. The 137.7 FPS at Low settings is the highest recorded for this combo, but the GPU could potentially push higher if the CPU were faster. At 1440p and 4K, the CPU’s load decreases relative to the GPU, and the frame rates scale more predictably with resolution. The 32 MB of L3 cache helps with the game’s streaming data, but the 51.2 GB/s memory bandwidth is adequate for this workload.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 397th out of 1795 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the top 22% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the strong overall performance of the pairing, though it is not at the very top tier. The CPU’s 85th percentile and GPU’s 84th percentile scores suggest that both components are above average, but the combination does not achieve the peak performance of top-end CPUs paired with flagship GPUs.

The rank is influenced by the CPU’s relative weakness compared to newer processors. While the RTX 4070 SUPER is a high-end GPU, the Ryzen 7 3700X’s performance is comparable to mid-range CPUs like the Intel Core i5-12600, which has a nearly identical average benchmark score. This means that in CPU-bound scenarios, the combo may fall behind configurations with faster processors. The data shows that the combo’s rank is respectable but indicates that upgrading the CPU could yield significant gains in frame rates, particularly at 1080p.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows how the combo scales across resolutions, revealing the shifting balance between CPU and GPU load. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS across all settings drops by approximately 23% (from 119.2 to 102.6). From 1440p to 4K, the drop is more substantial at 38% (from 102.6 to 78.6). This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU becomes the limiting factor at 4K, while the CPU has more influence at 1080p.

At the High preset, the frame rates decline from 108.5 FPS at 1080p to 84.1 FPS at 1440p (a 22.5% drop) and then to 62.5 FPS at 4K (a 25.7% drop from 1440p). This consistent scaling suggests that the GPU is handling the increased resolution load efficiently, but the CPU is not providing additional headroom at lower resolutions. The Low preset shows a smaller drop from 1080p to 1440p (137.7 to 132.3, a 3.9% drop), indicating that at low settings, the CPU is the primary bottleneck at 1080p, and the GPU becomes more relevant as resolution increases.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured FPS data is as follows:

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: 109.1 FPS
• Medium: 81.8 FPS
• High: 62.5 FPS
• Ultra: 61.1 FPS

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: 132.3 FPS
• Medium: 113 FPS
• High: 84.1 FPS
• Ultra: 80.9 FPS

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: 137.7 FPS
• Medium: 127 FPS
• High: 108.5 FPS
• Ultra: 103.6 FPS

The data shows that the Ultra preset is the most demanding, with the largest drop from 1080p to 4K (103.6 to 61.1, a 41% decrease). The Medium preset offers a balanced performance profile, with 127 FPS at 1080p, 113 FPS at 1440p, and 81.8 FPS at 4K. The Low preset is the most scalable, maintaining above 100 FPS at all resolutions. The High preset provides the best consistency, with all resolutions above 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice for a smooth experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for 4K gaming with this combo?

A: The High preset is the best choice for 4K, delivering 62.5 FPS. The Ultra preset only offers 61.1 FPS, which is a marginal difference of 1.4 FPS, while the Medium preset provides 81.8 FPS but sacrifices visual quality.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: Yes, the data suggests the Ryzen 7 3700X limits performance at 1080p. The Low preset achieves 137.7 FPS, but the GPU is capable of higher frame rates, as evidenced by the smaller performance gap between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p compared to 4K.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested configurations?

A: This combo ranks 397th out of 1795 tested combos, placing it in the top 22%. The CPU and GPU both score in the 84-85th percentile, indicating above-average performance but not top-tier.

Q: What is the performance difference between High and Ultra settings?

A: The difference is small across all resolutions. At 1080p, High is 108.5 FPS and Ultra is 103.6 FPS (a 4.5% difference). At 1440p, High is 84.1 FPS and Ultra is 80.9 FPS (a 3.8% difference). At 4K, High is 62.5 FPS and Ultra is 61.1 FPS (a 2.2% difference).

Q: Does the 12 GB VRAM cause any issues at 4K?

A: No, the data shows stable performance at 4K Ultra with 61.1 FPS and no min FPS drops reported. The 12 GB of GDDR6X memory is sufficient for the game’s high-resolution textures.

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

A: The Ryzen 7 3700X has an average benchmark score of 28631, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core i5-12600’s 28654 (a -0.1% delta). This indicates comparable performance to current mid-range CPUs.