Microsoft Flight Simulator

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

The measured FPS data for Microsoft Flight Simulator reveals a steep performance curve as resolution climbs, which is exactly what you would expect from a GPU-heavy simulator. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo delivers 125.5 FPS, but stepping up to 2560x1440 drops that to 104 FPS, and 3840x2160 further reduces it to 73.2 FPS. That is a 41.7% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, a substantial hit that signals the GPU is doing most of the heavy lifting.

The pattern persists across all settings presets. At High settings, the frame rate falls from 75.9 FPS at 1080p to 57.7 FPS at 1440p and then to 44.7 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 24%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 22.5%. These are relatively consistent percentage losses, suggesting that the scaling is smooth and predictable rather than hitting a sudden bottleneck wall.

What is more telling is the relationship between settings and resolution. At 1080p, the gap between Low and Ultra is 54.6 FPS (125.5 vs 70.9), but at 4K that gap narrows to 31.8 FPS (73.2 vs 41.4). This compression of the settings range at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is becoming the primary constraint — when pixel count rises, the difference between Low and Ultra matters less because the GPU is already saturated. The data implies that at 1080p, the CPU has more headroom to feed frames, while at 4K, the Radeon RX 6750 XT is the limiting component.

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

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700 brings 8 cores and 16 threads to the table, built on the Zen 3 architecture with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. Its cache layout includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and a 16 MB L3 cache. For a flight simulator that often involves complex physics and AI calculations, this core count is meaningful. The 3dmark_16_threads score of 6628 and the 3dmark_max_threads score of 6617 indicate that the CPU scales well with thread count, which is relevant for a game that can utilize multiple cores for weather simulation and terrain loading.

The single-thread performance is less impressive, with a 3dmark_single_thread score of 901 and a cinebench_r23_singlecore score of 2916. Flight Simulator is known to have a primary rendering thread that can be a bottleneck, so this moderate single-core showing might explain why frame rates do not reach higher levels even at 1080p Low (125.5 FPS). The CPU's passmark_single_thread score of 3296 puts it in a modest position, and the percentileVsAllCpus of 84 means it outperforms 84% of all CPUs tested, but it is not a top-tier single-core part.

When compared to its nearest rivals, the Ryzen 7 5700 sits very close to the Intel Core i9-9900K, which has an avgScore of 27043 and a deltaPct of 0.7%. That 0.7% difference is negligible, meaning the Ryzen 7 5700 is effectively on par with a high-end desktop CPU from a few generations back. The data suggests that in CPU-limited scenarios at lower resolutions, this chip will perform admirably but not exceptionally, which matches the measured FPS behavior.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with the Navi 22 chip, featuring 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation pipelines. It comes with 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The boost clock reaches 2600 MHz, with a game clock of 2495 MHz. For a flight simulator that streams vast terrain textures and detailed aircraft models, the 12 GB VRAM is a crucial asset — it allows the GPU to hold more assets without stuttering.

The GPU's passmark_g3d score of 20700 and its percentileVsAllGpus of 79 indicate that it sits in the upper tier of graphics cards, though not at the flagship level. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, has an avgScore of 35787 and a deltaPct of -1.3%, meaning the RX 6750 XT is slightly behind that card. The gap is small — 1.3% — so in practice the performance difference is minor.

In the context of this game, the GPU's role is dominant. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra is just 41.4 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold that many players consider playable. Even at 1440p Ultra, the combo only manages 53.8 FPS. This is a clear sign that the RX 6750 XT, while capable, is stretched thin by the highest settings at high resolutions. The 13.31 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is decent, but flight simulation's heavy draw calls and complex shaders push the card to its limits.

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

At 1920x1080, the combo produces 125.5 FPS on Low, 96.8 FPS on Medium, 75.9 FPS on High, and 70.9 FPS on Ultra. The jump from Low to Medium is a 28.7 FPS drop, while the jump from Medium to High is 20.9 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 5 FPS. The diminishing returns are clear — the largest performance hit comes from going Low to Medium, while the Ultra preset only costs 5 FPS over High. This suggests that High is a sweet spot at 1080p, offering 75.9 FPS with better visuals than Medium.

At 2560x1440, the numbers are 104 FPS on Low, 78.1 FPS on Medium, 57.7 FPS on High, and 53.8 FPS on Ultra. The drop from Low to Medium is 25.9 FPS, from Medium to High is 20.4 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 3.9 FPS. The Ultra-to-High gap narrows further at this resolution, indicating that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor. The 57.7 FPS on High is just under the 60 FPS threshold, so players at 1440p may prefer High over Ultra.

At 3840x2160, the results are 73.2 FPS on Low, 55.2 FPS on Medium, 44.7 FPS on High, and 41.4 FPS on Ultra. The drop from Low to Medium is 18 FPS, from Medium to High is 10.5 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 3.3 FPS. At 4K, even Low settings cannot hit 60 FPS, and Ultra dips below 45 FPS. The data clearly shows that this combo is not ideal for 4K gaming, but it can handle 1440p and 1080p with appropriate settings.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 5700 and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT ranks 889th out of 1795 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. That places it in the middle of the pack, at roughly the 50.5th percentile. This is a surprising result given the individual component scores — the CPU ranks in the 84th percentile and the GPU in the 79th percentile, yet the combo lands in the middle for this specific game.

This discrepancy suggests that Microsoft Flight Simulator is particularly demanding in ways that neither component can fully compensate for. The game's engine may not scale perfectly with the CPU's 8 cores, or the GPU's 12 GB VRAM might be insufficient at higher settings. The rank of 889 out of 1795 puts it in a crowded field — many other combos with similar or slightly better parts achieve higher frame rates. For context, the CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-9900K, would likely pair similarly, given the 0.7% performance delta. The data implies that this combo is a solid mid-tier option, but not one that stands out in this particular title.

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

At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 75.9 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset costs only 5 FPS over High (70.9 FPS), so players with a 1080p monitor who want maximum visual fidelity can justify Ultra without a major performance penalty. However, the Medium preset at 96.8 FPS offers a substantial headroom for those who prefer higher frame rates over visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 57.7 FPS is just under 60 FPS, making it a borderline choice. The Medium preset at 78.1 FPS is the safer option for a smooth experience, while Ultra at 53.8 FPS may cause noticeable stutters in dense areas. The data suggests that Medium is the best balance at 1440p for this combo.

At 3840x2160, none of the presets achieve 60 FPS. The Low preset at 73.2 FPS is the only option that offers a playable frame rate, but it sacrifices visual quality. The Medium preset at 55.2 FPS is playable but not ideal, and High at 44.7 FPS is borderline. For 4K, the recommendation is to stick with Low or Medium, depending on personal tolerance for frame rate versus fidelity. Overall, the High preset at 1080p offers the best compromise between visual quality and performance across all measured rows.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Microsoft Flight Simulator with this combo?

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 with the High preset delivers 75.9 FPS, which is the sweet spot. At 2560x1440, the Medium preset at 78.1 FPS is also viable, but 3840x2160 struggles to reach 60 FPS on any setting.

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

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 5700 has an avgBenchmarkScore of 27220, which is only 0.7% higher than the Intel Core i9-9900K (27043) and 0.8% higher than the Intel Core i7-12700H (27006). The performance differences are negligible, making these CPUs effectively interchangeable in this game.

Q: Is the GPU a bottleneck at higher resolutions?

A: Yes, the data shows that at 3840x2160, the frame rate drops to 41.4 FPS on Ultra and 44.7 FPS on High. The GPU's passmark_g3d score of 20700 and its 79th percentile ranking indicate it is a capable card, but the high pixel count of 4K overwhelms it in this simulator.

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings is 57.7 FPS. This is just below the 60 FPS threshold, so players may notice minor dips in demanding scenes.

Q: How much VRAM does the GPU have, and is it enough?

A: The GPU has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 192-bit bus and 432.0 GB/s bandwidth. For Microsoft Flight Simulator, which streams large terrain textures, 12 GB is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K Ultra, the memory bandwidth may contribute to the lower frame rates.

Q: Where does this combo rank among all tested combos?

A: The combo ranks 889th out of 1795 tested combos in this game, placing it in the middle of the pack. This is lower than the individual component percentiles suggest, indicating that this game is particularly demanding on the overall system balance.