Microsoft Flight Simulator

# Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates for Microsoft Flight Simulator with the AMD Ryzen 7 5700 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 show a clear and consistent scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo delivers 77.9 FPS, which drops to 60.8 FPS at 2560x1440 and further to 48.1 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 21.9% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a 38.3% reduction from 1080p to 4K when using the High preset.

The scaling behavior across different settings tells a more nuanced story about which component is the limiting factor. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 134.1 FPS at 1080p to 105.5 FPS at 1440p and then to 82.0 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is 38.9%, which is nearly identical to the 38.3% drop observed at High settings. This consistency suggests that the GPU is the primary bottleneck across all resolution points, as the scaling pattern remains uniform regardless of the graphical load.

However, the Medium and Ultra presets reveal additional insight. At Medium settings, the frame rate goes from 104.3 FPS at 1080p to 84.6 FPS at 1440p and 64.0 FPS at 4K, representing a 38.6% total reduction. At Ultra, the numbers are 77.1 FPS, 58.2 FPS, and 46.4 FPS respectively, a 39.8% drop from 1080p to 4K. The slightly larger percentage reduction at Ultra settings indicates that the RTX 3070's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth become increasingly strained as both resolution and graphical complexity rise simultaneously.

The data strongly indicates that this pairing is GPU-limited rather than CPU-limited in Microsoft Flight Simulator. The fact that the frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K remains remarkably consistent—hovering around 38-40% reduction across all four quality presets—is a hallmark of a system where the graphics card is the constraining component. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the scaling would flatten at higher resolutions because the CPU workload would remain roughly constant while the GPU work increased; instead, the frame rate continues to drop proportionally with pixel count.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700 brings substantial processing capability to this flight simulator workload. With 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture, this processor offers a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. The CPU's benchmark results demonstrate its multithreaded prowess: it scores 20,655 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 2,916 in single-core, with a 3DMark 16-thread score of 6,628 and a max-thread score of 6,617.

In the context of Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU's role is primarily in handling the simulation logic, physics calculations, and world-building tasks that occur independently of resolution. The benchmark data shows that even at the lowest resolution tested (1080p Low), the system achieves 134.1 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold that most users would consider playable. This suggests that the Ryzen 7 5700 has sufficient headroom to keep the RTX 3070 fed with data, even when the GPU is under relatively light load.

The processor's single-thread performance is particularly relevant for flight simulation, as this genre typically exhibits significant single-thread dependencies. The Cinebench R20 single-core score of 1,224 and the 3DMark single-thread score of 901 indicate respectable per-core performance that is competitive with other processors in its class. The Ryzen 7 5700's average benchmark score of 27,220 places it in the 84th percentile of all CPUs, with its nearest rival being the Intel Core i9-9900K at 27,043 (a 0.7% delta), followed closely by the Intel Core i7-12700H at 27,006 (0.8%) and the Intel Core i7-1370P at 26,991 (0.8%).

The 16 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth provide adequate memory throughput for the simulation's data streaming requirements. The fact that the frame rates at 1080p Low (134.1 FPS) are significantly higher than at 1080p High (77.9 FPS) indicates that the CPU is not the primary constraint in this configuration; if it were, the Low preset would not deliver such a substantial frame rate advantage.

Settings Recommendations

Examining the measured data across all resolution and settings combinations reveals that the Medium preset offers the most balanced experience for this hardware combination. At 1920x1080, Medium delivers 104.3 FPS, which is 26.4 FPS higher than High and 29.9 FPS higher than Ultra, while only sacrificing 29.8 FPS compared to Low. This represents a strong sweet spot where visual quality improvements are still meaningful but the frame rate remains comfortably above 100 FPS.

At 2560x1440, Medium produces 84.6 FPS, which is a very playable frame rate for a flight simulator. The High preset at this resolution yields 60.8 FPS, while Ultra drops to 58.2 FPS—both are within the range of acceptable performance but leave less headroom for complex scenes with heavy weather or dense scenery. The Medium preset at 1440p provides a 23.8 FPS advantage over High while maintaining visual fidelity that is likely sufficient for most users.

For 4K resolution, the data suggests that Medium is the highest preset that maintains a comfortable frame rate. At 3840x2160, Medium delivers 64.0 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. High and Ultra at 4K produce 48.1 FPS and 46.4 FPS respectively, which are playable but may exhibit noticeable stuttering during demanding sequences. Low at 4K achieves 82.0 FPS, indicating that even at the highest resolution, the system can deliver excellent frame rates when graphical settings are reduced.

The Ultra preset provides diminishing returns across all resolutions. At 1080p, Ultra (77.1 FPS) is only 0.8 FPS lower than High (77.9 FPS), which is a negligible difference. At 1440p, the gap widens to 2.6 FPS, and at 4K it grows to 1.7 FPS. Given that Ultra offers marginal visual improvements over High in most cases, the performance cost is not justified for this configuration. The Medium preset consistently offers the best frame rate-per-quality ratio across all three resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of AMD Ryzen 7 5700 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 ranks 813th out of 1,795 tested combos for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places the pairing in the 54.7th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning it outperforms slightly more than half of all recorded systems while being surpassed by a significant portion of higher-end setups.

This ranking is consistent with the component-level performance of both parts. The RTX 3070 has an average benchmark score of 28,238 and sits in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs, with its nearest rivals being the AMD FirePro S7150 at 28,409 (a -0.6% delta) and the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT at 27,985 (0.9%). The Ryzen 7 5700's 84th percentile CPU ranking is actually stronger than the GPU's percentile, suggesting that the graphics card is the more limiting factor in this pairing.

The mid-pack ranking reflects the fact that Microsoft Flight Simulator is an exceptionally demanding title that can scale well beyond the capabilities of this hardware. The frame rates measured—ranging from 46.4 FPS at 4K Ultra to 134.1 FPS at 1080p Low—indicate that this combo is capable of delivering acceptable performance in most scenarios, but it does not approach the frame rates that would be achievable with higher-tier components.

Given that the combo rank of 813 out of 1,795 places it just above the median, users should expect this system to handle the game at medium-to-high settings at 1080p or 1440p with good results, while 4K gaming will require setting compromises. The data suggests that this is a well-balanced mid-range configuration that performs admirably for its component tier, though it is not positioned to compete with enthusiast-grade setups that would rank in the top quartile.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to use with this hardware for a smooth experience?

A: Based on the measured data, 2560x1440 with Medium settings provides 84.6 FPS, which offers an excellent balance of visual quality and smoothness. At 1920x1080, even Ultra settings deliver 77.1 FPS, so 1080p users have more flexibility.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: The frame rate drops from 77.9 FPS at 1920x1080 to 60.8 FPS at 2560x1440 and finally to 48.1 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a total reduction of 38.3% from 1080p to 4K.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this configuration?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The consistent frame rate scaling pattern across resolutions—approximately 38-40% reduction from 1080p to 4K for all settings—is characteristic of GPU-limited performance.

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

A: Yes, at Medium settings the system achieves 64.0 FPS at 3840x2160, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. At High settings, the frame rate drops to 48.1 FPS, which is playable but may not be smooth enough for all users.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 5700 compare to its nearest competitors?

A: The Ryzen 7 5700 scores 27,220 in average benchmarks, placing it 0.7% ahead of the Intel Core i9-9900K and 0.8% ahead of both the Intel Core i7-12700H and Intel Core i7-1370P.

Q: What settings provide the highest frame rate at 1080p?

A: Low settings deliver 134.1 FPS at 1920x1080, which is the highest measured frame rate for this combination. Medium settings produce 104.3 FPS, and High yields 77.9 FPS.