Microsoft Flight Simulator

The pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 5700 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 presents an interesting study in bottleneck dynamics within Microsoft Flight Simulator. The data indicates that this combination ranks 78th out of 1795 tested combos, placing it in the top 4.3% of all configurations tested. This high percentile ranking is notable given that the processor itself sits at the 84th percentile among all CPUs, while the graphics card commands the 91st percentile among GPUs, suggesting the system achieves near-elite status despite a slight processor-side limitation.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases, though the magnitude of the drop is unusually compressed. At 1080p with Ultra settings, the combo delivers 132.9 FPS, which falls to 103.4 FPS at 1440p—a 22.2% reduction. The jump to 4K Ultra further reduces performance to 76.2 FPS, representing another 26.3% decline. This steep scaling curve indicates that the RTX 4090 remains the dominant performance driver even at lower resolutions, where a weaker CPU would typically cap framerates.

Looking at High settings, the pattern repeats with 135.7 FPS at 1080p, 112.1 FPS at 1440p, and 81.6 FPS at 4K. The 4K figure represents a 39.9% drop from the 1080p baseline, which is substantial but not catastrophic. Interestingly, the gap between 1080p and 1440p narrows to just 17.4%, suggesting that the processor begins asserting more influence at the lower resolution. The Ryzen 7 5700, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, demonstrates enough headroom to keep feeding the GPU adequately at 1080p, but the data shows diminishing returns as resolution climbs.

The Low preset tells a different story. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 171.4 FPS, which drops to 161.2 FPS at 1440p—only a 6.0% decline. The 4K Low result of 134.6 FPS still represents a 21.5% drop from 1080p, but the relative flatness between 1080p and 1440p suggests that at lower graphical loads, the CPU becomes the primary constraint. This is consistent with the Ryzen 7 5700's position relative to its nearest rivals, where it sits just 0.7% ahead of the Intel Core i9-9900K in average benchmark score.

The Medium preset shows the most stable scaling curve, with 156.4 FPS at 1080p, 143.2 FPS at 1440p, and 104.3 FPS at 4K. The 1080p-to-1440p drop of 8.4% is moderate, while the 1440p-to-4K drop of 27.2% confirms that the GPU becomes progressively more stressed at higher resolutions. Overall, the data suggests that at 1080p, the system operates near the CPU's practical limit, while 4K performance is almost entirely dictated by the RTX 4090's capabilities.

FAQ

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested configurations in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 5700 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination ranks 78th out of 1795 tested combos, placing it in the top 4.3% of all configurations. This high ranking is driven primarily by the GPU's exceptional performance, as the processor sits at the 84th percentile among all CPUs.

Q: What is the performance difference between 1080p and 4K at Ultra settings?

A: At Ultra settings, the system delivers 132.9 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 103.4 FPS at 1440p, and further to 76.2 FPS at 4K. The total drop from 1080p to 4K is 42.7%, indicating that the RTX 4090 remains the limiting factor even at lower resolutions.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 5700 a bottleneck for the RTX 4090 in this game?

A: The data suggests partial CPU limitation at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 171.4 FPS, and at 1440p Low it manages 161.2 FPS—only a 6.0% difference. This narrow gap indicates that the processor starts to constrain performance when the GPU has lighter workloads.

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

A: The Ryzen 7 5700 has an average benchmark score of 27220, which is 0.7% higher than the Intel Core i9-9900K, 0.8% higher than both the Intel Core i7-12700H and Intel Core i7-1370P, and 1.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen AI 5 340.

Q: What is the best resolution for maintaining high framerates?

A: At 1080p, all settings presets exceed 132 FPS, with Low reaching 171.4 FPS. At 1440p, Ultra still maintains 103.4 FPS, while Low achieves 161.2 FPS. For 4K, only Low and Medium presets exceed 100 FPS, with 134.6 FPS and 104.3 FPS respectively.

Q: How does the RTX 4090 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 4090 has an average benchmark score of 66473, which is 0.4% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla T4, 0.5% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla P40, 0.9% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56, and 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA Quadro P6000.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 78 out of 1795 tested configurations places it firmly in the top 4.3% of all systems tested in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This is a remarkable achievement given that the processor alone sits at the 84th percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU commands the 91st percentile among all GPUs. The data suggests that the RTX 4090's dominance compensates for the Ryzen 7 5700's mid-tier positioning, allowing the pair to punch well above the processor's weight class.

Breaking down the components, the Ryzen 7 5700's average benchmark score of 27220 places it just 0.7% ahead of the Intel Core i9-9900K, a notable comparison given the generational difference. The processor's nearest rivals all cluster within 1.2% of its score, indicating that the CPU is competitively positioned but not exceptional. Meanwhile, the RTX 4090's average benchmark score of 66473 places it just 0.4% behind the NVIDIA Tesla T4, though the gaming-oriented card clearly excels in this specific workload.

The high combo rank is particularly impressive when considering the measured FPS data. At 4K Ultra, the system still delivers 76.2 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold many users consider minimum for smooth flight simulation. The combination's ability to maintain playable framerates even at the most demanding settings speaks to the GPU's raw compute capability, as the RTX 4090 features 16,384 shading units and 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The processor's 8 cores and 16 threads, while not the newest architecture, provide sufficient throughput to avoid severe bottlenecks in this simulation-heavy title.

Settings Recommendations

For users prioritizing maximum visual fidelity, the Ultra preset at 1440p offers the best balance, delivering 103.4 FPS while maintaining the highest graphical quality available. The 4K Ultra preset falls to 76.2 FPS, which remains playable but may exhibit noticeable stutter in dense urban environments or during weather events. The data shows that 4K Medium provides a more comfortable experience at 104.3 FPS, representing a 36.9% improvement over Ultra while still offering substantial visual enhancements over Low.

At 1080p, the Medium preset at 156.4 FPS presents the most compelling option for users with high-refresh-rate displays. The 1440p Medium result of 143.2 FPS also offers excellent fluidity, though the High preset at 112.1 FPS may be preferable for those who prioritize image quality over raw framerate. The Low preset at 1080p achieves 171.4 FPS, which is the highest measured performance in the entire dataset, but the visual compromises may not be worth the extra 15 FPS over Medium.

For 4K users, the Medium preset at 104.3 FPS is the recommended choice, as it provides a significant improvement over High's 81.6 FPS while remaining comfortably above 100 FPS. The gap between Medium and Ultra at 4K is 28.1 FPS, which represents a substantial margin that could affect gameplay smoothness during complex flight maneuvers. Overall, the data suggests that the Medium preset offers the best performance-per-quality ratio across all resolutions, with the 1440p Medium configuration providing the most balanced experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS dataset reveals consistent performance scaling across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system achieves 171.4 FPS on Low, 156.4 FPS on Medium, 135.7 FPS on High, and 132.9 FPS on Ultra. The spread between Low and Ultra is 38.5 FPS, with the largest single-step drop occurring between Medium and High at 20.7 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance declines across all presets: Low produces 161.2 FPS, Medium 143.2 FPS, High 112.1 FPS, and Ultra 103.4 FPS. The 1080p-to-1440p drop is most pronounced at High settings, with a 23.6 FPS reduction, while Low shows the smallest decline at 10.2 FPS. This pattern reinforces the interpretation that the CPU becomes less of a limiting factor as resolution increases.

At 3840x2160, the results are 134.6 FPS on Low, 104.3 FPS on Medium, 81.6 FPS on High, and 76.2 FPS on Ultra. The step between Medium and High is 22.7 FPS, while the step between High and Ultra narrows to just 5.4 FPS. This compression at the top end suggests that Ultra settings introduce diminishing returns, with the final 5.4 FPS improvement coming at significant visual cost. The 4K Low result of 134.6 FPS remains higher than the 1080p Ultra result of 132.9 FPS, demonstrating the GPU's headroom even at maximum resolution when graphical fidelity is reduced.