Microsoft Flight Simulator

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates for Microsoft Flight Simulator with this AMD Ryzen 7 5700 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 combination show a clear pattern of scaling across resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 176.7 FPS average, which drops to 143.1 FPS at 1440p and 101.7 FPS at 4K. That represents a 42.5% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, indicating the GPU is becoming progressively more stressed as pixel count rises.

Moving to High settings, the scaling is steeper. The 1080p result of 105.3 FPS falls to 83 FPS at 1440p (a 21.2% drop) and then to 63.6 FPS at 4K (a 23.4% drop from 1440p). The total reduction from 1080p to 4K at High is 39.6%. At Ultra settings, the pattern continues: 96.3 FPS at 1080p, 79.3 FPS at 1440p, and 57.4 FPS at 4K. The 1080p-to-4K reduction here is 40.4%.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is more influential in limiting performance, as the frame rate differences between Low and Ultra are relatively compressed. At Low settings, the jump from 1080p to 1440p costs 33.6 FPS, but the jump from 1440p to 4K costs 41.4 FPS. This widening gap at higher resolutions indicates the RTX 5070's rendering workload is scaling with pixel count, which is typical for a flight simulator where draw distance and terrain detail are significant GPU burdens.

At 4K Ultra, the combo delivers 57.4 FPS, which is still playable but below the 60 FPS threshold often considered smooth. The 4K High preset at 63.6 FPS is marginally above that threshold. The resolution scaling data reveals that this pairing is best suited for 1440p gaming, where even Ultra settings maintain 79.3 FPS, providing headroom for demanding scenery add-ons.

How This Combo Ranks

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, this specific CPU-GPU combination ranks 362nd out of 1795 tested combos, placing it in the top 20.2% of all configurations. This percentile positioning reflects a balanced pairing where neither component is dramatically bottlenecking the other at typical gaming resolutions.

The CPU itself sits at the 84th percentile among all processors in the database, with an average benchmark score of 27220. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-9900K with an average score of 27043 (only 0.7% lower), the Intel Core i7-12700H at 27006 (0.8% lower), and the Intel Core i7-1370P at 26991 (0.8% lower). The AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 trails at 26909, representing a 1.2% deficit. These extremely tight margins indicate the Ryzen 7 5700 is performance-competitive with a range of Intel offerings from different generations and market segments.

The GPU ranks at the 83rd percentile among all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 41687. Its nearest rivals are unusual: the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 scores 41610 (0.2% lower), while the NVIDIA Tesla M40 scores 41897 (0.5% higher). The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 is 0.6% behind at 41441, and the AMD Radeon Pro 580X is 0.7% ahead at 41991.

The combination's 362nd rank out of 1795 suggests that while the individual components are strong performers in their respective percentile brackets, the overall system places in the upper quintile of tested configurations for this specific game. Given that Flight Simulator is known for heavy CPU utilization during terrain processing and GPU load during rendering, this rank reflects a system that can handle the game's demands without major compromises at most settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 brings 12 GB of GDDR7 memory across a 192-bit bus, delivering 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory operates at 1750 MHz with 28 Gbps effective speed. This memory configuration is substantial for a flight simulator, where high-resolution textures and detailed terrain data are streamed continuously.

The GPU's base clock is 2325 MHz with a boost clock of 2512 MHz. The chip, codenamed GB205 on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, contains 31,100 million transistors on a 263 mm² die fabricated at TSMC's 5 nm process. With 6144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units, the RTX 5070 provides 30.87 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and a texture rate of 482.3 GTexel/s.

In the context of Microsoft Flight Simulator, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions. The measured FPS data shows that at 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 57.4 FPS, which is 40.4% below the 1080p Ultra result of 96.3 FPS. This scaling indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, particularly with Ultra settings that increase draw distances and texture detail.

The 12 GB VRAM capacity is adequate for this title, as the game's data streaming from the GPU's memory bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s supports smooth texture loading at 4K. The RTX 5070's passmark G3D score of 29137 and GPU compute score of 15787 indicate strong raw performance that aligns with the measured frame rates in this simulator.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on optimal settings for different resolutions. At 1080p, even Ultra settings deliver 96.3 FPS, which is well above smooth gameplay thresholds. The Low preset at 176.7 FPS offers minimal visual benefit for such a high frame rate, so users with 1080p displays can select Ultra without concern.

For 1440p displays, the Ultra preset at 79.3 FPS is still comfortably playable. The High preset at 83 FPS provides a slight frame rate improvement over Ultra, but the difference is only 3.7 FPS, suggesting that Ultra's additional visual fidelity comes at a minimal performance cost. The Medium preset at 111.5 FPS would be appropriate for users who prefer higher frame rates for recording or streaming.

At 4K, the decision requires more consideration. The Ultra preset at 57.4 FPS falls below the 60 FPS threshold, which may cause noticeable stutter in a flight simulator where smooth camera panning is important. The High preset at 63.6 FPS just exceeds this threshold, making it the recommended choice for 4K users who want a balance of visual quality and smoothness. The Medium preset at 80.9 FPS provides additional headroom for complex scenes with dense urban areas or heavy weather effects.

The Low preset at 4K delivers 101.7 FPS, which is far above what the visual quality warrants. Given that the RTX 5070 is a high-end GPU, users should prioritize High settings at 4K as the best measured experience, with Medium as a fallback for particularly demanding scenarios.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: Based on the measured data, 1440p offers the best balance. At Ultra settings, the combo achieves 79.3 FPS at 1440p, which is above the 60 FPS threshold while still using maximum visual quality. At 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 57.4 FPS, and at 1080p, the GPU is not fully utilized.

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

A: The reduction depends on settings. At Low settings, the drop is from 176.7 FPS at 1080p to 101.7 FPS at 4K, a 42.5% decrease. At Ultra settings, the drop is from 96.3 FPS to 57.4 FPS, a 40.4% decrease. The consistent percentage across settings indicates the GPU is the primary scaling factor.

Q: Is this CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K. The frame rate reductions from 1440p to 4K are 23.4% at High settings and 27.6% at Ultra settings, which are larger than the CPU-related reductions seen from 1080p to 1440p. The CPU's 84th percentile ranking and the GPU's 83rd percentile ranking are similar, but the resolution scaling pattern points to GPU limitation at 4K.

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

A: The Ryzen 7 5700 has an average benchmark score of 27220, which is 0.7% higher than the Intel Core i9-9900K at 27043, 0.8% higher than the Intel Core i7-12700H at 27006, and 0.8% higher than the Intel Core i7-1370P at 26991. The AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 is 1.2% lower at 26909.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average at 1080p High is 105.3 FPS. This is sufficient for smooth gameplay, and users who prefer maximum visual fidelity can use Ultra at 96.3 FPS without significant compromise.

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K?

A: It depends on settings. At 4K High, the average is 63.6 FPS, which exceeds 60 FPS. At 4K Ultra, the average is 57.4 FPS, which falls below 60 FPS. Users targeting a strict 60 FPS minimum should use High settings at 4K or Medium at 80.9 FPS for additional headroom.