Microsoft Flight Simulator

# Microsoft Flight Simulator: AMD Ryzen 7 5700G + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080

This combination of an AMD Ryzen 7 5700G with a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 places 1036th out of 3714 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator, a position within the top 28% of all tested systems. The pairing delivers playable frame rates across all tested resolutions, with the RTX 3080's 10 GB of GDDR6X memory proving sufficient for the game's demanding scenery rendering, though the CPU's 16 MB of L3 cache and 51.2 GB/s memory bandwidth become increasingly relevant at lower resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What average frame rate does this combo achieve at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 52 FPS, making it the lowest-performing preset tested at 4K but still within a playable range for a flight simulator.

Q: How does the RTX 3080 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 3080's average benchmark score of 23172 places it within 0.4% of the AMD Radeon RX 6600M (23273) and 0.3% of the NVIDIA P106-100 (23249) and AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 (23250), showing tight competition among these GPUs.

Q: What is the Ryzen 7 5700G's multi-threaded performance relative to the Intel Core i9-9900K?

A: The Ryzen 7 5700G scores 27051 on average, which is 0.2% lower than the Intel Core i9-9900K's 27097, indicating near-identical overall CPU performance between the two.

Q: What frame rate range can be expected at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the combo produces an average of 99 FPS with a minimum of 84 FPS and a maximum of 114 FPS, providing a smooth experience with headroom for dips during complex scenery loads.

Q: Does the combo perform better at 1080p Low or 4K High settings?

A: The 1080p Low preset delivers 158 FPS average, while 4K High produces 55 FPS average. The choice depends on resolution preference, but the 1080p result shows nearly three times the frame rate of 4K High.

Q: How many CPU threads does the Ryzen 7 5700G offer, and what is its boost clock?

A: The processor features 8 cores and 16 threads with a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, alongside a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a 65 W TDP.

How This Combo Ranks

The 1036th position out of 3714 tested combinations places this system in the 72nd percentile of all tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This rank reflects the balance between the RTX 3080's strong rasterization performance and the Ryzen 7 5700G's capable but not top-tier CPU throughput. The CPU's percentile ranking of 79 among all processors suggests it sits above the majority of tested CPUs, while the GPU's 68th percentile indicates slightly lower relative standing among graphics cards. The combination of a high-percentile CPU with a mid-upper-percentile GPU yields a system that performs admirably in a CPU-sensitive title like Microsoft Flight Simulator, where the game's complex flight models and scenery streaming depend heavily on processor performance. The measured FPS data confirms this: at 1080p Ultra, the system maintains 88 FPS average, which is only 4 FPS lower than the 4K High result of 55 FPS, suggesting the CPU is not a severe bottleneck even at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 brings 10 GB of GDDR6X memory across a 320-bit bus, delivering 760.3 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is critical for Microsoft Flight Simulator, which streams high-resolution terrain and aircraft textures. The GPU's base clock of 1440 MHz and boost clock of 1710 MHz, combined with 8704 shading units, provide substantial compute throughput for the game's rendering workload. The 68 RT cores and 272 tensor cores support DirectX 12 Ultimate features, though the measured FPS data does not indicate whether ray tracing is enabled in these tests. The GPU's 29.77 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 465.1 GTexel/s texture rate allow the system to handle the game's dense geometry at high settings. The 10 GB VRAM capacity proves adequate across all tested settings, with no indication of memory-related stuttering in the measured data. At 4K Ultra, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, as the 52 FPS result shows the RTX 3080 struggling with the game's most demanding preset at the highest resolution. The GPU's percentile rank of 68 among all GPUs indicates it outperforms roughly two-thirds of tested graphics cards, yet the 4K Ultra result demonstrates the extreme demands of this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 158 FPS average on Low settings, 123 FPS average on Medium (with a minimum of 104 and maximum of 141), 92 FPS average on High, and 88 FPS average on Ultra. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 70 FPS, showing the significant impact of quality presets on performance. At 2560x1440, the results drop to 127 FPS average on Low, 99 FPS average on Medium (minimum 84, maximum 114), 74 FPS average on High, and 71 FPS average on Ultra. The 1440p numbers show a tighter range between High and Ultra (only 3 FPS difference) compared to the 1080p results, where High and Ultra differ by 4 FPS. At 3840x2160, the system produces 94 FPS average on Low, 73 FPS average on Medium (minimum 62, maximum 84), 55 FPS average on High, and 52 FPS average on Ultra. The 4K results reveal a substantial drop from Medium to High (18 FPS), indicating a steep performance cliff when transitioning from Medium to High presets at this resolution. Across all resolutions, the Medium preset consistently provides the most balanced performance with recorded minimum and maximum values, while Low and Ultra presets lack recorded variance data in the measured results.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K follows an expected pattern but with notable variations depending on the preset. For Low settings, performance drops from 158 FPS at 1080p to 127 FPS at 1440p (a 20% reduction) and then to 94 FPS at 4K (a further 26% reduction from 1440p). This represents a 41% total decrease from 1080p to 4K. For Medium settings, the progression goes from 123 FPS at 1080p to 99 FPS at 1440p (a 20% drop) and 73 FPS at 4K (a 26% drop from 1440p), totaling a 41% decrease. High settings show 92 FPS at 1080p, 74 FPS at 1440p (a 20% drop), and 55 FPS at 4K (a 26% drop from 1440p), for a 40% total decrease. Ultra settings follow a similar trend: 88 FPS at 1080p, 71 FPS at 1440p (a 19% drop), and 52 FPS at 4K (a 27% drop from 1440p), totaling a 41% decrease. This consistent scaling pattern across all presets suggests that the performance drop is primarily resolution-driven rather than setting-driven, indicating that the GPU becomes the limiting factor as pixel count increases. The relatively uniform percentage decreases from 1080p to 1440p and 1440p to 4K point to a balanced system where neither the CPU nor GPU creates a disproportionate bottleneck at any tested resolution.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700G features 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture, built on TSMC's 7 nm process with 10,700 million transistors. Its base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 4.60 GHz, combined with 16 MB of L3 cache, provide solid single-threaded and multi-threaded performance for Microsoft Flight Simulator. The CPU's benchmark results show a single-thread score of 899 in 3DMark and 1494 in Cinebench R23, while multi-threaded scores reach 6629 in 3DMark (16 threads) and 12830.5 in Cinebench R23. These figures place the CPU in the 79th percentile among all tested processors, with near-identical performance to the Intel Core i9-9900K (27097 vs 27051, a 0.2% difference). The 5700G's 65 W TDP and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth are modest compared to higher-end desktop parts, but the measured FPS data shows the CPU handles the game's demands effectively. At 1080p Low settings, the system achieves 158 FPS, suggesting the CPU can push well beyond 144 Hz in less demanding scenarios. The relatively small FPS differences between High and Ultra presets at each resolution (4 FPS at 1080p, 3 FPS at 1440p, 3 FPS at 4K) indicate that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at these settings, as the GPU handles the additional rendering workload without significant frame rate penalties.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the Medium preset at 1440p emerges as the most compelling option from the measured data. This configuration delivers 99 FPS average with a minimum of 84 FPS, providing smooth gameplay while maintaining reasonable visual fidelity. The recorded minimum and maximum values for Medium settings at all resolutions (104-141 at 1080p, 84-114 at 1440p, 62-84 at 4K) indicate consistent frame delivery without severe drops. If 4K resolution is preferred, the Medium preset at 73 FPS average remains playable, though the 62 FPS minimum suggests occasional dips during heavy scenery loads. The High preset at 4K drops to 55 FPS average, which may be acceptable for a flight simulator where precise frame timing is less critical than in fast-paced genres. For users prioritizing maximum visual quality, Ultra at 1440p (71 FPS average) offers a better experience than Ultra at 4K (52 FPS average), as the higher resolution does not compensate for the 19 FPS loss in frame rate. At 1080p, the Ultra preset (88 FPS average) provides the best visual experience without sacrificing playability, while the Low preset (158 FPS) is unnecessary except for competitive or recording scenarios. The data suggests that Medium at 1440p or 4K provides the most balanced experience, while Ultra at 1080p or 1440p serves users who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate headroom.