Microsoft Flight Simulator

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X pairs an 8-core, 16-thread Zen 3 layout with a 3.40 GHz base and 4.60 GHz boost clock. This Vermeer chip, built on TSMC's 7 nm process, posts a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22620 and a single-core score of 3193. Its benchmark percentile against all CPUs is 83, placing it in the upper tier of processors. In the nearest rival comparison, the data shows a virtual tie with the Intel Core i9-11900KF, which scores 26196 against the 5700X's 26214 average, a delta of just 0.1%. The Ryzen 7 5700X also edges out the AMD Ryzen 5 5500GT by 0.2% while trailing the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U and Ryzen 5 7600X by the same margin.

For a flight simulator, the CPU's role is often about maintaining a stable frame delivery, especially when processing scenery and physics. The measured results indicate this processor is not the limiting factor at lower settings. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 149.5 FPS, a figure that drops to 121.8 FPS at 1440p and 88 FPS at 4K. This pattern shows that even when the GPU workload is reduced, the CPU can push frame rates well above 100 FPS, suggesting headroom remains. The 16 threads are likely beneficial for the simulator's background tasks, though the single-thread score of 3193 in Cinebench R23 is more telling for the main simulation loop. The data does not indicate any CPU bottleneck until the very highest frame rates are sought, as the 4K Ultra result of 50.1 FPS is clearly constrained by the graphics card.

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

The Ryzen 7 5700X provides eight physical cores with simultaneous multithreading, yielding sixteen threads. This configuration is well-suited for a modern flight simulator that can distribute tasks across multiple cores. The base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 4.60 GHz determine how quickly individual simulation threads execute. Benchmark results show a Geekbench single-core score of 2148 and a multi-core score of 9720, indicating a balanced design. The processor's 65 W TDP is modest, but performance data suggests it does not throttle under sustained load in this game. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 6858 is nearly identical to the max-thread score of 6850, confirming that all cores are utilized effectively when needed.

The relationship between CPU scores and in-game FPS is evident when examining the Low preset. At 1080p Low, the system hits 149.5 FPS, which is the highest result in the entire measured dataset. This number is not limited by the GPU, as the Radeon RX 6800 XT can output far more frames at this setting. Instead, it reflects the CPU's ability to feed the renderer. The 2-thread score of 1821 in 3DMark suggests that even lightly threaded workloads are handled competently. When compared to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-11900KF, the performance delta is negligible at 0.1%, meaning the 5700X does not gain or lose a meaningful advantage in CPU-bound scenarios. The PassMark multithread score of 26612 further corroborates that this is a high-end desktop part, but the game's results show that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution and settings increase.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with the Navi 21 chip, featuring 4608 shading units and 72 ray accelerators. Its memory subsystem consists of 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The base clock is 1825 MHz, with a game clock of 2015 MHz and a boost clock of 2250 MHz. This memory configuration is crucial for a flight simulator that streams large textures and terrain data. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 24980 places it in the 87th percentile of all graphics cards, showing it is a strong performer. In the nearest rival comparison, it leads the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER by 2.6% in average benchmark score, though this does not directly translate to in-game FPS.

The GPU's role is most apparent when comparing the Low and Ultra presets at the same resolution. At 1440p, the Low preset yields 121.8 FPS while Ultra drops to 65.3 FPS, a reduction of 56.5 FPS. This scaling shows that the graphics card is heavily taxed by the simulation's visual effects. The 16 GB VRAM is likely a factor in preventing texture pop-in or stuttering at high settings, though the measured data does not include VRAM usage metrics. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3689 indicates strong DirectX 12 performance, which is the API used by the game. The GPU's compute capability, shown by a PassMark GPU Compute score of 13245, supports the physics and weather simulation that runs alongside rendering.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a clear scaling pattern across resolutions. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 87.3 at 1080p to 70.4 at 1440p, then to 49.3 at 4K. This represents a 43.5% drop from 1080p to 4K. For the Ultra preset, the numbers are 85.5 FPS at 1080p, 65.3 FPS at 1440p, and 50.1 FPS at 4K, a 41.4% drop. The Low preset shows a steeper decline from 149.5 FPS at 1080p to 88 FPS at 4K, a 41.1% reduction. These percentages indicate that the GPU is the limiting component, as the FPS drop is roughly proportional to the increase in pixel count.

The data suggests that the CPU is not the bottleneck at higher resolutions. When going from 1080p Low to 4K Low, the FPS drops by 61.5, which is a massive reduction that cannot be attributed to CPU limitations. The CPU's performance is consistent across resolutions, as shown by the fact that the 1080p High result of 87.3 FPS is higher than the 4K Medium result of 69 FPS. This indicates that the GPU's rendering workload is the primary constraint. The gap between 1080p and 1440p at Medium settings is 22.8 FPS (from 117.6 to 94.8), while the gap from 1440p to 4K is 25.8 FPS (from 94.8 to 69). This shows a consistent scaling pattern, with the GPU struggling more as pixel count increases.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combination?

A: The highest average FPS is 149.5, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rival in benchmark scores?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X has an average benchmark score of 26214, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i9-11900KF's 26196 score.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all graphics cards?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT ranks in the 87th percentile of all GPUs, based on its average benchmark score of 49982.

Q: Which settings preset yields the lowest FPS at 4K?

A: The Ultra preset at 3840x2160 produces the lowest average FPS of 50.1, while High at the same resolution yields 49.3 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance at 1080p Low?

A: The CPU does not appear to be the limiting factor, as the system achieves 149.5 FPS at 1080p Low, which is a very high frame rate. The GPU is still capable of higher output, but the data does not show a bottleneck.

Q: How does the GPU's memory bandwidth affect the game's performance?

A: The 512.0 GB/s bandwidth from the 16 GB GDDR6 memory is sufficient to support the high-resolution textures, as evidenced by the playable FPS at 4K Medium (69 FPS) and 4K High (49.3 FPS).

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the trade-offs between visual quality and performance. For a smooth experience at 4K, the Medium preset is the optimal choice, delivering 69 FPS. This is a 40.1% improvement over the Ultra preset's 50.1 FPS, while still offering a visually detailed simulation. The High preset at 4K yields 49.3 FPS, which is only slightly lower than Ultra, but the 19.7 FPS gain from moving to Medium is substantial. At 1440p, the High preset is the best balance, providing 70.4 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 65.3 FPS, which is still playable but shows a 5.1 FPS reduction compared to High.

At 1080p, all presets are playable, with the Low preset achieving 149.5 FPS and the Medium preset at 117.6 FPS. The High preset at 87.3 FPS and Ultra at 85.5 FPS are close, suggesting that the CPU is not the limiting factor here. The data indicates that the Medium preset at 4K is the single best experience for this combination, as it offers the highest FPS above 60 at that resolution. For users with 1440p monitors, the High preset is recommended. The Low preset is only advisable for competitive or high-refresh-rate scenarios, as the visual fidelity loss is significant.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data is taken directly from the measured results for the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X and AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT combination in Microsoft Flight Simulator.

At 1920x1080, the Low settings preset produces an average FPS of 149.5. The Medium preset yields 117.6 FPS. High settings result in 87.3 FPS, while Ultra settings produce 85.5 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra is minimal at 1.8 FPS, indicating a performance plateau at the highest settings.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 121.8 FPS. Medium settings drop to 94.8 FPS. High settings are next at 70.4 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 65.3 FPS. The gap between Medium and High is 24.4 FPS, which is the largest single-step drop in this resolution range.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 88 FPS. Medium settings yield 69 FPS. High settings drop to 49.3 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 50.1 FPS. Notably, the High preset is slightly slower than Ultra at 4K, with a 0.8 FPS difference, suggesting that the Ultra preset may apply different optimizations or that the measurement variance is within that range. The 4K Low result of 88 FPS is higher than the 1440p Ultra result of 65.3 FPS, showing that resolution has a greater impact than settings on this hardware.