Microsoft Flight Simulator

# FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS for this combo at 1080p Ultra settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination delivers an average of 90.8 FPS. This is the lowest average among the four tested settings at this resolution, with Low reaching 157.4 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested CPU-GPU pairings in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: The combo ranks 481st out of 1795 tested combinations. This places it in the upper portion of the ranking, indicating solid performance relative to the broader pool of tested hardware configurations.

Q: What VRAM capacity does the RTX 4070 have, and how might it affect the game?

A: The RTX 4070 features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus. For a flight simulator with extensive scenery streaming, this capacity is sufficient for the tested settings, as the data shows playable frame rates even at 4K Ultra.

Q: What is the boost clock of the Ryzen 7 5700X3D, and does it matter for this game?

A: The CPU has a boost clock of 4.10 GHz and a base clock of 3.00 GHz. A higher boost clock supports the simulation's heavy single-threaded physics and AI workloads, though the data suggests the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Q: How does the RTX 4070's average benchmark score compare to its nearest rival?

A: The RTX 4070 has an average benchmark score of 37283. Its closest rival, the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, scores 37507, which is 0.6% higher. The NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A trails by 1.9% with a score of 38008.

Q: What is the difference in FPS between 1080p Low and 4K Low settings?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 157.4 FPS, while at 4K Low it drops to 95 FPS. This represents a 62.4 FPS reduction, or roughly 40% lower performance, when moving from Full HD to 4K resolution.

# How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 secures the 481st position out of 1795 tested combinations in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places the pairing in the top 27% of all recorded configurations, a noteworthy result for a mid-range CPU and upper-mid-range GPU pairing.

The ranking reflects the combination's ability to handle the simulation's demanding rendering pipeline. The 5700X3D's 96 MB of shared L3 cache is a key asset; the extra cache reduces memory latency for the game's streaming data, which is critical for the terrain and airport detail that constantly loads in flight. The CPU's percentile rank of 82 among all tested CPUs confirms it outperforms the majority of processors in general benchmark workloads.

Meanwhile, the RTX 4070 holds an 81st percentile rank among all GPUs. The combination of a strong CPU and a capable GPU means the data shows no single component is dramatically underperforming relative to its peer group. However, the 481st rank out of 1795 suggests there is headroom for improvement; many combinations ahead likely feature higher-tier CPUs or GPUs with more memory bandwidth.

The nearest CPU rivals highlight the competitive landscape. The Intel Core i7-1360P scores within 0.2% of the 5700X3D, while the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X3D sits 0.3% behind. These close margins indicate that in CPU-bound scenarios, the 5700X3D is trading blows with a range of chips from different generations and market segments. On the GPU side, the RTX 4070 sits within 2.5% of its nearest rivals, showing that small benchmark score differences do not translate into drastic FPS variations in this simulation.

# GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process at TSMC. The GPU features 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs, along with 46 ray tracing cores and 184 tensor cores. These specifications feed into a pixel rate of 158.4 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 455.4 GTexel/s, which handle the dense visual detail of cockpit instruments and ground textures.

The 12 GB of GDDR6X memory operates at an effective speed of 21 Gbps, delivering a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s across a 192-bit bus. For Microsoft Flight Simulator, which streams high-resolution satellite imagery and photogrammetry, this bandwidth is adequate for the tested settings. The base clock of 1920 MHz and boost clock of 2475 MHz provide the processing throughput needed for the game's complex lighting and shadow calculations.

The GPU's average benchmark score of 37283 and its 81st percentile ranking among all GPUs indicate strong overall performance. However, in this game, the GPU's role becomes more prominent as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the frame rate of 157.4 FPS suggests the GPU is not fully taxed, as the CPU can feed frames quickly. Moving to 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 53.6 FPS, which is a 66% reduction from 1080p Low, showing the GPU is working much harder at higher pixel counts.

The RTX 4070's nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, has a slightly higher average score (37507, up 0.6%), yet in practice, the RTX 4070's architecture offers better ray tracing and DLSS support, which are not reflected in raw benchmark scores but matter for visual fidelity in this title.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest performance. Low settings produce an average of 157.4 FPS, Medium reaches 127 FPS, High hits 98.8 FPS, and Ultra drops to 90.8 FPS. The step from Low to Medium costs 30.4 FPS, while the step from High to Ultra costs just 8 FPS. This suggests that the Ultra preset's additional effects have diminishing returns on frame rate at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the pattern holds but with lower absolute numbers. Low settings average 133.6 FPS, Medium 102.3 FPS, High 76.7 FPS, and Ultra 74.7 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 31.3 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra narrows to just 2 FPS. The 1440p High setting (76.7 FPS) is nearly identical to 1080p Ultra (90.8 FPS), indicating that resolution scaling affects performance significantly.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates become the most constrained. Low averages 95 FPS, Medium 73.6 FPS, High 55 FPS, and Ultra 53.6 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra is only 1.4 FPS, making Ultra a viable choice if visual quality matters more than a slight FPS change. The 4K Low result (95 FPS) is actually lower than 1440p Ultra (74.7 FPS) is higher than 1080p Medium (127 FPS), showing a clear hierarchy across resolutions.

The data reveals that the combo never falls below 53.6 FPS in any tested configuration. This means that even at the most demanding settings, the hardware maintains playable frame rates, though 4K Ultra sits close to the edge of smoothness for a flight simulator where smooth panning matters.

# Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial but not uniform across settings. At Low settings, the frame rate falls from 157.4 FPS at 1080p to 95 FPS at 4K, a 39.6% reduction. At Medium, the drop is from 127 FPS to 73.6 FPS, a 42% reduction. For High, it drops from 98.8 FPS to 55 FPS, a 44.3% reduction. Finally, Ultra falls from 90.8 FPS to 53.6 FPS, a 41% reduction.

This scaling pattern indicates a mix of CPU and GPU limitations. At 1080p, the frame rates are high enough that the CPU must work to keep up with the GPU's output, especially at Low settings where 157.4 FPS approaches the CPU's practical limit for this game's simulation loop. The 5700X3D's 8 cores and 16 threads, with a boost clock of 4.10 GHz, handle the game's main thread well, but the simulation's single-threaded nature means there is a ceiling.

At 4K, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck. The RTX 4070's 12 GB of VRAM and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient, but the sheer pixel count of 3840x2160 requires more shading and texture work. The fact that the FPS drop from 1440p to 4K is much larger than the drop from 1080p to 1440p (e.g., Low: 133.6 to 95, a 28.9% drop) confirms that the GPU is scaling with resolution as expected.

The data implies that for users targeting 1080p or 1440p gaming, the CPU has enough headroom to push high frame rates, while 4K users will see the GPU as the limiting factor. The 5700X3D's large L3 cache helps mitigate some of the CPU overhead in this game, but it cannot overcome the fundamental pixel throughput demands at 4K.

# CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D is a 5000-series processor based on Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer. It has 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. The CPU is built on a 7 nm process at TSMC, containing 8,850 million transistors on a 74 mm² die.

The defining feature is the 96 MB of shared L3 cache, which is exceptionally large for a consumer CPU. In Microsoft Flight Simulator, this cache helps store frequently accessed terrain data, airport layouts, and aircraft system states. The game's engine benefits from reduced memory latency, as the simulation constantly accesses these data points during flight. The CPU's benchmark scores reflect this strength: Cinebench R23 multicore reaches 22366, while single-core hits 3157, and 3DMark single-thread scores 804.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 24673 places it at the 82nd percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-1360P, scores 24627, just 0.2% lower, while the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X3D trails by 0.3%. This tight grouping means that in general workloads, the 5700X3D is competitive with much newer designs, though its DDR4 memory support and PCIe Gen 4 lanes limit platform longevity.

In this game, the CPU's role is most evident at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the 157.4 FPS result is likely near the CPU's maximum output for this simulation, as the GPU has plenty of spare capacity. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 6764 and max-thread score of 6755 show that the CPU scales well with thread count, but the game's main thread cannot leverage all 16 threads. The single-thread score of 804 in 3DMark is more relevant for this title's physics and AI calculations.

# Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience depends on the user's resolution target. For 1080p displays, the High preset at 98.8 FPS offers a smooth and visually detailed experience. The jump from High to Ultra costs only 8 FPS (90.8 FPS), so users with high-refresh monitors may prefer Ultra for the extra visual polish without a major penalty.

At 1440p, the Medium preset at 102.3 FPS provides a balance between visual quality and frame rate. The High preset at 76.7 FPS is still smooth, but the drop from Medium is 25.6 FPS, which is noticeable. The Ultra preset at 74.7 FPS is nearly identical to High, so choosing Ultra makes sense if the extra effects are desired; the 2 FPS difference is negligible.

For 4K gaming, the Low preset at 95 FPS is the only option that approaches high refresh rates. The Medium preset at 73.6 FPS is playable and offers better visual fidelity, while the High preset at 55 FPS is the minimum for a consistent experience. The Ultra preset at 53.6 FPS is borderline; if the user prioritizes visual quality over smoothness, it is acceptable, but the 1.4 FPS difference from High suggests that High is the better choice for 4K.

The data indicates that the combo handles 1080p and 1440p exceptionally well, with multiple presets delivering over 90 FPS. For 4K, users should aim for Medium or High, depending on their tolerance for frame rate fluctuations. The 55 FPS at 4K High is a good target for a cinematic experience, while 95 FPS at 4K Low suits competitive or high-refresh play. Ultimately, the measured rows show that this hardware combination offers flexibility across all tested resolutions, with no configuration falling below 53.6 FPS.