Microsoft Flight Simulator

Settings Recommendations

For Microsoft Flight Simulator, the measured data for this AMD Ryzen 7 5800X and AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT combination reveals a clear trade-off between visual fidelity and frame rate. The Ultra preset is demanding, producing an average of 82.6 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 50.1 FPS at 4K. While playable, the 4K Ultra result falls below the 60 FPS threshold that many flight sim enthusiasts prefer for smooth panning over complex scenery.

The High preset offers the most balanced experience across all resolutions. At 1080p, it delivers 89 FPS, which is only 6.4 FPS lower than Ultra but with a noticeable reduction in rendering load. More importantly, High maintains 68.5 FPS at 1440p and 53.5 FPS at 4K. The 1440p High result is particularly strong, staying comfortably above 60 FPS while retaining substantial visual detail. For users with 4K displays, High is the recommended starting point, as the 53.5 FPS average is within reach of VRR display ranges and provides a smoother experience than Ultra’s 50.1 FPS.

The Medium preset serves as a fallback for those prioritizing frame rate over eye candy. It produces 120.2 FPS at 1080p and 94.3 FPS at 1440p, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. At 4K, Medium yields 70.7 FPS, which is a significant jump over High. However, the step down from High to Medium sacrifices more visual complexity than the step from Ultra to High, so users with capable displays should first try High.

The Low preset is only advisable for competitive or maximum-frame-rate scenarios. It achieves 151 FPS at 1080p and 120.6 FPS at 1440p, but the visual downgrade in a game known for its scenery is substantial. Given that the data shows the GPU can handle Medium and High well, Low is not recommended for general play.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Microsoft Flight Simulator at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Yes. The measured data shows the High preset averages 53.5 FPS at 3840x2160, and the Medium preset reaches 70.7 FPS. Ultra drops to 50.1 FPS, which is still technically playable but below the 60 FPS target.

Q: What is the best preset for a 1440p monitor?

A: The High preset is optimal, delivering 68.5 FPS on average. This stays above 60 FPS while offering better visual quality than Medium, which runs at 94.3 FPS but with reduced detail.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High in terms of performance?

A: At 1080p, Ultra averages 82.6 FPS versus 89 FPS for High, a gap of 6.4 FPS. At 4K, the difference is 3.4 FPS (50.1 vs 53.5). The performance cost of Ultra is modest, but the visual gain may not justify the lower frame rates on all systems.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data suggests the GPU becomes the primary constraint at higher resolutions. From 1080p to 4K, the average FPS drops by roughly 40-45% across all presets, indicating that the Radeon RX 6800 XT is being pushed harder as pixel count increases. The Ryzen 7 5800X with 8 cores and 16 threads provides sufficient headroom, as evidenced by the strong performance at 1080p.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p on Medium settings?

A: The measured average is 120.2 FPS. This makes the Medium preset at 1080p a good choice for high-refresh-rate displays, as it comfortably exceeds 100 FPS.

Q: Does the combo rank well among all tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 627th out of 1795 tested combinations. This places it in the upper third of all combos, indicating solid performance for this specific game.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested hardware combinations for Microsoft Flight Simulator, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X and AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT holds the 627th position out of 1795 total combos. This places it in the 65th percentile, meaning it outperforms roughly two-thirds of all tested systems.

The CPU itself sits in the 84th percentile against all processors, with an average benchmark score of 27606. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 5800, scores 27535, a negligible 0.3% difference. The GPU performs similarly well, ranking in the 87th percentile against all graphics cards with an average score of 49982. Its closest competitor, the Intel Arc A550M, trails by only 0.5%.

When interpreting the combo rank, it is important to note that the 627th position reflects the synergy of these two components in this specific simulation title. The data indicates that the Radeon RX 6800 XT provides ample graphics horsepower, while the Ryzen 7 5800X’s 16 threads handle the simulation’s physics and scenery loading without becoming a bottleneck. The rank suggests that this is a well-matched pair for high-fidelity flight simulation, though not at the extreme top tier where more expensive GPUs would sit.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates for this combo show a consistent pattern across four presets and three resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 151 FPS on average, which is the highest result recorded for this system. Medium drops to 120.2 FPS, High to 89 FPS, and Ultra to 82.6 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 30.8 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is 31.2 FPS. The smallest step is from High to Ultra at 6.4 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 120.6 FPS, which is nearly identical to the 1080p Medium result. Medium produces 94.3 FPS, High 68.5 FPS, and Ultra 67.3 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra at this resolution is only 1.2 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset’s additional effects have minimal impact on the GPU at this pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates compress further. Low averages 89.5 FPS, Medium 70.7 FPS, High 53.5 FPS, and Ultra 50.1 FPS. The step from Low to Medium is 18.8 FPS, from Medium to High is 17.2 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 3.4 FPS. The 4K results show that the GPU is nearing its limits, as even the Low preset cannot reach 90 FPS.

Across all resolutions, the data shows that the Ultra preset has diminishing returns. The cost of going from High to Ultra is consistently small (1.2 to 6.4 FPS), while the visual difference is often imperceptible in fast-moving flight scenes. Conversely, the jump from Medium to High costs 17.2 to 31.2 FPS, making that the most significant preset transition.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals how this system responds to increasing pixel counts. At the Low preset, the average frame rate drops from 151 FPS at 1080p to 120.6 FPS at 1440p (a 20.1% decrease) and then to 89.5 FPS at 4K (a 40.7% decrease from 1080p). For Medium, the progression is 120.2 to 94.3 to 70.7 FPS, representing a 21.5% drop to 1440p and a 41.2% drop to 4K.

The High preset shows a steeper decline: 89 FPS at 1080p falls to 68.5 FPS at 1440p (23% decrease) and 53.5 FPS at 4K (39.9% decrease). Ultra follows a similar pattern, with 82.6 FPS dropping to 67.3 FPS (18.5% decrease) at 1440p and 50.1 FPS at 4K (39.3% decrease).

These numbers indicate that the scaling from 1080p to 1440p is more punishing than from 1440p to 4K in percentage terms. For instance, the High preset loses 20.5 FPS going from 1080p to 1440p, but only 15 FPS going from 1440p to 4K. This suggests that the GPU’s memory bandwidth and processing power are better utilized at 1440p, where the 68.5 FPS result remains smooth.

The limiting component in this scaling is clearly the GPU. The Ryzen 7 5800X, with its 32 MB of L3 cache and 16 threads, maintains consistent frame pacing at 1080p where the GPU is not fully saturated. As resolution increases, the demands on the Radeon RX 6800 XT’s 4608 shading units and 16 GB of GDDR6 memory grow, and the frame rate drops accordingly. The fact that even the Low preset at 4K cannot match the 1080p Ultra result (89.5 vs 82.6 FPS) confirms that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. For users seeking higher 4K frame rates, reducing settings to Medium provides the best compromise, yielding 70.7 FPS.