Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator is a uniquely demanding title that stresses both the CPU and GPU in ways few other games can match. The data for the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D shows a system that is heavily front-loaded with graphics horsepower, yet increasingly constrained by the processor as resolution drops. The measured results reveal a clear hierarchy of performance scaling across the three tested resolutions and four quality presets, offering a detailed look at where this combination excels and where it leaves performance on the table.

Resolution Scaling

The most immediate observation from the measured FPS data is the dramatic shift in performance as resolution changes. At 3840x2160 (4K), the average frame rates across all settings are notably lower than at lower resolutions, which is expected given the massive pixel count. The gap between 4K and 1440p is substantial: at High settings, the average FPS drops from 120 at 2560x1440 to 88 at 3840x2160, a 26.7% reduction. Similarly, at Low settings, the drop is from 170 FPS at 1440p to 151 FPS at 4K, an 11.2% decrease. This pattern strongly suggests that at 4K, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the primary limiting factor, as the sheer pixel throughput demands are overwhelming the GPU's capabilities.

Moving from 1440p down to 1080p tells a different story. The scaling is much flatter, indicating a shift in the bottleneck. At High settings, the average FPS goes from 120 at 1440p to 149 at 1080p, a 24.2% increase. However, at Low settings, the jump is from 170 FPS at 1440p to 182 FPS at 1080p, only a 7.1% increase. This smaller gain at Low settings is a classic sign of CPU limitation. The Ryzen 7 5800X, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, is likely hitting its ceiling in terms of single-threaded game logic and draw call processing, preventing the RTX 5090 D from being fully utilized even at a lower resolution. The data shows that while the GPU is capable of higher frame rates at 1080p, the CPU cannot keep pace, creating a performance plateau.

The scaling from 4K to 1440p is consistently positive across all settings, but the diminishing returns at 1080p are clear. For example, at Medium settings, the average FPS is 118 at 4K, 155 at 1440p, and 166 at 1080p. The difference between 4K and 1440p is 37 FPS, while the difference between 1440p and 1080p is only 11 FPS. This compression of frame rates at lower resolutions is a definitive indicator that the system is no longer GPU-bound. The data implies that this particular combo is best suited for high-resolution gaming, where the GPU's immense power can be leveraged to its fullest extent, rather than high-refresh-rate 1080p gaming where the CPU becomes the bottleneck.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a monster of a graphics card, and its specifications align with the observed performance at higher resolutions. It features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a massive 1.79 TB/s of memory bandwidth. This is critical for a game like Microsoft Flight Simulator, which streams vast amounts of terrain and texture data. The 4K Ultra preset, which averages 84 FPS, is likely demanding a significant portion of that 32 GB frame buffer, and the high bandwidth ensures that texture streaming does not cause stutters. The card's 21760 shading units and 680 texture mapping units are also put to work at 4K, as the game's complex lighting and shadow calculations are substantial.

Looking at the clock speeds, the base clock is 2017 MHz with a boost clock of 2407 MHz. While these are high frequencies, the performance at 4K is more dependent on the sheer number of processing units than on raw clock speed. The card's 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is a staggering number, and it is this raw compute power that allows for the high average frame rates seen at 4K. However, the data reveals that even this GPU is not enough to maintain extremely high frame rates at Ultra settings in this sim, as the average of 84 FPS at 4K Ultra suggests a very heavy workload. The benchmark results for the GPU, such as a Passmark G3D score of 44065 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 376915, confirm that it is a top-tier performer, ranking in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs.

The GPU's role is most pronounced when comparing the Low and Ultra presets at 4K. The average FPS jumps from 151 at Low to 84 at Ultra, a 44.4% performance penalty for the higher visual fidelity. This shows that the RTX 5090 D is doing most of the heavy lifting in this scenario, and its capabilities are being taxed by the increased complexity of the Ultra preset. In contrast, at 1080p, the difference between Low (182 FPS) and Ultra (142 FPS) is only 22%, further solidifying that the CPU is the limiting factor at that resolution. The GPU's immense power is effectively held back at 1080p, unable to deliver the frame rates its specifications would suggest due to the processor's inability to feed it data fast enough.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X is a capable 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, but its role in this pairing is clearly secondary at lower resolutions. With a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, it has solid single-thread performance, which is crucial for Microsoft Flight Simulator's primary game logic thread. The benchmark data supports this, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1574.5 and a Passmark single-thread score of 3445. However, the game's engine is notoriously sensitive to single-core performance, and the data suggests that the 5800X's limits are being reached.

The evidence for CPU limitation is strongest at 1080p. The average FPS at Low settings is 182, but at Ultra settings, it only drops to 142. This relatively small gap of 40 FPS indicates that even at the lowest settings, the CPU is unable to push the frame rate significantly higher. In a purely GPU-bound scenario, the difference between Low and Ultra would be much more pronounced. The fact that the FPS at 1080p Low (182) is only 20% higher than at 1440p Low (170) further underscores this point. The CPU is likely saturating its available thread resources, particularly the main thread responsible for processing the simulation's complex flight models and world data.

The 5800X's 32 MB of L3 cache and 4,150 million transistors provide a robust foundation, but it is not enough to keep up with the RTX 5090 D's capabilities at lower resolutions. The CPU's benchmarks, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15476 and a Passmark multi-thread score of 27732, are respectable but not exceptional in 2025. The data shows that while the CPU can handle the game's demands at 1440p, where the average FPS at High is 120, it is the bottleneck at 1080p. This is a classic example of a high-end GPU being paired with a mid-range CPU, resulting in a performance ceiling that cannot be overcome by lowering the resolution further. The CPU's percentile ranking of 81st for all CPUs places it in the upper echelon, but it is not enough to match the 92nd percentile ranking of the GPU.

How This Combo Ranks

In the context of all tested combinations for Microsoft Flight Simulator, this specific pairing holds a strong position. The comboRankInGame data places it at rank 63 out of 2996 tested combos. This means that it outperforms the vast majority of other CPU-GPU combinations tested in this game, placing it in the top 2.1% of all systems. This high rank is largely attributable to the exceptional performance of the RTX 5090 D, which is able to dominate at 4K resolution where the CPU's limitations are less pronounced.

The rank is meaningful because it reflects the specific balance of this pairing. While it does not claim the number one spot, it is ranked higher than many systems with theoretically better CPUs. This is because the RTX 5090 D's immense power at 4K can compensate for the CPU's relative weakness. The data suggests that for this game, the GPU is the primary driver of overall system ranking. The fact that this combo ranks in the 63rd position, despite the 5800X being an older generation CPU, highlights how important the graphics card is for overall performance in this simulation title. If the CPU were a more modern, higher-end model, this combo would likely rank much higher, as the 4K performance is already excellent, and the 1080p performance would improve significantly.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 84.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The data indicates the CPU is the limiting factor. At 1920x1080, the average FPS only increases from 170 at 1440p to 182 at 1080p on Low settings, a small gain that suggests the processor cannot feed the GPU fast enough.

Q: How much faster is 1440p High settings compared to 4K High settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the average FPS is 120, which is 36.4% higher than the 88 FPS average at 3840x2160 with the same settings.

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

A: The highest average FPS is 182, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Does this combo rank well compared to other tested systems?

A: Yes, it ranks 63rd out of 2996 tested combos, placing it in the top percentile of all systems tested for this game.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between Low and Ultra settings at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the average FPS is 151 on Low settings and 84 on Ultra settings, a difference of 67 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact average frame rates measured for this combo across all tested resolutions and settings.

| Resolution | Settings | Average FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 84 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | High | 88 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 118 | 100 | 135 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 151 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 114 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | High | 120 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 155 | 132 | 178 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 170 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 142 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | High | 149 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 166 | 141 | 191 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 182 | - | - |

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For users with a 4K display, the High preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. The average FPS of 88 at 4K High is considerably more fluid than the 84 FPS at Ultra, which is a marginal difference of only 4.8% but can be the difference between a smooth and a slightly stuttering experience. The Medium preset at 4K, with an average of 118 FPS, is also a strong choice for those prioritizing a higher refresh rate, as it offers a 34.1% performance increase over High while still maintaining good visuals.

At 1440p, the High preset is again the recommended choice, delivering a solid 120 FPS average. The Ultra preset at 114 FPS is also viable, but the 5% performance gain from High to Ultra is not substantial. For 1080p users, the situation is different. Since the CPU is the bottleneck, the game will run at high frame rates regardless. The High preset at 149 FPS is a good target, but the Ultra preset at 142 FPS is also perfectly playable and offers the best visual fidelity. Given the CPU limitation, there is little point in choosing Low settings at 1080p, as the 182 FPS average does not provide a meaningful gameplay advantage over the 142 FPS average at Ultra.

The data suggests that the High preset is the sweet spot for this combination across all resolutions. It provides a significant step up in visual quality from Medium while maintaining a comfortable performance margin over Ultra. The Medium preset is a fallback for users who demand the highest possible frame rates, particularly at 4K. Ultimately, the choice comes down to a trade-off between visual fidelity and frame rate, but High settings offer the most consistent and balanced experience for the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D pairing.