Microsoft Flight Simulator

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

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D is an 8-core, 16-thread processor built on TSMC's 7 nm process, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 4.50 GHz. It belongs to the 5000 series and uses the Zen 3 architecture (Vermeer) on the AMD Socket AM4 platform. The CPU's L3 cache is 96 MB shared, which is a defining characteristic for this part. In synthetic benchmarks, the processor scores 24,063 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 3,397 in single-core, while its PassMark multi-thread score is 28,309 and single-thread score is 3,234.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the combination of this CPU with the RTX 2060 SUPER produces a measurable performance envelope. The data shows that at 1080p Low settings, the system reaches 102.7 FPS, which is the highest average frame rate recorded across all tested configurations. This suggests that at lower graphical loads, the CPU's 8 cores and 16 threads are sufficient to feed the GPU without creating a significant bottleneck. The 96 MB L3 cache is particularly relevant for flight simulation, as the game streams large amounts of terrain and scenery data, and the larger cache helps maintain consistent frame pacing.

The CPU's 3DMark scores provide additional context. The 16-thread score is 7,299, while the max-thread score is 7,285, indicating that scaling beyond 8 threads is minimal in this workload. The 2-thread score of 1,746 and 4-thread score of 3,392 show that the processor's per-core performance is strong, which matters for flight simulators that often rely on a primary simulation thread. The single-thread 3DMark score is 884, and the Cinebench R20 single-core score is 1,426, reinforcing that the Zen 3 architecture delivers competitive single-thread throughput.

The CPU's percentile ranking among all CPUs is 83, with an average benchmark score of 26,574. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 8024P (score 26,555, delta 0.1%), Intel Core i9-11900K (score 26,546, delta 0.1%), AMD Ryzen 5 7600 (score 26,617, delta -0.2%), and Intel Core i9-12900HK (score 26,672, delta -0.4%). These deltas are all within 0.4%, meaning that in general compute workloads, the 5800X3D is statistically tied with these parts. However, the game-specific results indicate that the 5800X3D's cache advantage may not translate into a dramatic lead in this particular title, as the measured FPS figures are primarily constrained by the GPU at higher resolutions and settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 1,201 out of 1,795 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places the system in the 33rd percentile of all tested combinations, meaning roughly two-thirds of tested systems perform better in this game. The data is measured, not estimated, so these results come from actual benchmarking runs.

This ranking is notably lower than what the individual component percentiles might suggest. The CPU sits at the 83rd percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU is at the 63rd percentile among all GPUs. Yet the combo lands in the lower third overall. This discrepancy indicates that the pairing is imbalanced for this specific game's demands. The RTX 2060 SUPER, while a capable 8 GB GDDR6 card, appears to be the limiting factor when compared to the CPU's relatively strong standing. The 1,201st rank out of 1,795 combos suggests that many other systems pair higher-tier GPUs with comparable or lesser CPUs, achieving better frame rates in this flight simulator.

The ranking also reflects the game's engine characteristics. Microsoft Flight Simulator is known for being demanding on both CPU and GPU, but the data suggests that the GPU becomes the primary constraint as settings and resolution increase. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 102.7 FPS, which is playable, but at 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 35.1 FPS. The combo's rank would likely improve if the GPU were upgraded, as the CPU has headroom to drive higher frame rates, evidenced by the 1080p Low result.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a consistent pattern across resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system averages 102.7 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low, the average drops to 81.9 FPS, a reduction of approximately 20%. At 4K Low, the average falls to 58.5 FPS, which is about a 43% reduction from the 1080p Low figure. This scaling indicates that the GPU is becoming increasingly stressed as pixel count rises, even at the lowest settings.

For High settings, the progression is 61.4 FPS at 1080p, 46.2 FPS at 1440p, and 35.4 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is about 25%, and from 1080p to 4K is about 42%. At Ultra settings, the system delivers 57.4 FPS at 1080p, 43.7 FPS at 1440p, and 35.1 FPS at 4K. The relative consistency of the 4K Ultra and 4K High results (35.1 vs 35.4 FPS) suggests that at 4K, the system hits a performance wall that is largely independent of graphical settings. This is a classic sign of GPU limitation, where the render resolution dominates the workload.

The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Low settings (102.7 to 58.5 FPS) shows a 43% drop, while at Ultra settings (57.4 to 35.1 FPS) the drop is 39%. The fact that the percentage drop is similar across settings, but the absolute frame rates at 4K are clustered in the mid-30s to high-50s range, indicates that the GPU's pixel throughput is the limiting component. The CPU's role is more evident at lower resolutions and settings, where higher frame rates are achievable.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers a wide range of performance depending on settings. Low settings produce 102.7 FPS average, Medium settings produce 80 FPS, High settings produce 61.4 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 57.4 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 22.7 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is only 4 FPS, suggesting diminishing returns at the highest settings.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 81.9 FPS (Low), 63.6 FPS (Medium), 46.2 FPS (High), and 43.7 FPS (Ultra). The drop from Low to Medium is 18.3 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 2.5 FPS. At 1440p, the system remains playable at Medium and above, but High and Ultra dip below 50 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 58.5 FPS (Low), 45.5 FPS (Medium), 35.4 FPS (High), and 35.1 FPS (Ultra). The difference between High and Ultra at 4K is a mere 0.3 FPS, which is within measurement noise. This near-identical performance at High and Ultra settings at 4K strongly indicates that the GPU is fully saturated, and further increasing settings has negligible impact on frame rate. The 4K Low result of 58.5 FPS shows that even at the lowest settings, the system cannot maintain 60 FPS at this resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The GPU is based on the TU106 chip using the Turing architecture, manufactured on a 12 nm process at TSMC. Its base clock is 1470 MHz with a boost clock of 1650 MHz, and it has 2,176 shading units, 136 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and has 34 RT cores and 272 tensor cores.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 2060 SUPER scores 16,462 in PassMark G3D and 6,721 in GPU Compute. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 2,011. The GPU's percentile ranking among all GPUs is 63, with an average benchmark score of 19,774. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN (score 19,706, delta 0.3%), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (score 19,680, delta 0.5%), NVIDIA Quadro K5200 (score 19,623, delta 0.8%), and NVIDIA Tesla K40m (score 19,519, delta 1.3%). The deltas show that the RTX 2060 SUPER is only slightly ahead of the GTX TITAN and RTX 2070 in raw compute benchmarks, which aligns with its mid-range positioning.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the GPU's role is clearly the bottleneck at higher resolutions. The measured FPS data shows that at 4K, both High and Ultra settings yield approximately 35 FPS, while Low settings yield 58.5 FPS. This indicates that the 8 GB VRAM and 448 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for the game's textures at these settings, but the GPU's raw shading throughput is insufficient to push frame rates higher. The 7.181 TFLOPS FP32 performance is a limiting factor for a game that renders dense terrain and complex lighting.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: At 1080p, the system achieves 61.4 FPS on High settings and 57.4 FPS on Ultra, making this resolution the most playable. At 1440p, High settings drop to 46.2 FPS, and at 4K, High settings yield only 35.4 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER compare to its nearest GPU rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 19,774, which is 0.3% ahead of the GTX TITAN (19,706), 0.5% ahead of the RTX 2070 (19,680), 0.8% ahead of the Quadro K5200 (19,623), and 1.3% ahead of the Tesla K40m (19,519).

Q: Does the CPU's large L3 cache provide a measurable benefit in this game?

A: The 5800X3D has 96 MB of shared L3 cache, but the measured FPS data shows that the system's performance is primarily GPU-limited at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 102.7 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to 35.1 FPS, indicating that the GPU is the limiting factor.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between High and Ultra settings at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, High settings produce 35.4 FPS, while Ultra settings produce 35.1 FPS. The difference is only 0.3 FPS, which is negligible and suggests the GPU is fully saturated at this resolution.

Q: How does the combo rank relative to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 1,201 out of 1,795 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the lower third of all tested systems. This is lower than the individual component percentiles (CPU at 83rd, GPU at 63rd) would suggest.

Q: What is the maximum frame rate achievable with this combo?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 102.7 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. At 1080p Ultra, the average drops to 57.4 FPS.