Microsoft Flight Simulator

# How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER lands at rank 627 out of 3,714 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the top 17% of all configurations. That is a strong result for a CPU that launched with a 2022 release date and a GPU from the Ada Lovelace generation, both of which are now end-of-life products. The combo’s standing reflects a balanced pairing: the CPU’s 3D V-Cache architecture (96 MB shared L3) is well-suited to simulation workloads that favor large caches, while the GPU’s 12 GB of GDDR6X memory handles the game’s texture-heavy environments without obvious bottlenecks.

In percentile terms, the CPU sits at the 80th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 27,896. Its nearest rivals in synthetic tests include the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U (deltaPct 0), the Intel Core i9-10900K (deltaPct 0.1), and the AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 340 (deltaPct -0.1). The Intel Core i5-12600KF trails by 0.3%. These are tight margins, indicating the 5800X3D is competitive with a broad range of mid-to-high-end processors, but it is not a leader in raw compute. The GPU, meanwhile, achieves an 83rd percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 43,223. Its nearest rivals—the Quadro M6000 24 GB, RTX 5050 Mobile, and RTX 4090 Mobile—are all within 1% of its score, showing that the RTX 4070 SUPER sits in a crowded performance band.

What matters for Flight Simulator specifically is how these two components interact. The combo rank of 627 suggests that while neither part is exceptional in isolation, their combination delivers a smooth experience at most settings. The data shows no major mismatches: the CPU’s 8 cores and 16 threads are sufficient to feed the GPU, and the GPU’s 56 RT cores and 224 tensor cores provide headroom for the game’s rendering demands. The result is a configuration that ranks well above the median combo, making it a dependable choice for this simulator.

Settings Recommendations

Benchmark results across four settings presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—at three resolutions reveal a clear sweet spot for this combo. At 1080p, the average frame rates are 171 FPS (Low), 143 FPS (Medium), 107 FPS (High), and 102 FPS (Ultra). The gap between Medium and High is 36 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is only 5 FPS. This suggests that the Ultra preset offers diminishing returns over High, making High the better choice for most users who want visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness. At 1440p, the pattern holds: 148 FPS (Low), 115 FPS (Medium), 86 FPS (High), and 82 FPS (Ultra). The High-to-Ultra delta shrinks to 4 FPS, reinforcing that High is the optimal preset for this resolution.

At 4K, the story changes slightly. The measured averages are 109 FPS (Low), 85 FPS (Medium), 64 FPS (High), and 61 FPS (Ultra). Here, the High-to-Ultra gap is just 3 FPS, but the Medium-to-High drop is 21 FPS. For 4K users, Medium provides a playable 85 FPS, while High dips to 64 FPS—still above the 60 FPS threshold, but with less headroom for complex scenes. The data suggests that for a consistent experience across all resolutions, High is the recommended preset, as it maintains frame rates above 60 FPS even at 4K while offering the best visual-per-performance balance. Ultra’s marginal gains over High do not justify the frame rate cost, especially at higher resolutions where the GPU is already under load.

The Medium preset, with its recorded minimum FPS values of 121 (1080p), 98 (1440p), and 72 (4K), shows that it can handle sudden drops in complex flight scenarios. However, the average frame rates for Medium are significantly higher than Low, indicating that the game scales well with the combo’s hardware. For users prioritizing maximum smoothness over visuals, Medium is a viable fallback, but High remains the default recommendation based on the measured data.

Resolution Scaling

Frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a predictable decline, but the pattern reveals which component is the limiting factor. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 107 at 1080p to 86 at 1440p (a 19.6% decrease) and then to 64 at 4K (a 25.6% decrease from 1440p). This scaling is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, as the RTX 4070 SUPER’s 504.2 GB/s memory bandwidth and 12 GB VRAM are increasingly taxed as pixel count rises. The CPU’s role diminishes at higher resolutions, as its 3.40 GHz base and 4.50 GHz boost clocks are sufficient to keep up with the GPU’s rendering output.

At Low settings, the scaling is steeper: 171 FPS at 1080p falls to 148 FPS at 1440p (a 13.5% drop) and then to 109 FPS at 4K (a 26.4% drop from 1440p). The larger absolute drop at 4K suggests that even at Low settings, the GPU becomes the bottleneck when pixel count increases. The CPU’s 16 threads and 96 MB L3 cache are less stressed at Low settings, as the game’s draw calls and physics calculations are simplified. This indicates that for users targeting 4K, the GPU is the primary constraint, while the CPU has ample headroom.

The Medium preset shows a similar trend: 143 FPS at 1080p, 115 FPS at 1440p (a 19.6% drop), and 85 FPS at 4K (a 26.1% drop from 1440p). The consistency of these percentage drops across presets—roughly 20% from 1080p to 1440p and 25-26% from 1440p to 4K—points to a GPU-limited system. The CPU’s performance, as measured by its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14,317 and Geekbench multicore score of 11,765, is not the limiting factor here. Instead, the GPU’s 35.48 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 198.0 GPixel/s pixel rate are what dictate the frame rate ceiling at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings average 171 FPS, which is the peak across all configurations. Medium settings average 143 FPS, with a minimum of 121 FPS and a maximum of 164 FPS, indicating stable performance. High settings average 107 FPS, while Ultra settings average 102 FPS. The 5 FPS difference between High and Ultra is minimal, but the 36 FPS gap between Medium and High shows that the game’s visual complexity increases significantly at High. The data indicates that 1080p users can comfortably run Ultra at 102 FPS, but High provides a safer margin for complex scenes.

At 1440p, the frame rates remain solid. Low settings average 148 FPS, Medium averages 115 FPS (min 98, max 132), High averages 86 FPS, and Ultra averages 82 FPS. The High-to-Ultra delta is just 4 FPS, while the Medium-to-High drop is 29 FPS. This pattern mirrors 1080p, suggesting that the game’s settings scaling is consistent across resolutions. The minimum FPS of 98 at Medium indicates that even in demanding scenarios, the combo stays above 60 FPS, making 1440p a viable resolution for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 4K, the frame rates drop but remain playable. Low settings average 109 FPS, Medium averages 85 FPS (min 72, max 98), High averages 64 FPS, and Ultra averages 61 FPS. The 72 FPS minimum at Medium is noteworthy, as it shows that even at 4K, the combo can handle dips without dropping below 60 FPS. High and Ultra both hover near 60 FPS, with Ultra’s 61 FPS average being just above the threshold. For 4K users, Medium offers the best balance of visual quality and frame rate stability, while High is acceptable for those who prioritize fidelity over headroom.

FAQ

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

A: Based on measured data, 1440p offers the best balance of frame rate and visual quality. At High settings, the average FPS is 86, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold, while 4K drops to 64 FPS at High. 1080p provides the highest frame rates (107 FPS at High) but does not leverage the GPU’s full potential.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 7 5800X3D has an average benchmark score of 27,896, which is essentially tied with the Ryzen 7 6800U (deltaPct 0) and the Ryzen AI 5 PRO 340 (deltaPct -0.1). It is 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i9-10900K and 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core i5-12600KF. These differences are negligible in real-world gaming.

Q: Is the RTX 4070 SUPER a bottleneck at 4K?

A: Yes, the data suggests the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K. At Low settings, the average FPS is 109, but at High it drops to 64 FPS. The GPU’s 12 GB VRAM and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for the game, but the pixel count at 3840x2160 taxes the card’s 80 ROPs and 224 TMUs, resulting in a significant frame rate drop compared to 1440p.

Q: What is the difference between High and Ultra settings?

A: The measured data shows that Ultra offers minimal gains over High. At 1080p, the difference is 5 FPS (107 vs 102), at 1440p it is 4 FPS (86 vs 82), and at 4K it is 3 FPS (64 vs 61). The visual improvements are marginal, making High the more efficient choice.

Q: Does the CPU’s 3D V-Cache matter for this game?

A: The 96 MB shared L3 cache is a key feature of the 5800X3D, and while the data does not directly compare it to non-3D variants, the combo’s rank of 627 out of 3,714 suggests that the CPU’s cache architecture contributes to its strong performance in simulation workloads, which often benefit from large caches.

Q: How does this combo rank against all tested configurations?

A: It ranks 627th out of 3,714 combos, placing it in the top 17%. This is a strong result, given that the CPU and GPU are both end-of-life products. The ranking reflects a balanced pairing where neither component severely limits the other.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER plays a decisive role in this combo’s performance, particularly at higher resolutions. Its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory, rated at 21 Gbps effective with a 192-bit bus, provides 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. This is sufficient for Microsoft Flight Simulator’s high-resolution textures, as evidenced by the 4K Medium average of 85 FPS. The GPU’s 56 RT cores and 224 tensor cores support the game’s ray-traced effects and DLSS features, though the measured data does not isolate these technologies. The 80 ROPs and 224 TMUs handle pixel and texture processing, with a pixel rate of 198.0 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 554.4 GTexel/s.

The GPU’s clock speeds—1980 MHz base and 2475 MHz boost—are moderate for the 40-series, but its 35.48 TFLOPS FP32 performance is substantial. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 29,995 in Passmark G3D and 17,108 in Passmark GPU Compute, placing it at the 83rd percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals, including the Quadro M6000 24 GB and RTX 4090 Mobile, are within 1% of its score, showing that the 4070 SUPER is a well-rounded performer. The GPU’s 220 W TDP and dual-slot design make it a standard power draw for its class, and its PCIe 4.0 x16 interface is fully utilized by the CPU’s Gen 4 lanes.

In Flight Simulator, the GPU’s role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. The 1080p High average of 107 FPS versus the 4K High average of 64 FPS highlights how the GPU’s rendering capacity is the primary constraint at higher pixel counts. The CPU, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, is not the limiting factor, as its benchmark scores (e.g., Cinebench R23 multicore of 14,317) demonstrate sufficient processing power. The RTX 4070 SUPER’s memory capacity and bandwidth are adequate for the game’s demands, but users seeking higher 4K frame rates would need a more powerful GPU. Overall, the data shows that this GPU is a capable partner for the 5800X3D, delivering playable frame rates across all tested settings and resolutions.