Microsoft Flight Simulator

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

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT brings 8 cores and 16 threads to Microsoft Flight Simulator, running on the Zen 3 architecture with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz. This is a desktop processor on the AMD Socket AM4 platform, built on a 7 nm process with 4,150 million transistors. Its 32 MB of shared L3 cache is notable for a flight simulator that streams terrain and scenery data continuously, and benchmark results show strong multi-threaded performance with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 23794 and a single-core score of 3359.

In the context of this game, the CPU’s role is significant because Microsoft Flight Simulator is known for heavy simulation logic — flight physics, weather systems, and AI traffic all tax the processor. The data shows that at 1080p Low settings, this combo achieves 101 FPS average, which is the highest measured result across all resolutions and settings. That figure suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU efficiently at lower graphical loads. The 3dmark 16-thread score of 7683 and max-thread score of 7680 indicate consistent scaling across all cores, which matters for a simulation that can use multiple threads for world generation.

The 5800XT sits at the 81st percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 29879. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H at 29868 (0% delta), the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS and 7840HS both at 29955 (-0.3% delta), and the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X at 29713 (0.6% delta). This places the 5800XT in a narrow band of performance — it is essentially tied with these mobile and desktop counterparts, with deltas under 1%. For the game results, this means CPU headroom is adequate but not exceptional; the bottleneck shifts to the GPU as resolution and settings increase.

The PassMark single-thread score of 3535 and Cinebench R20 single-core score of 1410 indicate that single-threaded performance is solid, which is relevant because flight simulators often have a single main simulation thread that cannot be fully parallelized. The fact that 1080p Low hits 101 FPS while 1080p Ultra drops to 56 FPS — a 45 FPS gap — suggests that the graphical load is what drives performance down, not the CPU alone.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 33 chip, featuring 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock reaches 2655 MHz, with a game clock of 2250 MHz. The GPU has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, with 32 ray tracing cores. For Microsoft Flight Simulator, the 8 GB VRAM capacity is a key constraint — at 4K Ultra settings, the game demands more memory than this card can comfortably provide, which is reflected in the 33 FPS average at that setting.

The GPU’s benchmark scores show it at the 57th percentile among all GPUs, with an average score of 15171. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM at 15199 (-0.2% delta), the AMD Radeon Pro 560X at 15082 (0.6% delta), the AMD Radeon 680M at 15270 (-0.7% delta), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti at 15063 (0.7% delta). The RX 7600 is essentially performance-tier with the RTX 3050 OEM, but the data shows this GPU struggles to maintain playable frame rates at 4K in this specific game.

The 3dmark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2310 and PassMark G3D score of 16634 provide context for raw compute capability. The FP32 throughput of 21.75 TFLOPS is respectable for rasterization, but Microsoft Flight Simulator’s dense geometry and complex shaders push the GPU hard. The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern: at 1080p Low, the GPU delivers 101 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to 33 FPS — a 68 FPS reduction. This is a massive scaling hit that indicates the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

The RX 7600’s 8 GB VRAM is particularly problematic at 4K Ultra where the game likely exceeds this capacity, causing the frame rate to plummet. Even at 4K High, the average is only 35 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. At 1440p, the GPU fares better — 81 FPS at Low, 63 FPS at Medium, 48 FPS at High, and 45 FPS at Ultra. These numbers suggest that 1440p is the realistic ceiling for this GPU in this game if aiming for 60 FPS, and even then only at lower settings.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a dramatic scaling curve from 1080p to 4K. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 101 at 1080p to 81 at 1440p (a 20 FPS decrease) to 60 at 4K (a 21 FPS decrease from 1440p). At Medium settings, the progression is 79 FPS at 1080p, 63 FPS at 1440p, and 47 FPS at 4K. At High settings, it goes from 59 FPS at 1080p to 48 FPS at 1440p to 35 FPS at 4K. At Ultra settings, the numbers are 56 FPS at 1080p, 45 FPS at 1440p, and 33 FPS at 4K.

The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is steepest at Low settings — a 41 FPS reduction (101 to 60), which is a 40.6% decrease. This large drop indicates that even at Low settings, the GPU is being heavily taxed by the increased pixel count. The CPU, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, has sufficient headroom at lower resolutions, but the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus become bottlenecks as the resolution climbs.

The pattern suggests that at 1080p, the combo is reasonably balanced — the CPU can push high frame rates at Low settings, and the GPU can keep up. But as resolution increases, the GPU’s limitations become more pronounced. The difference between 1080p Ultra (56 FPS) and 4K Ultra (33 FPS) is a 23 FPS drop, which is a 41.1% reduction. This is consistent with the GPU being the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Interestingly, the scaling from 1440p to 4K is relatively consistent across settings: a 21 FPS drop at Low, 16 FPS at Medium, 13 FPS at High, and 12 FPS at Ultra. This uniformity suggests that the GPU is hitting a memory bandwidth or VRAM capacity wall at 4K, regardless of the graphical settings. The 288.0 GB/s bandwidth is simply insufficient for 4K rendering in this game, and the 8 GB VRAM capacity is exceeded at Ultra settings, likely causing texture streaming issues.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 101, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does this combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 33, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the CPU’s percentile ranking among all CPUs?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT sits at the 81st percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 29879.

Q: Which GPU is the closest rival to the RX 7600 in benchmark scores?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM is the closest rival with an average score of 15199, a delta of -0.2% from the RX 7600’s 15171.

Q: What is the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K at Medium settings?

A: At Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 79 at 1080p to 47 at 4K, a reduction of 32 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU become the limiting factor at higher resolutions?

A: The data indicates the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the FPS drops significantly from 1080p to 4K across all settings, while the CPU’s multi-threaded performance remains consistent.

How This Combo Ranks

This combo ranks 2527 out of 3714 tested combinations in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the 32nd percentile of all tested combos. This is a mid-to-low ranking, reflecting the GPU’s limitations at higher resolutions despite the CPU’s solid performance. The rank of 2527 means that 1187 combos perform worse, but 2526 combos perform better — a majority of tested systems deliver higher frame rates in this game.

The CPU’s 81st percentile ranking suggests that the processor is not the weak link. The GPU’s 57th percentile ranking, however, indicates that many other graphics cards outperform it. The combination of a high-tier CPU with a mid-tier GPU creates an imbalance where the GPU holds the system back, especially at 1440p and 4K resolutions. At 1080p, the combo is more balanced, with the CPU able to push frame rates up to 101 FPS at Low settings.

Compared to other combos, the 2527 rank out of 3714 indicates that this system is better suited for 1080p gaming in Microsoft Flight Simulator. At that resolution, the average FPS ranges from 56 at Ultra to 101 at Low, which is playable. At 1440p, the range is 45 to 81 FPS, which is acceptable for medium settings. At 4K, the range is 33 to 60 FPS, with only Low settings achieving 60 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table presents the exact measured average FPS for each resolution and settings combination:

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|---------|---------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 35 | — | — |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 60 | — | — |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 47 | 40 | 54 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 33 | — | — |

| 2560x1440 | High | 48 | — | — |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 81 | — | — |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 63 | 54 | 73 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 45 | — | — |

| 1920x1080 | High | 59 | — | — |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 101 | — | — |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 79 | 67 | 90 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 56 | — | — |

The Medium settings are the only ones with recorded min and max FPS values, providing a range: at 1080p, the range is 67 to 90 FPS; at 1440p, it is 54 to 73 FPS; and at 4K, it is 40 to 54 FPS. These ranges indicate that the frame rate is not entirely stable, with fluctuations of up to 23 FPS at 1080p, 19 FPS at 1440p, and 14 FPS at 4K.

At 1080p, the performance is generally playable across all settings — even Ultra achieves 56 FPS, which is close to the 60 FPS target. At 1440p, only Low (81 FPS) and Medium (63 FPS) reach or exceed 60 FPS, while High (48 FPS) and Ultra (45 FPS) fall below. At 4K, only Low (60 FPS) hits the 60 FPS mark, with Medium (47 FPS), High (35 FPS), and Ultra (33 FPS) all well below. This breakdown confirms that the combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, with 1440p possible at reduced settings and 4K reserved for Low settings only.