Microsoft Flight Simulator

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 combination delivers a robust Microsoft Flight Simulator experience across all tested resolutions. The data indicates a system capable of high frame rates at 1080p and solid playability at 4K, with the CPU providing ample headroom for the GPU to scale performance as settings increase.

Resolution Scaling

Resolution scaling in Microsoft Flight Simulator reveals a classic pattern of GPU-bound behavior at higher settings, with the RTX 5070 becoming the primary constraint as pixel count rises. The measured FPS data shows a clear and consistent drop as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, but the magnitude of that drop varies significantly depending on the selected graphics preset.

At the Low preset, the system moves from 176 FPS at 1920x1080 to 142 FPS at 2560x1440, a decline of roughly 19%. Continuing to 3840x2160 yields 105 FPS, which represents a further 26% reduction from the 1440p figure. This means from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, the frame rate drops by 71 FPS, or about 40%. The relatively high frame rates across all resolutions at Low settings suggest that even at 4K, there is some headroom left in the system.

The Medium preset shows a similar trend but with smaller absolute numbers. At 1080p, 137 FPS drops to 110 FPS at 1440p, a 20% reduction. At 4K, the average lands at 81 FPS, which is 26% lower than the 1440p Medium score. From 1080p to 4K on Medium, the total drop is 56 FPS, or roughly 41%. Notably, the Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values, with a 4K spread from 69 to 94 FPS and a 1080p spread from 116 to 157 FPS. That granularity suggests the Medium preset delivers a more consistent frame pacing relative to the extremes.

High settings produce the following: 103 FPS at 1080p, 83 FPS at 1440p, and 61 FPS at 4K. The 1440p result is 19% below 1080p, and the 4K result is 27% below 1440p. Overall, 4K High is 41% lower than 1080p High, with a 42 FPS absolute gap. The scaling behavior here indicates that the GPU is beginning to saturate at the higher resolution, as the 4K score falls below the 60 FPS threshold that many users consider the floor for a smooth flight sim experience.

Ultra settings show the most pronounced resolution sensitivity. The system produces 98 FPS at 1080p, 79 FPS at 1440p, and 58 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 19% from 1080p to 1440p, and 27% from 1440p to 4K. The total 1080p-to-4K decline of 41% matches the other presets, but the absolute 4K figure of 58 FPS is the lowest of any setting. This indicates that at Ultra and 4K, the RTX 5070 is heavily tasked, with the GPU becoming the definitive limiting factor.

The consistent ratio of FPS drops across settings - roughly 40% from 1080p to 4K regardless of preset - points to a system where the performance scaling is fairly linear with respect to resolution. The data shows that the CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution, as even the lowest 4K result (58 FPS at Ultra) is well above the point where the CPU would limit the GPU. Instead, the RTX 5070 provides a predictable frame rate curve, with the 4K Ultra result being the only profile that dips below the 60 FPS mark.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 4K Ultra with this combo?

A: The system delivers an average of 58 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Q: At which resolution and preset does this combo achieve the highest frame rate?

A: The highest recorded average is 176 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Does the system maintain 60 FPS at 4K across all presets?

A: Yes, except for Ultra. At 4K Ultra, the average is 58 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS mark. The High preset achieves 61 FPS, Medium 81 FPS, and Low 105 FPS.

Q: How does the Medium preset's performance compare between 1440p and 4K?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset averages 110 FPS with a minimum of 94 and a maximum of 127 FPS. At 3840x2160, the average drops to 81 FPS, with a range of 69 to 94 FPS. The 4K average is 26% lower.

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p High settings?

A: The system produces an average of 103 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings.

Q: Which settings preset at 1440p provides the highest frame rate?

A: Low settings at 2560x1440 yields 142 FPS, the highest average at that resolution. Medium provides 110 FPS, High 83 FPS, and Ultra 79 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 combination ranks 729th out of 3714 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places the system in the top 19.6% of all tested hardware configurations for this game, a solid result that reflects the strong pairing of an 8-core Zen 3 processor with a Blackwell-architecture GPU.

The rank of 729 out of 3714 indicates that the system outperforms the vast majority of tested setups. Given that the data shows the CPU is not a limiting factor, the ranking is largely driven by the RTX 5070's raw performance. The GPU sits in the 82nd percentile versus all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 40377 puts it near the AMD Radeon Pro 580 (40318) and AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 (40063), with a deltaPct of 0.1 and 0.8 respectively. These nearest rivals are workstation cards, but the RTX 5070 edges them out in average score. The CPU is in the 81st percentile, with an average benchmark score of 29879, closely matching the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H (29868) and AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (29955).

The combination of a high-percentile GPU and CPU results in a system that handles this flight simulator with only minor compromises at the absolute highest settings. The ranking is a direct reflection of the measured FPS data, which shows that the system is capable of exceeding 60 FPS at 4K for all presets except Ultra. The fact that the system ranks well above the median (3714/2 = 1857) indicates that this combo is well-suited for this game, especially for users who prioritize high refresh rates at 1440p or smooth 4K gameplay at High settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS across three resolutions and four settings provides a full picture of this combo's capability in Microsoft Flight Simulator.

At 1920x1080, the system performs with a high level of fluidity. The Low preset yields an average of 176 FPS, providing the highest frame rate in the entire dataset. Medium settings produce 137 FPS, with a minimum of 116 and a maximum of 157 FPS. High settings average 103 FPS, and Ultra settings average 98 FPS. The spread from 98 FPS at Ultra to 176 FPS at Low shows that the CPU is not a hindrance at 1080p, allowing the GPU to stretch its legs. Even at Ultra, the 98 FPS average is well above the standard V-sync target, making for an extremely smooth experience.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain robust. Low settings deliver 142 FPS, Medium 110 FPS, High 83 FPS, and Ultra 79 FPS. The Medium preset again provides the only min/max data, with a range from 94 to 127 FPS. At 1440p, the lowest preset (Ultra) still produces near-80 FPS, which is well within the range of high-refresh-rate monitors. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is consistent, averaging about a 20% reduction across presets.

The 3840x2160 results are the most informative for understanding the system's limits. The Low preset averages 105 FPS, which is surprisingly high for a 4K flight sim, indicating that the GPU has substantial compute headroom when the quality settings are reduced. Medium averages 81 FPS, High averages 61 FPS, and Ultra averages 58 FPS. The High preset at 4K results in a 61 FPS average, which is almost exactly at the 60 FPS target. The Ultra preset is the only one that dips below, at 58 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K, with a range of 69 to 94 FPS, shows that even with the extra pixel count, the frame times remain relatively stable.

The data also reveals that the Medium preset is the only one with recorded min/max values, across all three resolutions. This could indicate that the Medium settings were chosen for a more detailed frame-time analysis, but the numbers do show a tighter frame pacing at Lower settings. For instance, at 4K Medium, the min FPS is 69 and max is 94, which is a 25 FPS spread. At 1440p, the spread is 33 FPS (94 to 127), and at 1080p, it's 41 FPS (116 to 157). As resolution drops, the min/max spread widens, which is typical as the system spends less time on each frame.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.8 GHz and a boost clock of 4.8 GHz. The CPU has a 32 MB shared L3 cache and 64 KB of L1 and 512 KB of L2 per core. The processor supports DDR4 memory, and its 3DMark multi-threaded score of 7683 and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23794 indicate that it provides solid multi-threaded performance, which is relevant for a flight simulator that often relies on complex physics and AI.

In this game, the CPU does not appear to be the limiting factor at any resolution. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K is consistent, and the system maintains high frame rates even at the highest settings. The 8-core/16-thread configuration is well-suited for Microsoft Flight Simulator, which can use multiple threads for tasks such as terrain loading, weather simulation, and flight dynamics. The boost clock of 4.8 GHz gives strong single-thread performance, which is crucial for the main game thread.

The CPU's 3DMark 2-thread score of 1879 and single-thread score of 959, combined with the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1410, confirm that single-thread performance is strong. The passmark single-thread score of 81, which is at the 81st percentile, reinforces that. The CPU's multi-thread performance, as shown by the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23794 and 3DMark max-threads score of 7680, indicates that the Ryzen 7 5800XT can support the GPU without creating a bottleneck, even at the 4K Low preset where the GPU is producing 105 FPS.

The bottleneck in this system is clearly the GPU at higher resolutions and settings, as the FPS drops from 1080p to 4K are larger than what would be expected if the CPU were limiting. The fact that the GPU ranks at the 82nd percentile while the CPU ranks at the 81st percentile shows they are well-matched, but the measured FPS data points to the RTX 5070 as the component that determines the maximum frame rate at 4K Ultra.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which preset to use at each resolution for the best experience.

At 1920x1080, the system can handle the Ultra preset with an average of 98 FPS. There is no need to compromise on visual quality at this resolution. The Ultra preset is the best choice, as it delivers high frame rates while maximizing the graphical fidelity of the flight simulator. The High preset at 103 FPS is also perfectly smooth, but Ultra offers a more immersive visual experience at only a 5 FPS penalty.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 79 FPS, which is a good result that remains above the 60 FPS threshold. For users with a high-refresh-rate 1440p monitor, the Medium preset at 110 FPS would be a better choice to take advantage of refresh rates above 100 Hz. The High preset at 83 FPS is a balanced option, offering a middle ground between visual quality and frame rate. Overall, at 1440p, the system can deliver a comfortable experience on any preset, but Medium or High would be preferable for esports-level fluidity.

At 3840x2160, the decision is more nuanced. The Ultra preset averages 58 FPS, which is slightly below the 60 FPS target. Users who are sensitive to frame rate drops may want to avoid Ultra. The High preset at 61 FPS is right at the edge of the 60 FPS target, but it is also below the threshold for those who require a strict 60 FPS. The Medium preset, with an average of 81 FPS and a minimum of 69 FPS, is the safest choice for 4K gaming. It provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while still offering better-than-Low visual quality. The Low preset at 105 FPS is an option for those who prioritize maximum smoothness over visuals, but it sacrifices too much graphical fidelity for most users.

The data leads to a clear recommendation: at 4K, the Medium preset is the best combination of visuals and performance, ensuring the frame rate stays well above 60 FPS. At 1440p, Ultra is playable, but Medium or High will provide a better experience for high-refresh-rate displays. At 1080p, the Ultra preset is the only choice for the best experience.