Microsoft Flight Simulator

How This Combo Ranks

This AMD Ryzen 7 7700X + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER combination sits at rank 1105 out of 1795 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. That places it in the lower-middle portion of the field, roughly in the 38th percentile of all configurations tested for this title. The ranking reflects a pairing where the CPU is clearly the stronger partner—the Ryzen 7 7700X holds an 89th percentile position among all CPUs, while the RTX 2070 SUPER sits at just the 65th percentile among GPUs. This imbalance matters in a flight simulator that can stress both the processor and the graphics card heavily depending on the scenario.

The combo's rank is not a condemnation; it is a statement about expectations. Many of the 690 combos ranked above this one will feature newer or higher-tier graphics cards, and the data suggests that the GPU is what holds this pairing back from climbing higher. When you look at the measured frames per second, the pattern is consistent with a system that is GPU-limited at higher resolutions and settings, while the CPU has headroom to spare. For a builder targeting smooth flight sim performance, this rank tells you the platform is capable, but the graphics subsystem will define the ceiling.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is the limiting factor in this pairing. It carries 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The base clock is 1605 MHz, boosting to 1770 MHz, and the card houses 2560 shading units alongside 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores. These specifications are from the Turing architecture, built on a 12 nm process, and the card is now end-of-life in production status.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the GPU's role is substantial because the game renders dense scenery, complex aircraft models, and dynamic weather. The 8 GB frame buffer is adequate at 1080p and often at 1440p, but the measured FPS at 4K shows the card struggling with higher presets. The data indicates the GPU is the bottleneck when you move from Low to Ultra settings at any resolution. For instance, at 1440p, the average FPS drops from 89.8 on Low to 49.7 on Ultra—a clear sign that the graphics card's compute and memory resources are being saturated. The RTX 2070 SUPER's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX A400, which scores 0.5% higher on average, and the AMD Radeon RX 5700, which trails by 2.5%. This puts the card in a specific performance tier that is workable but not exceptional for a demanding title like this one.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling across resolutions reveals a classic GPU-bound curve. At 1080p with High settings, the combo averages 63.3 FPS. Moving to 1440p High drops that to 51.6 FPS, a 18.5% reduction. Going further to 4K High yields 37.9 FPS, which is 40.1% below the 1080p figure. This steep decline as resolution increases is the signature of a graphics card that is running out of pixel throughput and memory bandwidth. The CPU is not the constraining factor here; if it were, the FPS would remain relatively flat across resolutions.

The story is similar at other settings. With Medium settings, the 1080p average is 86.1 FPS, falling to 66.8 at 1440p and 49.7 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K is 42.3% at Medium. At Low settings, the scaling is less severe in absolute terms but still present: 112.7 FPS at 1080p, 89.8 at 1440p, and 66 at 4K. The fact that even Low settings at 4K cannot hold 70 FPS confirms the GPU is the limiting component. For a builder, this means that if you want to play at 4K, you will need to accept lower presets or consider a stronger graphics card; the Ryzen 7 7700X is not the reason for these frame rate drops.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data points to a clear recommendation: use High settings at 1080p or 1440p, or Medium at 4K for a playable experience. At 1080p High, the combo delivers 63.3 FPS average, which is smooth for a flight simulator where panning around dense urban areas or busy airports can cause stutter. At 1440p High, the 51.6 FPS average is still acceptable for most players, though you may notice minor dips during heavy scenery loads. The Ultra preset at 1080p yields 61.1 FPS, barely better than High at the same resolution, which tells you that the extra visual fidelity from Ultra is not worth the performance cost—High is the sweet spot.

At 4K, the situation is different. Ultra settings produce only 34 FPS average, which is borderline unplayable for a sim that requires smooth camera movement. Medium at 4K gives 49.7 FPS, which is more workable but still not ideal. Low at 4K hits 66 FPS, and while that sacrifices visual quality, it is the only way to get a consistently smooth experience at that resolution. The data suggests that if you own a 4K monitor, you should plan on Medium settings as a compromise, or drop to 1440p to enjoy High presets without compromise. There is no scenario in the measured rows where Ultra is the best choice; High delivers nearly the same frame rate with less overhead.

Measured FPS Breakdown

Breaking down the numbers by resolution and settings provides a full picture of what this combo can do. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 112.7 on Low to 61.1 on Ultra. Medium lands at 86.1, and High at 63.3. The gap between Low and Medium is 26.6 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is only 2.2 FPS, indicating diminishing returns at the top end. At 2560x1440, the averages are 89.8 (Low), 66.8 (Medium), 51.6 (High), and 49.7 (Ultra). Here, the difference between High and Ultra is just 1.9 FPS, reinforcing that High is the practical ceiling for visual quality without a frame rate penalty.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 66 (Low), 49.7 (Medium), 37.9 (High), and 34 (Ultra). The step from Low to Medium costs 16.3 FPS, and from Medium to High costs another 11.8 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is the worst performer, and the data shows a consistent pattern: every settings tier at 4K is below the 60 FPS threshold except Low. This resolution is simply too demanding for the RTX 2070 SUPER to handle with high fidelity. The measured rows also show no min or max FPS values, so the averages represent the central tendency of performance, which is sufficient for making recommendations.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X is a strong processor that is not the limiting factor in this game. It has 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 4.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Built on the Zen 4 architecture with a 5 nm process, it features 32 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory with dual-channel bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s. The CPU's benchmark scores are impressive: a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 30325 and a single-core score of 4281. Its average benchmark score of 34313 places it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, with near-identical rivals like the Intel Core i5-13500 (0.4% higher score) and the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H (0.8% lower score).

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU handles simulation logic, AI traffic, and physics calculations, which are heavily single-threaded. The Ryzen 7 7700X's strong single-core performance, evidenced by its Geekbench single-core score of 2985 and 3DMark single-thread score of 1090, means it can keep up with the game's demands. The measured FPS data shows that even at 1080p Low, where the GPU is least stressed, the combo achieves 112.7 FPS—a number that suggests the CPU is not holding back the frame rate. If the processor were the bottleneck, you would see the FPS stagnate regardless of resolution changes, but the data shows clear resolution-based scaling, which is a GPU characteristic. For a builder, this means the Ryzen 7 7700X is a future-proof choice; if you upgrade the GPU later, the CPU will not need to be replaced to see a meaningful performance gain in this title.