Microsoft Flight Simulator

# Microsoft Flight Simulator: AMD Ryzen 7 9700F + Intel Arc B370

This combination pairs AMD's 8-core Zen 5 desktop processor with Intel's integrated-class Arc B370 graphics solution, producing results that sit near the bottom of the tested pool for Microsoft Flight Simulator. The combo ranks 2770th out of 2996 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 8% of all configs. The data shows a system that can run the sim at playable framerates only under specific conditions, and the bottleneck profile is unambiguous: the GPU is the overwhelming constraint at every resolution and settings level.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F provides 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. This is a Zen 5 architecture part built on TSMC's 4 nm process, using the Granite Ridge codename. The processor carries 32 MB of shared L3 cache, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 80 KB of L1 per core. It supports DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth, and connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 24 CPU lanes. The 65 W TDP reflects an efficient design, though the chip is multiplier-unlocked for those inclined to push it further.

In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU performs strongly. The PassMark multithread score is 36,470, and single-thread score is 4,691. Integer math reaches 120,788, floating-point math hits 77,955, and extended instructions score 33,688. Data compression scores 421,988, data encryption 21,488, and random string sorting 45,890. The find prime numbers test returns 183, and physics scores 2,122. The average benchmark score across all tests is 69,996, which places the chip in the 94th percentile of all CPUs.

Relative to its nearest rivals, the 9700F is essentially tied. It sits 0.2% above the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (avg score 69,875), 0.2% below the Intel Core i7-14700KF (avg score 70,163), 0.7% above the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (avg score 69,515), and 0.9% above the Intel Core i7-14700K (avg score 69,355). These deltas are within noise, meaning the 9700F delivers CPU compute capability on par with high-end desktop and mobile parts from recent generations.

For Microsoft Flight Simulator specifically, the CPU's role is to handle flight model physics, scenery generation, AI traffic, and the simulation's complex world-streaming logic. The 8-core/16-thread configuration with 5.50 GHz boost is more than adequate for these tasks. The data confirms this: at 1080p Low, the system produces 50 FPS average, which is the highest result in the entire measured set. At 1080p Medium, it drops to 39 FPS, and at 1080p High it falls to 30 FPS. The CPU is clearly not the limiting factor at lower settings, because the framerate scales almost entirely with graphics load rather than simulation complexity.

The PassMark physics score of 2,122 is modest compared to the chip's other results, but flight simulators are not typically physics-bound in the same way as action games. The strong single-thread score of 4,691 matters more, since Microsoft Flight Simulator's main thread handles much of the simulation tick. The 0.2% delta against the Ryzen 9 7940HX and the 0.7% advantage over the Ryzen 9 7950X suggest that the 9700F's Zen 5 architecture provides excellent per-core performance, which is precisely what this game requires from a CPU.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is the graphics component in this combo, and its specifications explain the measured results almost entirely. This is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, using the Panther Lake chip on Intel's 3 nm process. It has 1,280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster output pipelines. There are 10 ray tracing cores. The base clock is 300 MHz, boosting to 2,400 MHz. Pixel rate is 48.00 GPixel/s, texture rate is 96.00 GTexel/s, and FP32 compute is 6.144 TFLOPS. FP16 reaches 12.29 TFLOPS at 2:1 ratio.

Memory is system-shared, meaning there is no dedicated VRAM. The memory type, bus width, and bandwidth are all listed as system-dependent, which means the GPU borrows from the CPU's DDR5 pool. The TDP is just 25 W, and the slot width is IGP, confirming this is not a discrete card. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

The GPU's benchmark results are stark. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1,184, placing it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all older or lower-end parts: the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scores 1,186 (0.2% above), the ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1,190 (0.5% above), the AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1,192 (0.7% above), and the AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1,168 (1.4% below). This is not a competitive gaming GPU by any modern standard.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the GPU handles terrain rendering, aircraft exteriors, weather effects, and the complex shader work required for realistic lighting and shadows. The game is known for being graphically demanding, and the Arc B370's integrated-level compute is insufficient for smooth performance at higher settings. The data shows this clearly: at 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 28. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 23. At 4K Ultra, it falls to 17 FPS. The 6.144 TFLOPS FP32 figure is simply too low for the pixel and texture throughput this game demands at high resolutions and quality presets.

The 25 W TDP is telling. A discrete gaming GPU typically consumes 150 W to 350 W, and the Arc B370's power envelope is a fraction of that. This limits sustained clock performance and means the GPU cannot maintain high utilization under heavy load. The system-shared memory also creates potential bandwidth contention with the CPU, though the measured results suggest the compute limitation dominates.

Resolution Scaling

The framerate scaling across resolutions reveals the GPU bottleneck with mathematical clarity. At 1080p Low, the system averages 50 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 41 FPS (an 18% reduction). At 4K Low, it falls to 30 FPS (a 40% reduction from 1080p, or 27% from 1440p). Moving from 1080p to 4K at Low settings costs 20 FPS, which is a 40% performance loss.

At Medium settings, the pattern continues. 1080p Medium averages 39 FPS, 1440p Medium averages 32 FPS (an 18% drop), and 4K Medium averages 23 FPS (a 41% drop from 1080p). The 1080p Medium result includes min/max figures of 33/45 FPS, while 1440p Medium shows 27/36 FPS, and 4K Medium shows 20/27 FPS. The consistency of these percentage drops — roughly 18% from 1080p to 1440p and another 28% from 1440p to 4K — is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario where the framerate scales inversely with pixel count.

At High settings, the numbers compress further. 1080p High averages 30 FPS, 1440p High averages 24 FPS (a 20% drop), and 4K High averages 18 FPS (a 40% drop from 1080p). The Ultra preset shows a similar trend: 1080p Ultra at 28 FPS, 1440p Ultra at 23 FPS (an 18% drop), and 4K Ultra at 17 FPS (a 39% drop from 1080p).

The interpretation is straightforward. The framerate scales almost perfectly with pixel count, which means the GPU is the limiting component at every resolution and settings level. If the CPU were the bottleneck, you would expect to see framerates that stay relatively flat across resolutions, or at least degrade less steeply. Instead, the data shows a consistent 18-20% loss from 1080p to 1440p and a further 27-28% loss from 1440p to 4K, regardless of quality preset. This is textbook GPU-bound behavior.

The CPU's headroom is evident from the fact that even at 4K Low, the system manages 30 FPS, which is the same as 1080p High. The simulation logic is clearly not the constraint — the graphics pipeline is. If you were to pair this CPU with a more capable GPU, the framerates would rise substantially, but the Arc B370 caps the system's potential at roughly 50 FPS even in the most favorable conditions.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo playable for Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: At 1080p Low, the system averages 50 FPS, which is playable. At 1080p Medium, it averages 39 FPS, and at 1080p High it drops to 30 FPS. At 4K, the best result is 30 FPS on Low settings, with High and Ultra falling to 18 and 17 FPS respectively. Playability depends on your tolerance for reduced quality and resolution.

Q: Why is the framerate so low despite the strong CPU?

A: The CPU is in the 94th percentile of all processors with a PassMark multithread score of 36,470, but the GPU is in the 5th percentile with a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1,184. The Arc B370's integrated-class performance with 6.144 TFLOPS FP32 compute is the limiting factor at every resolution and settings level.

Q: What happens if I lower the resolution from 4K to 1080p?

A: At Low settings, you gain 20 FPS (from 30 to 50). At Medium settings, you gain 16 FPS (from 23 to 39). At High settings, you gain 12 FPS (from 18 to 30). At Ultra settings, you gain 11 FPS (from 17 to 28). The percentage gains are consistent at roughly 67-76% improvement, confirming GPU-bound scaling.

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

A: The Ryzen 7 9700F has an average benchmark score of 69,996. It sits 0.2% above the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (69,875), 0.2% below the Intel Core i7-14700KF (70,163), 0.7% above the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (69,515), and 0.9% above the Intel Core i7-14700K (69,355). These differences are negligible in real-world terms.

Q: What are the best settings for this combo?

A: The data suggests 1080p Low is the only configuration that consistently exceeds 50 FPS. At 1080p Medium, you get 39 FPS average with 33 FPS minimum. At 1440p Low, you get 41 FPS. For a balance of quality and performance, 1080p Medium or 1440p Low are the recommended starting points.

Q: Is the GPU's system-shared memory a problem?

A: The Arc B370 uses system-shared memory with bandwidth listed as system-dependent. This means the GPU competes with the CPU for DDR5 bandwidth. The CPU's 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth is shared, which can cause contention under heavy load, though the compute limitation of the GPU is the primary constraint in this game.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 2770th out of 2996 tested combinations for Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the bottom 7.5% of all configurations. This is a low ranking, and the data supports it. The system's best measured result is 50 FPS at 1080p Low, which is below the 60 FPS target most players would consider smooth. At any settings above Low, the framerate drops below 40 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it bottoms out at 17 FPS.

The ranking reflects the severe imbalance between the CPU and GPU. The Ryzen 7 9700F is a top-tier desktop processor, but the Arc B370 is an integrated graphics solution. In a game like Microsoft Flight Simulator, which is heavily GPU-bound at higher settings, the GPU's 5th percentile performance drags the entire combo down. The CPU's 94th percentile performance cannot compensate for the GPU's limitations.

For context, the GPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and the ATI Radeon HD 5770, both of which are over a decade old. This is not a GPU designed for modern gaming workloads. The 25 W TDP and IGP slot width confirm its integrated nature. In practical terms, this combo is suitable for low-resolution, low-settings play, but it will struggle with the full visual experience that Microsoft Flight Simulator offers.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160) and four settings levels (Low, Medium, High, Ultra). All results are average FPS unless noted otherwise.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 50 FPS average
• Medium: 39 FPS average, 33 FPS minimum, 45 FPS maximum
• High: 30 FPS average
• Ultra: 28 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 41 FPS average
• Medium: 32 FPS average, 27 FPS minimum, 36 FPS maximum
• High: 24 FPS average
• Ultra: 23 FPS average

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 30 FPS average
• Medium: 23 FPS average, 20 FPS minimum, 27 FPS maximum
• High: 18 FPS average
• Ultra: 17 FPS average

The progression is consistent across all settings. From 1080p to 1440p, the average framerate drops by approximately 18-20% regardless of quality preset. From 1440p to 4K, the drop is approximately 27-28%. The total loss from 1080p to 4K is approximately 40% at every settings level.

The min/max data points, available only for Medium settings, show the frame time variance. At 1080p Medium, the range is 33-45 FPS, a 12 FPS spread. At 1440p Medium, the range is 27-36 FPS, a 9 FPS spread. At 4K Medium, the range is 20-27 FPS, a 7 FPS spread. The narrower range at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU is more consistently saturated at 4K, with less headroom for variation.

For practical purposes, the only configuration that approaches smooth playability is 1080p Low at 50 FPS. At 1080p Medium, 39 FPS is borderline, and anything above that falls into the territory where the simulation becomes noticeably stuttery. The 4K results are uniformly below 30 FPS, which is generally considered the minimum threshold for playable framerates in a flight simulator. This data confirms that the Intel Arc B370 is the definitive bottleneck, and that the Ryzen 7 9700F's considerable CPU power is largely wasted in this pairing for Microsoft Flight Simulator.