Microsoft Flight Simulator

Settings Recommendations

The measured data for Microsoft Flight Simulator with the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and AMD Radeon RX 7700 shows a clear hierarchy across four presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 126 FPS, which is the highest measured result in the entire dataset. Medium drops to 98 FPS, High to 74 FPS, and Ultra to 70 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 28 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is only 4 FPS, suggesting diminishing returns at the top end.

For the best experience per the measured rows, Medium at 1080p represents the optimal balance. It delivers 98 FPS average with a minimum of 84 FPS and a maximum of 113 FPS, per the data. The minimum frame rate of 84 FPS indicates consistent performance without severe dips. Low at 126 FPS is smoother but sacrifices visual fidelity for a 28 FPS gain. High at 74 FPS and Ultra at 70 FPS are playable but approach the 60 FPS threshold more closely.

At 2560x1440, Medium again stands out. It produces 79 FPS average with a minimum of 67 FPS and a maximum of 91 FPS. This is 19 FPS slower than 1080p Medium but remains above 60 FPS. High at 1440p delivers 60 FPS exactly, which is the minimum for smooth gameplay. Ultra at 1440p falls to 57 FPS, below the 60 FPS target. Low at 1440p reaches 102 FPS, which is higher than High at 1080p (74 FPS), indicating the CPU is not the limiting factor at lower settings.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes significantly. Medium produces 59 FPS with a minimum of 50 FPS and a maximum of 67 FPS. This is the only 4K preset with a recorded minimum frame time range. Low at 4K delivers 75 FPS, while High drops to 44 FPS and Ultra to 42 FPS. The recommendation for 4K is Low if frame rate is the priority, as it maintains 75 FPS. Medium at 59 FPS is marginal, and High or Ultra are below the 60 FPS threshold.

The data indicates that Medium is the recommended preset across all three resolutions for a balanced experience. It keeps frame rates above 50 FPS even at 4K, and above 84 FPS at 1080p. For users prioritizing maximum smoothness, Low at 1080p or 1440p offers the highest headroom. Ultra provides only marginal gains over High in frame rate terms, with 42 FPS at 4K versus 44 FPS for High, so the visual upgrade may not justify the performance cost.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Granite Ridge. It has a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. The CPU's 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 1 MB L2 cache per core contribute to its single-threaded performance, which is critical for flight simulators that often rely on a primary simulation thread.

Benchmark data shows the 9700X scores 20485 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 2211 in single-core. In 3DMark, the 16-thread score is 9824, and the single-thread score is 1280. The CPU's percentile rank is 86 among all CPUs, indicating it outperforms the majority of processors. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Core i9-14901E with an average score of 37911 (0.1% higher), the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 at 37904 (0.1% higher), the Intel Core 5 211E at 37829 (0.3% higher), and the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 at 37804 (0.4% higher). The 9700X's average benchmark score is 37943, placing it slightly above all four rivals.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU's role is evident in the frame rate scaling across resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 126 FPS, which is the highest measured result. This suggests the CPU can feed the GPU efficiently at lower graphical loads. At 1440p Low, the frame rate drops to 102 FPS, a 19% reduction, while at 4K Low it falls to 75 FPS, a 40% reduction from 1080p. This scaling pattern indicates that as resolution increases, the GPU becomes more dominant, but the CPU still maintains a baseline above 75 FPS even at 4K Low.

The 8-core, 16-thread configuration is well-suited to Flight Simulator's multithreaded rendering and simulation workloads. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 9824 versus the 8-thread score of 8184 shows a 20% gain from additional threads, indicating effective scaling. The max-thread score of 9771 is nearly identical to the 16-thread score, suggesting the CPU reaches its performance ceiling with 16 threads. The single-thread score of 1280 in 3DMark and 2211 in Cinebench R23 single-core highlight the strong per-core performance needed for the game's main thread.

The 65W TDP and 4nm process node from TSMC allow the chip to maintain high clocks without excessive power draw, though thermal headroom can affect sustained boost behavior. The DDR5 memory support with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth provides ample data throughput for the simulator's streaming terrain and aircraft models. The PCIe Gen 5 interface with 24 lanes ensures the GPU has a high-bandwidth connection, though the RX 7700 uses PCIe 4.0 x16, which is backward compatible.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 is based on the Navi 32 chip with RDNA 3.0 architecture, codenamed Wheat Nas. It features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has a base clock of 1900 MHz, a game clock of 2041 MHz, and a boost clock of 2459 MHz. Memory runs at 2438 MHz with 19.5 Gbps effective speed.

The GPU's 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 96 render output units deliver a pixel rate of 236.1 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 393.4 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is 25.18 TFLOPS, which is identical to FP16 performance in a 1:1 ratio. The 40 ray tracing cores support DirectX 12 Ultimate features. The GPU's TDP is 200W, requiring a 550W suggested power supply and two 8-pin connectors.

Benchmark results show the RX 7700 scores 2865 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 20974 in Passmark G3D, and 106028 in Geekbench OpenCL. Its percentile rank is 58 among all GPUs, meaning it sits slightly above the median. The average benchmark score is 15852. Nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon R9 370X at 15862 (0.1% higher), the AMD Radeon RX 9060 at 16014 (1% higher), the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 at 15679 (1.1% lower), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti at 16129 (1.7% higher). The RX 7700 is within 2% of all four rivals in average score.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the GPU's 16 GB VRAM is a key asset. The game's high-resolution textures and detailed scenery can consume significant memory, and 16 GB prevents VRAM overflow at 4K Ultra settings. The measured data shows the GPU handles 4K Ultra at 42 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target but indicates the memory capacity is sufficient. The 624.1 GB/s bandwidth supports the streaming of terrain data at high resolutions.

The GPU's clock speeds correlate with performance scaling. At 1080p, the difference between Low (126 FPS) and Ultra (70 FPS) is 56 FPS, a 44% reduction. At 1440p, the same comparison shows 102 FPS versus 57 FPS, a 44% reduction. At 4K, Low delivers 75 FPS while Ultra drops to 42 FPS, a 44% reduction. This consistent 44% penalty from Low to Ultra across all resolutions suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher settings.

The RX 7700's performance in Flight Simulator is moderate. The 4K Medium result of 59 FPS with a minimum of 50 FPS shows the GPU can maintain playability at mid settings. The 1440p High result of 60 FPS is exactly at the 60 FPS threshold. The GPU's 58th percentile rank among all GPUs places it in the mid-range, and its nearest rival, the RTX 3060 Ti, is only 1.7% faster on average. This suggests the RX 7700 is competitive with previous-generation mid-range cards.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS measured for this system?

A: The highest average FPS is 126, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The second highest is 102 FPS at 2560x1440 Low, and the third is 98 FPS at 1920x1080 Medium.

Q: Does the system maintain 60 FPS at 4K resolution?

A: At 4K, only Low settings achieve above 60 FPS with 75 FPS. Medium delivers 59 FPS, which is just below 60, while High and Ultra produce 44 FPS and 42 FPS respectively. The minimum FPS for 4K Medium is 50.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700X has an average benchmark score of 37943. The Intel Core i9-14901E is 0.1% higher at 37911, the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 is 0.1% higher at 37904, the Intel Core 5 211E is 0.3% higher at 37829, and the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 is 0.4% higher at 37804. The 9700X is the top performer among these four.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration and how does it affect performance?

A: The Radeon RX 7700 has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with a bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s. This configuration allows the GPU to handle high-resolution textures without running out of memory, as evidenced by the 4K Ultra result of 42 FPS, which is still playable despite being below 60 FPS.

Q: What are the minimum FPS values recorded for Medium settings?

A: At 1920x1080 Medium, the minimum FPS is 84. At 2560x1440 Medium, the minimum is 67. At 3840x2160 Medium, the minimum is 50. These values are recorded in the measured data and show a clear degradation as resolution increases.

Q: How does the GPU's average benchmark score compare to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti?

A: The RX 7700 has an average score of 15852, while the RTX 3060 Ti has an average score of 16129. The RTX 3060 Ti is 1.7% higher, making it the closest NVIDIA competitor in the data. The RX 7700 also trails the AMD Radeon RX 9060 by 1% and leads the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 by 1.1%.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 126 at 1080p to 102 at 1440p and 75 at 4K. This represents a 19% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a further 26% reduction from 1440p to 4K, totaling a 40% drop from 1080p to 4K.

At Medium settings, the scaling shows a steeper decline. The 1080p average is 98 FPS, dropping to 79 FPS at 1440p and 59 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 19% from 1080p to 1440p and 25% from 1440p to 4K, totaling a 40% reduction. The minimum FPS also scales proportionally: 84 at 1080p, 67 at 1440p, and 50 at 4K.

High settings show a similar pattern with 74 FPS at 1080p, 60 FPS at 1440p, and 44 FPS at 4K. This is a 19% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 27% drop from 1440p to 4K, totaling a 41% reduction. Ultra settings produce 70 FPS at 1080p, 57 FPS at 1440p, and 42 FPS at 4K, with drops of 19% and 26% respectively, totaling a 40% reduction.

The consistent 40% reduction from 1080p to 4K across all settings indicates that the GPU is the limiting component at higher resolutions. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rate would not scale as predictably with resolution. The CPU's strong single-thread performance, evidenced by its 1280 3DMark single-thread score and 2211 Cinebench R23 single-core score, ensures it can keep up with the GPU's demands even at 4K.

The data also shows that the gap between Low and Ultra settings remains roughly constant across resolutions. At 1080p, the difference is 56 FPS (126 minus 70). At 1440p, it is 45 FPS (102 minus 57). At 4K, it is 33 FPS (75 minus 42). This narrowing gap suggests that at higher resolutions, the GPU's raw pixel throughput becomes more dominant, reducing the impact of settings changes.

The 4K Medium result of 59 FPS is particularly telling. It is only 1 FPS below the 60 FPS target, and the minimum of 50 FPS shows occasional dips. This indicates that the RX 7700 is borderline capable of 4K gaming at medium settings. The 1440p High result of exactly 60 FPS shows the GPU can handle 1440p at high settings at the 60 FPS threshold. For users with 1080p displays, the system has significant headroom, with even Ultra settings exceeding 70 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for Microsoft Flight Simulator with the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and AMD Radeon RX 7700 spans three resolutions and four settings presets. The complete dataset is as follows:

1920x1080:

• Low: 126 FPS average
• Medium: 98 FPS average, 84 FPS minimum, 113 FPS maximum
• High: 74 FPS average
• Ultra: 70 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 102 FPS average
• Medium: 79 FPS average, 67 FPS minimum, 91 FPS maximum
• High: 60 FPS average
• Ultra: 57 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 75 FPS average
• Medium: 59 FPS average, 50 FPS minimum, 67 FPS maximum
• High: 44 FPS average
• Ultra: 42 FPS average

The data shows that at 1080p, all presets exceed 70 FPS, with Low reaching 126 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 84 FPS indicates stable performance, while the maximum of 113 FPS shows headroom. Ultra at 70 FPS is the lowest 1080p result but remains comfortably above 60 FPS.

At 1440p, the pattern shifts. Low at 102 FPS is still well above 60 FPS, but Medium drops to 79 FPS with a minimum of 67 FPS. High at 60 FPS is exactly at the threshold, and Ultra falls below at 57 FPS. This resolution shows the boundary of the system's capability at higher settings.

At 4K, only Low achieves a comfortable margin above 60 FPS with 75 FPS. Medium at 59 FPS is marginally below the threshold, with a minimum of 50 FPS indicating occasional dips. High and Ultra at 44 FPS and 42 FPS respectively are playable but not smooth. The 4K Medium maximum of 67 FPS shows the system can reach above 60 FPS in less demanding scenes.

The combination rank for this system in Microsoft Flight Simulator is 1324 out of 2996 total combinations, placing it in the 44th percentile of tested configurations. This rank reflects the mid-range positioning of the RX 7700, which has a 58th percentile rank among all GPUs, while the 9700X's 86th percentile rank among CPUs indicates the processor is the stronger component in this pairing.

The frame rate data, when viewed across all resolutions and settings, shows a system that is well-balanced for 1080p gaming at any preset, capable of 1440p at medium to high settings, and limited to low settings for smooth 4K performance. The minimum FPS values for Medium settings provide the most actionable data, showing that 1080p Medium (84 FPS min) is the safest choice for consistent frame times, while 1440p Medium (67 FPS min) and 4K Medium (50 FPS min) offer progressively more risk of noticeable frame drops.