Microsoft Flight Simulator

The pairing of AMD’s Ryzen 7 9700X processor with NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER produces a distinct performance profile in Microsoft Flight Simulator, one defined by the graphics card’s limitations. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a system where the CPU’s substantial compute headroom is consistently held back by the GPU’s rendering throughput. This analysis examines the benchmark data to delineate the roles of each component and provide actionable settings guidance.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data shows a pronounced sensitivity to resolution, confirming that the GTX 1660 SUPER is the primary performance limiter in this configuration. At 1080p with Low settings, the combination achieves an average of 76.7 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same settings, the average drops to 63.9 FPS, a reduction of 12.8 FPS. At 4K, the Low preset average falls further to 45.4 FPS. This scaling pattern indicates that even at the lowest graphical load, the GPU’s pixel throughput is the bottleneck; the CPU is not preventing higher frame rates from being achieved.

The impact of resolution becomes more severe as graphical quality increases. At High settings, the transition from 1080p (42.9 FPS) to 1440p (37.6 FPS) is a 5.3 FPS loss, but the jump to 4K (26.8 FPS) represents a 10.8 FPS drop from the 1440p result. This non-linear decline suggests that the GPU’s memory bandwidth and shading resources are being saturated by the increased pixel count. The 4K Ultra result of 25.2 FPS is barely playable, while the 1080p Ultra result of 44.3 FPS is smoother but still below the threshold for high-refresh displays.

The data reveals that the scaling from 1080p to 4K is not uniform across presets. For Low settings, the 4K result retains 59% of the 1080p performance. For High settings, that retention falls to 62%, and for Ultra, it is 57%. This indicates that the GPU’s fixed resources, such as the 6 GB memory buffer and the 192-bit memory bus, are being taxed more heavily at higher presets, causing the performance to degrade faster as resolution increases. The CPU’s role in this scaling is minimal; its performance is sufficient to feed the GPU at all tested resolutions.

GPU Role

The GTX 1660 SUPER’s specifications provide context for its measured performance. With 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, it offers a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is a critical factor in Microsoft Flight Simulator, which streams vast amounts of terrain and scenery data. The benchmark results suggest that at 4K Ultra, the combination of memory capacity and bandwidth is insufficient, resulting in the lowest average of 25.2 FPS. The GPU’s boost clock of 1785 MHz and its 1408 shading units contribute to its raw compute capacity, but the FP32 throughput of 5.027 TFLOPS is modest for the demands of 4K rendering.

The GPU’s role is clearly defined by the performance delta between Low and Ultra presets. At 1080p, the difference between Low (76.7 FPS) and Ultra (44.3 FPS) is 32.4 FPS. At 4K, the difference between Low (45.4 FPS) and Ultra (25.2 FPS) is 20.2 FPS. This narrower gap at higher resolutions indicates that the pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth become the dominant constraints, rather than the shader workload. The GPU’s pixel rate of 85.68 GPixel/s is a limiting factor at 4K, where the sheer number of pixels to process overwhelms the render output units (ROPs).

The absence of dedicated ray tracing or tensor cores in the Turing architecture means that the GTX 1660 SUPER relies purely on rasterization performance. In a simulation title like Microsoft Flight Simulator, which has significant draw distances and complex lighting, this limitation is apparent. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the bottleneck in all scenarios, as the Ryzen 7 9700X, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, provides ample processing headroom. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 31588 and single-core score of 4459 indicate that it is not the limiting factor in this pairing.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: The data shows 1080p is the most viable resolution. The average frame rates at 1080p range from 76.7 FPS on Low to 44.3 FPS on Ultra, while 1440p drops to a range of 63.9 FPS to 33.2 FPS. 4K is only playable on Low settings, with an average of 45.4 FPS.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 SUPER compare to its closest rivals in this game?

A: The benchmark data indicates the GTX 1660 SUPER has an average score of 14286. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11, has an average score of 14314, a delta of -0.2%. This puts the GTX 1660 SUPER in a similar performance tier, but its measured FPS in this game is what determines playability.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 9700X holding back the GTX 1660 SUPER?

A: No, the data suggests the opposite. The CPU has a high average benchmark score of 36029 and a percentile ranking of 89 against all CPUs. The frame rates scale with resolution and settings in a way that indicates the GPU is the limiting component.

Q: Can this system run Microsoft Flight Simulator at 4K?

A: It can, but only at Low settings, where it achieves an average of 45.4 FPS. At Medium settings, the 4K average drops to 35.5 FPS, and at High or Ultra, it falls below 30 FPS, making the experience less fluid.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, the Low preset averages 63.9 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 33.2 FPS. This is a difference of 30.7 FPS, showing that the graphical preset has a substantial impact on performance at this resolution.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combination ranks 1583 out of 1795 tested combos in this game. This places it in the lower percentile of systems, consistent with the GPU’s 55th percentile ranking among all GPUs.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 1583 out of 1795 tested combinations places this system in the lower 12% of configurations for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This ranking is directly attributable to the GPU’s performance ceiling. The GTX 1660 SUPER’s percentile rank of 55 against all GPUs indicates it is a mid-range part, but its absolute performance is not aligned with the demands of this flight simulator at higher resolutions. The CPU, by contrast, is a high-performer; the Ryzen 7 9700X sits in the 89th percentile against all CPUs.

The disparity between the component rankings highlights the imbalance in this pairing. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 36029 places it in a competitive tier with the Intel Core i5-14500HX (35940, a 0.2% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (35802, a 0.6% delta). Conversely, the GPU’s average score of 14286 is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 (14314, a -0.2% delta) and the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics (14315, a -0.2% delta). This means the system’s overall ranking is dragged down by the graphics card, while the processor’s potential remains untapped.

In practical terms, the rank implies that a majority of tested systems deliver higher frame rates. The measured FPS data supports this, as the best result of 76.7 FPS at 1080p Low is a playable but not high-refresh experience. The system’s rank suggests that users with more balanced configurations, or those with stronger GPUs, will achieve better performance. The CPU’s high single-thread performance, evidenced by a Geekbench single-core score of 3353, does not compensate for the GPU’s limitations in this specific title.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the user’s resolution target and frame rate preference. For a smooth 60 FPS experience, the 1080p Low preset is the only configuration that exceeds this threshold, with an average of 76.7 FPS. The 1080p Medium preset averages 60.4 FPS, placing it right at the boundary of playability for many users. For those who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate, the 1080p High preset at 42.9 FPS offers a more detailed image while still maintaining a playable frame rate.

At 1440p, the data indicates that the Low preset is the most reasonable choice, delivering an average of 63.9 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p drops to 49.1 FPS, which may be acceptable for slower-paced flight simulation, but the High preset at 37.6 FPS and Ultra at 33.2 FPS are likely to feel less responsive. The 4K resolution should be reserved for Low settings, where the 45.4 FPS average is the only result above 30 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K, with an average of 25.2 FPS, is not recommended for consistent playability.

For a balanced experience, the 1080p Medium preset offers the best compromise between visual quality and performance, with an average of 60.4 FPS. This setting provides a stable frame rate that is suitable for the majority of gameplay scenarios. The data shows that the step from Medium to High at 1080p incurs a performance cost of 17.5 FPS, which is significant. Users with a preference for higher detail can use the High preset, but they should expect a frame rate in the low 40s, which is within the playable range for a simulator but not ideal for high-action sequences. The Ultra preset at any resolution above 1080p is not supported by the hardware, as the resulting frame rates fall below 35 FPS.