Microsoft Flight Simulator

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination delivers a formidable performance profile in Microsoft Flight Simulator, with measured frame rates that scale predictably across resolutions and settings. The data shows a system capable of maintaining high frame rates even at demanding 4K resolutions, though the relationship between resolution and settings reveals distinct bottlenecks that shift depending on the workload. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data, CPU and GPU roles, and provides specific recommendations based on the benchmark results.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At Ultra settings, the average frame rate drops from 114.4 FPS at 1080p to 93.4 FPS at 1440p, a decrease of 21 FPS, and then further to 67 FPS at 4K, representing a total drop of 47.4 FPS from 1080p to 4K. This scaling behavior indicates that at 4K Ultra, the GPU is becoming the primary limiting component, as the pixel throughput demands increase significantly.

At Low settings, the scaling curve is steeper in absolute terms but less severe proportionally. The average FPS at 1080p Low is 207.3, dropping to 167.1 at 1440p and then to 122.7 at 4K. The 4K Low result still exceeds 120 FPS, which shows the RTX 4080 SUPER retains substantial headroom even when pushing four times the pixels of 1080p. The gap between 1080p Low and 4K Low is 84.6 FPS, whereas the gap at Ultra is only 47.4 FPS, suggesting that at higher settings the GPU workload saturates earlier, making the resolution penalty less pronounced in percentage terms.

The Medium preset shows a middle-ground scaling pattern: 164.7 FPS at 1080p, 131 FPS at 1440p, and 97.2 FPS at 4K. The 4K Medium result of 97.2 FPS demonstrates that this combination can comfortably drive high refresh rate 4K displays when settings are moderated. The data indicates that at 1080p, the CPU plays a more significant role in determining frame rates, as the GPU has ample headroom, but at 4K the GPU workload becomes the dominant factor, with the CPU’s influence diminishing.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X brings 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, built on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) using a 4 nm process. Its benchmark results show strong single-threaded performance, with a 3dmark_single_thread score of 1280 and a Geekbench single-core score of 3353, which are critical for flight simulation workloads that often rely on a primary simulation thread. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4459 further underscores this capability.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU’s role is most evident at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 207.3 FPS, which is 84.6 FPS higher than the 4K Low result of 122.7 FPS. This 1080p result suggests the CPU is delivering enough single-thread throughput to feed the GPU efficiently, preventing frame rate drops that would occur with a weaker processor. The 3dmark_16_threads score of 9824 and 3dmark_max_threads score of 9771 indicate that multi-threaded workloads are also handled competently, which benefits the simulator’s background tasks such as scenery loading and AI traffic.

The CPU’s 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth support rapid data access, which is beneficial for the large, streaming world data in Microsoft Flight Simulator. The processor’s 89th percentile ranking versus all CPUs places it above the majority of processors, with nearest rivals including the Intel Core i5-14500HX (0.2% higher average score) and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (0.6% higher). These close margins show that the 9700X is well-positioned among modern desktop processors for simulation tasks.

How This Combo Ranks

The combined AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER configuration ranks 111th out of 1795 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the top 6.2% of all combinations in the database. This high ranking reflects the balanced performance of both components, with neither creating a significant bottleneck that would drag the overall score down. The rank is particularly impressive given the large number of possible CPU-GPU pairings, indicating that this specific combo is well-suited for this game’s demands.

The GPU’s average benchmark score of 53610 places it at the 88th percentile versus all GPUs, with nearest rivals being the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (0.2% higher average score) and the AMD Radeon RX 7700S (2.1% higher). The CPU’s average benchmark score of 36029 and 89th percentile ranking are similarly strong, meaning both components contribute positively to the combo rank. The data suggests that this pairing is more effective than many alternatives, as the RTX 4080 SUPER’s high-end GPU performance is matched by the 9700X’s capable processing power.

Relative to other tested combos, this configuration achieves frame rates that are competitive at every resolution and setting combination. The 4K Ultra result of 67 FPS is playable, and the 1440p Ultra result of 93.4 FPS approaches high refresh rate territory. The ranking indicates that users seeking a high-end flight simulation experience with this game will find this combo among the top performers, with only a small fraction of combinations (about 5.8%) achieving higher overall results.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS ranges from 207.3 at Low settings to 114.4 at Ultra settings. The Medium preset delivers 164.7 FPS, while High produces 120.1 FPS. This represents a 92.9 FPS spread between the lowest and highest quality settings, with the largest incremental drop occurring between Low and Medium (42.6 FPS) and the smallest between High and Ultra (5.7 FPS). The 1080p results indicate that even at Ultra settings, the system maintains over 114 FPS, making it suitable for high refresh rate monitors.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS values are 167.1 (Low), 131 (Medium), 96.7 (High), and 93.4 (Ultra). The spread between Low and Ultra is 73.7 FPS, narrower than at 1080p due to increased GPU load. The transition from High to Ultra yields only a 3.3 FPS drop, suggesting that at 1440p, the Ultra preset offers marginal improvements over High with minimal performance cost. The 1440p Medium result of 131 FPS exceeds the refresh rate of most standard 1440p monitors, providing a smooth experience.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS values are 122.7 (Low), 97.2 (Medium), 69.4 (High), and 67 (Ultra). The spread between Low and Ultra is 55.7 FPS, the smallest of the three resolutions. The High and Ultra presets produce nearly identical results, with only a 2.4 FPS difference, indicating that at 4K the GPU is heavily loaded and the additional visual effects in Ultra provide diminishing returns. The 4K Low result of 122.7 FPS is notable, showing that even at maximum resolution, the system can achieve high frame rates with reduced graphical fidelity.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock of 2550 MHz and 10240 shading units deliver 52.22 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, making it a high-end GPU capable of handling the demanding rendering workloads in Microsoft Flight Simulator. The 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores support ray tracing and DLSS features, though the measured data does not specify which features were enabled during testing.

The GPU’s role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution rises. At 1080p, the frame rates across all settings exceed 114 FPS, indicating that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU sufficiently. At 4K, the Ultra preset yields 67 FPS, which is only 58.5% of the 1080p Ultra result, showing that the GPU’s pixel throughput is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The 16 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for 4K textures and high-detail scenery, preventing memory-related stuttering that could impact frame times.

The GPU’s benchmark results show a passmark_g3d score of 34245 and a 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score of 6600, placing it at the 88th percentile versus all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT, has a 0.2% higher average score, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is 2.9% higher. This positioning indicates that the RTX 4080 SUPER remains a competitive high-end option, with its 736.3 GB/s bandwidth and 52.22 TFLOPS providing the computational headroom needed for flight simulation’s complex rendering.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user’s target resolution and refresh rate. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers 114.4 FPS, which is sufficient for most high refresh rate displays. The High preset at 120.1 FPS offers a marginal 5.7 FPS improvement over Ultra, so users with 120 Hz or higher monitors may prefer High to ensure frame rates stay above the refresh rate ceiling. The Medium preset at 164.7 FPS provides a substantial frame rate boost for 165 Hz monitors, but the visual quality reduction from Ultra to Medium is significant.

For 2560x1440 displays, the High preset at 96.7 FPS is the recommended balance, as it provides good visual fidelity while maintaining frame rates above 90 FPS. The Ultra preset at 93.4 FPS is nearly identical in performance, with only a 3.3 FPS difference, so users can choose Ultra without worrying about a noticeable performance hit. For 144 Hz 1440p monitors, the Medium preset at 131 FPS is the only option that approaches the refresh rate, though it requires sacrificing some visual quality.

At 3840x2160, the data suggests that the Medium preset at 97.2 FPS offers the best experience, as it provides over 90 FPS while maintaining reasonable visual quality. The High preset at 69.4 FPS and Ultra at 67 FPS are both playable but fall below 70 FPS, which may be noticeable on 60 Hz displays but insufficient for high refresh rate 4K monitors. The Low preset at 122.7 FPS is the only 4K option that exceeds 120 FPS, but the visual quality trade-off is substantial. Users with 4K 60 Hz displays can confidently use High or Ultra, while those with 4K 120 Hz displays should consider Medium to maximize smoothness.