Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator is an unusually demanding title, and pairing the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D with the AMD Radeon RX 570 produces a combination that is heavily skewed toward the CPU. The benchmark data shows a system that can handle the simulation’s complex world calculations but is consistently held back by the graphics card, especially as resolution climbs. This analysis breaks down the measured frame rates, what they mean for the limiting component, and how to get the most playable experience from this specific pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable pattern: as resolution increases, average frame rates drop significantly, confirming that the AMD Radeon RX 570 is the primary bottleneck in this configuration. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo manages 48 FPS, which is the highest average recorded across all tested settings. Moving to 1440p at the same Low preset drops the average to 39 FPS, a reduction of 9 FPS or roughly 19%. At 4K with Low settings, the average falls further to 29 FPS, which is 19 FPS below the 1080p result and highlights how heavily the GPU is taxed at higher pixel counts.

The scaling becomes more pronounced when looking at higher settings. At High quality, the average FPS drops from 28 at 1080p to 23 at 1440p, and then to 17 at 4K. That is a 39% reduction from 1080p to 4K, indicating that the GPU’s rendering workload is escalating faster than its capabilities can handle. The Ultra preset shows an even steeper cliff: 27 FPS at 1080p, 22 FPS at 1440p, and 16 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 4K at Ultra is 11 FPS, which represents a 41% performance loss.

What does this say about the limiting component? The CPU, an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D with 8 cores, 16 threads, and a boost clock of 5.20 GHz, is more than capable of feeding frames in this simulation. Its performance in synthetic benchmarks, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 23230 and a single-core score of 2080, places it in the 87th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 39768. The nearest rivals, including the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 with a score of 40081 and a deltaPct of -0.8, show that the 9800X3D is essentially on par with other high-end desktop parts. The CPU is not the constraint here.

Instead, the data points directly to the GPU. The AMD Radeon RX 570, with its 4 GB of GDDR5 memory and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth, produces an average benchmark score of 28766, placing it in the 74th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 6800M with a score of 28874 and a deltaPct of -0.4, indicate that this GPU is performing at a mid-range level. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K is a classic sign of a pixel-bound workload, where the GPU’s 32 ROPs and 5.095 TFLOPS of FP32 compute are simply overwhelmed at higher resolutions. The fact that frame rates halve from Low to Ultra at 4K (29 FPS down to 16 FPS) further confirms that the GPU is the limiting factor, not the CPU.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 570’s role in this system is defined by its memory and clock characteristics, which directly influence the measured results. The GPU features a base clock of 1168 MHz and a boost clock of 1244 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective). This memory configuration, combined with a 256-bit bus width, yields a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s. For a flight simulator that streams large terrain and scenery data, this bandwidth is modest, and the 4 GB VRAM capacity becomes a critical limitation at higher settings.

At 1080p Medium, the combo produces an average of 38 FPS with a minimum of 32 and a maximum of 43. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 30 FPS, and at 4K Medium, it falls to 22 FPS. The VRAM usage is not directly measured, but the performance degradation across resolutions suggests that the 4 GB pool is being saturated, forcing the GPU to handle data more slowly. The Ultra preset, which likely increases texture detail and draw distances, pushes the GPU to its limits: 27 FPS at 1080p, 22 FPS at 1440p, and 16 FPS at 4K. These numbers indicate that the RX 570 is operating at near its maximum capability even at the lowest resolution tested.

The GPU’s architecture, GCN 4.0 on a 14 nm process, is dated compared to the CPU’s Zen 5 architecture. The GPU has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, which are low numbers by modern standards. Its FP32 performance of 5.095 TFLOPS is adequate for 1080p gaming but insufficient for 4K. The data supports this: at 4K, even the Low preset only achieves 29 FPS, which is below the 30 FPS threshold often considered a minimum for playable simulation. The GPU’s percentile rank of 74 versus the CPU’s 87 underscores the imbalance; the CPU is a top-tier part while the GPU is a mid-range component from 2017.

The measured FPS data also shows that settings have a more significant impact at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 21 FPS (48 vs 27), a 44% drop. At 4K, the same settings difference is only 13 FPS (29 vs 16), a 45% drop. This consistency suggests that the GPU is the bottleneck across all settings, but the absolute performance is too low for smooth gameplay at any resolution above 1080p. For this combo, the GPU’s 4 GB VRAM and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth are the primary limitations, not the CPU’s 96 MB of shared L3 cache or its 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the best experience from this combo comes from the Low preset at 1080p, which delivers an average of 48 FPS. This is the only setting where the frame rate approaches a smooth simulation experience, and it is the recommended choice for playable performance. At 1080p Medium, the average drops to 38 FPS, which is still playable but with more noticeable stutters, especially given the minimum of 32 FPS. The High preset at 1080p yields 28 FPS, and Ultra drops to 27 FPS, both of which are below the 30 FPS threshold and will feel sluggish in a flight simulator where smooth camera panning is critical.

At 1440p, the Low preset produces 39 FPS, which is surprisingly close to the 1080p Medium result of 38 FPS. This suggests that the GPU can handle 1440p Low reasonably well, but the visual quality trade-off may not be worth the resolution increase. Medium at 1440p averages 30 FPS, which is borderline playable, while High and Ultra drop to 23 and 22 FPS, respectively. None of these are recommended for a consistently smooth experience.

At 4K, all settings are below playable thresholds. The Low preset averages 29 FPS, Medium averages 22 FPS, and High and Ultra average 17 and 16 FPS, respectively. Even the best 4K result is below 30 FPS, indicating that this resolution is not viable for this combo without significant compromises in settings that are not reflected in the data.

The data suggests that players should prioritize the Low preset at 1080p for the best frame rate, with Medium at 1080p as a viable alternative if visual fidelity is more important than a few extra FPS. The measured minimum and maximum for 1080p Medium (32 and 43 FPS) show that the frame rate is relatively stable, which is important for a simulation where sudden dips can be disorienting. The Low preset at 1440p, with its 39 FPS average, is also a reasonable choice for those with 1440p monitors, but it offers no significant advantage over 1080p Medium in terms of playability.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this combination of AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and AMD Radeon RX 570 ranks 3538 out of 3714 tested combos for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the bottom 5% of all configurations, which is a stark indicator of the GPU’s limitations in this title. The combo rank is heavily influenced by the GPU’s performance, as the CPU’s high percentile rank (87) is not enough to compensate for the GPU’s mid-range score (74th percentile).

The rank of 3538 out of 3714 means that 3537 other combos performed better in this game, while only 176 performed worse. This is a poor result, and it is directly attributable to the RX 570’s inability to handle the game’s high-resolution demands. The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS with a deltaPct of 0.4, show that the 9800X3D is not the issue; it is performing as expected. The GPU’s nearest rivals, including the AMD Radeon RX 470 with a deltaPct of -0.8, show that the RX 570 is also performing as expected for its class. The problem is that this class of GPU is simply not suited for a game as demanding as Microsoft Flight Simulator.

For context, the GPU’s average benchmark score of 28766 is close to that of the AMD Radeon R9 M295X (28580, deltaPct 0.7), which is a mobile GPU from a previous generation. This reinforces that the RX 570 is a budget-level part in today’s landscape. The CPU, by contrast, has an average benchmark score of 39768, which is near the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (40048, deltaPct -0.7). This pairing of a top-tier CPU with a bottom-tier GPU creates a significant imbalance, and the combo rank reflects this. Players using this setup should expect to run the game at the lowest settings and resolution to achieve playable frame rates, and even then, the experience will be marginal.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Microsoft Flight Simulator with this CPU and GPU combo?

A: The data shows that 1080p with Low settings yields an average of 48 FPS, which is the highest measured. At 1440p Low, the average drops to 39 FPS, and at 4K Low, it falls to 29 FPS. For playable performance, 1080p is recommended.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K resolution at any settings?

A: No. The best 4K result is 29 FPS on Low, which is below the 30 FPS threshold. Medium, High, and Ultra at 4K produce 22, 17, and 16 FPS, respectively, all of which are too low for a smooth simulation.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The CPU ranks in the 87th percentile with an average benchmark score of 39768, while the GPU ranks in the 74th percentile with an average score of 28766. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a significant drop, indicating the GPU is limiting performance.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested configurations?

A: It ranks 3538 out of 3714 combos, placing it in the bottom 5% of all tested systems. This poor ranking is due to the GPU’s limitations, not the CPU, which performs on par with rivals like the AMD Ryzen 7 7700.

Q: What settings provide the most stable frame rates?

A: The Medium preset at 1080p shows the most stable frame rates, with an average of 38 FPS, a minimum of 32 FPS, and a maximum of 43 FPS. Low at 1080p is also stable but with a higher average of 48 FPS.

Q: Is this combo suitable for a flight simulator experience?

A: It is marginal. At 1080p Low, the average frame rate of 48 FPS is acceptable, but at any higher settings or resolution, the frame rates drop below 30 FPS, which is not ideal for a simulation that requires smooth visuals.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four settings, providing a comprehensive view of this combo’s performance. At 3840x2160 (4K), the Low preset averages 29 FPS, Medium averages 22 FPS with a minimum of 19 and a maximum of 26, High averages 17 FPS, and Ultra averages 16 FPS. None of these reach 30 FPS, making 4K unplayable for this setup.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), the results are slightly better. Low averages 39 FPS, Medium averages 30 FPS with a minimum of 26 and a maximum of 35, High averages 23 FPS, and Ultra averages 22 FPS. Only Low and Medium approach playable levels, with Medium hitting exactly 30 FPS on average.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the combo performs best. Low averages 48 FPS, Medium averages 38 FPS with a minimum of 32 and a maximum of 43, High averages 28 FPS, and Ultra averages 27 FPS. The Low preset is the only one that consistently stays above 30 FPS, while Medium is playable but with occasional dips to 32 FPS. High and Ultra are below 30 FPS and will feel laggy in a flight simulator.

The data also shows a consistent pattern: the gap between Low and Ultra settings narrows as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference is 21 FPS (48 vs 27). At 1440p, it is 17 FPS (39 vs 22). At 4K, it is 13 FPS (29 vs 16). This indicates that the GPU is so constrained at higher resolutions that even lowering settings has diminishing returns. For this combo, the only viable playable configuration is 1080p Low, with 1080p Medium as a secondary option for those willing to accept lower frame rates for better visuals. The measured minimum and maximum data for Medium settings across all resolutions show that frame times are relatively consistent, but the overall averages are too low for a smooth experience at 1440p or 4K.