Microsoft Flight Simulator

# Microsoft Flight Simulator with AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060

This combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 places at rank 991 out of 1795 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator, positioning it in the middle of the pack. The data shows a system that is fundamentally balanced but constrained by its GPU component, particularly at higher resolutions and quality settings. The CPU is a top-tier performer in synthetic benchmarks, yet the overall combo ranking reflects the RTX 4060's mid-range standing among tested graphics cards.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 991 out of 1795 tested configurations places this system slightly below the median of all tested combinations in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This positioning is noteworthy because the CPU alone sits in the 90th percentile among all tested processors, while the GPU sits in the 66th percentile among all tested graphics cards. The disparity between these two percentile rankings explains why the combo does not crack the top half of tested systems — the graphics card is the limiting factor in this pairing.

Benchmark results indicate that the Ryzen 7 9800X3D achieves an average benchmark score of 37780, which places it within 0.7% of its nearest rivals. The Intel Core i5-13600KF scores 38028, a delta of -0.7% relative to the Ryzen chip, meaning the AMD processor is essentially tied with that rival. Similarly, the Intel Core i9-13900HK scores 38020, also -0.7% behind the 9800X3D. The Intel Xeon 6353P and Intel Core Ultra 5 225 trail by just 0.1% each, with scores of 37811 and 37831 respectively. These margins are negligible in real-world gaming scenarios.

For the GPU, the RTX 4060's average benchmark score of 23181 puts it in a tight cluster with its rivals. The AMD Radeon RX 6600M scores 23321, a -0.6% delta, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti scores 23338, also -0.7% behind. The Intel Arc B580 and AMD Radeon 760M are within 0.7% and 0.8% ahead of the RTX 4060, respectively, with scores of 23021 and 22999. This grouping shows that the RTX 4060 is performance-competitive with these alternatives, but none of them represent high-end GPU performance.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is built on the Zen 5 architecture with the Granite Ridge codename, manufactured on a 4 nm process by TSMC. It features 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.20 GHz. The processor includes an 80 KB L1 cache per core, 1 MB L2 cache per core, and a substantial 96 MB shared L3 cache. This cache configuration is particularly relevant for flight simulation, where draw calls and asset streaming can benefit from large on-die caches.

The CPU's synthetic benchmark results demonstrate strong multi-threaded performance. In Cinebench R23, it scores 34004 in multi-core and 4800 in single-core tests. The 3DMark tests show scaling from 1212 in single-thread to 10067 in max-threads, with 16-thread performance at 10081, indicating near-linear scaling across its 16 threads. In PassMark, the multithread score of 40009 and single-thread score of 4430 reinforce its balanced capabilities. The processor's 120 W TDP and support for DDR5 dual-channel memory with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth provide ample data throughput for simulation workloads.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator specifically, the CPU's role is to handle physics calculations, flight model updates, and draw call processing. The 96 MB L3 cache helps with the game's asset streaming patterns, where frequently accessed terrain data can remain resident in cache. The 8-core, 16-thread configuration is well-suited to the game's threading model, which can leverage multiple cores for various simulation subsystems.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using the AD107 chip, manufactured on a 5 nm process. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has 3072 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units, along with 24 ray tracing cores and 96 tensor cores. Its base clock is 1830 MHz with a boost clock of 2460 MHz, and memory runs at 2125 MHz (17 Gbps effective).

The RTX 4060's synthetic benchmarks show modest performance relative to higher-tier cards. In PassMark G3D, it scores 19545, while its DirectX 11 score is 175 and DirectX 12 score is 76. The Geekbench OpenCL score of 101030 and Vulkan score of 98095 indicate solid compute performance. The GPU's 66th percentile ranking among all tested cards places it in the upper-mid range, but the data shows it is not a high-end performer.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the GPU handles rendering tasks including terrain tessellation, lighting, shadows, and post-processing effects. The 8 GB VRAM capacity may become a limiting factor at higher resolutions and Ultra settings, where texture data and render targets can consume substantial memory. The RTX 4060's 115 W TDP and suggested 300 W PSU requirement indicate it is an efficient but not flagship-class component.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p resolution, the data shows playable frame rates across all settings. Low settings yield an average of 121.1 FPS, Medium delivers 91 FPS, High produces 69.8 FPS, and Ultra drops to 68.6 FPS. The gap between Medium and High is notable at 21.2 FPS, while the difference between High and Ultra is minimal at just 1.2 FPS, suggesting diminishing returns from the highest quality preset.

Moving to 1440p, the averages decrease but remain respectable. Low settings produce 92.8 FPS, Medium delivers 74.7 FPS, High achieves 56 FPS, and Ultra yields 55.9 FPS. The pattern repeats: Medium to High represents a significant 18.7 FPS drop, while High to Ultra costs only 0.1 FPS. This suggests that the Ultra preset includes settings that are not heavily GPU-bound at this resolution.

At 4K (3840x2160), the frame rates drop considerably. Low settings still produce a playable 71.8 FPS, Medium delivers 54.8 FPS, High achieves 42.6 FPS, and Ultra falls to 39.9 FPS. The 4K results show that High and Ultra settings approach the lower boundary of smooth gameplay, with both averaging below 45 FPS.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals how the system responds to increasing pixel counts. At Low settings, the transition from 1080p (121.1 FPS) to 4K (71.8 FPS) represents a 40.7% reduction in frame rate. At Medium settings, the drop from 91 FPS to 54.8 FPS is a 39.8% reduction. High settings see a decline from 69.8 FPS to 42.6 FPS, a 39% reduction, while Ultra settings drop from 68.6 FPS to 39.9 FPS, a 41.8% reduction.

These consistent reductions of roughly 40% across all settings when moving from 1080p to 4K indicate that the GPU is the primary limiting factor. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the scaling would be less uniform and would show smaller FPS drops at higher resolutions where the GPU load increases. The data shows the RTX 4060's rendering throughput is the constraint that prevents higher frame rates at 4K.

The difference between 1080p and 1440p is smaller: Low settings drop from 121.1 to 92.8 FPS (23.4% reduction), Medium from 91 to 74.7 FPS (17.9%), High from 69.8 to 56 FPS (19.8%), and Ultra from 68.6 to 55.9 FPS (18.5%). This indicates that at 1440p, the system still has some headroom before the GPU becomes severely constrained. At 4K, however, the GPU is clearly overwhelmed, particularly with High and Ultra settings where the 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus likely contribute to the performance ceiling.

FAQ

Q: Is this combination better suited for 1080p or 4K gaming in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: The data clearly favors 1080p and 1440p. At 1080p Ultra, the system achieves 68.6 FPS, while at 4K Ultra it drops to 39.9 FPS. Even at 4K Low settings, the 71.8 FPS result is lower than 1080p Ultra, indicating the GPU cannot maintain high frame rates at 4K.

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

A: The Ryzen 7 9800X3D scores 37780 on average, which is within 0.7% of the Intel Core i5-13600KF (38028) and Intel Core i9-13900HK (38020). It trails the Intel Xeon 6353P (37811) and Intel Core Ultra 5 225 (37831) by only 0.1%, making these processors effectively equal in average benchmark performance.

Q: What is the GPU's standing relative to its nearest competitors?

A: The RTX 4060's average score of 23181 is 0.6% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6600M (23321) and 0.7% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti (23338). The Intel Arc B580 (23021) and AMD Radeon 760M (22999) are 0.7% and 0.8% ahead, respectively, showing a tight grouping.

Q: Why does the FPS drop by roughly 40% when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: The consistent reduction across all settings indicates GPU limitation. At Low settings, FPS drops from 121.1 to 71.8, at Medium from 91 to 54.8, at High from 69.8 to 42.6, and at Ultra from 68.6 to 39.9. The uniform scaling points to the RTX 4060's throughput as the bottleneck.

Q: Which settings preset offers the best balance at 1440p?

A: Medium settings at 1440p produce 74.7 FPS, while High drops to 56 FPS. The 18.7 FPS difference between Medium and High is substantial, whereas High to Ultra only costs 0.1 FPS. Medium appears to be the sweet spot for maintaining higher frame rates at this resolution.

Q: Does the CPU's large cache affect its benchmark performance?

A: The Ryzen 7 9800X3D has a 96 MB shared L3 cache alongside 80 KB L1 and 1 MB L2 per core. Its 90th percentile ranking among all CPUs and Cinebench R23 scores of 34004 multi-core and 4800 single-core reflect strong performance, but the cache's specific impact is not directly measured in the provided data.