Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator is a uniquely demanding title, and the data for the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT reveals a system that is clearly bound by its graphics card at higher resolutions. The benchmark results show a set of average frame rates that scale predictably with resolution and quality presets, with the CPU’s substantial core count providing a stable base while the GPU’s 8 GB of VRAM and RDNA 1.0 architecture become the primary limiting factor. The measured FPS figures indicate that this combination is capable of delivering smooth, playable performance at 1080p, but the experience degrades quickly as the rendering load increases toward 4K. This analysis examines the measured data in detail to provide a neutral assessment of what this hardware pairing delivers in this specific flight simulator.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the Low preset, the average frame rate drops from 98 FPS at 1080p to 79 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 59 FPS at 4K. This represents a 39 FPS difference between the lowest and highest resolutions tested at Low settings, a 39.8% reduction from 1080p to 4K. At the more demanding High preset, the average drops from 58 FPS at 1080p to 46 FPS at 1440p and 34 FPS at 4K, showing a 41.4% reduction from 1080p to 4K. The Medium preset shows a similar trend, with the average decreasing from 77 FPS at 1080p to 62 FPS at 1440p and 46 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, drops from 55 FPS at 1080p to 44 FPS at 1440p and 33 FPS at 4K, a 40% reduction.

The scaling between 1080p and 1440p is not linear, with the percentage loss being larger when moving from 1440p to 4K. For example, at the Medium preset, the drop from 1080p to 1440p is 15 FPS (19.5% reduction), while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 16 FPS (25.8% reduction). This nonlinear scaling of frame rate with resolution is a classic indicator of a GPU-bound scenario, where doubling the pixel count creates a superlinear increase in the shading and fill-rate workload, this is further supported by the fact that the CPU in this combo is known to be powerful, suggesting it is not the primary bottleneck. The data implies that the RX 5700 XT, with its 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs, is reaching its limits at the higher resolutions, especially when the graphics preset is set to Ultra or High.

The gap between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p is 43 FPS (98 FPS vs 55 FPS), but at 4K this gap shrinks to 26 FPS (59 FPS vs 33 FPS). This reduction in the performance delta between settings at higher resolutions is a strong indication that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor, as the incrementing workload from the settings is being compounded by the resolution and the GPU's resources are exhausted. The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU has room to feed the GPU, but at 4K the GPU is the clear constraint.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT is a GPU with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The memory clock is listed as 1750 MHz, which translates to 14 Gbps effective. This memory configuration is a key part of the card's performance profile. The GPU's base clock is 1605 MHz, with a boost clock of 1905 MHz, and the game clock is 1755 MHz. The data shows that the card’s performance is heavily influenced by its memory subsystem and fillrate capabilities.

The RX 5700 XT is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with 2560 shading units. Its pixel rate is 121.9 GPixel/s and its texture rate is 304.8 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is 9.754 TFLOPS. These numbers indicate that the card is a mid-range performer by modern standards, but the game’s results show it can handle the game at 1080p with a solid frame rate. However, the results show that the card's performance is not sufficient for high refresh rate or high resolution play.

The 8 GB of VRAM is a significant factor. At 4K Ultra settings, the card manages an average of 33 FPS, which is a very low frame rate for an immersive flight simulator. The fact that the average frame rate at 4K High is 34 FPS, nearly identical to the 4K Ultra, indicates that memory bandwidth or capacity may be a limiting factor, as the GPU is unable to leverage the higher settings effectively. At 4K Low, the average is 59 FPS, which is more playable, but still not high. The card’s performance is also reflected in its benchmark scores, with a Passmark G3D score of 16277 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 68310.

The GPU sits at the 59th percentile when compared to all GPUs, and its average benchmark score is 16361. The nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M (score 16351, delta 0.1%), the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell (score 16408, delta -0.3%), and the AMD Radeon PRO W7500 (score 16415, delta -0.3%). These close scores indicate the RX 5700 XT is positioned in a competitive mid-range segment, but the data shows its performance in this game is not comparable to more powerful cards.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with the High preset?

A: The average frame rate at 1920x1080 with the High preset is 58 FPS.

Q: What is the best frame rate recorded in the data at any resolution and settings?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 98 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 with the Low preset.

Q: What is the average frame rate at 4K with the Ultra preset?

A: The average frame rate at 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset is 33 FPS.

Q: Is there a significant frame rate difference between 1440p and 4K at the Medium preset?

A: Yes, the average frame rate at 2560x1440 with the Medium preset is 62 FPS, while at 3840x2160 with the Medium preset is 46 FPS, a reduction of 16 FPS or 25.8%.

Q: What is the minimum frame rate recorded at 1080p Medium?

A: The minimum frame rate recorded at 1920x1080 with the Medium preset is 65 FPS.

Q: How does the GPU's performance in this game compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RX 5700 XT's average benchmark score is 16361, which is 0.1% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M (16351) and 0.3% lower than the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell (16408).

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT combination is ranked 2745 out of 3714 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the lower half of all tested combos, with a percentile ranking of approximately 73.9% (since 3714 - 2745 = 969 combos ranked below it, and 969 / 3714 = 26.1%, so the combo is in the 26.1rd percentile). This is a low ranking, indicating that the combination is not well-suited for this game when compared to other hardware pairings.

The combination’s ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU, which is a mid-range card. The CPU, on the other hand, is a high-end desktop processor with 12 cores and 24 threads, but its performance is not a limiting factor in this game. The data shows that the CPU is capable, but the GPU is the bottleneck. The rank of 2745 out of 3712 is a clear indication that for Microsoft Flight Simulator, this combo is not a top performer. The low ranking is due to the GPU's inability to maintain high frame rates at higher resolutions, which is a critical factor for a flight simulator that often involves dense terrain and complex scenery.

The ranking is also a reflection of the game’s specific demands. Flight Simulator is known to be demanding on both CPU and GPU, but this data shows that the GPU is the primary constraint. The CPU’s 12 cores and 24 threads are sufficient, as the game can utilize a limited number of cores. The benchmark results show that the CPU’s single-thread performance, as measured by Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1527, is also irrelevant to the combo's ranking. The GPU's 8 GB of VRAM and its RDNA 2.0 architecture are the main factors that hold this combo back.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz. The CPU is built on a 7 nm process with a 64 MB L3 cache. Its performance in synthetic benchmarks is strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 16262 and a single-core score of 1527. The CPU’s average benchmark score is 41376, and it sits at the 87th percentile when compared to all CPUs.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU’s role is less critical than the GPU, as the measured frame rates are directly tied to the resolution and graphics settings. The high core count and boost clock support are a capable foundation, but the game is not heavily multi-threaded enough to leverage all 24 threads. The CPU’s performance is more than sufficient to feed the GPU, as evidenced by the fact that the frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is consistent across all settings. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rate would not drop as significantly at higher resolutions, but the data shows a steep decrease, which is a clear GPU bottleneck.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in the benchmark database show it is a solid performer. The Intel Core Ultra 7 366H scores 41263 (delta 0.3%), the Intel Core Ultra 7 356H scores 41215 (delta 0.4%), and the AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 440 scores 41208 (delta 0.4%). These rivals are from different generations and market segments, but they are all within 0.5% of the 5900X in terms of average benchmark score, indicating that the 5900X is not a top-tier CPU in terms of raw average performance, but it is still a strong competitor. The CPU’s performance in this game is not a limiting factor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data includes three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160) and four quality presets (Low, Medium, High, and Ultra). The data provides average frame rates for all combinations, with minimum and maximum frame rates only provided for the Medium preset at each resolution.

At 1920x1080:

• Low: average 98 FPS, no min/max recorded.
• Medium: average 77 FPS, with a minimum of 65 FPS and a maximum of 88 FPS.
• High: average 58 FPS, no min/max recorded.
• Ultra: average 55 FPS, no min/max recorded.

At 2560x1440:

• Low: average 79 FPS, no min/max recorded.
• Medium: average 62 FPS, with a minimum of 52 FPS and a maximum of 71 FPS.
• High: average 46 FPS, no min/max recorded.
• Ultra: average 44 FPS, no min/max recorded.

At 3840x2160:

• Low: average 59 FPS, no min/max recorded.
• Medium: average 46 FPS, with a minimum of 39 FPS and a maximum of 52 FPS.
• High: average 34 FPS, no min/max recorded.
• Ultra: average 33 FPS, no min/max recorded.

The data is consistent with a GPU that becomes progressively more stressed as resolution and settings increase. At 1080p Low, the frame rate is 98 FPS, but this drops to 79 FPS at 1440p Low and 59 FPS at 4K Low. The Medium preset shows a similar pattern, with the frame rate dropping from 77 FPS to 62 FPS to 46 FPS. The High preset drops from 58 FPS to 46 FPS to 34 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops from 55 FPS to 44 FPS to 33 FPS. The minimum and maximum frame rates at Medium settings also show a wide range, indicating the frame time variance is a factor, particularly at 4K where the minimum is 39 FPS and the maximum is 52 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured data, the best experience for this combo is at 1920x1080 with the High preset, which yields an average of 58 FPS. This provides a smooth, playable frame rate for a flight simulator, and the High preset offers a good balance between visual fidelity and performance. The Ultra preset at 1080p is close, with an average of 55 FPS, which is still playable, but the 3 FPS difference between High and Ultra may not justify the extra graphical load. The Medium preset at 1080p offers a higher average of 77 FPS, which is ideal for players who prioritize smoothness, but the visual quality is lower.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset provides an average of 62 FPS, which is a playable experience, but the High preset at 46 FPS is borderline. At 4K, the best option is the Low preset, which averages 59 FPS, but the Medium preset at 46 FPS is the lowest setting that offers a playable experience; the High and Ultra presets at 34 and 33 FPS respectively are not recommended for a smooth experience.

The data shows that the RX 5700 XT is not a suitable card for 4K gaming in Microsoft Flight Simulator if you want to use high settings, but it can handle 1080p at High or Ultra with decent frame rates. The minimum frame rates at the Medium preset are also important to consider, as they show that the frame rate can drop to 65 FPS at 1080p, 52 FPS at 1440p, and 39 FPS at 4K. These minimums are not too low, but the maximum frame rates are also relatively close to the averages, suggesting the game is not heavily CPU-bound. The best experience in terms of visual fidelity and playability is at 1080p with the High preset, as it averages 58 FPS and provides a good balance. If you have a 1440p monitor, the Medium preset is the best choice for a smooth experience, as it averages 62 FPS. For a 4K display, the Low preset is the only viable option that keeps the average above 60 FPS.