Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator with an AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER presents a classic case of a high-end CPU paired with a mid-range GPU. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a system where the graphics card is the primary bottleneck, though the CPU’s strength ensures that even the most demanding presets remain playable at lower resolutions. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data to show how the combination scales, where the limits are, and how the pairing ranks among other tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a clear and consistent pattern: as resolution increases, average frame rates drop significantly, indicating that the RTX 2070 SUPER is the limiting component. At 1080p, the combo achieves a robust 109.2 FPS on Low settings, which drops to 66.4 FPS on High. Moving to 1440p, the same settings yield 89.6 FPS and 54.0 FPS, respectively. At 4K, the strain is even more evident, with Low settings producing 66.6 FPS and High dropping to 39.8 FPS.

The scaling between 1080p and 1440p shows a performance hit of approximately 18-19% for Low and High settings, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario. However, the jump from 1440p to 4K is more severe, with a 26% drop for Low settings (89.6 to 66.6 FPS) and a 26% drop for High (54.0 to 39.8 FPS). This nonlinear decline is characteristic of the RTX 2070 SUPER reaching its memory bandwidth and fill-rate limits at 4K, as the 8 GB GDDR6 buffer and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are stretched by the higher pixel count.

The CPU’s role is less prominent. The Ryzen 9 5950X, with 16 cores and 32 threads, is more than capable of feeding the GPU at 1080p, as evidenced by the 109.2 FPS Low result. At higher resolutions, the CPU headroom becomes irrelevant since the GPU is saturated. The data suggests that users aiming for 4K gaming should expect to lower settings substantially, as even Medium at 4K only reaches 48.4 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold many consider playable.

Settings Recommendations

For a balanced experience, the Medium preset is the sweet spot across most resolutions. At 1080p, Medium yields 87.4 FPS, which is only 20% lower than Low but provides a significant visual upgrade. At 1440p, Medium delivers 67.1 FPS, which is comfortably playable and only 25% slower than Low. At 4K, Medium produces 48.4 FPS, which is borderline but acceptable for a flight simulator where precision is more important than fast reaction times.

The High preset is viable at 1080p (66.4 FPS) and 1440p (54.0 FPS), but at 4K it drops to 39.8 FPS, which may feel stuttery for some users. Ultra is demanding: 63.6 FPS at 1080p, 46.6 FPS at 1440p, and 38.0 FPS at 4K. Given that the difference between High and Ultra is often subtle in flight simulators, the data suggests that High at 1080p or 1440p is a better choice than Ultra at 4K, as the frame rate penalty for Ultra is steep (from 66.4 to 63.6 FPS at 1080p, and from 54.0 to 46.6 FPS at 1440p).

For 4K users, Low (66.6 FPS) is the only setting that consistently hits 60+ FPS, but it sacrifices visual fidelity. A pragmatic recommendation is to use Medium at 1440p for the best balance of smoothness and detail, or to accept 4K at Medium if the user prioritizes resolution over frame rate.

FAQ

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 5950X bottlenecking the RTX 2070 SUPER in this game?

A: No. The data shows that frame rates scale consistently with resolution, which indicates a GPU bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 109.2 FPS, showing the CPU can deliver high frame rates when the GPU is not overloaded.

Q: What is the best resolution for a 60 FPS experience?

A: At 1440p, the Medium preset achieves 67.1 FPS, which is above 60 FPS. At 4K, only the Low preset (66.6 FPS) exceeds 60 FPS, while Medium drops to 48.4 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals in general benchmarks?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 22206, which is 0.5% lower than the NVIDIA RTX A400 (22307) and 0.9% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z (22006). It is 2.3% slower than the RTX 4060 Mobile (22729).

Q: Does the CPU’s 16-core configuration help in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: The CPU’s strength is evident in the high frame rates at 1080p Low (109.2 FPS), but the game’s performance is largely GPU-bound. The CPU’s 3DMark multi-threaded score of 11597 indicates strong overall performance, but it does not prevent the GPU from being the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the worst-case FPS scenario for this combo?

A: The lowest measured average is 38.0 FPS at 4K Ultra settings. This is the most demanding configuration and shows the GPU’s limits at maximum resolution and quality.

Q: How much performance is lost going from 1080p to 4K on High settings?

A: The average FPS drops from 66.4 at 1080p to 39.8 at 4K, representing a 40% reduction. This is a significant loss and highlights the challenges of 4K gaming with this GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact average FPS measurements for each resolution and settings combination:

• 1920x1080: Low 109.2 FPS, Medium 87.4 FPS, High 66.4 FPS, Ultra 63.6 FPS
• 2560x1440: Low 89.6 FPS, Medium 67.1 FPS, High 54.0 FPS, Ultra 46.6 FPS
• 3840x2160: Low 66.6 FPS, Medium 48.4 FPS, High 39.8 FPS, Ultra 38.0 FPS

The progression is consistent: each step up in resolution reduces FPS by a similar margin across all settings. For example, moving from 1080p to 1440p on Low costs 19.6 FPS (109.2 to 89.6), while on High it costs 12.4 FPS (66.4 to 54.0). The gap between Medium and High is also notable: at 1080p, High is 21.0 FPS slower than Medium (87.4 to 66.4), and at 1440p, the gap is 13.1 FPS (67.1 to 54.0). The Ultra preset offers diminishing returns, as it is only 2.8 FPS slower than High at 1080p (66.4 to 63.6) but 7.4 FPS slower at 1440p (54.0 to 46.6).

The 4K data reveals the GPU’s hard limit. Ultra at 4K (38.0 FPS) is only 1.8 FPS slower than High (39.8 FPS), suggesting that the GPU is so heavily loaded that the difference in settings has minimal impact. Low at 4K (66.6 FPS) is nearly 60% faster than Ultra, indicating that reducing settings is the only way to achieve smooth gameplay at this resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 9 5950X and RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 1091 out of 1795 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the lower-middle range, despite the strong CPU. The ranking is primarily driven by the GPU, which sits at the 65th percentile among all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 22206. In contrast, the CPU is at the 93rd percentile with an average score of 49062.

The GPU’s nearest rivals in benchmarks are the NVIDIA RTX A400 (score 22307, 0.5% faster) and the GTX TITAN Z (score 22006, 0.9% slower), which are all in a similar performance tier. This suggests that the RTX 2070 SUPER is a mid-range card that cannot compete with higher-end GPUs in demanding titles like Microsoft Flight Simulator. The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i5-14600K (score 49166, 0.2% faster) and the AMD EPYC 4345P (score 49595, 1.1% faster), show that the 5950X is competitive, but its performance advantage is negated by the GPU bottleneck.

Given the rank of 1091 out of 1795, this combo is not optimized for high-end flight simulation. Users with this pairing should expect to rely on lower settings or resolutions to achieve playable frame rates. The data indicates that a GPU upgrade would yield larger gains than a CPU upgrade, as the RTX 2070 SUPER is the clear limiting factor in this configuration.