Microsoft Flight Simulator

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X is a 12-core, 24-thread desktop processor built on the Zen 4 architecture (codenamed Raphael) and fabricated on TSMC's 5 nm process. It operates on the AMD Socket AM5 platform with dual-channel DDR5 memory support and a memory bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s. The chip carries a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, with a TDP of 170 W. Its cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 64 MB of shared L3 cache.

In synthetic benchmarks, the 7900X posts a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 43695 and a single-core score of 6168. Its Geekbench multicore result is 17830, with a single-core score of 2952. The CPU's 3DMark scores scale from 1093 in single-thread tests to 12536 at max threads, showing strong scaling across its 12 physical cores. PassMark multithread performance reaches 51406, while single-thread performance is 4238.

The CPU's percentile ranking against all tested CPUs is 93, placing it in the top tier of desktop processors. Its average benchmark score is 50556, which sits within 0.1% of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 (50598) and 0.4% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 5900XT (50738). The nearest rivals also include the Intel Core i7-13850HX (50827, 0.5% ahead) and Intel Core i9-13980HX (50944, 0.8% ahead). These deltas are negligible in real-world terms, meaning the 7900X delivers essentially identical raw processing capability to its closest competitors.

For Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU's high single-thread performance (6168 in Cinebench R23 single-core) is particularly relevant. Flight simulators are notorious for relying heavily on a single main simulation thread, which handles physics, flight dynamics, and weather calculations. The 7900X's boost clock of 5.60 GHz ensures that this critical thread runs as fast as possible. Meanwhile, the 12 cores and 24 threads provide ample headroom for background tasks, AI traffic, and scenery loading, which can spawn multiple threads.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with the GB206 chip, also fabricated on TSMC's 5 nm process. It packs 3840 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output pipelines. The card includes 30 RT cores and 120 tensor cores, supporting DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Memory configuration is 8 GB of GDDR7 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock is listed at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). The GPU's base clock is 2280 MHz with a boost clock of 2497 MHz. Pixel rate is 119.9 GPixel/s, texture rate is 299.6 GTexel/s, and FP32 compute reaches 19.18 TFLOPS.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 5060 scores 120785 in Geekbench OpenCL and 116626 in Geekbench Vulkan. PassMark G3D score is 20891, with a GPU compute score of 10899. The GPU's percentile ranking is 73, and its average benchmark score is 30109. This places it essentially tied with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT (30097, 0.0% delta) and 0.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 570 (30158). The NVIDIA Tesla M60 (29969) trails by 0.5%, while the RTX 5070 Mobile (29928) is 0.6% behind.

For Microsoft Flight Simulator, the 8 GB VRAM capacity is a notable factor. At 1080p and 1440p, this is generally sufficient for the game's detailed terrain textures and aircraft models. However, at 4K with Ultra settings, the VRAM demand increases substantially. The 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth helps feed the GPU's 3840 shading units, but the 128-bit bus width limits how much data can be moved simultaneously. The boost clock of 2497 MHz ensures the GPU can push high fill rates when needed, particularly for rendering dense urban areas or complex weather systems.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance scaling across resolutions. At 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 125.8 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 99.3 FPS (a reduction of 26.5 FPS), and at 4K Low it falls further to 72.2 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is 53.6 FPS, or roughly 43% lower performance.

At High settings, the progression is: 72.8 FPS at 1080p, 59.4 FPS at 1440p, and 41.5 FPS at 4K. This represents a 31.3 FPS drop from 1080p to 4K, a 43% reduction — nearly identical to the Low settings percentage. The consistency of this ~43% drop across different quality presets suggests the scaling is primarily resolution-driven rather than setting-driven.

Medium settings show 96.8 FPS at 1080p, 80.2 FPS at 1440p, and 57.5 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 4K drop is 39.3 FPS (40.6%). Ultra settings produce 71.1 FPS at 1080p, 55.6 FPS at 1440p, and 42.9 FPS at 4K, a drop of 28.2 FPS (39.7%).

The pattern across all settings is telling: the percentage loss from 1080p to 4K remains remarkably stable between 39.7% and 43%. This consistency indicates that neither the CPU nor GPU is becoming the sole bottleneck at any resolution. Instead, both components are scaling together. The 7900X's strong single-thread performance keeps the simulation thread fed, while the RTX 5060's bandwidth and compute handle the increasing pixel count. However, the fact that 4K Ultra still delivers 42.9 FPS — above the 30 FPS playability threshold but below 60 FPS — shows that this combo is best suited for 1440p gaming, where Ultra settings produce 55.6 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of AMD Ryzen 9 7900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 ranks 895th out of 1795 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the 50th percentile of all tested hardware pairings — squarely in the middle of the pack.

The ranking context is important. With a CPU that sits in the 93rd percentile and a GPU in the 73rd percentile, one might expect a higher overall ranking. The middle-of-the-road combo ranking (50th percentile) reflects the fact that Microsoft Flight Simulator is extremely demanding on both components simultaneously. While the 7900X is a top-tier CPU, the RTX 5060 is a mid-range GPU, and the combination's performance is constrained by the weaker link.

The data shows that at 1080p, the combo delivers playable framerates across all settings (71.1 FPS at Ultra). At 1440p, it remains playable but drops below 60 FPS at Ultra (55.6 FPS). At 4K, only Low settings exceed 60 FPS (72.2 FPS), with Medium at 57.5 FPS, High at 41.5 FPS, and Ultra at 42.9 FPS. This suggests the combo is optimized for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it delivers a smooth experience, while 4K requires sacrificing visual quality.

Given that 1795 combos were tested, a rank of 895 means roughly half of all tested pairings perform better and half perform worse. This is consistent with the hardware's individual percentiles — the CPU is excellent, but the GPU pulls the overall performance down relative to combos featuring higher-end graphics cards. For users with this combo, the data suggests that upgrading the GPU would yield larger performance gains than upgrading the CPU.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings for this combo?

A: The combo achieves 72.8 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings in Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival in terms of average benchmark score?

A: The Ryzen 9 7900X has an average benchmark score of 50556, which is 0.1% lower than the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 (50598) and 0.4% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 5900XT (50738).

Q: What is the VRAM capacity and memory type of the RTX 5060?

A: The RTX 5060 comes with 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain 60+ FPS at Ultra settings?

A: At 1080p Ultra, the combo delivers 71.1 FPS, which is above 60 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 55.6 FPS, so 1080p is the only resolution where Ultra settings maintain 60+ FPS.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combos in this game?

A: The combo ranks 895th out of 1795 tested combos, placing it in the middle of the performance distribution.

Q: How much does the average FPS drop from 1080p Low to 4K Low settings?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 125.8 FPS, while at 4K Low it achieves 72.2 FPS — a drop of 53.6 FPS (approximately 43%).