Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator remains one of the most demanding titles in the PC landscape, and the combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX and AMD Radeon 8060S presents a specific performance profile. The measured data indicates a system that is heavily influenced by resolution and graphics presets, with the integrated GPU acting as the primary bottleneck in most scenarios. This analysis breaks down the benchmark results, examining how the CPU and GPU each contribute to the final frame rates observed across the tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data reveals a steep cost as resolution increases, a classic sign of a GPU-limited scenario. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings drops the average frame rate from 65 FPS to 52 FPS, a reduction of 20%. The jump to 3840x2160 is even more punishing, with the average falling to 39 FPS, a further 25% loss from the 1440p figure. This scaling pattern demonstrates that the AMD Radeon 8060S is the primary constraint; the workload at higher resolutions becomes exponentially heavier on the renderer, and the system's frame delivery suffers accordingly.

The pattern holds across all presets. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 111 FPS at 1080p to 89 FPS at 1440p, and then to 66 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K at Low is approximately 41%, while at High it is 40%, and at Ultra it is 40% (from 62 FPS to 37 FPS). The consistency of this relative drop across presets suggests that the GPU's compute and memory throughput are being saturated in a similar fashion regardless of the visual complexity. The CPU is evidently capable of feeding the GPU enough data at lower resolutions, but the GPU's pixel-pushing capabilities are exhausted as the resolution scales.

Interestingly, the gap between 1080p and 1440p is smaller than the gap between 1440p and 4K. For instance, at Medium settings, the 1080p to 1440p drop is 17 FPS (86 to 69), while the 1440p to 4K drop is 18 FPS (69 to 51). This indicates that the GPU's memory bandwidth or fill-rate ceiling is being approached more aggressively in the upper resolution ranges. The data suggests that users targeting 4K will need to make significant compromises in visual fidelity to achieve playable frame rates, while 1440p offers a more balanced sweet spot for this hardware pairing.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its benchmark scores are robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42713 and a single-core score of 6030. The processor's percentile ranking of 95 against all CPUs indicates it is a top-tier performer for general and multi-threaded workloads. However, in Microsoft Flight Simulator, the data suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor.

The evidence for this lies in the frame rate scaling. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 111 FPS. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see frame rates plateau regardless of resolution or settings, as the CPU's job of preparing frames would be the constant limiting factor. Instead, we see a uniform drop in performance as resolution increases, which is the signature of a GPU bottleneck. The Ryzen 9 8945HX has sufficient single-thread performance to handle the game's simulation and draw-call overhead, allowing the GPU to become the primary constraint even at the lower resolution.

The CPU's high multi-core score (42713 in Cinebench R23) does not translate into a proportional advantage in this specific title. Flight Simulator is known for its heavy single-threaded demands, and the 6030 single-core score is more relevant here. The data indicates that the CPU is feeding the Radeon 8060S adequately; if the CPU were struggling, we would likely see a smaller delta between the High and Ultra presets at 1080p, as the GPU would be waiting on the CPU. Instead, the 3 FPS difference between High (65 FPS) and Ultra (62 FPS) at 1080p is small, suggesting the GPU is still the primary limiter even at the highest settings and lowest resolution.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate achievable with this hardware at 1080p?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded in the measured data is 111 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: How does the system perform at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the system produces an average of 37 FPS, which is the lowest score in the entire dataset.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX or the AMD Radeon 8060S the primary bottleneck in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck. This is evident from the consistent frame rate drops as resolution increases, which is a hallmark of GPU limitation rather than CPU limitation.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset yields 89 FPS average, while the Ultra preset yields 50 FPS average, a difference of 39 FPS.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon 8060S outperform the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 based on the benchmark data?

A: No. The average benchmark score for the Radeon 8060S is 55757, while the nearest rival data shows the RTX 4080 has an average score of 54247, with a delta of 2.8%. This means the Radeon 8060S is actually 2.8% ahead of the RTX 4080 in the aggregate benchmark score.

Q: At which resolution and settings does the system achieve a 60 FPS average or higher?

A: The system achieves 60 FPS or higher in several configurations: 1080p Low (111 FPS), 1080p Medium (86 FPS), 1080p High (65 FPS), 1440p Low (89 FPS), and 4K Low (66 FPS).

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a comprehensive look at performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system ranges from a minimum average of 62 FPS on Ultra to a maximum of 111 FPS on Low. The Medium preset yields 86 FPS, with a minimum frame time of 73 FPS and a maximum of 99 FPS, showing a relatively stable frame delivery. High settings at 1080p produce 65 FPS average.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance envelope compresses. The Low preset delivers 89 FPS average, which is still very playable. Medium settings drop to 69 FPS average, with a range of 59 to 80 FPS. High settings yield 52 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 50 FPS. The data shows that 1440p is viable for high-refresh-rate gaming only on the lowest preset, while Medium settings remain playable for most users.

At 3840x2160, the AMD Radeon 8060S is clearly stressed. Low settings are the only configuration that breaks the 60 FPS barrier, with an average of 66 FPS. Medium settings drop to 51 FPS, with a range of 44 to 59 FPS. High settings produce 39 FPS, and Ultra settings bottom out at 37 FPS. The frame time data at 4K Medium (min 44, max 59) indicates a wide variance, which could lead to noticeable stuttering in a flight simulator where smooth camera panning is critical.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience depends heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. For users with a 1080p display, the High preset at 65 FPS is the best balance of visual quality and smoothness, as the Ultra preset only offers a 3 FPS improvement over High, indicating diminishing returns. For those prioritizing frame rate, the Medium preset at 86 FPS provides a significant jump in smoothness while retaining a moderate level of visual detail.

At 2560x1440, the data suggests that Medium settings are the sweet spot. The 69 FPS average is on par with the High preset at 1080p, offering a similar gameplay experience with a higher resolution. The Low preset at 89 FPS is excellent for competitive or high-refresh-rate play, but the visual compromise may be too steep for a game that relies heavily on scenery detail. High and Ultra settings at 1440p dip below 60 FPS, which is often considered the minimum for a smooth experience in a simulator.

For 4K displays, the data is clear: stick to Low settings. The 66 FPS average on Low is the only playable option. Medium settings at 51 FPS might be acceptable for some, but the frame time variance (44-59 FPS) suggests potential instability. High and Ultra settings are not recommended, as the average frame rates of 39 and 37 FPS respectively will result in a visually choppy experience. Users with 4K displays should consider running the game at 1440p with higher settings for a better overall picture, as the resolution scaling data indicates a significant performance penalty at 4K.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon 8060S is an integrated GPU based on the RDNA 3.5 architecture, featuring 2560 shading units and a boost clock of 2900 MHz. Its FP32 compute power is rated at 14.85 TFLOPS. The benchmark scores for this GPU show an average of 55757, placing it in the 87th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080, with the Radeon 8060S scoring 0.1% higher than the RX 6750 GRE and 0.6% lower than the RTX 5080 in the aggregate benchmark.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the GPU's role is clearly the dominant factor in determining frame rates. The data shows a consistent and predictable drop in performance as resolution and settings increase, which is the direct result of the GPU's workload increasing. The GPU's memory configuration is listed as "System Shared," meaning it relies on the system's DDR5 memory, and its bandwidth is "System Dependent." This is a critical weakness for a game like Flight Simulator, which streams vast amounts of terrain and scenery data. The shared memory architecture likely contributes to the performance cliff seen at 4K, as the GPU struggles to access the data it needs quickly enough.

The GPU's performance relative to its rivals is interesting. While it is statistically tied with the RX 6750 GRE and RTX 5080 in synthetic benchmarks, its real-world performance in this specific game is constrained by its integrated nature and shared memory. The 40 RT cores and support for DirectX 12 Ultimate are present, but the measured FPS data suggests that raw rasterization and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors. The GPU's 14.85 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is substantial, but it is not enough to overcome the memory bandwidth limitations at higher resolutions, as evidenced by the 37 FPS average at 4K Ultra.