Microsoft Flight Simulator

# FAQ

Q: What is the combo rank of the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: This combination ranks 2454 out of 3714 tested combos in the game, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the field. The rank suggests that while the hardware is far from the bottom, it is not among the top performers for this specific flight simulator title.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in overall benchmark performance?

A: The Ryzen 9 8945HX has an average benchmark score of 76212, which is 0.1% above the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX (76155), 0.6% above the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D (75779), and 0.4% below both the AMD EPYC Embedded 8224P (76492) and the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX (76513). The differences are all within one percentage point, indicating near-identical overall CPU performance among these top-tier processors.

Q: What is the GPU's benchmark percentile and how does it compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 5060 Mobile sits at the 67th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 22435. Its closest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT at 22549 (0.5% higher), followed by the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile at 22729 (1.3% higher). The AMD Radeon RX 5700 (22170) and RX 6700S (22154) are 1.2% and 1.3% lower, respectively.

Q: At which resolution and settings does the combo achieve its highest and lowest measured average FPS?

A: The highest average FPS is 103 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The lowest average FPS is 34 at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. Between these extremes, the system scales from a highly playable 80 FPS at 1080p Medium down to 36 FPS at 4K High.

Q: What are the CPU's key specifications in terms of cores, clocks, and cache?

A: The Ryzen 9 8945HX features 16 cores and 32 threads, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. It has 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and 64 MB of L3 cache. The CPU is built on the Zen 4 architecture using a 5 nm process with 13,140 million transistors across a 2x 71 mm² die size.

Q: What memory specifications does the GPU have, and what is its bandwidth?

A: The RTX 5060 Mobile comes with 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 384.0 GB/s. The memory clock operates at 1500 MHz with 24 Gbps effective speed.

# CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, built on a 5 nm process by TSMC. With a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, this Dragon Range chip delivers substantial multi-threaded headroom for simulation workloads. The CPU's 64 MB of L3 cache, paired with 1 MB of L2 cache per core, provides a large pool of fast memory for the game's complex flight dynamics and world-streaming logic.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, CPU performance is critical for processing the simulation's physics, flight models, and the continuous streaming of terrain and weather data. The 8945HX's benchmark results reinforce its capability: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42713 and a single-core score of 6030 indicate strong performance in both heavily threaded and single-threaded scenarios. The PassMark multithread score of 51405 and single-thread score of 3907 further corroborate this balance. Data compression (677755) and encryption (40836) scores in PassMark suggest the CPU can handle the game's data streaming and decompression tasks without becoming a bottleneck.

The CPU's 95th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 76212, places it among the elite processors. Its nearest rivals are all within 0.6% of its score, meaning the 8945HX offers performance parity with the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX and even desktop-class parts like the Ryzen 9 9950X3D. However, the game's combo rank of 2454 out of 3714 suggests that raw CPU power alone does not guarantee top-tier results in this title, as the overall system balance and GPU capabilities play an equally significant role.

The CPU's integrated Radeon 610M graphics and 83.2 GB/s dual-channel DDR5 memory bandwidth provide a solid foundation for system memory operations, but in this benchmark configuration, the discrete GPU handles the rendering load. The 8945HX's 55 W TDP in a mobile form factor raises questions about sustained performance under load, though the data shows impressive benchmark results that suggest effective thermal management in the testing environment.

# GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with the GB206 chip, manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC with 21,900 million transistors. The GPU features 3328 shading units, 104 texture mapping units, and 48 raster operation pipelines, along with 26 ray tracing cores and 104 tensor cores. Its base clock is 952 MHz with a boost clock of 1455 MHz, delivering 9.684 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and a texture rate of 151.3 GTexel/s.

Memory configuration consists of 8 GB of GDDR7 across a 128-bit bus, yielding 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory capacity is a critical consideration for Microsoft Flight Simulator, which loads vast textures and detailed scenery. The 8 GB frame buffer may constrain performance at higher resolutions and settings, as the data shows significant FPS drops when moving from Low to Ultra presets at 4K resolution.

The GPU's 67th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 22435, indicates mid-range performance. Its nearest rivals are clustered tightly: the RTX 4060 Mobile is 1.3% higher, while the RX 7700 XT is just 0.5% higher. This suggests the RTX 5060 Mobile competes closely with previous-generation mobile parts and desktop mid-range cards. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3013.5 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 96451 provide additional context for its compute capabilities.

In flight simulation, the GPU's role becomes increasingly dominant at higher resolutions and detail settings. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 103 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to 34 FPS. This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the CPU's strong benchmark scores would otherwise support higher frame rates. The 45 W TDP of the mobile GPU, combined with the 55 W TDP of the CPU, suggests a balanced power envelope for a laptop platform.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest performance across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 103 FPS, which drops to 80 FPS at Medium (with a minimum of 68 and maximum of 92), 60 FPS at High, and 58 FPS at Ultra. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 45 FPS drop, representing a 43.7% reduction in average frame rate. The relatively small gap between High and Ultra (2 FPS) suggests that the Ultra preset's additional visual features have minimal impact on performance at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the system maintains playable frame rates but with noticeable decreases. Low settings average 83 FPS, Medium drops to 65 FPS (minimum 55, maximum 74), High reaches 49 FPS, and Ultra falls to 46 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra here is 37 FPS, a 44.6% reduction. Notably, the gap between High and Ultra at 1440p (3 FPS) is slightly larger than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU's memory bandwidth may be starting to feel the pressure of higher pixel counts.

At 3840x2160, performance becomes more demanding. Low settings still achieve a respectable 61 FPS, Medium averages 48 FPS (minimum 41, maximum 55), High drops to 36 FPS, and Ultra reaches only 34 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 27 FPS, representing a 44.3% reduction. The High and Ultra presets at 4K fall below the 40 FPS threshold, which may be considered marginal for a smooth experience in a slow-paced flight simulator, though the game's genre often tolerates lower frame rates than fast-action titles.

The Medium preset at each resolution shows the most complete data with minimum and maximum values. At 1080p, the range spans from 68 to 92 FPS, a 24 FPS variance. At 1440p, the range is 55 to 74 FPS, a 19 FPS variance. At 4K, the range narrows to 41 to 55 FPS, a 14 FPS variance. This tightening of frame time variance at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU becomes more consistently saturated, reducing the occurrence of frame rate spikes.

# How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 2454 out of 3714 tested configurations places this system in the 66th percentile of tested combos, meaning roughly one-third of tested combinations perform worse and two-thirds perform better. This ranking is notably lower than what the individual component benchmarks might suggest, given the CPU's 95th percentile and the GPU's 67th percentile rankings. The discrepancy highlights that Microsoft Flight Simulator's performance depends on a complex interplay between CPU, GPU, memory, and storage, and that high-end components do not automatically translate to top-tier in-game results.

The CPU's nearest rivals in overall benchmark scores are all within 0.6% of its average score, yet the combo rank suggests that pairing the 8945HX with the RTX 5060 Mobile may not be optimal for this specific title. The GPU's nearest rivals include the RTX 4060 Mobile, which has a higher average benchmark score, suggesting that the 5060 Mobile's 8 GB memory capacity and 128-bit bus may be limiting factors in memory-intensive scenarios like flight simulation.

The rank of 2454 indicates that the system is positioned in the lower-middle portion of the performance spectrum for this game. This could be due to the mobile form factor's thermal and power constraints, the specific driver and game version tested, or the balance between the CPU's strong multi-threaded performance and the GPU's mid-range rendering capabilities. The data shows that the system can deliver playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K Ultra experience falls short of what high-end desktop configurations might achieve.

Compared to other combos in the database, this pairing's performance aligns with what one might expect from a mid-range mobile GPU paired with a high-end mobile CPU. The CPU's strong benchmark scores do not fully compensate for the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions, resulting in a combo rank that reflects the GPU's status as the primary bottleneck in this configuration.

# Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal balance between visual fidelity and performance depends on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the High preset at 60 FPS offers a solid experience, but the Medium preset at 80 FPS provides a substantial frame rate advantage with only a moderate reduction in visual quality. The Ultra preset at 58 FPS offers no significant improvement over High and is not recommended given the lower average frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset at 65 FPS (minimum 55) provides the best overall experience, maintaining smooth gameplay while preserving a reasonable level of visual detail. The High preset at 49 FPS is acceptable for a flight simulator, but users seeking consistent frame rates should prefer Medium. The Low preset at 83 FPS offers the highest performance but sacrifices too much visual quality for most users, given that the Medium preset is only 18 FPS lower.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset at 61 FPS is the only option that maintains a comfortable frame rate above 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 48 FPS (minimum 41) is playable but may show occasional stutters during complex scenes. The High and Ultra presets, at 36 and 34 FPS respectively, are below the 40 FPS threshold where simulation games typically remain playable, and are only recommended for users who prioritize visual fidelity over smoothness and are willing to tolerate lower frame rates.

The data reveals a consistent pattern: the Medium preset offers the best balance of frame rate and visual quality across all resolutions. At 1080p, it delivers 80 FPS; at 1440p, 65 FPS; and at 4K, 48 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum frame rates of 68, 55, and 41 FPS across resolutions indicate that it maintains playable performance even during demanding scenes. Users with high-refresh-rate displays at 1080p may prefer the Low preset for its 103 FPS, but for most scenarios, Medium provides the most satisfying experience.

# Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the system's performance characteristics and identifies the limiting component. At Low settings, average FPS drops from 103 at 1080p to 83 at 1440p (a 19.4% reduction) and further to 61 at 4K (a 40.8% reduction from 1080p). This scaling pattern is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario, where increasing pixel count directly impacts frame rate.

At Medium settings, the progression is 80 FPS at 1080p, 65 FPS at 1440p (an 18.8% reduction), and 48 FPS at 4K (a 40.0% reduction from 1080p). The similar percentage drops across these resolutions indicate that the GPU's rendering capabilities scale predictably with pixel count, without significant memory bandwidth bottlenecks at lower settings.

At High settings, the system delivers 60 FPS at 1080p, 49 FPS at 1440p (an 18.3% reduction), and 36 FPS at 4K (a 40.0% reduction). The Ultra preset follows a similar pattern: 58 FPS at 1080p, 46 FPS at 1440p (a 20.7% reduction), and 34 FPS at 4K (a 41.4% reduction). The consistency of these percentage drops across all settings presets suggests that the GPU's 8 GB memory capacity and 384.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient to avoid memory-related bottlenecks, and that the system is purely limited by the GPU's compute and fill-rate capabilities at higher resolutions.

The fact that the CPU's strong multi-threaded performance (as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42713) does not prevent FPS drops at higher resolutions confirms that the RTX 5060 Mobile is the limiting component in this configuration. The GPU's 67th percentile ranking and its modest 1455 MHz boost clock, combined with 3328 shading units, result in rendering throughput that cannot maintain high frame rates at 4K Ultra settings. For users seeking higher 4K performance, a more powerful GPU would be necessary, though the current configuration still delivers playable frame rates at 4K Low settings.