Microsoft Flight Simulator

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates across resolutions reveal a classic pattern of scaling where the GPU becomes progressively more dominant as pixel count increases. At 1080p, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 delivers 126 FPS on Low settings, which drops to 102 FPS at 1440p and 75 FPS at 4K. That represents a 19% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a further 26% reduction from 1440p to 4K on Low settings. The scaling curve suggests the CPU is doing substantial work at 1080p, keeping frame rates high, but the GPU begins to take over as the primary limiter once resolution climbs.

Moving to Medium settings, the same pattern holds with slightly narrower margins. The 1080p Medium result of 98 FPS falls to 79 FPS at 1440p, a drop of 19 FPS, and then to 59 FPS at 4K, another 20 FPS decline. The consistency of these step-downs — roughly 20 FPS per resolution tier — points to a balanced system where neither component is severely bottlenecking the other at Medium settings. At High settings, the 1080p score of 74 FPS drops to 60 FPS at 1440p and 44 FPS at 4K. The percentage losses here are larger, with 4K representing a 41% reduction from 1080p, indicating that the higher quality preset amplifies the GPU workload disproportionately.

Ultra settings show the tightest scaling curve. The 1080p Ultra result of 70 FPS, 1440p Ultra at 57 FPS, and 4K Ultra at 42 FPS form a nearly linear decline. The 4K Ultra figure is the lowest measured across the entire dataset, and the fact that 1080p Ultra only reaches 70 FPS — barely above the 4K High result of 44 FPS — suggests that the Ultra preset introduces rendering features that stress the GPU regardless of resolution. The data indicates that at 1080p, the CPU's 12 cores and 24 threads are sufficient to feed the GPU adequately, but the gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p (126 vs 70 FPS) is much wider than the gap at 4K (75 vs 42 FPS), confirming that resolution scaling is primarily GPU-limited while settings scaling has a more complex interaction with both components.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 brings 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is directly relevant to Microsoft Flight Simulator's results because the game streams large terrain and scenery datasets, and the measured frame rates at 4K Ultra (42 FPS) and 4K High (44 FPS) indicate that the GPU's compute resources, rather than memory capacity, are the binding constraint. The GPU's boost clock of 2459 MHz and game clock of 2041 MHz place it in a performance tier where it can handle 1080p and 1440p comfortably but struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K with maximum quality settings.

The RX 7700's 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output units produce a pixel rate of 236.1 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 393.4 GTexel/s. These figures translate to the observed 4K Medium result of 59 FPS with a minimum of 50 FPS and maximum of 67 FPS, which is the only 4K setting with recorded variance data. The fact that the 4K Medium spread is 17 FPS suggests the GPU is handling the workload with some headroom, whereas the Ultra preset at 4K drops to 42 FPS with no recorded minimum or maximum, implying the GPU is hitting a hard performance ceiling.

The GPU's FP32 throughput of 25.18 TFLOPS is consistent with the measured performance deltas between settings. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 56 FPS (126 vs 70), while at 4K the same settings comparison yields only a 33 FPS difference (75 vs 42). This compression of the settings gap at higher resolutions is a hallmark of GPU-bound scenarios, where the additional pixel workload overshadows the settings-related shader complexity. The 16 GB memory size is not the limiting factor in this dataset, as even the lowest measured frame rates at 4K Ultra do not indicate memory swapping or capacity-related stutters based on the available average FPS figures. The GPU's percentile rank of 58 against all GPUs places it in the mid-range segment, which aligns with the observed 4K performance hovering around playable but not high-refresh territory.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for playing Microsoft Flight Simulator with this CPU and GPU combo?

A: The data shows 1440p Medium delivers 79 FPS average with a minimum of 67 FPS, which is the highest frame rate at a quality setting above Low that maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. At 1440p High, the average drops to 60 FPS, and at 4K Medium, the average falls to 59 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 7700's memory configuration affect 4K performance?

A: The GPU has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 624.1 GB/s bandwidth. The measured 4K results range from 75 FPS on Low to 42 FPS on Ultra, and the memory bandwidth is sufficient to support these frame rates without the data indicating any memory capacity bottleneck at 4K.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 126 FPS, while 1080p Ultra drops to 70 FPS. The large gap between these settings, combined with the smaller gap between 1080p and 1440p on Low (126 vs 102 FPS), indicates the GPU becomes the limiting factor as settings increase, while the CPU maintains adequate frame delivery at lower settings.

Q: What settings preset provides the most consistent frame pacing?

A: The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values across all three resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the range is 84 to 113 FPS; at 1440p Medium, 67 to 91 FPS; and at 4K Medium, 50 to 67 FPS. These ranges indicate relatively stable performance compared to presets without variance data.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested combinations for this game?

A: The combo ranks 1324 out of 2996 tested combinations, placing it in the upper-middle portion of the distribution. This rank reflects the measured frame rates across all resolution and settings combinations in the dataset.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: Yes, but with compromises. The 4K Medium setting averages 59 FPS, while 4K High averages 44 FPS and 4K Ultra averages 42 FPS. For smooth 4K play, the Medium preset is the highest quality setting that maintains a playable average frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and AMD Radeon RX 7700 combination ranks 1324 out of 2996 tested combos for Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the 44th percentile of all tested systems. This mid-pack positioning is notable given the CPU's strong benchmark scores — the Ryzen 9 9900X achieves a 92nd percentile rank against all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 57498. The CPU's nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 9015 at 57555 average score (0.1% higher), the AMD EPYC 7313 at 57399 (0.2% lower), the Intel Core i9-14900 at 58115 (1.1% higher), and the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M at 58323 (1.4% higher).

The GPU, by contrast, sits at the 58th percentile against all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 15852. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon R9 370X at 15862 (0.1% higher), the AMD Radeon RX 9060 at 16014 (1% higher), the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 at 15679 (1.1% lower), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti at 16129 (1.7% higher). The disparity between the CPU's high percentile (92) and the GPU's lower percentile (58) explains why the combo ranks only in the middle of the pack for this specific game — the GPU is the weaker component in this pairing, and Microsoft Flight Simulator's performance is heavily influenced by GPU capabilities at higher resolutions and settings.

The combo rank of 1324 out of 2996 suggests that many other combinations — likely those pairing the same or similar CPUs with stronger GPUs — achieve better frame rates. The measured FPS data supports this interpretation: at 1080p Ultra, the combo only reaches 70 FPS, which is far from high-refresh territory, and at 4K Ultra, the 42 FPS result is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The CPU's 12 cores, 24 threads, and 5.60 GHz boost clock are not the bottleneck, as evidenced by the 1080p Low result of 126 FPS showing the system can push high frame rates when GPU load is low. The ranking reflects the GPU's mid-range positioning rather than any CPU deficiency.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. The Low preset averages 126 FPS, which is the fastest result in the entire dataset. Medium settings at 1080p average 98 FPS with a minimum of 84 FPS and maximum of 113 FPS, providing a 29 FPS variance window. High settings at 1080p drop to 74 FPS average, and Ultra settings yield 70 FPS average. The progression from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a total reduction of 56 FPS, or 44% of the Low result.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales downward predictably. Low settings average 102 FPS, representing a 24 FPS reduction from the 1080p Low result. Medium settings at 1440p average 79 FPS with a minimum of 67 FPS and maximum of 91 FPS, a 24 FPS spread that mirrors the 1080p Medium variance. High settings at 1440p average 60 FPS, and Ultra settings average 57 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra at 1440p is only 3 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset's additional features have diminishing returns at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the combo reaches its lowest performance levels. Low settings average 75 FPS, which is still playable but represents a 27 FPS drop from 1080p Low. Medium settings at 4K average 59 FPS with a minimum of 50 FPS and maximum of 67 FPS, making it the only 4K setting with recorded variance data. High settings at 4K average 44 FPS, and Ultra settings average 42 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the lowest measured value in the entire dataset, and the 4K High result is only 2 FPS higher, indicating that the GPU is saturated at this resolution regardless of whether High or Ultra quality is selected.

The settings-to-settings deltas are consistent across resolutions. The Low-to-Medium gap is 28 FPS at 1080p, 23 FPS at 1440p, and 16 FPS at 4K. The Medium-to-High gap is 24 FPS at 1080p, 19 FPS at 1440p, and 15 FPS at 4K. The High-to-Ultra gap is 4 FPS at 1080p, 3 FPS at 1440p, and 2 FPS at 4K. This narrowing of the settings gaps at higher resolutions confirms that the GPU workload from resolution scaling dominates the additional cost of higher quality presets.

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting 60 FPS as a minimum acceptable frame rate, the data shows that 1080p Medium (98 FPS average, 84 FPS minimum) and 1080p High (74 FPS average) both comfortably exceed this threshold. At 1440p, the Medium preset delivers 79 FPS average with a 67 FPS minimum, which keeps frame rates above 60 FPS even in demanding scenes. The 1440p High preset averages exactly 60 FPS, but without minimum FPS data, it carries more risk of dipping below the 60 FPS threshold during intensive moments such as flying over dense terrain or through weather systems.

The 4K resolution presents a trade-off. The Medium preset at 4K averages 59 FPS with a minimum of 50 FPS, meaning some scenes will drop below 60 FPS. The High and Ultra presets at 4K average 44 FPS and 42 FPS respectively, which places them in the 40-45 FPS range that is generally considered acceptable for slower-paced flight simulation but not ideal for smooth camera movements or fast approaches. The 4K Low preset at 75 FPS average is the only 4K option that maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, but it sacrifices visual quality significantly.

The optimal settings recommendation depends on resolution priority. For 1080p displays, the High preset at 74 FPS average offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, as the Ultra preset only adds 4 FPS of cost (dropping to 70 FPS) without a proportionate visual benefit. For 1440p displays, the Medium preset at 79 FPS average is the strongest choice, as it maintains a 67 FPS minimum while providing better visual quality than Low. The 1440p High preset at 60 FPS average is viable for players who prioritize visual quality and can tolerate occasional dips below 60 FPS.

For 4K displays, the Medium preset at 59 FPS average is the recommended starting point, as it is the only 4K setting with documented minimum and maximum FPS values (50 to 67 FPS) that confirm playable performance throughout the variance range. Players who demand higher frame rates at 4K should consider the Low preset at 75 FPS average, while those who prioritize visual quality above frame rate smoothness may accept the High preset at 44 FPS average. The Ultra preset at 4K, at 42 FPS average, offers no meaningful advantage over High given the 2 FPS difference, making it the least recommended configuration in the dataset.