Microsoft Flight Simulator

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT delivers a solid, if not top-tier, experience. The measured data places this combination at rank 648 out of 1795 tested configurations, meaning it outperforms roughly 64% of all combos in the database. With a 12-core, 24-thread Zen 5 CPU and a 16GB RDNA 3 GPU, this pairing handles the sim’s demanding workloads across resolutions, though the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck at 4K. The following sections break down the CPU and GPU contributions, resolution scaling, overall ranking, and the exact measured frame rates.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 9 9900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor built on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) with a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. It sits in the 94th percentile of all CPUs tested, indicating it outperforms 94% of the field. Its single-thread performance is particularly strong: Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6555 and Geekbench single-core of 3341. In a flight simulator like Microsoft Flight Simulator, which often relies on a few heavily loaded threads for physics and scenery processing, this single-thread strength is critical. The multi-threaded scores are also impressive—Cinebench R23 multi-core 46438 and Geekbench multi-core 19827—providing ample headroom for background tasks and complex simulation logic.

Relative to its nearest rivals, the 9900X is 0.4% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D, 1.5% behind the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K, and 1.8% behind the Core Ultra 5 245KF, but it is 0.7% ahead of the Intel Core i7-14700F. These deltas are small, meaning the CPU is not a differentiator in this game’s performance. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (150.1) shows that the CPU can feed the GPU well beyond typical refresh rates, and even at 1080p Ultra (79.7 FPS) the CPU is not the limiting factor—otherwise we would see a plateau regardless of resolution. The 64MB shared L3 cache and 1MB L2 per core further support the high single-thread responsiveness needed for flight sims.

GPU Role

The Radeon RX 7800 XT is a 16GB GDDR6 card with a 256-bit memory bus and 624.1 GB/s bandwidth. Its boost clock is 2430 MHz, with a game clock of 2124 MHz and a base clock of 1295 MHz. The GPU sits in the 76th percentile of all GPUs, meaning it outperforms 76% of the field. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 4157, and in Geekbench Vulkan it reaches 143060. The 16GB VRAM is generous for high-resolution textures, which Microsoft Flight Simulator uses heavily, especially at 4K.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the RX 7800 XT is 0.2% ahead of the AMD FirePro S9300 X2, 0.4% behind the NVIDIA P104-100, 0.7% behind the NVIDIA T600 Mobile, and 0.7% ahead of the AMD FirePro S10000. These are all within a narrow band, so the GPU’s raw compute is not exceptional, but its memory capacity and bandwidth are well-suited for this sim. The GPU’s role becomes more pronounced as resolution and settings increase. At 1080p Low, the GPU is not stressed, but at 4K Ultra, the 48.5 FPS result indicates that the GPU is the primary constraint. The 624.1 GB/s bandwidth and 16GB frame buffer allow the sim to stream high-detail scenery without stutter, but the compute throughput limits maximum frame rates at high resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS shows a clear pattern of decreasing performance as resolution rises, which is typical of a GPU-bound workload. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 150.1 at 1080p to 116.8 at 1440p (a 22% reduction) and then to 87.3 at 4K (a 25% reduction from 1440p). At Ultra settings, the drop is from 79.7 at 1080p to 65.7 at 1440p (18% reduction) and then to 48.5 at 4K (26% reduction). The consistent percentage drops across settings indicate that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions; the CPU is not holding back the frame rate. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the FPS to remain relatively flat as resolution increases, because the CPU would be maxed out regardless of pixel count. Instead, the FPS scales inversely with pixel count, confirming that the RX 7800 XT’s fill rate and bandwidth are the constraints at 1440p and 4K.

At 1080p, the CPU’s strong single-thread performance allows the GPU to run at high utilization, but even at 1080p Ultra the 79.7 FPS is not exceptionally high, suggesting that the game’s engine is still heavily dependent on GPU shading and texture work. The gap between Low and Ultra at each resolution is also telling: at 1080p, Low (150.1) is 47% higher than Ultra (79.7); at 1440p, Low (116.8) is 44% higher than Ultra (65.7); at 4K, Low (87.3) is 44% higher than Ultra (48.5). This consistent ~45% penalty for Ultra settings shows that the GPU is the primary driver of the settings impact, not the CPU.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 9 9900X and RX 7800 XT ranks 648th out of 1795 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the upper third of all configurations, better than 63.9% of the field. The rank reflects the measured average FPS across all resolutions and settings, weighted by the database’s methodology. The CPU’s 94th percentile and GPU’s 76th percentile combine to a mid-high overall position. The CPU is clearly not a weak link—it is near the top of the CPU hierarchy—but the GPU’s mid-range standing pulls the combo down from the top tier. In practical terms, this combo is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming with high settings, and it can handle 4K at medium to high settings, but it will not deliver high refresh rates at 4K Ultra. The rank is measured, not estimated, so it reflects real-world performance in this specific title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

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

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 50.7 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 87.3 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 69.4 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 48.5 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 70.7 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 116.8 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 89.4 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 65.7 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 87.0 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 150.1 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 115.6 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 79.7 |

At 1080p, the combo delivers excellent performance: Low settings hit 150.1 FPS, which is well above the 144Hz refresh rate of many monitors, and even Ultra maintains 79.7 FPS, which is smooth for a flight sim. At 1440p, the results are still strong: Low reaches 116.8 FPS, Medium 89.4, High 70.7, and Ultra 65.7. These numbers indicate that 1440p with high settings is a comfortable sweet spot for this hardware. At 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor: Low yields 87.3 FPS, Medium 69.4, High 50.7, and Ultra 48.5. The 4K Ultra result is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action; it is more suited to leisurely flight where frame rate consistency matters less than visual fidelity. The data shows a clear hierarchy: the combo is capable of high refresh rates at 1080p, solid performance at 1440p, and playable but not high-refresh performance at 4K. The gap between Low and Ultra at each resolution is roughly 45%, which is typical for a GPU-bound title. Overall, this pairing offers a balanced experience, with the CPU providing ample headroom and the GPU determining the ceiling at higher resolutions.