Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator presents an unusual challenge for the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combination. The benchmark data reveals a system where the graphics card is the primary constraint at higher resolutions, but the processor's capability becomes more relevant as settings are lowered. This analysis walks through the measured FPS data to understand the balance between these components across different configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frames per second show a clear and consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, which is typical for a flight simulator with heavy GPU demands. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 91 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same Low settings drops the average to 71.6 FPS, a reduction of 19.4 FPS. At 4K Low, the average falls further to 52.7 FPS. This scaling indicates that even at the lowest graphical preset, the GPU is still the limiting factor when moving up in resolution.

The High preset tells a similar story but with a more dramatic drop. At 1080p High, the average is 56.6 FPS. At 1440p High, this falls to 43.7 FPS, and at 4K High, the average plummets to 31.1 FPS. The gap between 1080p and 4K at High settings is 25.5 FPS, demonstrating that the RTX 2060's 6 GB of VRAM and its compute resources are stretched thin by the increased pixel count. The data suggests that 4K is only viable at Low settings, where the 52.7 FPS average remains playable, but anything above Low at 4K will result in sub-30 FPS territory, which is not ideal for a smooth simulation experience.

The Medium and Ultra presets reinforce the GPU-bound nature of the title. At 1080p Medium, the average is 69 FPS, but at 4K Medium, it drops to 43.7 FPS. Similarly, at 1080p Ultra, the average is 48.8 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it is just 28.6 FPS. The difference between Medium and Ultra at 4K is only 15.1 FPS, which suggests that the GPU is hitting a performance wall where additional graphical features have diminishing returns due to the resolution overhead. The data indicates that the RTX 2060 is the bottleneck for this combo, particularly at 4K, where the CPU's high core count and clock speeds are not being fully utilized.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the best experience for this combo balances visual fidelity with a playable frame rate. At 1080p, the Medium preset at 69 FPS is the sweet spot, offering a significant improvement over Low (91 FPS) while maintaining a smooth frame rate. High at 56.6 FPS is also acceptable, but the drop from Medium is noticeable. Ultra at 48.8 FPS is borderline, and the data shows that the extra visual load may not be worth the performance cost.

For 1440p, the Medium preset at 57.3 FPS is the recommended choice, as it stays above the 60 FPS threshold for most users and provides a good balance. High at 43.7 FPS is playable but may feel less fluid in demanding scenes. Low at 71.6 FPS is smooth but sacrifices too much visual detail for a flight simulator. Ultra at 42 FPS is playable but close to the edge of what most consider acceptable for a simulation.

At 4K, the options are limited. Low at 52.7 FPS is the only preset that provides a consistently playable experience. Medium at 43.7 FPS is possible but may introduce stutter in dense areas. High at 31.1 FPS and Ultra at 28.6 FPS are not recommended for a smooth experience, as they fall below the 30 FPS threshold and will likely feel sluggish. The data suggests that 4K gaming with this combo requires significant compromises, and users should stick to Low for the best frame rate.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is a Turing-architecture GPU with 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. Its base clock is 1365 MHz with a boost clock of 1680 MHz. The benchmark results for this GPU show a Passmark G3D score of 14111, placing it at the 58th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 7600S, which scores 15996 (a 0.5% delta), and the AMD Radeon Pro 5700, which scores 16351 (a -1.7% delta). These scores indicate that the RTX 2060 is a mid-range card that is competitive with its immediate peers but not a high-end solution.

The GPU's role in this game is critical, as the FPS data shows that it is the limiting factor at all resolutions above 1080p. The 6 GB VRAM is likely a constraint at 4K, where texture-heavy scenes can exceed this capacity. The memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s is also a factor, as higher resolutions require more data to be transferred. The boost clock of 1680 MHz is modest by modern standards, but it is sufficient for the card's intended performance level. The data indicates that the RTX 2060's performance is consistent with its benchmark scores, and it is the primary reason why 4K Ultra is not feasible with this combo.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p High settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 43.7 at 2560x1440 with High settings.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this combo?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where the average FPS is 52.7. At Medium, High, and Ultra, the averages drop to 43.7, 31.1, and 28.6, respectively, which are less playable.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7600S?

A: The RTX 2060 has a Passmark G3D score of 14111, while the RX 7600S scores 15996, representing a 0.5% delta. This means the RX 7600S is slightly faster in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: What is the best preset at 1080p for a smooth experience?

A: The Medium preset at 69 FPS is the best balance. Low is higher at 91 FPS, but Medium offers significantly better visuals without a major performance hit.

Q: What is the boost clock of the RTX 2060?

A: The boost clock is 1680 MHz, with a base clock of 1365 MHz.

Q: How much VRAM does the RTX 2060 have?

A: It has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combo ranks 1489 out of 1795 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the lower half of all tested configurations, which is consistent with the GPU being a mid-range part from a previous generation. The ranking suggests that while the CPU is powerful, the GPU holds back the overall gaming performance in this specific title.

The CPU itself is in the 94th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54450. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D, scores 54681, a delta of -0.4%, meaning the 9900X is nearly identical in synthetic performance. The Intel Core i7-14700F scores 54097, a delta of 0.7%, showing the 9900X is slightly faster. However, the GPU's percentile ranking of 58th and its average benchmark score of 16074, with rivals like the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 scoring 16351, reinforces that the graphics card is the weaker link. The combo's low rank is a direct result of this imbalance, as the CPU's potential is not fully realized in a GPU-bound scenario like Flight Simulator at high resolutions.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor from the 9000 series, based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge). It has a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, with a TDP of 120 W. The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 64 MB of shared L3 cache. Its benchmark results are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 46438 and a single-core score of 6555. The Passmark multithread score is 54643, and the single-thread score is 4672.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU's role is less prominent than the GPU's, particularly at higher resolutions where the FPS is limited by the graphics card. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the CPU can push the GPU to 91 FPS, indicating that the 12 cores and 24 threads are sufficient to avoid bottlenecking the RTX 2060. However, the high core count is not fully utilized in this game, as flight simulators often rely more on single-thread performance for physics and AI calculations. The single-core Cinebench R23 score of 6555 is excellent, which helps maintain playable frame rates even when the GPU is under load.

The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K, which scores 55304 (a -1.5% delta), and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF, which scores 55421 (a -1.8% delta), show that the 9900X is competitive but not the absolute fastest. In this game, the CPU's performance is adequate, but the measured FPS data suggests that the GPU is the determining factor for the overall experience. The 9900X's 4.40 GHz base and 5.60 GHz boost clocks provide ample headroom, but the RTX 2060's 1680 MHz boost clock and 6 GB VRAM are the ceilings for this combo's gaming performance.