Microsoft Flight Simulator

# Microsoft Flight Simulator with AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER

This pairing combines a top-tier 12-core Zen 5 processor with an older Turing-generation GPU, and the benchmark data reveals a system that is consistently held back by the graphics card rather than the CPU. Across all measured resolutions and settings, the RTX 2070 SUPER's 8GB of GDDR6 and 9.062 TFLOPS of FP32 compute become the decisive factor, while the Ryzen 9 9900X3D's 128MB of L3 cache and 5.50 GHz boost clock sit largely underutilized. The measured frame rates show a clear pattern: at 1080p, the GPU manages playable numbers, but as resolution climbs toward 4K, the frame rate collapses in a way that points squarely at pixel throughput limits rather than CPU bottlenecks.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 produces a dramatic and consistent drop in frame rates across every settings preset, with the data showing that the RTX 2070 SUPER is the limiting component in this configuration. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 111 at 1080p to 89 at 1440p (a 19.8% reduction) and then to 66 at 4K (a further 25.8% drop from 1440p), meaning the total scaling from 1080p to 4K at Low is a 40.5% loss. This steep decline indicates that the GPU's rasterization throughput — 113.3 GPixel/s pixel rate and 283.2 GTexel/s texture rate — is being saturated as pixel count quadruples from Full HD to Ultra HD.

At Medium settings, the pattern holds: 86 FPS at 1080p, 70 FPS at 1440p (18.6% drop), and 51 FPS at 4K (27.1% drop from 1440p). The High preset shows 65 FPS at 1080p, 52 FPS at 1440p (20% drop), and 39 FPS at 4K (25% drop from 1440p). Ultra settings follow the same trajectory with 62 FPS, 50 FPS, and 37 FPS respectively. The consistency of these percentage drops across presets — roughly 20% from 1080p to 1440p and another 25-27% from 1440p to 4K — is a hallmark of a GPU-bound scenario, where the CPU's role diminishes as resolution increases.

What makes this particularly telling is that the Ryzen 9 9900X3D is far more capable than what this game demands at these settings. The CPU's single-thread performance (3dmark_single_thread score of 1269, Geekbench single-core of 3041) and multi-thread capabilities (Cinebench R23 multicore of 47737) would not be strained by Microsoft Flight Simulator's simulation-heavy workload at any resolution. The data implies that if a stronger GPU were paired with this processor, the 1080p frame rates could be significantly higher; the current 111 FPS at Low is likely not the CPU's ceiling but rather the RTX 2070 SUPER's limit.

The 4K results are particularly revealing: at Ultra settings, the average drops to 37 FPS, which is below the 44 FPS minimum observed at Medium 4K. This suggests that the GPU is not just bandwidth-limited but also compute-limited, as the 8GB VRAM capacity (448.0 GB/s bandwidth) may be insufficient for the texture and geometry demands of Ultra presets at 4K in a flight simulator that streams vast terrain data. The gap between Low (66 FPS) and Ultra (37 FPS) at 4K — a 43.9% reduction — shows how much headroom exists in the GPU for rendering quality adjustments.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D brings substantial compute resources to this pairing: 12 cores and 24 threads based on Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge), with a base clock of 4.40 GHz and boost up to 5.50 GHz. The 128MB of L3 cache is the standout feature, designed to reduce memory latency in cache-sensitive workloads. However, in Microsoft Flight Simulator, the measured FPS data shows no evidence that this CPU is a limiting factor at any resolution or settings combination.

The CPU's benchmark scores place it in the 91st percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54762. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF (average score 55093, delta -0.6%) and Intel Core Ultra 5 245K (average score 54053, delta 1.3%), indicating that the 9900X3D is competitive but not dominant in general compute. More importantly for gaming, the 3dmark_16_threads score of 12490 and 3dmark_single_thread of 1269 suggest that both multi-threaded and single-threaded performance are strong, which should handle flight simulation's physics and AI calculations without issue.

Given that the FPS drops are nearly identical in percentage terms across all presets when moving from 1080p to 4K, the data strongly implies that the CPU is not the bottleneck. If the CPU were limiting, we would expect to see diminishing FPS differences at higher resolutions as the GPU becomes more loaded; instead, the FPS scales linearly with pixel count, which is the signature of GPU-bound rendering. The 9900X3D's 24 threads and high boost clock are likely idle or lightly loaded while the RTX 2070 SUPER struggles to keep up with pixel shading demands.

The CPU's memory support for DDR5 with dual-channel bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s, combined with the large L3 cache, means that even if the game were to become CPU-bound in certain scenarios (e.g., dense urban areas with many AI aircraft), the processor has ample headroom. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the 111 FPS average is likely close to the GPU's maximum output at that setting, not the CPU's limit. A stronger GPU would be needed to test the CPU's true ceiling in this game.

FAQ

Q: Why is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p only 44% (111 vs 62 FPS) when the settings change is so large?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER's 8GB of VRAM and 9.062 TFLOPS FP32 compute are the constraints. At 1080p, even Low settings push the GPU to generate 111 FPS, and Ultra adds enough shading work (higher texture resolution, more geometric detail) to reduce that to 62 FPS, but the GPU is already near its throughput ceiling at Low, so the relative gap is compressed.

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 9900X3D being wasted in this configuration?

A: The data suggests yes, at least for this game. The CPU's 91st percentile ranking and high single-thread scores (Geekbench single-core 3041, 3dmark single-thread 1269) far exceed what Microsoft Flight Simulator needs at these frame rates. The FPS scaling pattern across resolutions is purely GPU-determined, indicating the CPU has significant unused headroom.

Q: What explains the 4K Medium minimum FPS of 44 being higher than the 4K Ultra average of 37?

A: The Medium preset reduces GPU load enough that the frame time variance is lower, allowing a 44 FPS floor. Ultra settings at 4K push the GPU beyond its stable operating point, resulting in an average of 37 FPS with likely more frequent dips, though the data does not provide min FPS for Ultra.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: This pairing ranks 1697 out of 2996 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the lower-middle tier (approximately the 43rd percentile) of all combinations. This is consistent with the RTX 2070 SUPER being an older GPU that holds back the modern processor.

Q: Should I play at 1440p or 1080p for the best experience?

A: Based on the measured data, 1080p Medium (86 FPS) or High (65 FPS) offers the best balance of smoothness and visual quality. At 1440p, Medium (70 FPS) is playable, but High drops to 52 FPS, which may be too low for a flight simulator where smooth camera movements matter.

Q: Does the CPU's 128MB L3 cache impact the FPS results?

A: The data does not show a measurable impact in this game's frame rates. The FPS patterns are consistent with GPU limitations across all resolutions. The cache may help in other workloads, but for this title, the RTX 2070 SUPER's 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 8GB capacity appear to be the controlling factors.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data offers clear guidance on the optimal settings for this hardware combination. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers 86 FPS average with a minimum of 73 FPS and maximum of 99 FPS, which provides a stable and smooth experience for flight simulation where consistent frame pacing is important. The High preset at 1080p drops to 65 FPS, which is still playable but offers less headroom for demanding scenes with heavy cloud coverage or dense scenery.

For users targeting 1440p, the Medium preset at 70 FPS (minimum 59, maximum 80) is the recommended choice, as it maintains a playable frame rate while improving image clarity over 1080p. The High preset at 1440p (52 FPS) falls below the 60 FPS threshold that many gamers consider smooth, and the Ultra preset at 50 FPS further degrades the experience without proportional visual gains. At 4K, all settings struggle: Medium at 51 FPS (minimum 44, maximum 59) is the most playable option, but even this may require lowering the resolution or accepting frame rate dips in busy areas.

The data shows that the Low preset provides the highest frame rates at every resolution (111 FPS at 1080p, 89 FPS at 1440p, 66 FPS at 4K), but these come at the cost of significant visual fidelity in a game where terrain detail and cockpit instruments are central to the experience. The Medium preset represents the sweet spot: it doubles the visual quality over Low while only reducing FPS by 22.5% at 1080p (86 vs 111), 21.3% at 1440p (70 vs 89), and 22.7% at 4K (51 vs 66). These consistent percentage reductions suggest that Medium is the most balanced setting for this GPU.

Ultra settings are not recommended at any resolution based on the data, as they deliver only marginal FPS improvements over High at 1080p (62 vs 65, a 4.6% difference) while likely adding substantial GPU load that could cause stutters in complex scenes. The 4K Ultra average of 37 FPS is below the minimum FPS of the Medium preset at the same resolution, confirming that Ultra is too demanding for the RTX 2070 SUPER.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER achieves a rank of 1697 out of 2996 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the 56.6th percentile of all systems tested. This rank is notably lower than what the CPU alone would suggest — the 9900X3D sits in the 91st percentile against all CPUs — which reinforces the conclusion that the GPU is the dominant bottleneck in this pairing.

The GPU itself, at the 65th percentile against all GPUs, is a mid-range performer by current standards. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Arc B570 (average score 20556, delta -1.3%) and Intel Arc A750 (average score 20582, delta -1.5%), which are similarly positioned in the GPU hierarchy. The fact that this combo ranks near the bottom half of all tested systems, despite having a top-tier CPU, indicates that the RTX 2070 SUPER's performance ceiling is the primary constraint on the overall experience.

The rank of 1697 suggests that users with this configuration are likely to see frame rates that are lower than what a more balanced pairing would achieve. For reference, if the 9900X3D were paired with a GPU that performs closer to the top of the tested range, the combo rank would likely improve substantially. However, the data shows that this specific combination is not optimized for Microsoft Flight Simulator's rendering demands, which are heavily GPU-dependent due to the game's need to draw vast landscapes and detailed aircraft models in real time.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average frame rates are as follows: Low settings produce 111 FPS, Medium produces 86 FPS (minimum 73, maximum 99), High produces 65 FPS, and Ultra produces 62 FPS. The step from Low to Medium represents a 22.5% reduction in FPS, while the step from Medium to High is a 24.4% reduction, and High to Ultra is only a 4.6% reduction. This non-linear scaling indicates that the GPU's shading units (2560) and TMUs (160) become saturated at Medium settings, with diminishing returns from higher presets.

At 2560x1440, the averages drop to: Low 89 FPS, Medium 70 FPS (minimum 59, maximum 80), High 52 FPS, and Ultra 50 FPS. The percentage reductions from 1080p are 19.8% for Low, 18.6% for Medium, 20% for High, and 19.4% for Ultra, showing a remarkably consistent scaling factor of approximately 80% of the 1080p performance. This consistency across all presets is a strong indicator that the GPU's pixel throughput, not the CPU or memory subsystem, is the limiting factor.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low 66 FPS, Medium 51 FPS (minimum 44, maximum 59), High 39 FPS, and Ultra 37 FPS. The reduction from 1440p to 4K is 25.8% for Low, 27.1% for Medium, 25% for High, and 26% for Ultra. The delta between High and Ultra at 4K narrows to just 2 FPS (39 vs 37), suggesting that Ultra settings at 4K are so demanding that the GPU cannot differentiate between the two presets in terms of average output. The 4K Medium minimum of 44 FPS and maximum of 59 FPS provides the only frame time data at this resolution, indicating that even at Medium, the GPU's performance is variable, which could lead to noticeable stutters in a flight simulator.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is the clear performance limiter in this configuration, and the data provides multiple lines of evidence for this conclusion. The GPU's Turing architecture, built on a 12nm process at TSMC, contains 13,600 million transistors across a 545 mm² die, with 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The 8GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus delivers 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming but becomes strained at 4K with higher quality textures.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it at the 65th percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20282. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Arc B570 (average score 20556, delta -1.3%) and Intel Arc A750 (average score 20582, delta -1.5%), indicating that the RTX 2070 SUPER is competitive with modern entry-level to mid-range GPUs. However, the PassMark G3D score of 18169 and Geekbench OpenCL of 83358 reveal that its compute capabilities are modest compared to modern flagship cards, which matters in a game like Microsoft Flight Simulator that performs complex rendering of terrain and weather.

The FPS data shows that the GPU's performance degrades predictably with resolution, but the rate of degradation accelerates at 4K, particularly at higher settings. At 1080p, the GPU can push 111 FPS on Low, but at 4K Ultra, it manages only 37 FPS — a 66.7% reduction. The GPU's pixel rate of 113.3 GPixel/s and texture rate of 283.2 GTexel/s are the theoretical limits that explain this scaling: 4K has 4 times the pixels of 1080p, and the GPU's fill rate cannot keep up, especially when texture sampling increases with higher settings.

The 8GB VRAM capacity is another potential constraint at 4K, as flight simulators are known for large texture datasets. The fact that 4K Medium (51 FPS) performs better than 4K High (39 FPS) by a significant margin suggests that memory bandwidth or capacity may be limiting High and Ultra presets. The GPU's 14 Gbps effective memory speed and 256-bit bus provide high bandwidth, but the capacity may be insufficient for Ultra textures at 4K, forcing the system to swap data to slower memory. The data does not provide VRAM usage, but the FPS pattern is consistent with a memory-constrained scenario at higher resolutions.