Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator pairs the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, and the measured frame rates reveal a system that is consistently capable but increasingly GPU-bound as resolution climbs. Across the three tested resolutions and four quality presets, the data shows a clear pattern: the CPU delivers enough headroom to push high average FPS at 1080p, while the RTX 3080’s 10 GB frame buffer and Ampere architecture become the primary constraint at 4K. This combination ranks in the 74th percentile of tested combos, placing it mid-pack among 2,996 configurations, with the CPU’s strong single-thread performance and the GPU’s solid 1440p showing being the standout traits. The following sections break down exactly how this pairing behaves, where it excels, and which settings yield the best experience.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep but not uniform across presets, which tells a clear story about where the bottleneck shifts. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 158 at 1920x1080 to 127 at 2560x1440, then to 94 at 3840x2160. That is a 40.5% reduction from 1080p to 4K, indicating that even at Low, the RTX 3080 is doing substantially more work as pixel count quadruples. At Ultra settings, the drop is more moderate in percentage terms: 88 FPS at 1080p falls to 71 at 1440p and then to 52 at 4K, a 40.9% total decrease. The similarity in these percentages across Low and Ultra suggests that resolution scaling is the dominant factor, not the preset’s complexity — the GPU’s pixel throughput limits both ends of the quality spectrum.

The Medium preset shows the most complete data, with min and max FPS recorded at every resolution. At 1080p Medium, the average is 123 FPS with a minimum of 104 and maximum of 141. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 99 FPS, with a min of 84 and max of 114. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 73 FPS, with a min of 62 and max of 84. The min-to-max spread at each resolution is relatively tight — roughly 37 to 40 FPS at 1080p, 30 to 34 FPS at 1440p, and 22 to 24 FPS at 4K — which indicates consistent frame pacing without severe hitches. The narrowing spread at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU is becoming the limiting component, as variance in CPU-bound scenarios diminishes when the render load grows.

What this scaling implies is that the CPU is not the primary constraint until the resolution drops to 1080p. At 1080p Low, the 158 FPS average is high enough that the Ryzen 9 9900X3D’s single-core performance (3dmark_single_thread score of 1269) is likely keeping pace, but the RTX 3080’s 10 GB memory and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth are still adequate. By 4K Ultra, the 52 FPS average is clearly GPU-limited, as the 29.77 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 164.2 GPixel/s pixel rate are being fully taxed. The data shows that this combo is balanced for 1440p gaming, where the 74 FPS High and 71 FPS Ultra results are playable, while 4K requires dropping to Medium (73 FPS) or Low (94 FPS) to stay smooth.

GPU Role

The RTX 3080’s specifications directly explain its behavior across the measured resolutions. The GPU has 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus, yielding 760.3 GB/s of bandwidth. In Microsoft Flight Simulator, which streams large scenery tiles, this bandwidth is critical. The 1080p Ultra result of 88 FPS versus the 4K Ultra result of 52 FPS demonstrates that the frame buffer size and bandwidth are not the limiting factor at lower resolutions — the 10 GB capacity is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the combination of higher texture loads and larger render targets likely pushes against the memory ceiling, contributing to the 52 FPS average.

Clock speeds are also relevant. The RTX 3080 runs at a base clock of 1440 MHz and a boost clock of 1710 MHz, with memory at 1188 MHz (19 Gbps effective). These clocks are modest by modern standards but pair with 8704 shading units and 272 texture mapping units to deliver 29.77 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. The pixel rate of 164.2 GPixel/s and texture rate of 465.1 GTexel/s are what drive the resolution scaling seen in the data. At 4K, the GPU must fill over 8.3 million pixels per frame, and the measured 55 FPS at High settings (with no min or max recorded) suggests that the pixel rate is the binding constraint, not the CPU.

The GPU’s percentile rank of 68 (percentileVsAllGpus) places it above the median but not in the high-end tier. Its average benchmark score of 23,172 is within 0.4% of several rivals, including the AMD Radeon RX 6600M (avg score 23,273, delta -0.4%) and the AMD Radeon R9 M290X (avg score 23,276, delta -0.4%). These deltas are negligible, meaning the RTX 3080 is statistically tied with those GPUs in synthetic averages, though real-world flight sim performance is dominated by the architectural strengths — specifically the 68 RT cores and 272 tensor cores, which accelerate the DirectX 12 Ultimate workload that Microsoft Flight Simulator uses. The GPU’s support for DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 means it can handle all rendering paths the game might employ.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D + RTX 3080 combination holds rank 786 out of 2,996 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the top 26.2% of all configurations, which is solid but not elite. The comboRankInGame field does not provide a percentile, but 786 out of 2,996 translates to roughly the 74th percentile, meaning about 74% of tested combos perform worse. This is a respectable position, but the data suggests that the RTX 3080 is the weaker link relative to the CPU.

To understand the CPU’s contribution, consider that the Ryzen 9 9900X3D’s average benchmark score of 54,762 is only 0.6% below the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF (avg score 55,093, delta -0.6%) and 1.3% above the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K (avg score 54,053, delta 1.3%). The CPU’s percentileVsAllCpus of 91 indicates it outperforms 91% of all CPUs, making its compute capability a clear strength. Yet the combo rank is only 74th percentile, implying that the GPU’s 68th percentile drags the overall position down. In flight sim, where the CPU handles physics, AI, and scenery loading, the 12-core 24-thread Ryzen with a 5.50 GHz boost clock and 128 MB L3 cache is more than sufficient; the bottleneck is the GPU’s 10 GB frame buffer and 320-bit bus at 4K.

The nearest rivals for the CPU include the Intel Xeon 6505P (avg score 53,701, delta 2.0%) and the Intel Core i7-14700F (avg score 53,620, delta 2.1%), both of which are slightly behind in synthetic averages. This CPU’s 91st percentile rank means it is unlikely to be the limiting factor in any of the measured FPS rows. Instead, the combo rank reflects the GPU’s mid-pack standing, and the measured FPS data confirms this: at 1440p Ultra, the 71 FPS average is about 19% lower than the 1080p Ultra result of 88 FPS, a drop that aligns with the GPU’s pixel rate scaling rather than any CPU deficiency.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four presets, with Medium preset offering the only complete min/max/average set. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 158 FPS average, which is the highest result in the entire dataset. High preset at 1080p yields 92 FPS, Medium yields 123 FPS (min 104, max 141), and Ultra yields 88 FPS. The gap between Low and High at 1080p is 66 FPS, which is substantial and indicates that High settings introduce significant additional GPU load — likely from shadows, reflections, and anisotropic filtering — while still staying above 90 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the results scale down proportionally. Low gives 127 FPS, High gives 74 FPS, Medium gives 99 FPS (min 84, max 114), and Ultra gives 71 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 56 FPS, slightly smaller than at 1080p (70 FPS), which shows that the GPU is beginning to saturate. The 74 FPS High and 71 FPS Ultra figures are both playable for a flight sim, but the 1440p Medium result of 99 FPS with a min of 84 FPS offers a better margin for stutter-free scenery streaming.

At 3840x2160, the data shows the GPU’s limits. Low gives 94 FPS, Medium gives 73 FPS (min 62, max 84), High gives 55 FPS, and Ultra gives 52 FPS. The Ultra result of 52 FPS is just below the 60 FPS threshold that many players consider smooth, while the High result of 55 FPS is only marginally better. The Medium preset at 4K, with a min of 62 FPS, is the only 4K configuration that maintains a 60+ FPS floor. The Low preset’s 94 FPS at 4K is surprisingly high, suggesting that the game’s Low settings drastically reduce shading and texture work, allowing the RTX 3080’s pixel rate to keep up.

The Medium preset’s min/max data across all resolutions is the most informative for understanding frame consistency. At 1080p Medium, the min of 104 FPS and max of 141 FPS yield a range of 37 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the range is 30 FPS (84 to 114). At 4K Medium, the range narrows to 22 FPS (62 to 84). This tightening of the range as resolution increases is a classic sign of GPU-bound behavior: the variation in CPU workloads (e.g., terrain loading, AI traffic) gets smoothed out when the GPU is the rate-limiter. For players who prioritize consistent frame pacing, the 4K Medium setting offers the most stable experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 158, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. The next highest is 127 FPS at 2560x1440 Low, followed by 123 FPS at 1080p Medium.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes, but just barely. At 3840x2160 Ultra, the average FPS is 52, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The 4K High preset yields 55 FPS, while 4K Medium provides 73 FPS with a minimum of 62 FPS, making Medium the recommended 4K setting.

Q: How does the CPU’s synthetic benchmark score compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 9 9900X3D has an average benchmark score of 54,762, which is 0.6% lower than the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF (55,093) and 1.3% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K (54,053). It also beats the Intel Xeon 6505P by 2.0% and the Intel Core i7-14700F by 2.1%.

Q: Is the RTX 3080 the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: No. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 158 FPS, indicating the CPU can feed the GPU well above 150 FPS. The GPU becomes the limiting factor at 4K, where Ultra settings drop to 52 FPS, or about 33% of the 1080p Low result.

Q: What is the slowest setting for maintaining 60+ FPS at 4K?

A: The 4K Medium preset maintains an average of 73 FPS with a minimum of 62 FPS, ensuring no drop below 60 FPS. The 4K High preset drops to 55 FPS average, which falls below the 60 FPS target.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 786th out of 2,996 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the top 26.2% of all configurations. The CPU’s 91st percentile rank and GPU’s 68th percentile rank both contribute to this mid-pack position.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data suggests that the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution. For 1920x1080, the High preset at 92 FPS is a strong choice, offering a 66 FPS improvement over Low (158 FPS) is not worth it, but High provides better visual quality than Medium (123 FPS) while still staying above 90 FPS. Ultra at 1080p drops to 88 FPS, which is only 4 FPS lower than High, so players who want maximum fidelity can use Ultra without significant penalty — the 88 FPS average is still smooth.

For 2560x1440, the Medium preset at 99 FPS (min 84) is the best balance. High at 74 FPS and Ultra at 71 FPS are both playable but leave less margin for demanding scenes, such as dense urban areas or heavy weather. The Low preset at 127 FPS is unnecessary unless the player prioritizes frame rate over visuals, but the 99 FPS Medium result with a min of 84 FPS provides a 15 FPS headroom above the 60 FPS threshold, making it the safest recommendation for consistent performance.

For 3840x2160, the Medium preset is the only option that maintains a 60+ FPS minimum (62 FPS). The High preset’s 55 FPS average and Ultra’s 52 FPS average are both below 60 FPS, which can lead to noticeable stutter during rapid camera movements or while flying over complex terrain. The Low preset at 94 FPS is viable but sacrifices significant visual quality. Thus, the recommendation is: 1080p Ultra (88 FPS), 1440p Medium (99 FPS), and 4K Medium (73 FPS) as the best measured experiences per resolution.

The data also shows that the step from Medium to High costs approximately 25-35 FPS across all resolutions (e.g., 99 to 74 FPS at 1440p, 123 to 92 FPS at 1080p), while the step from High to Ultra costs only 3-6 FPS. This suggests that High is the least efficient preset in terms of frame rate per visual increment, while Ultra is a minor upgrade. For players who want to maximize visual quality with minimal frame rate loss, Ultra is the better choice over High, but Medium is the best overall for frame rate stability.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D contributes significantly to this combo’s performance, particularly at lower resolutions where the GPU is not fully saturated. The CPU has 12 cores and 24 threads, with a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. Its cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 128 MB of L3 cache, which is crucial for flight sims that rely on large, streaming datasets. The 128 MB L3 cache, while not the 3D V-Cache variant (vCache3d is null), still provides ample storage for frequently accessed game data.

The CPU’s single-thread performance is strong, as evidenced by its 3dmark_single_thread score of 1269 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6,739. Multi-threaded scores are also impressive: Cinebench R23 multicore reaches 47,737, and Geekbench multicore hits 22,884. These numbers place the CPU in the 91st percentile of all CPUs, meaning it outperforms 91% of tested processors. In Microsoft Flight Simulator, which is known for being CPU-intensive in scenarios like ground traffic and weather simulation, this headroom ensures that the CPU is not the bottleneck at any resolution tested — the FPS differences across resolutions are consistent with GPU scaling, not CPU limits.

The CPU’s memory support for DDR5 with dual-channel bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s is adequate for feeding the RTX 3080’s 760.3 GB/s frame buffer, though the disparity is large. However, the measured FPS data shows no signs of memory bandwidth starvation, as 1080p Low reaches 158 FPS. The CPU’s PCIe Gen 5 interface with 24 lanes (CPU only) provides ample bandwidth for the GPU, which uses PCIe 4.0 x16. The CPU’s TDP of 120 W is modest for a 12-core part, and its boost clock of 5.50 GHz is the highest in the AMD 9000 series, which helps in lightly threaded tasks like flight sim’s main thread.

In the context of this game, the CPU’s role is to maintain high minimum frame rates during complex scenes. The Medium preset’s min FPS at 1080p is 104, at 1440p it’s 84, and at 4K it’s 62 — these minimums are all well above 60 FPS, indicating that the CPU is consistently delivering frames to the GPU without stutter. The 3dmark_16_threads score of 12,490 and 3dmark_max_threads score of 13,795 show that the CPU can handle heavy multi-threaded workloads, which is useful for the game’s background scenery loading. Overall, the Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a high-end CPU that complements the RTX 3080 well, but the combo’s 786th rank out of 2,996 is ultimately limited by the GPU’s 10 GB memory and 4K performance, not the CPU’s compute capability.