Microsoft Flight Simulator

# CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a 12-core, 24-thread processor built on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) using TSMC's 4 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, drawing a 120 W TDP. The CPU features a large 128 MB L3 cache, which is particularly relevant for flight simulation workloads that often involve streaming large scenery datasets and complex physics calculations. Its memory bandwidth is rated at 89.6 GB/s over a dual-channel DDR5 interface, and it supports PCIe Gen 5 with 24 CPU lanes.

In synthetic benchmarks, the 9900X3D demonstrates strong multi-threaded capability. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 47737 and Geekbench multicore score of 22884 indicate substantial parallel processing headroom. Single-thread performance is equally robust, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6739 and a Geekbench single-core score of 3041. The processor's 3DMark scores scale predictably with thread count: 2512 at 2 threads, 4885 at 4 threads, 9002 at 8 threads, 12490 at 16 threads, and 13795 at max threads. This scaling pattern suggests that the CPU benefits from additional cores up to roughly 16 threads, after which gains diminish — a trait that aligns with flight simulator workloads that typically use a handful of heavily loaded threads for rendering calls and simulation logic.

The CPU's percentile ranking against all CPUs is 91, placing it in the top tier of desktop processors. Its average benchmark score is 54762. When compared to nearest rivals, the 9900X3D sits close to the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF, which scores 55093 (a delta of -0.6% relative to the 9900X3D, meaning the Intel part is marginally ahead). The Intel Core Ultra 5 245K trails by 1.3%, the Intel Xeon 6505P by 2%, and the Intel Core i7-14700F by 2.1%. These small deltas indicate that the 9900X3D is competitive within its immediate performance tier, though not decisively ahead of its closest alternatives.

For this game, the CPU's role is critical because Microsoft Flight Simulator relies heavily on single-thread performance for the main simulation thread, while offloading secondary tasks like terrain loading and AI traffic to additional cores. The 9900X3D's high boost clock and substantial L3 cache should help maintain consistent frame pacing in CPU-limited scenarios, particularly at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the bottleneck. The measured FPS data supports this: at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 233 FPS, which is significantly higher than at 4K Low (138 FPS), suggesting that at lower resolutions the CPU can feed frames rapidly but the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases.

# GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD102 chip, fabricated on TSMC's 5 nm process. It features 16384 shading units, 512 texture mapping units, and 176 raster operation pipelines, along with 128 ray tracing cores and 512 tensor cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2235 MHz and a boost clock of 2520 MHz, with memory clocked at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). Its 24 GB of GDDR6X memory runs across a 384-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s. The card's compute capabilities include 82.58 TFLOPS for both FP32 and FP16 operations, with a pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 1,290.2 GTexel/s.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 4090 scores 38194 in Passmark G3D and 26613 in Passmark GPU Compute. Its Geekbench OpenCL score is 255416, and its Vulkan score is 271631. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test yields a score of 9223. The GPU's percentile ranking against all GPUs is 88, with an average benchmark score of 60347. Interestingly, the nearest rivals listed — the Intel Arc Pro A60 (60326, delta 0%), AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (60140, delta 0.3%), AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (61896, delta -2.5%), and AMD Radeon PRO V710 (58657, delta 2.9%) — are all professional or workstation-class cards that are not directly comparable in gaming performance. This suggests the RTX 4090's benchmark profile is dominated by compute and workstation workloads rather than pure gaming metrics, though its gaming prowess in this title is evident from the measured FPS.

For Microsoft Flight Simulator, the GPU's 24 GB VRAM is ample for high-resolution textures and dense scenery, which can consume significant memory at 4K Ultra settings. The 1.01 TB/s bandwidth ensures that texture streaming and geometry data transfer do not become bottlenecks. The boost clock of 2520 MHz allows for high sustained throughput in GPU-bound scenes, such as detailed aircraft cockpits or complex airport environments. The measured FPS at various settings and resolutions shows that the RTX 4090 scales well with settings: at 4K, average FPS ranges from 77 (Ultra) to 138 (Low), while at 1080p it ranges from 130 (Ultra) to 233 (Low). The relatively small gap between High (136 FPS) and Ultra (130 FPS) at 1080p suggests that the GPU has headroom even at the highest settings, and the CPU may be the limiting factor at that resolution.

# FAQ

Q: How does the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D compare to its nearest CPU rivals in overall benchmark scores?

A: The 9900X3D has an average benchmark score of 54762. It is 0.6% behind the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF (55093), 1.3% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K (54053), 2% ahead of the Intel Xeon 6505P (53701), and 2.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-14700F (53620). These are small margins, indicating the 9900X3D sits in a tightly contested performance band.

Q: What is the CPU's multi-threaded performance relative to its single-threaded performance?

A: The 9900X3D scores 47737 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 6739 in single-core, giving a multicore-to-single-core ratio of approximately 7.1x. In 3DMark, the max-thread score of 13795 is about 5.5x the single-thread score of 1269. This scaling reflects the 12-core/24-thread design, which provides substantial parallel throughput while maintaining strong per-core performance.

Q: How does the RTX 4090's memory bandwidth support high-resolution gaming?

A: The RTX 4090 has 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. This is sufficient for 4K Ultra settings in flight simulation, where large texture atlases and high-resolution terrain data require rapid memory access. The measured 4K Ultra average FPS of 77 indicates the GPU can sustain playable performance even at the most demanding settings.

Q: What is the combo's ranking among all tested configurations in this game?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combo ranks 67th out of 2996 tested combinations in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the top 2.2% of all tested setups, reflecting the high performance ceiling of this pairing.

Q: How does the GPU's synthetic benchmark score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 4090's average benchmark score is 60347. Its nearest rival, the Intel Arc Pro A60, scores 60326 with a delta of 0%, meaning they are statistically tied. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 is 0.3% behind, while the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M is 2.5% ahead and the AMD Radeon PRO V710 is 2.9% behind. These comparisons are based on aggregate benchmark scores, not gaming-specific metrics.

Q: What are the measured FPS figures at 4K Medium, and how do they compare to other settings?

A: At 4K Medium, the combo achieves an average FPS of 108, with a minimum of 92 and a maximum of 124. This sits between the 4K Low average of 138 FPS and the 4K High average of 81 FPS, while the 4K Ultra average drops to 77 FPS. The Medium preset provides a balanced experience, offering nearly double the FPS of Ultra while maintaining a 92 FPS minimum.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160) across four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra). Each row in the FACT PACK includes an average FPS, with only the Medium settings providing minimum and maximum FPS values.

At 1080p, the combo delivers an average of 233 FPS on Low settings, which is the highest measured value across all configurations. Medium settings yield 181 FPS average, with a minimum of 154 and maximum of 208. High settings produce 136 FPS average, while Ultra drops to 130 FPS average. The delta between High and Ultra at 1080p is only 6 FPS, suggesting diminishing returns from the most demanding preset.

At 1440p, the average FPS figures are 188 (Low), 146 (Medium, with min 124 and max 168), 110 (High), and 105 (Ultra). The gap between High and Ultra narrows to 5 FPS, consistent with the pattern observed at 1080p. The jump from Low to Medium is 42 FPS, while the jump from Medium to High is 36 FPS, indicating that each preset tier costs a similar amount of performance.

At 4K, the average FPS values are 138 (Low), 108 (Medium, with min 92 and max 124), 81 (High), and 77 (Ultra). The difference between High and Ultra is just 4 FPS, the smallest gap among all resolutions. The step from Low to Medium is 30 FPS, and from Medium to High is 27 FPS. At this resolution, even the Low preset delivers 138 FPS, which is above the 1440p High figure of 110 FPS, highlighting the GPU's capability at 4K.

The minimum FPS values at Medium settings are 154 (1080p), 124 (1440p), and 92 (4K). These minimums are all above 90 FPS, indicating that the combo maintains smooth frame delivery even during demanding scenes. The maximum FPS at Medium are 208 (1080p), 168 (1440p), and 124 (4K), providing a range of 54 FPS at 1080p, 44 FPS at 1440p, and 32 FPS at 4K between minimum and maximum.

# How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination ranks 67th out of 2996 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the 97.8th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning only 66 other combinations achieve higher measured performance in this game. Given that the 9900X3D ranks 91st percentile among CPUs and the RTX 4090 ranks 88th percentile among GPUs, the combo's in-game ranking is slightly higher than either component's individual percentile, suggesting that the pairing is particularly well-suited to this title's workload characteristics.

The combo's ranking reflects both the CPU's strong single-thread performance, which is critical for the simulation thread, and the GPU's massive memory bandwidth and compute throughput, which handle the rendering and scenery streaming. The 67th position out of 2996 indicates that while this is a top-tier configuration, there are a handful of combos that outperform it — likely those featuring even higher-clocked CPUs or more specialized hardware. However, the margin between the 67th and higher-ranked combos is not quantified in the data, so the practical difference may be small.

In the context of the CPU's nearest rivals, the 9900X3D's performance is closely matched by the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF (delta -0.6%), meaning that a system with that CPU paired with a similar GPU could achieve nearly identical FPS. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245K, Xeon 6505P, and Core i7-14700F are all within 2.1% of the 9900X3D's average benchmark score, so the choice between these CPUs would have minimal impact on in-game performance when paired with the RTX 4090. The GPU's nearest rivals, being workstation cards, are not typical gaming alternatives, so the RTX 4090's dominance in this title is largely uncontested among consumer GPUs.

# Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1080p, the High preset delivers 136 FPS average, which is only 6 FPS less than Ultra (130 FPS). Given that Ultra typically adds visual fidelity improvements, the 4.4% FPS cost may be worth it for users who prioritize image quality. However, the Medium preset at 181 FPS average offers a 33% increase over High, with a minimum of 154 FPS that ensures smooth performance even in complex scenes. For competitive or high-refresh-rate displays, Low at 233 FPS provides the maximum frame rate but sacrifices visual detail.

At 1440p, the High preset achieves 110 FPS average, while Ultra is 105 FPS — a 4.5% difference. Medium offers 146 FPS average with a 124 FPS minimum, representing a 33% improvement over High. The Low preset at 188 FPS is the best choice for users with 165 Hz or 240 Hz monitors, though the visual quality reduction may be noticeable. For the best balance of image quality and performance at 1440p, the High preset is recommended, as it maintains over 100 FPS average while preserving most visual features.

At 4K, the situation changes. The High preset delivers 81 FPS average, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, while Ultra drops to 77 FPS. The Medium preset at 108 FPS average (with a 92 FPS minimum) is the standout choice for 4K, as it provides a 33% improvement over High while maintaining a minimum above 90 FPS. This suggests that the Medium preset at 4K offers the best experience — it keeps frame rates high enough for responsive controls while avoiding the diminishing returns of High and Ultra. The Low preset at 138 FPS is available for users with very high refresh rate 4K displays, but the visual quality trade-off is substantial.

Overall, the data indicates that the Medium preset provides the most consistent frame delivery, as it is the only setting with measured minimum and maximum values, and its minimum FPS figures (154, 124, and 92 at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K respectively) are all comfortably playable. For users who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate, the High preset at 4K (81 FPS) or Ultra at 1440p (105 FPS) are viable options.

# Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals how the workload shifts between CPU and GPU as resolution increases. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 233 at 1080p to 188 at 1440p (a 19.3% decrease) and then to 138 at 4K (a 26.6% decrease from 1440p). The total drop from 1080p to 4K at Low is 40.8%. This pattern indicates that even at Low settings, where the GPU has less work per frame, the resolution increase still imposes a significant load on the graphics card.

At Medium settings, the FPS drops from 181 at 1080p to 146 at 1440p (19.3% decrease) and then to 108 at 4K (26.0% decrease from 1440p). The total drop is 40.3%, nearly identical to Low settings. This consistency suggests that the Medium preset scales linearly with resolution, and the GPU is the primary bottleneck across all resolutions at this setting.

At High settings, the FPS drops from 136 at 1080p to 110 at 1440p (19.1% decrease) and then to 81 at 4K (26.4% decrease from 1440p). The total drop is 40.4%. The Ultra settings show a similar pattern: 130 at 1080p, 105 at 1440p (19.2% decrease), and 77 at 4K (26.7% decrease from 1440p), for a total drop of 40.8%.

The uniformity of these scaling ratios — approximately 19% from 1080p to 1440p and 26% from 1440p to 4K across all settings — indicates that the GPU is the limiting component at every resolution and preset combination. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see smaller FPS drops at higher resolutions, as the GPU would have more work per frame and the CPU could keep up. Instead, the consistent ~40% total drop from 1080p to 4K suggests that the RTX 4090's rendering workload scales predictably with pixel count, and the 9900X3D has sufficient headroom to feed the GPU at all resolutions.

The minimum FPS values at Medium settings further support this interpretation. At 1080p, the minimum is 154 FPS (85% of the average), while at 1440p it is 124 FPS (85% of the average), and at 4K it is 92 FPS (85% of the average). This consistent ratio indicates that frame time variance is proportional to the average frame time, which is characteristic of GPU-bound scenarios. The CPU's 128 MB L3 cache and high boost clock ensure that simulation and scenery processing do not introduce additional frame time spikes, even as resolution increases.