Microsoft Flight Simulator

The pairing of the Intel Core i7-13700K with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 in Microsoft Flight Simulator produces a combination that is heavily constrained by the graphics card at higher resolutions, yet manages to deliver playable frame rates at 1080p. The data shows a clear hierarchy where the CPU’s substantial processing power is left largely underutilized as resolution and settings increase, making the RX 6600 the definitive bottleneck in this configuration. This analysis draws exclusively from the measured FPS rows and the provided benchmark scores to detail where this combo stands.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates reveal a steep performance cliff as resolution climbs, which is a classic indicator of GPU limitation. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 92.4 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same Low preset drops the average to 74.1 FPS, a reduction of 18.3 FPS or roughly 19.8%. The jump to 3840x2160 at Low yields 56.8 FPS, which is another 17.3 FPS drop from the 1440p figure, representing a 23.3% decline. This pattern of consistent, significant losses at each higher resolution strongly suggests the RX 6600’s 8 GB memory buffer and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth are being saturated.

The scaling behavior changes slightly when settings are increased. At High settings, the frame rate falls from 55.7 FPS at 1080p to 41.7 FPS at 1440p, a drop of 14.0 FPS. The subsequent move to 4K High yields 33.1 FPS, another 8.6 FPS loss. The relative percentage drops are larger at 1440p (25.1%) than at 4K (20.6%), which indicates that the GPU is already struggling significantly at 1440p High, leaving less headroom for further degradation at 4K. This is a textbook sign of a graphics-bound scenario where the i7-13700K’s 16 cores and 24 threads are not the limiting factor.

At Ultra settings, the story is even more pronounced. The combo manages 53.1 FPS at 1080p, but this falls to 39.8 FPS at 1440p and then to a barely playable 29.6 FPS at 4K. The difference between 1080p and 1440p Ultra is 13.3 FPS, and the difference between 1440p and 4K Ultra is 10.2 FPS. These diminishing absolute gaps, combined with the low absolute values, confirm that the RX 6600 is running out of compute and memory bandwidth well before the CPU’s capabilities are ever tested. The data indicates that the i7-13700K, with a 93rd percentile ranking among all CPUs, is effectively waiting on the graphics card at every resolution above 1080p Low.

How This Combo Ranks

In the broader context of all tested combinations for Microsoft Flight Simulator, this specific pairing sits at rank 1430 out of 1795 total combos. This places it in the lower 20th percentile of all configurations, which is a sobering result given the CPU’s strength. The rank reflects the overall average FPS across all measured settings and resolutions, and the RX 6600’s position as the limiting factor drags the entire combo down. The GPU itself only ranks in the 69th percentile among all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 25235 is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon 890M, which has a deltaPct of 0.0.

The CPU’s individual benchmark results are far more impressive. The i7-13700K scores 39000 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 5505 in single-core, with an average benchmark score of 47282. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-13700KF (deltaPct -0.1), the AMD EPYC 4364P (deltaPct 0.3), and the Intel Core i9-12900F (deltaPct 0.4). These are all within 0.5% of each other, showing that the CPU is a top-tier performer. However, this raw CPU power does not translate into a high combo rank because the game’s frame rates are dictated by the GPU’s 8.928 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 64 ROPs. The data suggests that pairing this CPU with a more capable GPU would yield a vastly higher rank, as the current bottleneck is entirely graphics-side.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain an average above 60 FPS?

A: The only resolution where the combo consistently exceeds 60 FPS is 1920x1080. At Low settings it averages 92.4 FPS, at Medium 75.1 FPS, and at High 55.7 FPS. At 2560x1440, only the Low preset (74.1 FPS) clears the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the RX 6600 compare to its closest competitor in average GPU score?

A: The RX 6600 has an average benchmark score of 25235, which is effectively tied with the AMD Radeon 890M at 25246 (deltaPct 0.0). It is also within 0.5% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which scores 25120.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-13700K a limiting factor in this game?

A: No. The CPU ranks in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs and has a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 39000. The measured FPS drops at higher resolutions are consistent with GPU limitation, not CPU bottlenecking.

Q: What is the average FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 74.1 FPS while Ultra averages 39.8 FPS. This is a difference of 34.3 FPS, showing a substantial performance cost for maximum visual fidelity.

Q: Does the combo ever drop below 30 FPS in the measured data?

A: Yes. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 29.6, which is the only measured configuration that falls below 30 FPS.

Q: How does the combo rank relative to other tested CPU-GPU pairings?

A: It ranks 1430 out of 1795 total combos, placing it in the lower portion of the database. This low rank is attributable to the GPU’s performance ceiling, not the CPU.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combo depends on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the High preset offers a balanced experience with an average of 55.7 FPS, which is close to the 60 FPS target but not quite there. For a smoother experience, the Medium preset at 1080p delivers 75.1 FPS, a significant 19.4 FPS improvement over High, with only a modest reduction in visual quality. The Ultra preset at 1080p drops to 53.1 FPS, which is a marginal 2.6 FPS loss compared to High, making High the better choice over Ultra for this resolution.

For users targeting 2560x1440, the Low preset is the only viable option for playable frame rates, averaging 74.1 FPS. The Medium preset falls to 56.7 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold and represents a 17.4 FPS loss from Low. High and Ultra at 1440p average 41.7 and 39.8 FPS respectively, which are playable but not ideal for a smooth simulation experience. At 3840x2160, all presets are below 60 FPS, with Low averaging 56.8 FPS, Medium at 43.1 FPS, High at 33.1 FPS, and Ultra at 29.6 FPS. The data suggests that 4K should be reserved for Low settings if a user insists on that resolution, but 1080p Medium or High provides the best combination of visual fidelity and frame rate.

The recommended path is to start with the Medium preset at 1080p, which yields 75.1 FPS, and adjust upward to High if the user prioritizes visuals over the few extra frames. The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution because the performance cost is steep relative to the gains, with only a 2.6 FPS difference between High and Ultra at 1080p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The full set of measured average frame rates is as follows. At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 92.4 FPS, Medium averages 75.1 FPS, High averages 55.7 FPS, and Ultra averages 53.1 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 39.3 FPS, indicating that the GPU has significant headroom at lower settings but quickly becomes saturated as effects and draw distances increase.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 74.1 FPS for Low, 56.7 FPS for Medium, 41.7 FPS for High, and 39.8 FPS for Ultra. The difference between Low and Ultra here is 34.3 FPS, and notably, the gap between High and Ultra narrows to just 1.9 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset’s additional costs are not being fully rendered due to GPU limitations.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 56.8 FPS for Low, 43.1 FPS for Medium, 33.1 FPS for High, and 29.6 FPS for Ultra. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a consistent decline of roughly 13-14 FPS per preset step, with the largest single drop occurring between Medium and High at 10.0 FPS. The 4K Ultra result of 29.6 FPS is the only measured value below 30 FPS, confirming that this resolution and preset combination is not suitable for regular play. The data across all resolutions demonstrates that the RX 6600’s performance ceiling is reached at 1080p Ultra and 1440p Medium, beyond which the frame rates become increasingly compromised.