Microsoft Flight Simulator

The Intel Core i7-14700F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 570 ranks 1750th out of 1795 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the bottom 2.5% of all configurations. This is a profoundly restrictive pairing for this title, and the benchmark data confirms that the GPU is the overwhelming bottleneck. The combo’s rank is not a reflection of the CPU’s capability—which sits in the 94th percentile against all CPUs—but rather a direct consequence of the GPU’s age and limited VRAM. The data shows a system that can run the simulator, but only at settings and resolutions that severely compromise visual fidelity.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 1750 out of 1795 is a damning statistic. It places this configuration in the bottom 2.5% of all tested pairings, meaning nearly every other combination delivers a better experience in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This is not a marginal shortfall; it is a categorical failure to meet the game’s demands. The CPU, Intel Core i7-14700F, is a high-end 20-core, 28-thread processor with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its benchmark scores are excellent: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35443 and a single-core score of 5003. The GPU, however, is the limiting factor. The AMD Radeon RX 570 is an end-of-life product from 2017, and its performance percentile of 74 against all GPUs is misleading in this context. The data indicates that the CPU is not the problem; the GPU is. The measured FPS figures are uniformly low, even at 1080p, which underscores that the system is GPU-bound across all tested scenarios.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 570’s role in this combo is to be the primary constraint. It features 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, with a memory bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s. The base clock is 1168 MHz, boosting to 1244 MHz. These specifications are woefully inadequate for Microsoft Flight Simulator, a game known for its demanding rendering of terrain and weather. The GPU’s compute capability is 5.095 TFLOPS (FP32), which is low by modern standards. The benchmark results show a clear pattern: the GPU cannot handle the game’s load, regardless of resolution. For instance, at 1080p with Low settings, the average FPS is 48, but this drops to 27.9 at High settings. The 4 GB VRAM is likely the culprit, as the game’s textures and geometry at higher settings exceed this capacity, leading to severe performance degradation. The GPU’s nearest rivals, which include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 and AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT, have near-identical average benchmark scores (differing by only 0.2% ), but this is irrelevant here; the RX 570’s age and VRAM limitation are the defining factors in this game.

FAQ

Q: Why is the combo rank so low (1750 out of 1795) when the CPU is powerful?

A: The rank is determined by the combined performance in this specific game. The GPU, AMD Radeon RX 570, is an end-of-life product with only 4 GB of VRAM and a 224.0 GB/s memory bandwidth. The CPU’s high benchmark scores (e.g., Cinebench R23 multi-core of 35443) cannot compensate for the GPU’s inability to render the game’s scenes at playable frame rates.

Q: What is the best FPS this combo can achieve?

A: The highest average FPS measured is 48, which occurs at 1080p with Low settings. This is the only configuration that approaches a playable frame rate. All other settings and resolutions yield average FPS below 37.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RX 570’s average benchmark score is 30158. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060, has an average score of 30109, a delta of 0.2% . This suggests the GPU is competitive in synthetic benchmarks, but the measured FPS in Microsoft Flight Simulator reveals its real-world limitations due to VRAM and architecture.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The data strongly indicates the GPU is the bottleneck. At 1080p, dropping from High to Low settings increases FPS from 27.9 to 48, a 72% improvement. This sensitivity to settings is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario. The CPU’s single-core score of 5003 in Cinebench R23 is more than capable of feeding this GPU.

Q: Can this combo run the game at 4K?

A: Technically yes, but not playably. At 4K with Low settings, the average FPS is 29.2. At Ultra settings, it falls to 14.1. These are below acceptable playability thresholds. The GPU’s 4 GB VRAM is insufficient for 4K textures in this simulator.

Q: What is the recommended settings preset for a smooth experience?

A: Based on the measured rows, the only preset that offers a viable frame rate is 1080p with Low settings, averaging 48 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p drops to 35.6 FPS, which is borderline. No other resolution or preset achieves an average above 37 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The data provides a clear matrix of average FPS across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the results are: Low 48, Medium 35.6, High 27.9, and Ultra 24.4. This shows a steep decline as settings increase, with a 49% drop from Low to Ultra. At 2560x1440, the numbers are: Low 37, Medium 31.8, High 22.8, and Ultra 23.6. The difference between High and Ultra here is negligible, suggesting the GPU is hitting a memory or compute wall. At 3840x2160, the results are: Low 29.2, Medium 19.4, High 18.5, and Ultra 14.1. The 4K Low setting is the only 4K configuration that exceeds 20 FPS, and it is still far from smooth. The data shows that the combo is only usable at 1080p Low, and even then, it is marginal. The GPU’s 4 GB VRAM is likely the reason for the steep drop-off at higher resolutions, as the game struggles to fit assets into memory.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is severe and indicative of a GPU-bound system. Using Low settings as a baseline, the average FPS goes from 48 at 1080p to 37 at 1440p (a 23% drop) and then to 29.2 at 4K (a 39% drop from 1440p). This pattern shows that the GPU is overwhelmed by the increasing pixel count. The limiting component is clearly the AMD Radeon RX 570. Its 224.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 4 GB VRAM are insufficient for the higher resolutions. The CPU’s performance is unaffected by resolution, and its benchmark scores (e.g., Geekbench multi-core of 16571) are more than adequate. The data suggests that even at 1080p, the GPU is the bottleneck, as the FPS is far below what the CPU could deliver. The scaling from 1080p to 4K is not linear, with the GPU’s compute and memory limits causing a disproportionate drop.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data dictates a single viable recommendation: 1080p with Low settings. This is the only combination that achieves an average FPS above 40 (specifically 48). The Medium preset at 1080p yields 35.6 FPS, which might be acceptable for some users, but it is a 26% drop from Low. High and Ultra at 1080p are below 30 FPS and are not recommended for a playable experience. At 1440p, even Low settings only reach 37 FPS, which is borderline. At 4K, all settings are below 30 FPS, making it unplayable. The data shows that the user must sacrifice visual quality for performance. The GPU’s 4 GB VRAM is the primary constraint, and lowering settings reduces the memory footprint. The best experience per the measured rows is unequivocally 1080p Low, with the understanding that the visual quality will be significantly reduced.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a powerful processor that is severely underutilized in this combo. It has 20 cores and 28 threads, with a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its benchmark scores are top-tier: a Passmark multithread score of 41765 and a single-thread score of 4261. The CPU’s percentile rank of 94 against all CPUs confirms its high standing. In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU’s role is to handle the simulation’s physics, AI, and draw calls. The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor. At 1080p, the FPS is consistently low regardless of CPU settings, which is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU’s nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X, has an average score of 54450, a delta of -0.6% , meaning the Intel chip is slightly faster. This CPU could easily drive a much more powerful GPU. The bottleneck is solely the AMD Radeon RX 570, and the CPU’s potential is left untapped in this configuration.