Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator is a demanding title, and the combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Radeon RX 6600 produces a dataset that clearly illustrates the balance between CPU and GPU limitations. The measured frames per second (FPS) across resolutions and settings reveal a component pairing that is consistently bound by the graphics card, with the processor providing a stable foundation. This analysis breaks down the measured performance data to show exactly where this combo stands and what it can deliver.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable and significant drop in performance as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, which is the classic signature of a GPU-limited scenario. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 92 FPS. When the resolution is increased to 2560x1440 at the same Low settings, the average FPS drops to 74, a reduction of 18 FPS. Pushing further to 3840x2160 at Low settings yields an average of 55 FPS, which is a 37 FPS drop from the 1080p result.

This scaling pattern becomes even more pronounced at higher graphical presets, where the GPU's workload increases substantially. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 54 at 1920x1080 to 43 at 2560x1440, and finally to 32 at 3840x2160. The most demanding scenario, Ultra settings at 4K, yields an average of just 31 FPS, making it effectively unplayable for a smooth experience. The consistent decline in FPS with each step up in resolution strongly indicates that the AMD Radeon RX 6600 is the primary limiting factor; the rendering workload at higher resolutions simply outpaces the GPU's capabilities.

The data suggests that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this configuration. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see a much smaller difference between 1080p and 4K performance, as the CPU's workload remains relatively constant while the GPU's workload increases. Instead, the FPS drops by roughly a third to a half when moving from 1080p to 4K across all settings, confirming that the GPU is saturated. The 1920x1080 Low result of 92 FPS shows the potential ceiling of this pairing, but the scaling curve makes it clear that the RX 6600 is the component that dictates the playable resolution and settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the best experience for this combination of CPU and GPU depends heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset provides an excellent balance, with an average FPS of 72 and a minimum of 61. This ensures a smooth and responsive experience that is well above the threshold for playability. While the Low preset pushes the average to 92 FPS, the Medium preset offers a significant visual upgrade for a 20 FPS cost, which is a worthwhile trade-off for a flight simulator where visual detail is a key part of the experience.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset remains the optimal choice, delivering an average of 58 FPS with a minimum of 49. This is playable, though it requires some tolerance for occasional frame dips. The High preset at this resolution drops the average to 43 FPS, which starts to feel less fluid for a simulator that often involves smooth panning and detailed scenery. The Low preset at 1440p, with an average of 74 FPS, is certainly smooth, but it compromises the visual fidelity that makes the game immersive.

At 3840x2160, the situation becomes more constrained. The Low preset is the only one that produces a consistently playable average FPS of 55. The Medium preset, with an average of 43 FPS and a minimum of 36, is borderline, and the High and Ultra presets, at 32 and 31 FPS respectively, are not recommended for a consistently smooth experience. Therefore, for a 4K display, the Low preset is the only viable option. The data clearly shows that the Medium preset is the "sweet spot" for this combo at 1080p and 1440p, providing a strong balance of visual quality and performance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread processor from the Core Ultra Series 2, based on the Arrow Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, which are strong figures for a desktop CPU. In the context of this game's benchmark results, the CPU appears to be more than adequate, as the performance scaling is primarily tied to the GPU. The 10 cores and 10 threads provide ample processing power to handle the simulation's complex calculations, including flight physics and world generation, without becoming a bottleneck.

This is supported by the fact that the FPS does not plateau at lower resolutions. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo reaches 92 FPS, indicating that the CPU can feed the GPU with enough data to achieve high frame rates. The processor's benchmark scores also place it in a strong position. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 25891, and its single-core score is 3655. The single-core performance is particularly relevant for gaming, as many games still rely heavily on a few threads. The CPU's passmark single-thread score of 4412 further reinforces its capability in this area.

The CPU's nearest rivals, based on average benchmark score, include the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F and the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D, with deltaPct values of 0 and -0.2 respectively. This indicates that the Core Ultra 5 225's overall computational performance is directly in line with these other capable mid-range processors. In this specific game, the data suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor, as the frame rate is dictated by the GPU's rendering capabilities. The CPU's robust multi-threaded and single-threaded performance ensures that it can keep up with the GPU, allowing the graphics card to be the sole determining factor in performance scaling.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Microsoft Flight Simulator, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Radeon RX 6600 ranks 2316 out of 2996 total combos. This places it in the lower half of all tested systems, which is a direct reflection of the GPU's mid-range standing. The rank is a combined measure of the CPU and GPU's performance in this specific title, and given that the GPU is the limiting factor, its percentile ranking is the primary driver of this overall position.

The CPU alone performs well, with a percentileVsAllCpus of 85, meaning it is in the top 15% of all CPUs tested. This high CPU percentile is not enough to offset the GPU's more modest standing. The AMD Radeon RX 6600 has a percentileVsAllGpus of 63, placing it in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs. While this is a respectable score, it is significantly lower than the CPU's, and it is this lower-performing component that dictates the gaming experience in a GPU-bound scenario.

The combo's rank of 2316 out of 2996 indicates that while this system is capable of running the game, there are a large number of configurations that will deliver higher frame rates. This is not a top-tier setup for Microsoft Flight Simulator, but it is a functional one. The ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU's performance ceiling, which limits the overall system's ability to handle the game's demanding graphics. The high-performing CPU ensures that the system is not held back by processing power, but it cannot overcome the GPU's limitations.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is the clear bottleneck in this configuration. This is evident from the resolution scaling, but the GPU's specifications and benchmark data provide a deeper understanding of why. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is a limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings, where the demand for texture data and frame buffers increases significantly. The 8 GB capacity can be a constraint in a game like Microsoft Flight Simulator, which is known for its high-resolution textures and vast scenery.

The GPU's clock speeds are a base of 1626 MHz and a boost of 2491 MHz, with a game clock of 2044 MHz. These are reasonable figures for a mid-range card. Its compute capabilities are defined by its 1792 shading units and a texture rate of 279.0 GTexel/s, with an FP32 performance of 8.928 TFLOPS. These numbers place it firmly in the mid-range segment, capable of handling 1080p and 1440p gaming but struggling with the demands of 4K. The GPU's benchmark scores reflect this, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1492 and a Passmark G3D score of 15096.

The GPU's nearest rivals, based on average score, include the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile, with deltaPct values of 0 and -0.1 respectively. This confirms that the RX 6600's performance is directly comparable to these other mid-range offerings. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU can provide a smooth experience at 1080p with Medium settings (72 FPS) and a playable one at 1440p with Medium settings (58 FPS). However, at 4K, its limitations are exposed, with only the Low preset reaching a playable average of 55 FPS. The GPU's role is to provide a solid foundation for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but it is not equipped for a high-fidelity 4K experience in this demanding simulator.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU combo in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: The data suggests that 1920x1080 is the most comfortable resolution, where the combo achieves an average of 72 FPS on Medium settings and 92 FPS on Low. 2560x1440 is also playable, with a 58 FPS average on Medium, but 3840x2160 is only playable on Low settings, with a 55 FPS average.

Q: How does the performance drop when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: The performance drop is significant. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 92 at 1920x1080 to 55 at 3840x2160. At High settings, it falls from 54 to 32. This indicates the GPU is the main limiting factor.

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

A: The benchmark results indicate the GPU is the bottleneck. The FPS scales heavily with resolution, which is a sign of a GPU-limited scenario. The CPU's high benchmark scores and the fact that it can reach 92 FPS at 1080p Low suggest it is not holding the system back.

Q: What is the recommended settings preset for a smooth experience at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the best option, providing an average FPS of 58 with a minimum of 49. The High preset at 41 FPS and Ultra at 41 FPS are less smooth, while Low at 74 FPS sacrifices visual quality.

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

A: This combo ranks 2316 out of 2996 tested combinations for this game. This places it in the lower half of all tested systems, largely due to the GPU's performance.

Q: How much VRAM does the GPU have, and does it affect performance?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6600 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory. This is a likely contributor to the significant performance drops at higher resolutions and settings, as the game's demand for memory can exceed this capacity.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact measured average FPS for each resolution and setting combination.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |

| 3840x2160 | High | 32 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 55 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 43 | 36 | 49 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 31 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | High | 43 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 74 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 58 | 49 | 66 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 41 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | High | 54 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 92 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 72 | 61 | 82 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 51 | - | - |

Note: A dash ("-") indicates that minimum and maximum FPS data was not measured for that configuration.

The data shows a clear hierarchy of performance. The 1920x1080 Low setting is the fastest configuration tested, with an average of 92 FPS. The 3840x2160 Ultra setting is the slowest, with an average of 31 FPS. The Medium settings at each resolution provide a balanced middle ground, and the minimum and maximum FPS values for these settings show a range of about 20 FPS, indicating some variability in performance. This breakdown provides a complete picture of what users can expect from this hardware combination across the most common gaming resolutions.