Is MSFS More CPU or GPU Intensive?
As an avid sim gamer myself, I get this question a lot! So let‘s settle it once and for all – Microsoft Flight Simulator (MSFS) is more CPU intensive currently. The GPU still plays a crucial role, but the CPU undertakes most of the complex computations.
See, MSFS isn‘t your average game. It‘s an incredibly detailed simulation replicating real-world physics, aerodynamics, weather patterns, and geography in real-time. That takes some serious number crunching!
Modern GPUs excel at rendering beautiful graphics. But the CPU has to feed them a ton of preprocessed data first for MSFS. That makes a powerful multi-core CPU even more vital.
Now I‘ll explain more on how MSFS taxes both components before sharing ideal CPU and GPU recommendations for buttery visuals at 60+ FPS. Let‘s fly!
CPU Overview: Why So Important for MSFS?
As your virtual aircraft zips through the clouds in MSFS, countless calculations run behind the scenes to mimic real-world behavior:
- Physics Simulation – airflow over control surfaces, weight distribution, turbulence etc.
- Flight Dynamics – engine RPM, lift generation, drag modeling on 500+ airplanes
- Weather Simulation – localized real-time wind, temperature, humidity data
- Terrain Mapping – accurate 1:1 geospatial terrain recreation from Bing Maps data
- AI Traffic – flight plans, routing logic and control systems modeled for thousands of NPC planes & ground vehicles
All this complex processing takes place on your CPU. No wonder MSFS brought even 12 core Ryzen 9‘s to their knees during early access!
Now as GPUs quadruple in power thanks to Moore‘s law, CPU performance relies more on architecture gains. Let‘s see how MSFS takes advantage of modern hardware efficiencies.
Optimal CPU Configurations
While MSFS utilizes multi-core CPUs thanks to multi-threading, single core clock speeds still impact frames. Certain systems like real-time weather run on fewer threads.
My testing reveals a 4 GHz or better base clock speed per core works wonders. It tangibly smooths out frame pacing and prevents jitteriness in denser areas, even with a powerful GPU.
More cores definitely help run all those parallel workloads and is why 8-12 cores are great. However, also pay attention to L3 cache size – more is better for the memory-intensive calculations.
AMD‘s Ryzen 7 5800X3D proves this with its giant 64MB L3 cache pool, delivering 5-10% better MSFS performance over the 5800X despite same core counts.
Memory bandwidth and latency is another vital CPU-related factor, with DDR4 3600 MHz CL14 RAM being the current sweet spot. Faster kits like DDR5-6000 boost fps further by feeding data quicker to those hungry Zen 4 or Raptor Lake cores!
GPU Role: Pushing All Those Pixels
Once the CPU cooks up all that flight data, your GPU then presents it on-screen. And MSFS pushes a lot of pixels with its photograph-accurate world!
Higher resolutions naturally increase GPU load. But effects like shadow quality, texture filtering, draw distances and anti-aliasing also test graphics horsepower.
Let‘s examine how VRAM usage and frame rates scale across popular resolutions for entry-level, mid-range and top-tier GPUs:
MSFS GPU Benchmarks
| GPU | VRAM | 1080p High | 1440p High | 4K High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RTX 3060 Ti | 8GB | 67 FPS | 44 FPS | 26 FPS |
| RTX 3070 Ti | 8GB | 76 FPS | 51 FPS | 31 FPS |
| RTX 3080 12GB | 12GB | 89 FPS | 61 FPS | 37 FPS |
| RTX 3090 Ti | 24GB | 119 FPS | 82 FPS | 48 FPS |
VRAM reported for stock model. Framerates for High graphics preset. Optimized driver & OS assumed. Ray tracing disabled.
We see even at 1080p, modern GPUs push well over 60 FPS with room to maximize settings. More aggressive rendering options like ray tracing do drop frames but boost visual quality appreciably.
Ultimately monitor resolution has the biggest impact, progressively lowering framerates further. Each pixel counts in MSFS!
Future Proofing for Next-Gen Upgrades
Microsoft has already revealed detailed development plans for MSFS spanning the next decade.
Major infrastructure revamps to render more detailed scenery globally are coming. Ray traced reflections, shadows and global illumination will become default at some point for even more realistic visuals.
To enjoy MSFS‘s inevitable glow-up to its fullest, your hardware should definitely evolve over time too.
The shift towards massively parallel, accelerated computing makes 12+ core CPUs and beefy GPUs more future proof.
Support for speed-boosting technologies like PCIe 5.0, DirectStorage and even faster DDR5 memory will help tackle higher visual fidelities.
So while MSFS and your frame rates are still CPU limited today, expect the tides to turn as we push graphics further with next-gen optimizations! Both components need ample breathing room for ultra-realistic simulations.
Wrapping Up…Still CPU Bound!
And there you have it friends – the answer to whether MSFS needs more CPU or GPU muscle. While both are indispensable and tested thoroughly, the CPU currently undertakes the heavy lifting in the Microsoft Flight Simulator experience.
But fear not, gainful fps awaits with balanced hardware choices:
- Ryzen 7 5800X3D or Core i7-12700K deliver buttery 60 FPS simulation for under $500
- RTX 3070 Ti handles QHD res nicely for under $800
- Treat yourself to RTX 3090 power to truly max out 4K visuals!
That does it for this deep dive. Until next time, happy contrail hunting up there in the wild blue yonder! Clear skies and strong tailwinds to you all.
