Microsoft Flight Simulator

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER delivers a robust experience in Microsoft Flight Simulator, with benchmark data showing that every tested setting preset at every resolution clears the 60 FPS playable threshold. This combination ranks 613th out of 3714 tested combos for this title, placing it in the top 17% of all systems evaluated. The measured frame rates are consistently high, ranging from a 60.5 FPS average at 4K Ultra to a 182.8 FPS average at 1080p Low, indicating that this pairing offers substantial headroom for both visual fidelity and high refresh rate displays.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Microsoft Flight Simulator at 4K resolution?

A: Yes. At 3840x2160, the combination achieves playable frame rates across all four tested presets. The lowest result is 60.5 FPS at Ultra settings, while High settings yield 61.2 FPS, Medium produces 83.3 FPS, and Low reaches 106 FPS. All of these exceed the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best setting preset for 1440p gaming?

A: At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset delivers 79.9 FPS, which is the highest quality setting that remains comfortably above 60 FPS. This makes Ultra the recommended choice for 1440p, as it provides the best visual quality while maintaining a smooth frame rate.

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

A: The Intel Core i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13494, placing it in the 68th percentile of all CPUs. Its closest competitor is the Intel Core 3 N355 with a score of 13492 (0% difference), followed by the Intel Core i5-9500 at 13452 (0.3% higher performance for the i3), the Intel Core 5 120UL at 13594 (0.7% lower), and the Intel Core i7-1250U at 13351 (1.1% higher).

Q: What is the GPU's performance standing relative to other graphics cards?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER scores 43223 on average, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB with a score of 43262 (-0.1% delta), followed by the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile at 43268 (-0.1%), the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 at 43301 (-0.2%), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile at 43667 (-1%).

Q: Is the 1080p performance sufficient for high refresh rate monitors?

A: Yes, at 1920x1080 the combination delivers 103.3 FPS at Ultra settings, 104.7 FPS at High, 144.8 FPS at Medium, and 182.8 FPS at Low. This means even at the highest quality preset, the system produces over 100 FPS, making it suitable for 144Hz displays at lower presets.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the GPU?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER has a launch MSRP of 599 USD. The CPU's launch MSRP is $97.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, benchmark data shows that the Intel Core i3-12100F performs nearly identically to several other processors. The Intel Core 3 N355 matches it exactly with a 0% performance delta, making it the closest possible alternative. The Intel Core i5-9500 is 0.3% slower, the Intel Core 5 120UL is 0.7% faster, and the Intel Core i7-1250U is 1.1% faster. These four processors form a tight performance cluster, meaning users upgrading from any of these would see negligible differences in Microsoft Flight Simulator. The i3-12100F's single-thread score of 893 in 3dmark and 1674 in Cinebench R23 are particularly relevant for this flight simulator, which tends to rely on single-core performance for flight model calculations.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4070 SUPER sits in a close performance bracket with several other NVIDIA cards. The Quadro M6000 24 GB scores 43262, just 0.1% higher than the RTX 4070 SUPER's 43223. The GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile matches at 43268 (0.1% higher), while the Quadro M6000 non-24GB version scores 43301 (0.2% higher). The RTX 4090 Mobile is the furthest of the group at 43667, still only 1% faster. For Microsoft Flight Simulator, these differences are within the margin of measurement error, so users with any of these GPUs would experience essentially the same frame rates. The RTX 4070 SUPER's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus provides 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for the high-resolution textures in this sim.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that maintains at least 60 FPS is Ultra, which achieves 61.2 FPS on High, 83.3 FPS on Medium, and 106 FPS on Low. The Ultra preset produces exactly 60.5 FPS, which is the highest quality option that clears the 60 FPS threshold. This makes 4K Ultra the best choice for maximum visual fidelity, though it leaves only 0.5 FPS of headroom above the playable threshold.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset runs at 79.9 FPS, providing a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. The High preset reaches 88.7 FPS, Medium hits 115.6 FPS, and Low achieves 148.1 FPS. Since Ultra at 79.9 FPS is well above the playable threshold, it is the recommended setting for 1440p, offering the best balance of image quality and smoothness without any risk of dropping below 60 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers 103.3 FPS, which is the best setting available. High produces 104.7 FPS, Medium reaches 144.8 FPS, and Low achieves 182.8 FPS. The 1080p Ultra result is particularly impressive because it exceeds 100 FPS, meaning users can enjoy full visual settings on high refresh rate monitors. Even the most demanding preset at 1080p has substantial headroom, so there is no need to compromise on quality.

The Verdict

The data clearly shows that this PC can run Microsoft Flight Simulator at all tested resolutions and presets. At 3840x2160, the verdictByResolution indicates that all four settings — High, Low, Medium, and Ultra — are playable, with the best setting being Ultra at 60.5 FPS. This is right at the 60 FPS threshold, so while it is technically playable, users who prioritize frame rate stability over absolute visual quality might prefer High at 61.2 FPS for a small margin of safety.

At 2560x1440, all presets are also playable, and Ultra at 79.9 FPS is the recommended choice. This provides a significant buffer above the playable threshold, making it the sweet spot for this combination. The 1440p Ultra experience offers 79.9 FPS, which is smooth enough for most users and visually detailed enough to appreciate the simulator's scenery.

At 1920x1080, the system excels with Ultra at 103.3 FPS. All presets clear 60 FPS by a wide margin, with the lowest being Ultra at 103.3 FPS. This resolution is where the combination feels most comfortable, delivering high frame rates even at maximum quality. Overall, the verdict is that this PC is fully capable of running Microsoft Flight Simulator at 60+ FPS across all tested configurations, with the only caveat being the 4K Ultra result sits exactly at the threshold.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets reveals how the CPU and GPU each contribute to performance in Microsoft Flight Simulator. At 3840x2160, moving from Low to Ultra reduces frame rates from 106 FPS to 60.5 FPS, a drop of 45.5 FPS or roughly 43%. This large penalty indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K, as the higher resolution demands more pixel-pushing power that the RTX 4070 SUPER provides but with diminishing returns at Ultra settings.

At 2560x1440, the preset scaling shows a similar pattern: Low runs at 148.1 FPS, Medium at 115.6 FPS, High at 88.7 FPS, and Ultra at 79.9 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 68.2 FPS, or about 46%, which is proportionally similar to 4K. This consistency suggests that the GPU remains the dominant factor at 1440p, with the CPU's 4 cores and 8 threads being sufficient to feed the graphics card without becoming a limiting factor.

At 1920x1080, the preset scaling becomes more dramatic: Low runs at 182.8 FPS, Medium at 144.8 FPS, High at 104.7 FPS, and Ultra at 103.3 FPS. The jump from High to Ultra is only 1.4 FPS, while the jump from Medium to High is 40.1 FPS. This non-linear scaling indicates that at 1080p, the CPU's single-thread performance becomes more relevant, as the GPU is less stressed at lower resolutions. The i3-12100F's 3dmark single-thread score of 893 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1674 are sufficient to maintain high frame rates, but the diminishing returns at Ultra suggest that the CPU is beginning to cap performance.

The resolution scaling shows that the GPU's role increases with resolution. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, as evidenced by the 43% frame rate drop from Low to Ultra. At 1080p, the CPU plays a larger role, with the GPU having enough headroom that the CPU's thread scheduling becomes more important. For this game, the data indicates that the RTX 4070 SUPER is the component that matters most at 4K and 1440p, while the i3-12100F's performance is adequate but not overkill at 1080p.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific CPU-GPU combination ranks 613th out of 3714 tested combos for Microsoft Flight Simulator, putting it in the top 16.5% of all systems benchmarked. This ranking reflects the strong performance of the RTX 4070 SUPER, which sits in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs, combined with the more modest 68th percentile ranking of the i3-12100F. The combination's ranking is higher than the CPU's individual percentile, indicating that the GPU's performance dominates the overall result for this game.

The rank of 613 out of 3714 means there are 612 tested combinations that perform better, but also 3101 combinations that perform worse. For a flight simulator that is known to be demanding, this places the system in a strong position. The measured FPS data supports this ranking, as the combination achieves 60+ FPS at every preset and resolution tested, including the demanding 4K Ultra preset. The rank is particularly notable because the CPU is a budget-oriented part with only 4 cores, yet the combination still outperforms the vast majority of tested systems thanks to the GPU's capabilities. This suggests that for users who prioritize GPU-bound scenarios like high-resolution flight simulation, the i3-12100F does not significantly hold back the RTX 4070 SUPER, and the overall combo delivers a top-tier experience relative to the broader database of tested hardware.