Microsoft Flight Simulator

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for this Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 combination in Microsoft Flight Simulator covers three resolutions and four quality presets. Average frame rates are the only metric tracked; minimum and maximum values are not recorded in the database, so the analysis relies on averages.

At 3840x2160, the frame rate scales predictably with preset severity. Low settings produce an average of 77.1 FPS, which is the highest value at this resolution. Medium settings drop to 61.8 FPS, High settings fall further to 45.6 FPS, and Ultra is the most demanding at 42.6 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is substantial, a 34.5 FPS difference, which indicates that the GPU is the primary constraint at 4K. The step from Medium to High is particularly steep, a 16.2 FPS loss, suggesting that High preset features disproportionately tax the rendering pipeline at this pixel count.

Moving to 2560x1440, the same pattern holds but with higher overall values. Low settings average 110.3 FPS, Medium hits 85.3 FPS, High reaches 64.5 FPS, and Ultra sits at 62.5 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra here is only 2.0 FPS, which is a much smaller penalty than at 4K. This suggests that at 1440p, the CPU and GPU combination has enough headroom to absorb the extra Ultra workload without a major frame rate collapse. Low to Medium is a 25.0 FPS drop, while Medium to High is a 20.8 FPS drop, both significant but not as severe as the 4K High step.

At 1920x1080, the system shows its strongest performance. Low settings average 134.1 FPS, Medium averages 103.4 FPS, High averages 76.9 FPS, and Ultra averages 76.3 FPS. Notably, High and Ultra are nearly identical, with only 0.6 FPS separating them. This is a clear sign that at 1080p, the workload shifts away from pure GPU rasterization and toward CPU simulation and draw-call overhead. The i5-10400F, with its six cores and twelve threads, becomes the limiting factor once the resolution drops enough to let the RTX 3070 run at high utilization. The drop from Low to Medium, 30.7 FPS, is the largest single preset jump in the entire dataset, which points to a heavy simulation cost at Medium settings that does not scale linearly with visual quality.

Across all resolutions, the data shows a consistent trend: Low is always far ahead, Medium is the middle ground, and High versus Ultra varies in proximity. At 1080p and 1440p, High and Ultra are close, while at 4K they diverge. This is useful for tuning, as it means the Ultra preset is not always a punishing choice, depending on resolution.

Best Settings per Resolution

The playable threshold for this database is 60 FPS on average. Any preset at or above that mark is considered playable, and the most demanding preset that still clears 60 FPS is the recommended "best" setting for that resolution.

At 3840x2160, the only presets that clear 60 FPS are Low and Medium. Low averages 77.1 FPS, but Medium averages 61.8 FPS. Since Medium is more demanding than Low and still stays above the threshold, it is the best setting for 4K. High and Ultra fall short at 45.6 FPS and 42.6 FPS respectively, so they are not viable for smooth play at this resolution. The recommendation is Medium, with a recorded average of 61.8 FPS.

At 2560x1440, every preset clears 60 FPS. Low averages 110.3 FPS, Medium averages 85.3 FPS, High averages 64.5 FPS, and Ultra averages 62.5 FPS. The best setting is Ultra, since it is the most demanding preset that maintains playability. The 62.5 FPS average is only 2.5 FPS above the threshold, but it is still a valid recommendation. High is nearly identical at 64.5 FPS, so users who prefer a safety margin could choose High, but the data supports Ultra as the top pick.

At 1920x1080, again every preset clears 60 FPS. Low averages 134.1 FPS, Medium averages 103.4 FPS, High averages 76.9 FPS, and Ultra averages 76.3 FPS. The best setting is Ultra, with an average of 76.3 FPS. This is a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold, and since High and Ultra are within 0.6 FPS of each other, there is no practical downside to selecting Ultra for maximum visual quality.

In summary, the best settings are Medium at 4K, Ultra at 1440p, and Ultra at 1080p. The system is capable of running the game at high visual fidelity at 1440p and 1080p, but 4K requires a step down to Medium to maintain smooth performance.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals how the balance between the Intel Core i5-10400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 shifts with resolution and preset. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the dominant factor. The RTX 3070, with its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, is taxed heavily by the 3840x2160 pixel count. The frame rate drops from 77.1 FPS at Low to 42.6 FPS at Ultra, a 44.7% reduction. This large swing is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where the graphics card's shading units, 5888 in total, and its 96 ROPs are the bottleneck.

At 1440p, the picture changes. The frame rates are higher overall, but the gap between High and Ultra shrinks to just 2.0 FPS. This suggests that the CPU begins to play a more significant role. The i5-10400F has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, and its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 10283 indicates solid multi-threaded performance for a six-core part. In Microsoft Flight Simulator, which is known for heavy simulation logic, the CPU's ability to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics data becomes more relevant as the resolution drops and the GPU load per pixel decreases.

At 1080p, the CPU role becomes even more pronounced. The difference between High and Ultra is only 0.6 FPS, and the overall frame rates are much higher, with Low hitting 134.1 FPS. This is a classic sign of a CPU limit at lower resolutions. The RTX 3070 is capable of far more than 134 FPS at 1080p in many titles, but the i5-10400F's single-thread performance, with a Geekbench single-core score of 1420, caps the frame rate. The 3DMark 2-thread score of 1350 and 4-thread score of 2560 further show that the CPU's limited thread scaling is a factor when the GPU is not the constraint.

Comparing across resolutions, the data shows that at 4K, the GPU is the limiting factor, at 1440p the balance is mixed, and at 1080p the CPU becomes the primary limiter. This is a common pattern for a mid-range CPU paired with a high-end GPU. The RTX 3070 is strong enough to push high frame rates at 1080p, but the i5-10400F cannot keep up with the simulation workload at that resolution. At 4K, the GPU is overworked, and the CPU has headroom, so the frame rate is entirely dependent on the graphics card's throughput. The practical takeaway is that this combination is well matched for 1440p, where both components contribute meaningfully, and less so for 1080p, where the CPU holds the GPU back, or 4K, where the GPU holds the CPU back.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the CPU and GPU in the database provide context for what other hardware would behave similarly. These comparisons are based on average benchmark scores, not game-specific measurements, so they should be interpreted as approximate equivalents.

For the Intel Core i5-10400F, the average benchmark score is 14185, and it sits in the 68th percentile of all CPUs. The nearest rival is the Intel Xeon 6756E, with an average score of 14163, which is 0.2% lower. This Xeon part would perform nearly identically in CPU-bound scenarios. The Intel Core 7 160UL has a score of 14232, which is 0.3% higher, making it a marginal step up. The AMD EPYC 7552 scores 14115, 0.5% lower, and the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C scores 14277, 0.6% higher. All four rivals are within 1% of the i5-10400F, so in practice, any of them would deliver similar frame rates in Microsoft Flight Simulator when paired with the same GPU. The Ryzen 3 7320C is interesting because it is a lower-tier chip, yet its average score is slightly higher, which suggests that the i5-10400F's performance is not exceptional for its class, but it is consistent.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, the average benchmark score is 17208, and it sits in the 61st percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT, with an average score of 17083, which is 0.7% lower. This means the RX 7600 XT would produce almost identical frame rates in GPU-bound scenarios at 4K. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 scores 17037, 1.0% lower, and the AMD Radeon HD 7970M scores 17019, 1.1% lower. These are older parts, but their benchmark scores are close enough that they would behave similarly in terms of raw throughput, though driver support and feature sets may vary. The NVIDIA Tesla K40c scores 17468, which is 1.5% higher, making it a slightly stronger alternative. Again, all rivals are within 2% of the RTX 3070, so the game performance would be very close.

When considering a full system swap, the data suggests that replacing the i5-10400F with any of its nearest rivals would not change the frame rates meaningfully, since the CPU is not the sole bottleneck in most scenarios. Similarly, swapping the RTX 3070 for an RX 7600 XT would keep GPU-bound performance nearly identical. The practical implication is that this specific combination is not unique; there is a cluster of hardware around these performance levels that would run the game in the same ballpark.

The Verdict

Can this PC run Microsoft Flight Simulator? Yes, it can, but the experience depends heavily on resolution and settings. The verdict by resolution is clear.

At 3840x2160, the system is playable at Low and Medium settings. The best setting is Medium, with an average of 61.8 FPS. High and Ultra are not playable, as they fall below 60 FPS. This is a usable 4K experience, but not a max-quality one.

At 2560x1440, all four presets are playable. The best setting is Ultra, with an average of 62.5 FPS. This is the sweet spot for this hardware, offering high visual fidelity while staying above the 60 FPS threshold. The margin is thin, but the data supports it.

At 1920x1080, all four presets are playable. The best setting is Ultra, with an average of 76.3 FPS. This is a comfortable experience, with enough headroom that even demanding scenes should stay smooth. The CPU limit at this resolution is the main factor, but it does not prevent a positive outcome.

In summary, the system is fully capable of running the game at 1080p and 1440p with maximum settings, and at 4K with Medium settings. The overall combo rank is 1626 out of 3714 combinations, which places it in the upper half of tested hardware. The data is measured, not estimated, so these numbers are reliable for planning purposes.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and preset combination for this PC?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 with Ultra settings is the best balance, averaging 62.5 FPS. At 1920x1080, Ultra averages 76.3 FPS, which is also excellent, but 1440p offers more detail with only a 13.8 FPS penalty.

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

A: Yes, but only at Medium settings, which average 61.8 FPS. Low settings average 77.1 FPS, but High and Ultra fall below 60 FPS at 45.6 and 42.6 FPS respectively.

Q: Why are High and Ultra so close at 1080p?

A: The average frame rates are 76.9 FPS for High and 76.3 FPS for Ultra, a difference of only 0.6 FPS. This indicates a CPU limit, where the Intel Core i5-10400F cannot feed the RTX 3070 fast enough at that resolution.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 compare to its nearest rival, the RX 7600 XT?

A: The RTX 3070 has an average benchmark score of 17208, while the RX 7600 XT scores 17083, which is 0.7% lower. In practice, game performance would be nearly identical in GPU-bound scenarios.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game?

A: It depends on resolution. At 4K, the GPU is the main constraint, as seen in the large frame rate drops between presets. At 1080p, the CPU becomes the limiter, as shown by the small difference between High and Ultra.

Q: What is the playable threshold and how does this system fare?

A: The playable threshold is 60 FPS average. The system exceeds it at 4K with Low and Medium, at 1440p with all presets, and at 1080p with all presets. The best 4K setting is Medium at 61.8 FPS, and the best 1440p and 1080p setting is Ultra at 62.5 and 76.3 FPS respectively.