Microsoft Flight Simulator

Best Settings per Resolution

The benchmark data shows a clear ceiling for this combination in Microsoft Flight Simulator. At 4K, no preset reaches the 60 FPS playable threshold. The best result is 51 FPS on Low settings, which still falls short of smooth gameplay. High settings average 30 FPS, Medium averages 40 FPS, and Ultra drops to 28 FPS. None of these are viable for a consistent 60 FPS experience at 3840x2160.

At 1440p, the situation improves only slightly. The most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Low, which delivers an average of 69 FPS. Medium falls to 54 FPS, High to 41 FPS, and Ultra to 39 FPS. The data clearly indicates that 1440p Low is the only playable setting at this resolution, and even then, the margin above 60 FPS is modest.

At 1080p, the options expand. The best playable preset is Medium, averaging 67 FPS, with a recorded minimum of 57 FPS and maximum of 77 FPS. Low settings average 86 FPS, which provides more headroom. High averages 50 FPS and Ultra averages 48 FPS, both below the threshold. For the smoothest experience at 1080p, Medium is the recommended choice, though Low offers a more comfortable margin above the 60 FPS line.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets reveals how the workload shifts between the Intel Core i5-11400F and the Intel Arc B570. The game is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, as evidenced by the steep drop in frame rates from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 86 FPS; at 1440p Low it drops to 69 FPS; at 4K Low it falls further to 51 FPS. This pattern suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck as pixel count increases.

The CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions and higher presets. At 1080p Medium, the average drops to 67 FPS compared to 86 FPS on Low, a 19 FPS penalty that reflects increased draw calls and simulation complexity. The Core i5-11400F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, handles the flight simulation's single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads adequately, but the data shows that the GPU limits performance more severely as resolution climbs.

At 1440p, the gap between Low and Medium is 15 FPS (69 vs 54), while at 4K the gap between Low and Medium is 11 FPS (51 vs 40). This narrowing delta suggests that at higher resolutions, the GPU saturates and frame rates compress regardless of settings. The Ultra preset at every resolution performs worse than High, indicating that the most demanding graphics options disproportionately burden the Arc B570's 10 GB memory buffer and 160-bit bus.

The recorded data points to a system where the CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU at lower resolutions, but the GPU becomes the limiting factor above 1080p. At 4K, even Low settings cannot reach 60 FPS, confirming that the Arc B570 lacks the raw throughput for this simulator at that resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

3840x2160 (4K)

• Ultra: 28 FPS average
• High: 30 FPS average
• Medium: 40 FPS average, 34 FPS minimum, 46 FPS maximum
• Low: 51 FPS average

The Medium preset at 4K shows a narrow frame time distribution, with a 12 FPS spread between minimum and maximum. The Low preset, while the best performer, still leaves a 9 FPS gap to the 60 FPS threshold.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Ultra: 39 FPS average
• High: 41 FPS average
• Medium: 54 FPS average, 46 FPS minimum, 62 FPS maximum
• Low: 69 FPS average

At 1440p, the Medium preset exhibits a 16 FPS variance, with its maximum exceeding 60 FPS but its average falling short. Low is the only preset that maintains an average above the threshold, though the minimum FPS is not recorded for this setting.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Ultra: 48 FPS average
• High: 50 FPS average
• Medium: 67 FPS average, 57 FPS minimum, 77 FPS maximum
• Low: 86 FPS average

The 1080p Medium preset shows a 20 FPS variance, with a minimum that dips just below 60 FPS. Low delivers a comfortable margin, with an average 26 FPS above the playable threshold. High and Ultra both hover in the high 40s, making them unsuitable for consistent 60 FPS gameplay.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The database's nearest rival data for the Intel Core i5-11400F places it alongside several processors with comparable average benchmark scores. The AMD EPYC 7H12 scores 17120, a 0.3% delta from the i5-11400F's 17177 average. The Intel Core i5-12450H scores 17239, a -0.4% delta. The AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G scores 17278, a -0.6% delta. The Intel Core Ultra 7 164U scores 17074, a 0.6% delta. These four CPUs would likely exhibit similar frame rates in Microsoft Flight Simulator when paired with the same GPU, though their different core configurations and boost behaviors may produce minor variances in simulation-heavy scenes.

For the Intel Arc B570, the nearest GPU rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile with a score of 20534 (0.1% delta), the Intel Arc A750 at 20582 (-0.1% delta), the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M at 20480 (0.4% delta), and the AMD Radeon R9 M390X at 20662 (-0.5% delta). The Arc A750 is particularly relevant as a desktop alternative with similar architecture and memory characteristics. The RTX 3070 Mobile, while a laptop part, would likely produce comparable frame rates in this simulator, though its memory bandwidth and capacity may differ from the Arc B570's 10 GB GDDR6 configuration.

Users considering this combo for Microsoft Flight Simulator should expect that swapping the CPU for any of the listed rivals would yield negligible performance changes, as the deltas are all under 1%. Similarly, GPU swaps within this rival group would maintain roughly equivalent FPS at each resolution and preset, assuming driver and software optimizations are comparable.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the Intel Arc B570 ranks 2988 out of 3714 tested combinations in the database for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places the combo in the lower half of all systems tested, specifically in the 19.5th percentile. The ranking reflects the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions and the demanding nature of the flight simulator, which stresses both CPU simulation logic and GPU rendering.

This rank is consistent with the measured frame rates: the combo cannot exceed 60 FPS at 4K, only achieves it at 1440p on Low, and manages it at 1080p on Medium and Low. Many competing combinations in the database, particularly those with higher-end GPUs, would rank significantly better due to their ability to sustain 60 FPS at 1440p or 4K with higher quality settings.

The data suggests that this pairing is better suited to 1080p gaming than higher resolutions, and its ranking reflects that limitation. For a flight simulator with extensive scenery and weather effects, the 10 GB memory on the Arc B570 may also contribute to the ranking, as texture-heavy scenes can exceed that capacity at higher presets.

The Verdict

The verdict from the recorded data is straightforward: this PC can run Microsoft Flight Simulator, but with significant caveats depending on resolution and settings.

At 3840x2160, no preset reaches the 60 FPS threshold. The best possible result is 51 FPS on Low, which is playable but not smooth, and the verdict marks this resolution as having no playable settings. Users with 4K displays would need to reduce resolution or accept sub-60 FPS performance.

At 2560x1440, the system is playable only on Low settings, delivering 69 FPS average. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below 60 FPS, with Medium at 54 FPS being the closest. This resolution offers a single viable preset, making it a workable but limited experience.

At 1920x1080, the system clears 60 FPS on both Low (86 FPS) and Medium (67 FPS). The Medium preset is the best playable option, offering improved visuals while maintaining an average above the threshold, though its minimum of 57 FPS means occasional dips below 60 FPS. Low provides a more consistent experience with a higher average.

The overall assessment is that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming with Medium settings, or 1440p with Low settings. The Intel Core i5-11400F provides adequate CPU performance for the simulator's flight dynamics and scenery generation, but the Intel Arc B570's GPU throughput limits higher resolution and preset combinations. For users targeting 4K, this system will not deliver a satisfactory experience in Microsoft Flight Simulator. The data shows a clear trade-off between visual fidelity and frame rate, with 1080p Medium being the sweet spot for this hardware configuration.