Microsoft Flight Simulator

The Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 pairing represents a mainstream desktop build aimed squarely at 1080p and 1440p gaming. In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the data shows a clear split: this combo handles 1080p with headroom to spare, manages 1440p with settings compromises, and struggles to hold 60 FPS at 4K except on the lowest preset. The benchmark results paint a practical picture for simmers who want smooth frame rates without chasing maximum visual fidelity at high resolutions.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU and GPU in this combo each sit near distinct performance peers according to aggregate benchmark scores, which helps contextualize what kind of hardware would behave similarly in this title.

For the Intel Core i5-12400, the nearest rivals are a mixed bag of server and mobile processors, indicating that its multi-threaded performance is competitive with a wide range of silicon. The AMD EPYC 7643 scores 18697, a negligible 0.1% ahead, meaning the i5-12400 effectively trades blows with a high-core-count server chip in synthetic workloads. The Intel Core i7-1355U comes in at 18730, just 0.3% higher, while the AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 posts 18811, 0.7% above. Interestingly, the Intel Core i3-14100F is the only rival that scores lower, at 18519, which is 0.9% behind. In practical terms for Flight Simulator, the i5-12400’s six cores and twelve threads deliver performance that would be nearly indistinguishable from these alternatives in CPU-bound scenarios, though the game’s reliance on single-thread performance means the i5’s 910 single-thread 3DMark score and 2257 Cinebench R23 single-core result are the more relevant metrics.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4060’s nearest rivals are older or integrated parts, which is striking given its 15.11 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 272.0 GB/s memory bandwidth. The AMD Radeon HD 7790 scores 17666, 0.2% ahead, while the AMD Radeon 780M integrated graphics trails by just 0.3% at 17588. The AMD Radeon Pro 560 and Pro 460 complete the list with 17551 and 17509, respectively, 0.5% and 0.7% behind. These deltas are all within a percentage point, so the RTX 4060’s raw compute benchmarks align closely with hardware that is vastly different in architecture and era. For Flight Simulator specifically, the GPU’s 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus are the limiting factors at higher resolutions, and these rivals would likely exhibit similar constraints when pushing 4K Ultra settings.

Best Settings per Resolution

The measured FPS data identifies the most demanding preset that maintains at least 60 FPS average at each resolution, which is the practical target for smooth gameplay.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers 67 FPS average, clearing the 60 FPS threshold with a small margin. This is the best possible settings level because High (69.3 FPS), Medium (94.2 FPS), and Low (120.3 FPS) all also exceed 60 FPS, but Ultra is the most visually demanding option that still qualifies. The verdict confirms this, listing all four presets as playable and singling out Ultra as the best choice.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Medium preset achieves 74.3 FPS average, which is the highest settings tier that stays above 60 FPS. High drops to 55.2 FPS, below the threshold, and Ultra falls further to 51.1 FPS. Low runs at 94.3 FPS but sacrifices too much visual quality to be the recommended pick. The verdict marks Low and Medium as playable, with Medium as the best settings option.

At 3840x2160, only the Low preset is playable, hitting 70.3 FPS average. Medium falls to 51.4 FPS, High to 39.3 FPS, and Ultra to 39.9 FPS, all well under the 60 FPS target. The verdict lists Low as the sole playable setting and the best choice, meaning 4K users must accept substantial visual compromises to maintain smooth frame rates.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets reveals how the CPU and GPU divide responsibilities in Flight Simulator with this combo, and the data suggests the GPU becomes the dominant constraint as resolution increases.

At 1920x1080, the frame rate spread across presets is wide: Low hits 120.3 FPS, Medium 94.2 FPS, High 69.3 FPS, and Ultra 67 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is roughly 44%, which indicates that both the CPU and GPU are contributing, but the CPU’s single-thread performance is sufficient to feed the GPU at lower settings. The i5-12400’s 3DMark single-thread score of 910 and Cinebench R23 single-core result of 2257 suggest it can keep up with the RTX 4060 at 1080p, where the GPU’s 15.11 TFLOPS is the primary driver of frame rates once settings rise.

At 2560x1440, the pattern shifts. Low runs at 94.3 FPS, Medium at 74.3 FPS, High at 55.2 FPS, and Ultra at 51.1 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to about 46%, but the absolute numbers drop significantly compared to 1080p, indicating the GPU is now the bottleneck. The RTX 4060’s 8 GB memory and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth struggle to feed the higher pixel count, and the CPU’s role diminishes because the GPU cannot sustain higher frame rates regardless of CPU headroom.

At 3840x2160, the GPU bottleneck becomes severe. Low only reaches 70.3 FPS, Medium 51.4 FPS, High 39.3 FPS, and Ultra 39.9 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is about 43%, similar to lower resolutions, but every setting is far below what the CPU could theoretically support. The i5-12400 is not the limiting factor here; the RTX 4060 simply lacks the memory bandwidth and capacity to handle 4K rendering in this simulator. The fact that High and Ultra produce nearly identical frame rates (39.3 vs 39.9 FPS) further confirms the GPU is saturated, as additional visual complexity barely changes the outcome.

The Verdict

This PC can run Microsoft Flight Simulator, but the experience varies sharply by resolution and preset. At 1920x1080, the combo clears 60 FPS on every setting, with Ultra averaging 67 FPS, so users can enjoy maximum visual quality without sacrificing smoothness. At 2560x1440, Medium is the ceiling for 60 FPS at 74.3 FPS, while High and Ultra fall short at 55.2 and 51.1 FPS respectively. At 3840x2160, only Low achieves playable performance at 70.3 FPS, and Medium, High, and Ultra all sit below 51.4 FPS.

The data indicates that 1080p is the sweet spot for this pairing, offering full settings flexibility. 1440p is viable with medium presets, and 4K requires dropping to low settings, which undermines the visual fidelity that Flight Simulator is known for. For simmers prioritizing frame rate over detail, the Low preset at 4K still delivers a smooth experience, but those seeking Ultra quality should stick to 1080p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The full measured FPS dataset provides a granular view of performance across all resolution and settings combinations. Every figure listed is an average frame rate, with no minimum or maximum values recorded in the data.

At 3840x2160, the results are as follows: High averages 39.3 FPS, Low averages 70.3 FPS, Medium averages 51.4 FPS, and Ultra averages 39.9 FPS. The spread between Low and the higher presets is substantial, with Medium, High, and Ultra all clustered between 39.3 and 51.4 FPS.

At 2560x1440, High averages 55.2 FPS, Low averages 94.3 FPS, Medium averages 74.3 FPS, and Ultra averages 51.1 FPS. Low is the standout performer, nearly doubling the frame rate of Ultra, while High and Ultra remain below the 60 FPS threshold.

At 1920x1080, High averages 69.3 FPS, Low averages 120.3 FPS, Medium averages 94.2 FPS, and Ultra averages 67 FPS. This is the only resolution where all presets exceed 60 FPS, with Low delivering nearly double the frame rate of Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks

In the broader context of tested hardware combinations for Microsoft Flight Simulator, the i5-12400 and RTX 4060 pairing ranks 2046 out of 3714 combos, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the field. The percentile data reinforces this positioning: the CPU sits in the 72nd percentile against all CPUs, while the GPU sits in the 61st percentile against all GPUs, but the combo’s overall rank is pulled down by the game’s demanding nature and the GPU’s limitations at higher resolutions.

This rank suggests that while the individual components are above average in their respective categories, the pairing does not break into the upper echelon for this specific title. The RTX 4060’s 8 GB memory capacity and 128-bit bus are modest by modern standards, and Flight Simulator’s heavy asset streaming and high-resolution textures tax these resources heavily. The combo’s 1080p performance is competitive, but its 4K results drag the overall ranking down, as many other tested combos likely include higher-tier GPUs with more memory bandwidth. For a mainstream build, this rank is acceptable, but it indicates room for improvement if the goal is higher-resolution play.