Microsoft Flight Simulator

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 ranks 888th out of 3714 tested combos for Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the upper quarter of all configurations. This is a measured result, not an estimate. The CPU itself sits at the 72nd percentile among all tested processors, while the GPU reaches the 81st percentile. That combination of a solid mid-range CPU with a high-tier GPU produces a system that handles the flight simulator comfortably across most settings, though 4K Ultra remains just out of reach.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranking of 888 out of 3714 represents the 76th percentile of all tested CPU-GPU pairings for this game. This places the configuration ahead of roughly three-quarters of the systems in the database. For a flight simulator known to stress both CPU and GPU heavily, this is a strong result. The ranking reflects the balance between the Core i5-12400's six performance cores and the RTX 4070's Ada Lovelace architecture. The CPU's average benchmark score of 18683 places it just below the AMD EPYC 7643, which scores 18697, a negligible 0.1 percent difference. In practical terms, these two processors are effectively identical in overall compute performance. The GPU's average score of 37648 sits remarkably close to the NVIDIA Tesla P4 at 37628, a 0.1 percent gap, and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 at 37507, a 0.4 percent gap. The RTX 4070 also trails the RTX 4080 Mobile by 1.3 percent, though that mobile chip draws significantly more power in its laptop implementation. The data indicates this combo outperforms most entries in the database while remaining within a few percentage points of several unexpected rivals.

CPU and GPU Roles

Microsoft Flight Simulator scales differently across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system delivers 164.6 FPS on Low settings, suggesting the CPU and GPU are both operating well within their limits. Moving to 2560x1440 Low drops the average to 132 FPS, a 19.8 percent reduction. At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls to 97.5 FPS, another 26.1 percent drop. This scaling pattern indicates that at lower presets, resolution is the primary bottleneck, with the GPU becoming progressively more stressed as pixel count rises. The CPU's role becomes more apparent when comparing presets at a fixed resolution. At 1920x1080, the jump from Low to Medium costs 33.8 FPS, from Medium to High costs 36.3 FPS, and High to Ultra costs just 0.6 FPS. The near-identical High and Ultra scores at 1080p, 94.5 versus 93.9 FPS, suggest the CPU is reaching its limit before the GPU can be fully utilized at that resolution. At 2560x1440, the same preset progression shows a different pattern: Low to Medium drops 29.8 FPS, Medium to High drops 25 FPS, and High to Ultra drops only 4.2 FPS. The smaller drop from High to Ultra at 1440p again points to CPU limitations. At 3840x2160, the pattern shifts further: Low to Medium drops 22.1 FPS, Medium to High drops 20.1 FPS, and High to Ultra drops just 1.1 FPS. At 4K, the GPU becomes the dominant constraint, but the CPU still prevents the High and Ultra presets from separating meaningfully. The data shows the Core i5-12400 handles the simulator's flight model and scenery processing well enough that at 4K, the RTX 4070's workload dominates the frame time.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Microsoft Flight Simulator at 60 FPS on Ultra settings?

A: At 1920x1080, Ultra averages 93.9 FPS, well above the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 73 FPS, also above 60. At 3840x2160, Ultra averages 54.2 FPS, which falls below the playable threshold. The system runs Ultra at 1080p and 1440p, but not at 4K.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 4K on this hardware?

A: At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Medium, which averages 75.4 FPS. High at 4K averages 55.3 FPS, just under the playable threshold, and Ultra averages 54.2 FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 1440p?

A: On Low settings, 1080p averages 164.6 FPS while 1440p averages 132 FPS, a drop of 32.6 FPS. On Ultra, the drop is from 93.9 FPS to 73 FPS, a 20.9 FPS reduction. The percentage loss is smaller at higher presets, indicating the CPU becomes a larger factor as settings increase.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in overall benchmark scores?

A: The Core i5-12400 scores 18683, which is 0.1 percent below the AMD EPYC 7643's 18697 and 0.3 percent below the Intel Core i7-1355U's 18730. It scores 0.7 percent below the AMD Ryzen AI 5 330's 18811 and 0.9 percent above the Intel Core i3-14100F's 18519.

Q: What GPU alternatives perform at a similar level to the RTX 4070?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla P4 scores 37628, a 0.1 percent difference from the RTX 4070's 37648. The AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 scores 37507, a 0.4 percent gap. The RTX 4080 Mobile scores 38135, which is 1.3 percent higher, and the AMD Radeon PRO W6400 scores 37157, 1.3 percent lower.

Q: Is the 60 FPS target met at all resolutions with any settings?

A: Yes, every resolution has at least one playable preset. At 4K, Low and Medium pass 60 FPS. At 1440p and 1080p, all four presets pass 60 FPS. The lowest average FPS recorded across all tested configurations is 54.2 FPS at 4K Ultra.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals in average benchmark score are a mix of server and mobile processors. The AMD EPYC 7643, a data-center chip, scores within 0.1 percent of the Core i5-12400. The Intel Core i7-1355U, a low-power laptop processor, sits 0.3 percent higher. The AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 is 0.7 percent ahead, while the Intel Core i3-14100F trails by 0.9 percent. None of these would behave identically in gaming, but their compute scores suggest similar throughput. The GPU's nearest rivals are more relevant for gaming. The NVIDIA Tesla P4, a data-center accelerator, matches the RTX 4070 within 0.1 percent, though it lacks the RTX 4070's dedicated ray tracing hardware. The AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, a previous-generation enthusiast card, is 0.4 percent behind. The RTX 4080 Mobile is 1.3 percent ahead, and the AMD Radeon PRO W6400 is 1.3 percent behind. For Microsoft Flight Simulator, the RTX 4070's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and Ada Lovelace architecture give it advantages that synthetic scores may not fully capture, but the raw numbers indicate these alternatives would fall in a similar performance band.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Medium, which delivers an average of 75.4 FPS. The High preset at 4K averages 55.3 FPS, missing the target, and Ultra averages 54.2 FPS. At 2560x1440, all four presets clear 60 FPS, so the best setting is Ultra at 73 FPS average. At 1920x1080, Ultra averages 93.9 FPS, making it the clear choice. The data shows a consistent pattern: 4K requires dropping to Medium or lower, while 1440p and 1080p can run at maximum settings. The margin at 1440p Ultra is 13 FPS above the threshold, while at 1080p Ultra the margin is nearly 34 FPS, providing headroom for demanding scenery areas.

The Verdict

This PC can run Microsoft Flight Simulator at playable frame rates across all tested resolutions. At 3840x2160, the playable settings are Low and Medium, with Medium being the best choice at 75.4 FPS average. At 2560x1440, all four settings are playable, and Ultra runs at 73 FPS. At 1920x1080, all settings are playable, with Ultra at 93.9 FPS. The system never dips below 60 FPS on the recommended settings for each resolution. The verdict is clear: for 4K users, Medium is the ceiling; for 1440p and 1080p users, Ultra is fully viable. The 60 FPS playable threshold is met with comfortable margins at every resolution except 4K High and Ultra, where the averages fall to 55.3 and 54.2 FPS respectively.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the average frame rates across settings are 164.6 FPS at Low, 130.8 FPS at Medium, 94.5 FPS at High, and 93.9 FPS at Ultra. The gap between Low and Medium is 33.8 FPS, between Medium and High is 36.3 FPS, and between High and Ultra is just 0.6 FPS. At 2560x1440, the averages are 132 FPS at Low, 102.2 FPS at Medium, 77.2 FPS at High, and 73 FPS at Ultra. The step from Low to Medium costs 29.8 FPS, Medium to High costs 25 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 4.2 FPS. At 3840x2160, the averages are 97.5 FPS at Low, 75.4 FPS at Medium, 55.3 FPS at High, and 54.2 FPS at Ultra. The Low to Medium drop is 22.1 FPS, Medium to High is 20.1 FPS, and High to Ultra is 1.1 FPS. Across all resolutions, the Low to Medium transition is consistently the largest single drop, while High to Ultra is consistently the smallest. This pattern indicates that the Medium preset introduces significant rendering workloads, while the Ultra preset adds comparatively minor effects that the RTX 4070 handles with little extra cost. The minimum and maximum frame rates were not recorded in the measured data, so only average values are available for analysis. The system's performance at 1080p Low, exceeding 160 FPS, shows the CPU and GPU combination can push well beyond typical display refresh rates when settings are reduced.