Microsoft Flight Simulator

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 delivers an exceptionally strong experience in Microsoft Flight Simulator, with measured data showing every preset at every tested resolution clearing the 60 FPS playable threshold. This combination ranks 293rd out of 3,714 tested combos in this game, placing it in the top tier of configurations. The data is measured, not estimated, and the results show a system that is rarely constrained by either component in this title, though the pattern of scores reveals where the limits begin to appear.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 4080 is essentially unconstrained, and the frame rates are remarkably high across the board. The Low preset averages 183 FPS, which is a strong indicator of headroom for very high refresh rate monitors. Medium averages 164 FPS, with a minimum of 139 FPS and a maximum of 188 FPS. High drops to an average of 123 FPS, and Ultra still holds an average of 117 FPS. The delta between Medium and High is 41 FPS, suggesting that the visual uplift from Medium to High comes with a significant cost, but the delta between High and Ultra is only 6 FPS, making Ultra the more efficient choice for the highest visual quality at this resolution.

The 2560x1440 results show a similar pattern with a predictable step down in raw throughput. Low averages 170 FPS, while Medium lands at 132 FPS, with a minimum of 112 FPS and a maximum of 152 FPS. High drops to an average of 99 FPS, and Ultra lands at 95 FPS. The gap between Medium and High is 33 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is only 4 FPS. At 1440p, the data indicates that the game is still heavily GPU-limited, as the i5-12400 does not appear to be a bottleneck at these settings; the consistency in the scaling from 1080p to 1440p, roughly a 20-25% reduction in average FPS across presets, confirms the GPU is doing the heavy lifting.

At 3840x2160, the demanding nature of Microsoft Flight Simulator becomes apparent. Low preset averages 125 FPS, which is still very high for this resolution. Medium averages 97 FPS, with a minimum of 83 FPS and a maximum of 112 FPS. High drops to an average of 73 FPS, and Ultra lands at an average of 70 FPS. The pronounced difference between Medium and High, a 24 FPS drop, is the largest step in this resolution, indicating that the High preset introduces a level of detail that heavily taxes the GPU. The delta between High and Ultra, just 3 FPS, again suggests that Ultra is a free upgrade from High if you are already at that setting.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that maintains playability is Ultra, which achieves an average of 117 FPS. This is far above the 60 FPS playable threshold, leaving substantial headroom for demanding scenarios like dense city flyovers.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are also Ultra, with an average of 95 FPS. This is a comfortable margin over the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that the system is well suited for high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors without needing to compromise on visual fidelity.

For 3840x2160, the best settings are again Ultra, with an average of 70 FPS. While this clears the 60 FPS threshold, it does so by a smaller margin than at lower resolutions. The data shows that while 4K Ultra is playable, you will be closer to the edge of the playable line, and you may need to be mindful of the most complex in-game scenarios.

FAQ

Q: What is the measured average FPS at 1440p with Ultra settings?

A: The average FPS at 2560x1440 with Ultra settings is 95, with no min/max data provided for that specific preset.

Q: Is the RTX 4080 a bottleneck at 1080p with this CPU?

A: At 1920x1080, the CPU and GPU combination produce an average of 183 FPS on Low settings and 123 FPS on High. The high frame rates at a lower resolution suggest that the system is often GPU-limited, but the exact bottleneck is not specified in the data.

Q: How much performance is lost between the High and Ultra presets at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the High preset averages 73 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 70 FPS. This is a difference of only 3 FPS, making the Ultra preset a nearly free visual upgrade over High.

Q: What is the lowest measured average FPS across all resolutions and presets?

A: The lowest average FPS is 70, which occurs at 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset. This still clears the playable threshold of 60 FPS.

Q: Does the game scale well from Medium to High settings at 1440p?

A: The data shows a 33 FPS drop from Medium (132 FPS) to High (99 FPS) at 2560x1440. This is a significant performance hit, indicating that the High preset adds a substantial load to the GPU.

Q: What are the measured FPS values for the Medium preset at each resolution?

A: For the Medium preset, the average FPS is 164 at 1920x1080, 132 at 2560x1440, and 97 at 3840x2160. Minimum and maximum values are only listed for the Medium preset: 139/188 at 1080p, 112/152 at 1440p, and 83/112 at 4K.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the Intel Core i5-12400 has an average benchmark score of 18,683. The AMD EPYC 7643 scores 18,697, which is 0.1% lower, while the Intel Core i7-1355U scores 18,730, 0.3% higher. The AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 scores 18,811, 0.7% higher, and the Intel Core i3-14100F scores 18,519, which is 0.9% lower. For gaming, the i3-14100F is a relevant alternative, as its performance delta is within a single percent, meaning you would see nearly identical frame rates in this game.

On the GPU side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54,247. The RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54,209, a 0.1% delta, which makes it the closest possible alternative; you would not notice a difference in practice. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54,828, 1.1% higher, while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55,698, 2.6% higher, and the AMD Radeon 8060S scores 55,757, 2.7% higher. The data shows that the RX 6750 GRE and the Radeon 8060S would, on average, perform slightly better than the RTX 4080 in this game, though the differences are small enough to be within normal run-to-run variance.

The Verdict

Yes, this PC can run Microsoft Flight Simulator. The data is unambiguous: the verdict by resolution lists High, Low, Medium, and Ultra as playable at every tested resolution. The best settings at 3840x2160 is Ultra, which runs at an average of 70 FPS. At 2560x1440, the best settings is also Ultra, with an average of 95 FPS. At 1920x1080, the best settings is Ultra as well, with an average of 117 FPS. The system clears the 60 FPS threshold by a substantial margin in all cases, making it a very capable machine for this title. The only point of caution is at 4K Ultra, where the margin is the thinnest. The measured data indicates that the game will be very playable even in its most demanding configuration.

How This Combo Ranks

Among all tested combinations for Microsoft Flight Simulator, the i5-12400 plus RTX 4080 is ranked 293rd out of 3,714 combos. This places it in the top 8% of all configurations, which is an excellent position for a mainstream 6-core processor paired with a high-end GPU. The ranking indicates that the system is not the absolute top performer, but it is far above the average and is competitive with much more expensive setups. The performance data suggests that the bottleneck in this combo is mostly the resolution and the game's engine rather than the CPU, as the RTX 4080 is able to push frame rates quite high at lower resolutions.