Microsoft Flight Simulator

Can Intel Core i5-12400 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 run Microsoft Flight Simulator? The measured data indicates a definitive yes, with this pairing delivering performance that clears the 60 FPS threshold at every tested resolution and preset combination. The benchmark results, drawn from the fact pack, show a system that is not merely playable but exceptionally fast, though the balance between CPU and GPU responsibilities shifts noticeably as resolution changes.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combination covers three resolutions and four quality presets, providing a comprehensive view of performance scaling. At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the system produces its highest frame rates. The Low preset averages 184.3 FPS, which represents the peak performance of the entire dataset. Moving up the quality ladder, Medium delivers 166.5 FPS, High drops to 136.9 FPS, and Ultra still maintains a robust 129.6 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra at this resolution is 54.7 FPS, indicating that the GPU has substantial headroom even at maximum settings.

Stepping up to 2560x1440 introduces a noticeable but not dramatic performance cost. The Low preset averages 170.5 FPS, which is only 13.8 FPS lower than the 1080p Low result. Medium follows at 143.4 FPS, High at 110.6 FPS, and Ultra at 102.3 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p widens to 68.2 FPS, suggesting that the higher resolution amplifies the impact of quality settings. The transition from 1080p to 1440p at Ultra costs 27.3 FPS, which is a substantial drop but still leaves the system well above the playability threshold.

At 3840x2160, the 4K resolution, performance remains strong but the scaling pattern changes. Low averages 137.3 FPS, which is surprisingly close to the 1080p High result of 136.9 FPS. Medium produces 105.9 FPS, High drops to 79.4 FPS, and Ultra settles at 73.5 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 63.8 FPS, and the jump from Medium to High alone costs 26.5 FPS. This suggests that the High preset at 4K represents a significant load increase over Medium, while Ultra adds a further 5.9 FPS penalty. Notably, no min or max FPS values were recorded in the data, so the analysis relies solely on average frame rates.

Best Settings per Resolution

For each resolution, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, and the system clears that bar with considerable margin at all three resolutions. At 1920x1080, Ultra averages 129.6 FPS, which is more than double the playability threshold. This means users can enable every visual enhancement without worrying about frame rate dips below playable levels.

At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 102.3 FPS, still far above the 60 FPS target. The margin of 42.3 FPS provides comfortable headroom for complex scenes, such as dense urban areas or heavy weather effects, which might cause temporary frame rate fluctuations. The data does not include min FPS values, so the worst-case scenario cannot be quantified, but the average suggests consistent performance.

At 3840x2160, Ultra averages 73.5 FPS, which is the lowest result in the entire dataset but still 13.5 FPS above the playability threshold. This is the only configuration where the system approaches the boundary, yet it remains fully playable. For users prioritizing maximum visual fidelity at 4K, Ultra is viable, while those seeking higher frame rates could drop to High at 79.4 FPS or Medium at 105.9 FPS for a smoother experience. The verdict data confirms that all settings — Low, Medium, High, and Ultra — are playable at every resolution, with Ultra being the recommended best setting throughout.

How This Combo Ranks

In the global ranking for Microsoft Flight Simulator, this combination of Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 places 162nd out of 3,714 tested combos. This puts it in the top 4.4 percent of all configurations, a strong showing that reflects the high-end nature of the RTX 4090 paired with a capable mid-range CPU. The rank of 162 indicates that while there are faster combinations, this system outperforms the vast majority of tested hardware in this specific game.

The CPU alone, the Intel Core i5-12400, sits at the 72nd percentile against all CPUs based on average benchmark scores. Its average benchmark score of 18,683 places it in the upper-middle tier of processors. The GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, achieves the 88th percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 60,347. The combination of a 72nd percentile CPU with an 88th percentile GPU yields a 162nd place ranking in-game, which suggests that the GPU is the primary driver of this system's high position.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset for 4K gaming with this combo?

A: Ultra is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, averaging 73.5 FPS at 3840x2160. High is also playable at 79.4 FPS, and Medium at 105.9 FPS.

Q: Does this system ever drop below 60 FPS?

A: Based on average FPS data, no configuration tested falls below 60 FPS. The lowest average is 73.5 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is 13.5 FPS above the playability threshold. Min FPS values were not recorded, so transient dips cannot be ruled out.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: At Ultra settings, the average FPS drops from 129.6 at 1920x1080 to 73.5 at 3840x2160, a difference of 56.1 FPS. At Low settings, the drop is from 184.3 to 137.3, a difference of 47.0 FPS.

Q: Which resolution offers the largest margin above the 60 FPS threshold?

A: 1920x1080 provides the largest margin, with Ultra averaging 129.6 FPS, which is 69.6 FPS above the threshold. This gives the most headroom for demanding scenes.

Q: Is the RTX 4090 overkill for this game at lower resolutions?

A: At 1080p Low, the system averages 184.3 FPS, far exceeding display refresh rates for most monitors. The data suggests the CPU becomes more relevant at lower resolutions, but the GPU still dominates the overall performance picture.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: This combo ranks 162nd out of 3,714 tested combinations in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the top 4.4 percent of all configurations tested.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets reveals which component matters more for this game. At 1920x1080, the difference between Low and Ultra is 54.7 FPS (from 184.3 to 129.6). At 2560x1440, that same spread grows to 68.2 FPS (from 170.5 to 102.3). At 3840x2160, the spread is 63.8 FPS (from 137.3 to 73.5). The increasing gap between Low and Ultra as resolution rises points to the GPU becoming more dominant at higher pixel counts.

Resolution scaling itself tells a similar story. Moving from 1080p Ultra to 1440p Ultra costs 27.3 FPS, and moving from 1440p Ultra to 4K Ultra costs another 28.8 FPS. These near-identical drops suggest that the GPU is the limiting factor at Ultra settings across all resolutions. The RTX 4090, with its 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth, has ample resources for 4K textures, but the raw compute demand of Microsoft Flight Simulator still scales heavily with resolution.

At lower settings, the CPU's role becomes more apparent. The 1080p Low result of 184.3 FPS is only 13.8 FPS higher than the 1440p Low result of 170.5 FPS, a much smaller gap than the 27.3 FPS difference seen at Ultra. This compressed scaling at Low settings indicates that the Intel Core i5-12400, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is approaching its limit around the 170-185 FPS range. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15,989 and single-core score of 2,257 suggest it can sustain high frame rates, but it becomes a bottleneck when frame rates exceed roughly 180 FPS.

The Verdict

This PC can run Microsoft Flight Simulator at all tested resolutions and presets, according to the verdict data. At 3840x2160, all four settings — Low, Medium, High, and Ultra — are playable, with the best being Ultra at an average of 73.5 FPS. At 2560x1440, the same holds true, with Ultra averaging 102.3 FPS. At 1920x1080, Ultra averages 129.6 FPS, providing the smoothest experience.

The playability threshold of 60 FPS is cleared by every configuration, with the smallest margin being 13.5 FPS at 4K Ultra. This means users can choose any preset without sacrificing playability, though those with high-refresh-rate displays will prefer 1080p or 1440p for frame rates above 100 FPS. The system is particularly well-suited for 1440p Ultra, which balances visual quality with a 102.3 FPS average. For 4K, High at 79.4 FPS or Medium at 105.9 FPS offers a safer margin than Ultra's 73.5 FPS, but even the most demanding settings remain viable.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for both components provides context for what other hardware would behave similarly. For the Intel Core i5-12400, the closest matches by average benchmark score are the AMD EPYC 7643 (delta of -0.1 percent), Intel Core i7-1355U (delta of -0.3 percent), AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 (delta of -0.7 percent), and Intel Core i3-14100F (delta of 0.9 percent). These CPUs all score within roughly one percent of the i5-12400, meaning they would likely produce nearly identical CPU-bound performance in Microsoft Flight Simulator. The i3-14100F, in particular, is a direct consumer alternative that would behave almost exactly the same.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, the nearest rivals include the Intel Arc Pro A60 (delta of 0 percent), AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (delta of 0.3 percent), AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (delta of -2.5 percent), and AMD Radeon PRO V710 (delta of 2.9 percent). These GPUs have average benchmark scores within three percent of the RTX 4090, which translates to similar frame rates in practice. The Intel Arc Pro A60 is the closest match, offering essentially identical performance. Users considering alternatives to this combo could expect comparable results from any pairing of these rival CPUs and GPUs, though the RTX 4090's high percentile ranking (88th) means most substitutes will be workstation-class cards rather than consumer gaming GPUs.