Microsoft Flight Simulator

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 delivers a consistently high-performance experience in Microsoft Flight Simulator, with measured data showing every tested preset at all three resolutions clearing the 60 FPS playability threshold. The combination ranks 200th out of 3714 tested combos in this game, placing it in the top tier of configurations. The data indicates a system that prioritizes frame rate headroom over compromise, with the most demanding settings remaining viable even at 4K.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset achieves an average of 72.6 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold by a margin of 12.6 frames. This makes Ultra the best settings choice at 4K, as it is the most demanding preset that still maintains playable performance. The High preset runs at 78 FPS, Medium at 103.4 FPS, and Low at 130.5 FPS, but since Ultra remains above 60 FPS, there is no need to drop below it for playability.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Ultra preset produces an average of 98.6 FPS, which is 38.6 FPS above the playable threshold. This is again the optimal choice, as all lower presets—High at 105.8 FPS, Medium at 136.8 FPS, and Low at 171.1 FPS—are also playable but offer no advantage over Ultra in terms of meeting the 60 FPS requirement. The data shows that 1440p Ultra provides a substantial cushion, making it a comfortable setting for this resolution.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset reaches an average of 125 FPS, which is more than double the 60 FPS threshold. This is the best settings option, with High at 130.3 FPS, Medium at 167.8 FPS, and Low at 181.3 FPS all exceeding playability. The 1080p Ultra setting delivers a frame rate that is 65 FPS above the threshold, indicating that the system has significant headroom at this resolution. Across all three resolutions, the Ultra preset is the recommended choice, with the data consistently showing it stays above 60 FPS.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets reveals which component dominates performance in Microsoft Flight Simulator. At 3840x2160, dropping from Ultra to Low increases the average frame rate from 72.6 FPS to 130.5 FPS, a gain of 57.9 FPS or roughly 80%. At 2560x1440, the same preset drop from Ultra to Low moves from 98.6 FPS to 171.1 FPS, an increase of 72.5 FPS or about 74%. At 1920x1080, Ultra to Low goes from 125 FPS to 181.3 FPS, a rise of 56.3 FPS or approximately 45%.

These percentage gains indicate that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The 4K preset scaling shows the largest relative frame rate jump when lowering settings, which is characteristic of GPU-bound scenarios where reducing graphical load directly translates to higher throughput. The 1080p scaling is smaller in percentage terms, suggesting that at this resolution the CPU begins to play a more significant role, as the GPU has more headroom and the frame rate is less sensitive to preset changes.

Comparing resolutions at the same preset tells a similar story. At Ultra, moving from 1080p to 1440p drops the frame rate from 125 FPS to 98.6 FPS, a reduction of 26.4 FPS, while moving from 1440p to 4K drops it further to 72.6 FPS, another 26 FPS reduction. These consistent drops across resolutions indicate that the GPU is scaling with pixel count, which is expected when the graphics card is the limiting factor. The CPU, an Intel Core i5-12400 with 6 cores and 12 threads, appears sufficient to feed the GPU at all tested settings, as the frame rates remain high even at 1080p Low where CPU load would be most apparent.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the measured average frame rates are as follows: Low settings produce 130.5 FPS, Medium produces 103.4 FPS, High produces 78 FPS, and Ultra produces 72.6 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 57.9 FPS, with each preset step down from Ultra to High costing only 5.4 FPS, while the step from High to Medium costs 25.4 FPS, and from Medium to Low costs 26.9 FPS. This non-linear scaling suggests that the Ultra and High presets are close in demand, while Medium and Low are progressively lighter.

At 2560x1440, the average frame rates are 171.1 FPS for Low, 136.8 FPS for Medium, 105.8 FPS for High, and 98.6 FPS for Ultra. The difference between Low and Ultra here is 72.5 FPS, with the largest single drop occurring from Medium to High at 31 FPS. The step from High to Ultra costs 7.2 FPS, which is the smallest increment, indicating that the Ultra preset at 1440p is only marginally more demanding than High.

At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are 181.3 FPS for Low, 167.8 FPS for Medium, 130.3 FPS for High, and 125 FPS for Ultra. The spread from Low to Ultra is 56.3 FPS, with the most significant drop from Medium to High at 37.5 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra is just 5.3 FPS, showing that the Ultra preset at 1080p is nearly identical in cost to High. Across all resolutions, the data shows no min or max FPS values, only averages, so the analysis relies on the mean frame rate as the primary metric for performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination ranks 200th out of 3714 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the 94.6th percentile of all configurations. This rank reflects the high average frame rates measured across all resolutions and presets. The CPU itself has a percentile of 72 against all CPUs, while the GPU has a percentile of 87 against all GPUs, indicating that the graphics card is the stronger component in this pairing.

The combo rank of 200 out of 3714 suggests that this system outperforms the vast majority of tested configurations, which is consistent with the measured frame rates exceeding 60 FPS at every preset and resolution. The data shows that the combination is not bottlenecked by either component to a degree that would prevent high settings, as the Ultra preset remains playable even at 4K. The rank also implies that there are 199 tested combos that perform better, but the margin between the top ranks is likely small given the high absolute frame rates.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Microsoft Flight Simulator at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the measured average frame rate at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 72.6 FPS, which is 12.6 FPS above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming?

A: The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 achieves an average of 98.6 FPS, making it the most demanding setting that still clears 60 FPS, so it is the recommended choice.

Q: How does the frame rate scale from 1080p to 4K at the same settings?

A: At Ultra settings, the average frame rate drops from 125 FPS at 1920x1080 to 98.6 FPS at 2560x1440, and further to 72.6 FPS at 3840x2160, showing a consistent reduction with increasing resolution.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game?

A: The data shows that lowering presets from Ultra to Low increases frame rates by 80% at 4K, 74% at 1440p, and 45% at 1080p, indicating the GPU is the dominant factor, especially at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the lowest frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest average frame rate across all tested settings is 72.6 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, and it still exceeds the 60 FPS threshold.

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

A: This combination ranks 200th out of 3714 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the top 5.4% of all configurations tested.

The Verdict

The data clearly shows that this PC can run Microsoft Flight Simulator at all tested resolutions and presets. At 3840x2160, all four presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are playable, with the best settings being Ultra at an average of 72.6 FPS. At 2560x1440, the same applies, with Ultra at 98.6 FPS as the best choice. At 1920x1080, Ultra at 125 FPS is the best setting, and every preset remains well above the 60 FPS threshold.

The verdict by resolution confirms that the playable settings include High, Low, Medium, and Ultra for each resolution, with the best settings being Ultra in all cases. The lowest average frame rate measured is 72.6 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is still 12.6 FPS above the playable threshold. This indicates that the system has no playability concerns at any tested configuration, and users can confidently select the highest settings at their preferred resolution. The rank of 200th out of 3714 combos further supports that this is a high-performing configuration for this game.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the Intel Core i5-12400 has an average benchmark score of 18683, which is closely matched by the AMD EPYC 7643 at 18697, a difference of 0.1%. The Intel Core i7-1355U scores 18730, which is 0.3% higher, while the AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 scores 18811, 0.7% higher. The Intel Core i3-14100F scores 18519, which is 0.9% lower. These CPUs would likely produce very similar frame rates in Microsoft Flight Simulator, given the small score differences, though the i3-14100F may show a slight performance deficit.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 has an average benchmark score of 56083, with the AMD Radeon 8060S at 55757 (0.6% lower), the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB at 55698 (0.7% lower), and the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X at 54828 (2.3% lower). The AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE scores 57367, which is 2.2% higher. These GPUs would perform within a few percent of the RTX 5080, meaning that swapping to any of these alternatives would likely maintain playable frame rates at the tested settings, though the RX 9070 GRE might offer a small improvement. The data suggests that users with any of these rival components could expect comparable behavior, with frame rates remaining above 60 FPS at most resolutions and presets.