Microsoft Flight Simulator

The data shows the Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 delivers exceptionally high frame rates in Microsoft Flight Simulator across all tested resolutions and presets. The measured results consistently exceed the 60 FPS playability threshold, even at the most demanding settings. This combination of a mid-range 12th Gen Intel processor with NVIDIA's flagship Blackwell GPU produces a surprisingly balanced outcome, where the RTX 5090's massive compute resources are not entirely held back by the i5-12400's six Performance cores. The benchmark results indicate that this pairing is viable for high-refresh-rate flight simulation at 1080p and 1440p, while still providing a comfortable margin for smooth 4K gameplay.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the combination produces an average of 85.1 FPS on High settings, 138.9 FPS on Low, 110.4 FPS on Medium, and 79.1 FPS on Ultra. The spread between Low and Ultra at 4K is 59.8 FPS, indicating that the GPU is heavily utilized and that visual quality adjustments have a significant impact on performance. The Ultra preset remains well above the 60 FPS threshold, which is notable for a flight simulator that often stresses both CPU and GPU heavily.

Moving to 2560x1440, the results show an average of 111.5 FPS on High, 167.4 FPS on Low, 150.3 FPS on Medium, and 106.4 FPS on Ultra. The delta between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 61.0 FPS, nearly identical to the 4K spread. This consistency suggests that the GPU still dominates the workload at this resolution, although the CPU begins to play a more visible role as the pixel count drops.

At 1920x1080, the frame rates climb further: 143.5 FPS on High, 183.4 FPS on Low, 166.1 FPS on Medium, and 133.5 FPS on Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 49.9 FPS, a sign that the i5-12400's single-thread performance is becoming a limiting factor at lower resolutions. The maximum recorded average across all settings and resolutions is 183.4 FPS at 1080p Low, while the minimum average is 79.1 FPS at 4K Ultra. Every single measured configuration stays above 79 FPS, which means the combo never dips below a very playable level.

The data shows a clear pattern: as resolution decreases, the absolute frame rates increase, but the relative gains from lowering settings shrink. For example, dropping from Ultra to Low at 4K yields a 75.8% improvement in average FPS, while the same settings change at 1080p yields only a 37.4% improvement. This indicates that the RTX 5090 has enough headroom at 1080p that the CPU becomes the primary bottleneck, whereas at 4K the GPU is still the dominant constraint.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets reveals a classic CPU-GPU balance shift. At 3840x2160, the difference between Low and Ultra is substantial, with the average dropping from 138.9 FPS to 79.1 FPS. This large delta indicates that the RTX 5090's rendering load is the primary factor; the GPU's 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth are fully engaged. The i5-12400, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, has enough single-thread throughput to feed the GPU at 4K without becoming the limiting factor.

At 2560x1440, the picture changes slightly. The gap between Low and Ultra remains wide, but the absolute frame rates are higher across the board. The 167.4 FPS on Low suggests that the GPU is still capable of much more work, but the CPU's 3DMark single-thread score of 910 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2257 are starting to constrain the upper ceiling. The medium preset at 150.3 FPS and high preset at 111.5 FPS show that the GPU still has plenty of headroom, but the CPU cannot push frame rates beyond the 167 FPS mark even at the lowest settings.

At 1920x1080, the CPU's role becomes unmistakable. The difference between Low (183.4 FPS) and Medium (166.1 FPS) is only 17.3 FPS, and the difference between High (143.5 FPS) and Ultra (133.5 FPS) is just 10.0 FPS. This compression of frame rates across presets is a clear indicator that the i5-12400 is the bottleneck. The GPU could render far more frames if the CPU could issue draw calls faster. The 1080p Low result of 183.4 FPS is likely near the practical limit for this processor in this game, regardless of the GPU's capabilities.

The data supports a straightforward interpretation: at 4K, the RTX 5090 determines the experience; at 1440p, both components share the load; at 1080p, the i5-12400 is the limiting factor. The i5-12400's Passmark single-thread score of 3456 and Geekbench single-core score of 1848 are adequate for 4K and 1440p, but they cap the potential at 1080p. For users targeting high refresh rates at 1080p, a stronger CPU would be necessary to fully utilize the RTX 5090.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination ranks 132nd out of 3714 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the top 3.6% of all tested configurations, which is a strong showing given the CPU's mid-range positioning. The percentileVsAllCpus for the i5-12400 is 72, meaning it outperforms 72% of all CPUs in the database, while the RTX 5090's percentileVsAllGpus is 92, outperforming 92% of all GPUs.

The rank of 132 is notable when considering the CPU's limitations. Many combos ranked above this pair likely feature higher-end processors such as Intel Core i7 or i9 parts, or AMD Ryzen 7/9 chips, paired with similarly powerful GPUs. The fact that this combo still reaches 132nd place suggests that the RTX 5090's raw performance compensates for the i5-12400's modest core count. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (79.1 FPS) and 1440p Ultra (106.4 FPS) are both excellent, and the rank reflects that the GPU does most of the heavy lifting.

The delta between this combo and the top-ranked ones is not shown in the data, but the 132nd position out of 3714 indicates that there are 131 configurations that perform better. Given that the RTX 5090 is the fastest consumer GPU in the database (with a Passmark G3D score of 39650 and an average benchmark score of 79842), the combos ahead of this one must rely on CPUs with significantly higher single-thread performance. The i5-12400's 3DMark single-thread score of 910 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2257 are decent but not class-leading, which explains why the combo is not ranked even higher.

FAQ

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

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 79.1 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold. All four presets at 4K are playable, with High at 85.1 FPS, Medium at 110.4 FPS, and Low at 138.9 FPS.

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

A: The best settings preset at 2560x1440 is Ultra, which achieves an average of 106.4 FPS. This is well above the playable threshold of 60 FPS, and it is the most demanding preset that remains playable.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data indicates the CPU is the bottleneck at 1920x1080. The frame rate difference between Low (183.4 FPS) and Ultra (133.5 FPS) is only 49.9 FPS, which is the smallest spread across all resolutions. This suggests the i5-12400 cannot push frame rates much higher than 183 FPS regardless of the GPU's capabilities.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 132nd out of 3714 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the top 3.6% of all configurations in the database.

Q: What is the minimum average FPS across all tested settings?

A: The minimum average FPS is 79.1 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is the lowest measured value, and it still exceeds the 60 FPS playable threshold by a comfortable margin.

Q: Does the RTX 5090's performance justify pairing it with the i5-12400?

A: The benchmark results show that the combination works effectively, especially at 4K and 1440p. The RTX 5090's average benchmark score of 79842 and percentile rank of 92 indicate it is a top-tier GPU, and the measured FPS at higher resolutions reflects that. However, at 1080p, the CPU limits performance, so the GPU's full potential is not realized.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the Intel Core i5-12400, the nearest rivals based on average benchmark score are the AMD EPYC 7643 (delta of -0.1%), Intel Core i7-1355U (delta of -0.3%), AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 (delta of -0.7%), and Intel Core i3-14100F (delta of 0.9%). The i3-14100F is particularly interesting because it is slightly faster by 0.9% and would likely behave nearly identically in Microsoft Flight Simulator. The AMD EPYC 7643 is a server-class chip, but its performance profile is similar to the i5-12400 in synthetic benchmarks, though its gaming performance may differ due to different architecture priorities.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090, the nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (delta of 0.3%), NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (delta of 0.6%), AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (delta of 1.1%), and AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X (delta of -1.4%). These are not direct consumer gaming equivalents, but the data shows they have similar average benchmark scores. The Tesla P100 cards are datacenter-oriented, while the RX 6850M XT is a mobile GPU. In practical terms, none of these are likely substitutes for gaming, but the deltaPct values indicate that the RTX 5090 is within 1.4% of these alternatives in synthetic tests.

In real-world gaming, a combo using the i3-14100F instead of the i5-12400 would be expected to produce nearly identical frame rates, given the 0.9% delta in average score. On the GPU side, there are no direct consumer rivals within the delta range shown, which reflects the RTX 5090's position at the top of the performance stack. Users seeking similar behavior would need to look at other high-end NVIDIA or AMD cards, but the data does not provide specific names or scores for those.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which achieves an average of 79.1 FPS. This is the recommended setting for 4K, as it delivers the best visual quality while maintaining a comfortable margin above the playable threshold. High (85.1 FPS), Medium (110.4 FPS), and Low (138.9 FPS) are also playable, but Ultra provides the maximum fidelity without sacrificing smoothness.

At 2560x1440, the best settings preset is Ultra with an average of 106.4 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold, and it is the most demanding option available. The next step down, High, achieves 111.5 FPS, but the difference of 5.1 FPS is negligible, so users should stick with Ultra for the best visual experience.

At 1920x1080, the best settings preset is Ultra with an average of 133.5 FPS. This is significantly above the playable threshold, and it provides the highest frame rate among all Ultra presets across the three resolutions. The data shows that this combo is more than capable of handling the game at maximum settings at 1080p, with enough headroom for high-refresh-rate monitors up to 120 Hz or even 144 Hz.