Microsoft Flight Simulator

The Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is a combination that can run Microsoft Flight Simulator, but its capability is strictly resolution-dependent. At 1080p, the combo delivers a smooth experience on Medium settings, while 1440p users must drop to Low settings to maintain playability. The data shows that 4K is not a viable option for this pairing, as no settings preset reaches the 60 FPS playable threshold. The recorded measurements place this combo at rank 2859 out of 3714 tested combinations, indicating it sits in the lower-middle portion of the database’s performance hierarchy for this specific title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo covers three resolutions and four settings presets, with average FPS recorded for each configuration. No minimum or maximum FPS values were captured, so the analysis relies entirely on average frame rates.

At 1920x1080, the combo shows a wide spread of performance depending on the preset. Low settings produce an average of 92.9 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded for this pairing at any resolution or setting. Medium settings deliver 72.4 FPS, still comfortably above the 60 FPS playable threshold. High settings drop to 53.5 FPS, falling below the threshold, while Ultra settings yield 53.7 FPS, a nearly identical result that also misses the mark. The close pairing of High and Ultra results at 1080p suggests a bottleneck that prevents further scaling beyond a certain performance ceiling.

At 2560x1440, the performance curve shifts downward across all presets. Low settings average 75.9 FPS, which remains above the playable threshold. Medium settings produce 59.8 FPS, a marginal miss of the 60 FPS line by just 0.2 FPS. High settings average 46 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 40.8 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium at this resolution is notable, with the Medium preset incurring a significant penalty relative to the modest visual uplift it provides.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles across the board. Low settings average 54.1 FPS, which is the only 4K result that comes close to playability but still falls short of the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings average 39.4 FPS, High settings average 33 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 27.7 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra at 4K shows a steep drop of roughly 26 FPS, highlighting the GPU’s inability to sustain high frame rates at this pixel count.

How This Combo Ranks

The database ranks this CPU and GPU pairing at position 2859 out of 3714 tested combinations for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places the combo in the 77th percentile of tested systems, meaning roughly 23% of tested combos perform worse, while the majority of tested hardware delivers higher frame rates in this game. The rank reflects the overall balance of the Intel Core i5-12400F and the RTX 2060, neither of which is a top-tier part for this simulation title.

The CPU’s individual standing is stronger than the combo’s overall rank. The Intel Core i5-12400F sits in the 73rd percentile among all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 19039. Its nearest rivals in the CPU database include the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS with an average score of 19047, the Intel Core 3 201E at 19056, the Intel Core i5-1335U at 18982, and the AMD EPYC 7773X at 18979. The delta percentages among these rivals are minimal, ranging from -0.1% to 0.3%, which indicates the 12400F’s compute performance is effectively interchangeable with these other processors within measurement variance.

The GPU’s standing is lower. The RTX 2060 sits in the 58th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 15290. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 at 15283, the AMD Radeon 680M at 15270, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM at 15199, and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 at 15171. The delta percentages here are similarly tight, ranging from 0% to 0.8%, meaning the RTX 2060’s raw graphics performance is closely matched by these other options.

The combination of a mid-tier CPU and a lower-mid-tier GPU explains the combo’s rank. The CPU is capable of feeding the GPU adequately at lower resolutions, but the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases.

CPU and GPU Roles

The recorded data shows a clear division of labor between the CPU and GPU across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves its highest frame rates, with Low settings hitting 92.9 FPS. The performance drop from Low to Medium at 1080p is 20.5 FPS, and the drop from Medium to High is 18.9 FPS. However, the difference between High and Ultra at 1080p is only 0.2 FPS, which strongly suggests the CPU is the limiting factor at these higher presets. The GPU is not fully utilized at 1080p High and Ultra, as the frame rate plateaus despite the increased graphical load.

At 2560x1440, the scaling pattern changes. Low settings produce 75.9 FPS, a drop of 17 FPS compared to the same preset at 1080p. Medium settings produce 59.8 FPS, a drop of 12.6 FPS from 1080p Medium. High settings drop to 46 FPS, a 7.5 FPS reduction, and Ultra settings drop to 40.8 FPS, a 12.9 FPS reduction. The consistent downward movement across all presets at 1440p indicates the GPU is now the more significant constraint, as the increased pixel count directly taxes the RTX 2060’s rendering throughput.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the dominant factor. Low settings average 54.1 FPS, which is only 21.8 FPS lower than the 1080p Low result. Medium settings drop to 39.4 FPS, High to 33 FPS, and Ultra to 27.7 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 26.4 FPS, the largest spread among all three resolutions. This demonstrates that the RTX 2060’s 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 192-bit memory bus are insufficient for the demands of 4K rendering in this flight simulator, regardless of the CPU’s capability.

The CPU’s role is most visible at 1080p, where its 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient to maintain high frame rates on Low and Medium settings. The GPU’s role becomes more pronounced as resolution climbs, and by 4K the RTX 2060 is the clear limiting factor.

The Verdict

The Intel Core i5-12400F with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 can run Microsoft Flight Simulator, but only under specific conditions. At 1920x1080, the combo clears the 60 FPS playable threshold on Low settings, averaging 92.9 FPS, and on Medium settings, averaging 72.4 FPS. The verdict data confirms that 1080p supports both Low and Medium as playable settings, with Medium being the best playable option at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the combo clears the threshold only on Low settings, averaging 75.9 FPS. Medium settings at 1440p average 59.8 FPS, which misses the 60 FPS line by a narrow margin and is therefore not classified as playable. The verdict data lists Low as the only playable setting at 1440p.

At 3840x2160, no settings preset reaches the 60 FPS threshold. The best 4K result is Low at 54.1 FPS, followed by Medium at 39.4 FPS, High at 33 FPS, and Ultra at 27.7 FPS. The verdict data confirms that 4K is not playable at any setting for this combo. Users who want to run this game at 4K with this hardware would need to accept frame rates well below the playable standard.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For users considering alternative hardware, the database’s nearest rival data provides useful comparisons. On the CPU side, the Intel Core i5-12400F is statistically matched by several other processors. The AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS scores 19047, a 0% delta from the 12400F’s 19039. The Intel Core 3 201E scores 19056, which is 0.1% higher. The Intel Core i5-1335U scores 18982, 0.3% lower, and the AMD EPYC 7773X scores 18979, also 0.3% lower. Any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in Microsoft Flight Simulator when paired with the same GPU, as their compute performance falls within a 0.4% band.

On the GPU side, the RTX 2060’s nearest rivals are similarly close in raw performance. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 scores 15283, a 0% delta. The AMD Radeon 680M scores 15270, 0.1% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM scores 15199, 0.6% lower, and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 scores 15171, 0.8% lower. A system with any of these GPUs paired with the i5-12400F would produce frame rates within a few percentage points of the RTX 2060 results recorded for this game.

The practical takeaway is that the i5-12400F and RTX 2060 combination behaves similarly to a broad range of mid-range hardware from the same era. Users upgrading from a GTX 580 or a Radeon 680M would see minimal FPS differences in this title, while those considering an RTX 3050 OEM or RX 7600 would also land in the same performance tier.

Best Settings per Resolution

The most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS at each resolution is determined by the recorded data. At 1920x1080, the best playable setting is Medium, which averages 72.4 FPS. Low settings also clear the threshold at 92.9 FPS, but Medium is the highest preset that maintains playability. High settings at 1080p average 53.5 FPS and Ultra averages 53.7 FPS, both below the threshold.

At 2560x1440, the best playable setting is Low, averaging 75.9 FPS. Medium settings at 1440p average 59.8 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS line, so Low is the only preset that qualifies. At 3840x2160, there is no playable setting. The best recorded result is Low at 54.1 FPS, which still falls short of the threshold.

For users who prioritize visual quality over frame rate, the data shows that 1080p Medium offers the best balance for this combo. At 1440p, the trade-off is steeper, as moving from Low to Medium costs roughly 16 FPS and pushes the game below 60 FPS. At 4K, the hardware is simply out of its depth, and no settings adjustment can bring the frame rate into a playable range.