Microsoft Flight Simulator

This combination of the Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 delivers a decisive performance tier for Microsoft Flight Simulator, with benchmark data showing every preset at every tested resolution clearing the 60 FPS playability threshold. The measured results place this combo at rank 198 out of 3714 tested configurations, positioning it in the top percentile of systems capable of running this demanding flight simulator. The data reveals a hardware pairing that scales predictably across resolution and quality settings, with the RTX 5080's substantial processing power compensating for the i5-12400F's mid-range standing among CPUs.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo produces its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings yield an average of 185.9 FPS, while Medium drops to 167.5 FPS. High settings average 132.7 FPS, and the demanding Ultra preset still maintains 121.7 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 64.2 FPS, showing that even the most demanding quality level leaves substantial headroom above the 60 FPS threshold. No minimum or maximum frame rate data is available in the measured results, so the analysis relies on average FPS values alone.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows expected scaling losses. Low settings average 172.8 FPS, Medium achieves 140.2 FPS, High produces 103.8 FPS, and Ultra maintains 101.7 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra here is 71.1 FPS, a wider gap than at 1080p, indicating that pixel count plays a significant role in how much quality settings impact performance. Even at Ultra, the average FPS sits 41.7 frames above the playability threshold.

At 3840x2160, the resolution demands become more apparent. Low settings still deliver 128.9 FPS, and Medium reaches 102.7 FPS. High settings average 79.1 FPS, while Ultra drops to 70.1 FPS. This Ultra figure represents the lowest average FPS across the entire measured dataset, yet it remains 10.1 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold. The resolution scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a performance reduction of approximately 42% at Ultra settings, while Low settings only lose about 31% of their frame rate.

The settings scaling reveals an interesting pattern. At every resolution, the jump from Low to Medium costs roughly 30-35 FPS, while the jump from Medium to High costs between 27 and 38 FPS depending on resolution. The High to Ultra transition is comparatively smaller at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K it costs 9 FPS, suggesting the GPU is nearing its saturation point for this game at that resolution.

FAQ

Q: Does this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 70.1 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS playability threshold by 10.1 frames.

Q: What is the best preset at 1440p based on the measured data?

A: Ultra is the best preset at 2560x1440, with an average FPS of 101.7. All four presets — Low at 172.8, Medium at 140.2, High at 103.8, and Ultra at 101.7 — remain playable.

Q: How does the CPU's benchmark standing compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400F has an average benchmark score of 19039, placing it at the 73rd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS, scores 19047 with a deltaPct of 0, while the Intel Core 3 201E scores 19056 with a deltaPct of -0.1.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded for this combo at any resolution and preset?

A: The lowest figure in the measured data is 70.1 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This remains above the 60 FPS playability threshold.

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

A: At 1920x1080 High settings, the average FPS is 132.7. At 3840x2160 High settings, it drops to 79.1 FPS, representing a loss of 53.6 FPS or roughly 40% of the 1080p performance.

Q: Where does this combo rank among all tested configurations for this game?

A: The combo ranks 198th out of 3714 tested combinations, placing it in the top 5.3% of all systems benchmarked for Microsoft Flight Simulator.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 198 out of 3714 tested configurations places this system firmly in the upper echelon of hardware pairings for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This ranking means the combination of the i5-12400F and RTX 5080 outperforms approximately 95% of all tested combos, despite the CPU's mid-range standing at the 73rd percentile among all processors. The GPU's 87th percentile ranking among all graphics cards likely carries much of the weight in this overall placement.

Within the context of the game's demands, the rank suggests that the RTX 5080's raw throughput is more than sufficient for the simulator's rendering requirements, while the i5-12400F's six-core, twelve-thread configuration provides adequate CPU support without bottlenecking the GPU at the tested settings. The ranking also indicates that only 197 other combinations achieve better performance, which typically requires both higher-tier CPUs and top-end GPUs.

The gap between this combo's rank and its individual component percentiles — CPU at 73, GPU at 87 — implies that the game's performance ceiling is heavily influenced by GPU capabilities. Since the combo outperforms its CPU percentile would suggest, the RTX 5080 appears to be the dominant performance driver in this pairing. The data's consistency across resolutions, with no preset falling below 70.1 FPS, reinforces this interpretation.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals, the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS produces an average benchmark score of 19047, essentially identical to the i5-12400F's 19039 with a deltaPct of 0. The Intel Core 3 201E scores 19056 with a deltaPct of -0.1, meaning it trails by a negligible margin. The Intel Core i5-1335U scores 18982 with a deltaPct of 0.3, and the AMD EPYC 7773X scores 18979 with a deltaPct of 0.3. These four alternatives would likely produce similar CPU-limited behavior in Microsoft Flight Simulator, though the EPYC's server-oriented design may not translate directly to gaming workloads.

On the GPU side, the AMD Radeon 8060S scores 55757 on average, which is 0.6% below the RTX 5080's 56083. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698, a 0.7% deficit. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X sits at 54828, 2.3% behind, while the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE scores 57367, which is 2.2% ahead of the RTX 5080. These deltaPct values suggest that swapping the RTX 5080 for any of these alternatives would produce comparable frame rates within a few percentage points, meaning the measured FPS figures would shift by roughly 1-3 frames at most presets.

For a user considering alternatives, pairing the i5-12400F with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE would likely yield slightly higher average FPS across all settings, while the Radeon 8060S or RX 6750 GRE would deliver nearly identical performance. The CPU alternatives listed would not meaningfully change the frame rates observed, as the game appears GPU-bound based on the resolution scaling patterns in the measured data.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which delivers an average of 121.7 FPS. This represents the best visual quality available while maintaining substantial headroom above the playability threshold.

At 2560x1440, Ultra settings also remain the best choice, producing an average of 101.7 FPS. The frame rate cushion of 41.7 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold means users can enable the highest quality options without risking playability issues.

At 3840x2160, Ultra settings still clear the threshold with an average of 70.1 FPS. While this is the lowest margin in the dataset, the 10.1 FPS buffer above 60 FPS indicates that the combo can handle the game's most demanding configuration at 4K resolution.

The verdict data confirms these selections, listing Ultra as the best settings for all three resolutions with the corresponding average FPS figures matching the measured results exactly.

The Verdict

This system can run Microsoft Flight Simulator at all tested resolutions and presets, with every configuration clearing the 60 FPS playability threshold. The verdict by resolution confirms that 3840x2160 supports all four playable settings — High at 79.1 FPS, Low at 128.9 FPS, Medium at 102.7 FPS, and Ultra at 70.1 FPS. At 2560x1440, the same four presets are playable, with Ultra achieving 101.7 FPS as the best setting. At 1920x1080, Ultra leads with 121.7 FPS.

The strongest performance margin exists at 1080p, where even the most demanding preset leaves 61.7 FPS of headroom above the threshold. At 4K, the margin narrows to 10.1 FPS at Ultra, but this remains a comfortable buffer for consistent playability. The data shows no scenario in which the combo drops below the playable threshold, making this a reliable configuration for the game across all tested resolutions and quality levels.

CPU and GPU Roles

The resolution scaling data reveals which component matters more for Microsoft Flight Simulator at each tier. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at Ultra settings, the average FPS drops from 121.7 to 101.7, a reduction of 20 FPS or 16.4%. At High settings, the drop is from 132.7 to 103.8, a 28.9 FPS reduction. These moderate losses suggest the GPU still has ample headroom at 1440p, while the CPU maintains consistent frame pacing.

The transition from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 shows more dramatic scaling. At Ultra, the FPS falls from 101.7 to 70.1, a 31.6 FPS loss. At High settings, it drops from 103.8 to 79.1, a 24.7 FPS reduction. This steeper decline at 4K indicates the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as pixel count increases. The CPU's role diminishes at higher resolutions, since the i5-12400F must process the same simulation logic regardless of resolution, but the GPU's rendering workload grows exponentially.

Across all resolutions, the settings scaling follows a consistent pattern where Low to Medium costs roughly 30 FPS, Medium to High costs 27-38 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 10-31 FPS depending on resolution. This consistency suggests the CPU handles the simulation layer proficiently at all quality levels, while the GPU bears the burden of increased visual fidelity. At 1080p, the CPU likely contributes more to frame rate stability given the lower rendering load, while at 4K, the RTX 5080's capabilities determine the performance ceiling.