Microsoft Flight Simulator

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for Microsoft Flight Simulator shows a clear performance hierarchy across the three tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, the combination of the Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 delivers its strongest results. The Low preset produces an average of 93.2 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded in the entire dataset. Moving up to Medium, the average drops to 71.6 FPS, still comfortably above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The High preset yields 53 FPS on average, while the Ultra preset falls further to 49.7 FPS. These figures indicate that the system handles 1080p gaming well up through Medium settings, but begins to strain at the higher presets.

At 2560x1440, the performance gap between presets becomes more pronounced. The Low preset returns an average of 71.8 FPS, which remains playable. Medium drops to 57.5 FPS, just short of the 60 FPS threshold. High averages 41.7 FPS, and Ultra is nearly identical at 41.4 FPS. The similarity between High and Ultra at this resolution suggests that the additional graphical features in Ultra do not disproportionately tax the system relative to High. The 1440p data shows a steep falloff once the preset moves beyond Low, with a 20% reduction from Low to Medium and a further 27% reduction from Medium to High.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles across all presets. The Low preset averages 54.9 FPS, which is the only 4K configuration that approaches playability. Medium averages 40.1 FPS, Ultra averages 32.3 FPS, and High averages 28.8 FPS. Interestingly, the ordering of High and Ultra is inverted at 4K compared to the other resolutions: High is the slower preset at 28.8 FPS, while Ultra is slightly faster at 32.3 FPS. This anomaly may reflect specific scene complexity or rendering path differences at this resolution. Regardless, none of the 4K presets reach the 60 FPS playable threshold.

The database does not include minimum or maximum FPS values for any resolution or preset, so the analysis relies solely on average frame rates. The absence of min/max data means that frame pacing and stutter behavior cannot be assessed from these measurements.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Microsoft Flight Simulator at 60 FPS on a 1080p monitor?

A: Yes, but only at Low and Medium presets. The measured average FPS is 93.2 at Low and 71.6 at Medium. The High preset averages 53 FPS, and Ultra averages 49.7 FPS, both below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

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

A: The Low preset is the only playable option at 2560x1440, with an average of 71.8 FPS. Medium falls to 57.5 FPS, just under the 60 FPS threshold, while High and Ultra average 41.7 and 41.4 FPS respectively.

Q: Is 4K gaming possible with the RTX 2060 and i5-12600KF in this title?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the highest average FPS recorded is 54.9 at the Low preset, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. All other presets at this resolution average between 28.8 and 40.1 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its closest GPU rivals in the database?

A: The RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 15290. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580, scores 15283, a delta of 0%. The AMD Radeon 680M scores 15270 (0.1% slower), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM scores 15199 (0.6% slower), and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 scores 15171 (0.8% slower). The RTX 2060 sits at the 58th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: What is the CPU's standing among its peers?

A: The Intel Core i5-12600KF has an average benchmark score of 27799 and sits at the 79th percentile of all CPUs. Its closest rival is the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D with a score of 27896 (0.3% faster), followed by the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U at 27887 (0.3% faster), the Intel Core i9-10900K at 27872 (0.3% slower), and the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE at 27712 (0.3% slower).

Q: Does the system perform better at 1080p Medium or 1440p Low?

A: The average FPS is nearly identical: 71.6 FPS at 1080p Medium versus 71.8 FPS at 1440p Low. Both configurations clear the 60 FPS threshold, but the 1440p Low setting offers a higher resolution with essentially the same frame rate.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU side, the database places the Intel Core i5-12600KF in a tight cluster of processors. The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D scores 27896, which is 0.3% higher than the i5-12600KF's 27799. The AMD Ryzen 7 6800U scores 27887, also 0.3% higher. The Intel Core i9-10900K scores 27872, 0.3% lower, and the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE scores 27712, 0.3% lower. In practical terms, these four processors are statistically indistinguishable from the i5-12600KF in average benchmark performance. A system builder swapping between any of these CPUs would expect similar CPU-bound behavior in Microsoft Flight Simulator, though the i5-12600KF brings its own architectural characteristics such as 10 cores and 16 threads.

On the GPU side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is bracketed by an eclectic mix of hardware. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 matches it exactly with a delta of 0%, despite being from an older generation. The AMD Radeon 680M integrated graphics is only 0.1% slower, which is remarkable for an iGPU. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM trails by 0.6%, and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 trails by 0.8%. These deltas are all within 1%, meaning the RTX 2060 and its rivals should produce nearly identical frame rates in GPU-bound scenarios. However, the RTX 2060 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, which may affect feature-specific performance in ways not captured by the average benchmark score.

Combining the CPU and GPU rival clusters, a system with an AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D paired with a GTX 580 would behave almost identically to the tested configuration in terms of average scores. Similarly, a Ryzen 5 8500GE with an RX 7600 would fall within a rounding error of the i5-12600KF and RTX 2060 combo. The database suggests that the tested system is representative of a broad mid-range performance band rather than a unique outlier.

The Verdict

The data indicates that this PC can run Microsoft Flight Simulator at 60 FPS, but only under specific conditions. At 1920x1080, the playable presets are Low and Medium, with average frame rates of 93.2 and 71.6 FPS respectively. The best playable setting at this resolution is Medium, which delivers 71.6 FPS. At 2560x1440, only the Low preset clears the threshold, averaging 71.8 FPS. The 1440p Low configuration is the best playable option overall in terms of resolution-to-performance trade-off.

At 3840x2160, no preset reaches the 60 FPS threshold. The closest is Low at 54.9 FPS, which falls short by approximately 8.5%. Users with 4K displays would need to reduce resolution or accept sub-60 FPS performance. The verdict by resolution is unambiguous: 1080p Medium is the sweet spot, 1440p Low is viable, and 4K is not playable by the 60 FPS standard.

How This Combo Ranks

The database ranks this specific CPU-GPU combination at position 2967 out of 3714 tested combos for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places the system in the lower third of all recorded configurations, which aligns with the measured results showing limited playability at higher presets and resolutions. The rank reflects the RTX 2060's relatively modest position at the 58th percentile of GPUs, while the i5-12600KF is stronger at the 79th percentile of CPUs. The combination's overall standing is dragged down by the GPU, which becomes the limiting factor at higher settings.

Out of 3714 combos, the system outperforms approximately 747 configurations and trails the remaining 2966. This is not a top-tier setup for Microsoft Flight Simulator, but it is far from the bottom of the list. The rank suggests that many other tested systems with stronger GPUs or more balanced pairings achieve higher frame rates at the same settings. For users targeting 60 FPS at 1080p Medium, this combo delivers, but it does not offer headroom for demanding presets.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS is Medium, with a measured average of 71.6 FPS. The Low preset is also playable at 93.2 FPS, but Medium provides better visual quality while still clearing the threshold by a comfortable 11.6 FPS margin. High and Ultra are not recommended for 60 FPS gameplay at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the only playable preset is Low, averaging 71.8 FPS. This is the best setting for 1440p, as Medium falls to 57.5 FPS, just below the threshold. The 1440p Low configuration offers a higher pixel count than 1080p Medium while delivering nearly the same frame rate, making it a viable alternative for users who prioritize resolution over preset quality.

At 3840x2160, there is no playable preset. The best option in terms of frame rate is Low at 54.9 FPS, but this falls short of the 60 FPS threshold. Users at 4K must either accept a lower frame rate, reduce the resolution, or upgrade the hardware.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear pattern: the GPU becomes the dominant bottleneck as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the frame rate scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 47% reduction (from 93.2 to 49.7 FPS), indicating that the GPU is heavily taxed by the increased graphical workload. At 2560x1440, the scaling from Low to Ultra is a 42% reduction (from 71.8 to 41.4 FPS), and at 3840x2160, the scaling from Low to Ultra is a 41% reduction (from 54.9 to 32.3 FPS). The consistent drop across resolutions suggests that the RTX 2060's rendering throughput is the primary constraint.

The CPU's role is more apparent at lower resolutions where the GPU is less saturated. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 93.2 FPS, which is high enough that CPU frame pacing and draw call processing can become relevant. The i5-12600KF's strong single-thread performance, evidenced by its 3dmark_single_thread score of 1016 and cinebench_r23_singlecore score of 3302, provides sufficient headroom for this workload. However, the 12600KF's multi-threaded capabilities, such as its cinebench_r23_multicore score of 23391, may not be fully utilized in Microsoft Flight Simulator, which tends to rely more on single-thread performance for flight simulation logic.

The resolution scaling from 1080p to 1440p at the same preset shows a consistent reduction: Low drops from 93.2 to 71.8 (23% reduction), Medium from 71.6 to 57.5 (20% reduction), High from 53.0 to 41.7 (21% reduction), and Ultra from 49.7 to 41.4 (17% reduction). This uniform drop across presets indicates that the GPU's pixel throughput is the limiting factor, not the CPU. The transition from 1440p to 4K shows a further reduction: Low drops from 71.8 to 54.9 (24% reduction), Medium from 57.5 to 40.1 (30% reduction), High from 41.7 to 28.8 (31% reduction), and Ultra from 41.4 to 32.3 (22% reduction). The larger reductions at Medium and High suggest that the GPU is pushed past its efficient operating range at 4K.

In summary, the RTX 2060 is the constraining component for this game at all resolutions above 1080p Low. The i5-12600KF provides adequate processing power, but the GPU's 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 192-bit bus width limit the system's ability to maintain high frame rates at higher settings. The CPU's 79th percentile ranking versus the GPU's 58th percentile ranking confirms that the GPU is the weaker link in this pairing.