Microsoft Flight Simulator

The Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination delivers playable frame rates across most of the tested spectrum in Microsoft Flight Simulator, but the margin above the 60 FPS threshold narrows quickly as resolution and preset complexity increase. Benchmark data from the measured FPS set shows a clear pattern: at 1920x1080, this pairing holds 60 FPS or better at every preset from Low through Ultra; at 2560x1440, it manages that feat at Low and Medium but falls short at High and Ultra; and at 3840x2160, only the Low preset clears the threshold. The following sections break down these results in detail, examine the CPU and GPU balance, and contextualize the combo's standing among other tested configurations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the i5-13400F and RTX 4060 produce their strongest results. The Low preset averages 118.9 FPS, which is the highest measured value for this combo across any resolution or setting. Medium drops to 94.0 FPS, still well above the playable threshold. High averages 70.8 FPS, and even the most demanding Ultra preset maintains 66.5 FPS. Every one of these four settings stays above 60 FPS, so at 1080p the user has full freedom to choose visual quality without sacrificing smoothness.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance curve shifts downward but remains respectable at lower presets. Low averages 96.3 FPS, which is a 19.3% reduction compared to the same preset at 1080p. Medium averages 75.7 FPS, still comfortably above 60 FPS. High drops to 57.0 FPS, falling just short of the playable threshold. Ultra averages 50.6 FPS, a more significant shortfall. The data indicates that 1440p users should stick with Medium or below to maintain a 60 FPS experience.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 4060's 8 GB memory and 128-bit bus become limiting factors. Low averages 70.4 FPS, the only playable preset at this resolution. Medium averages 54.7 FPS, which is below the threshold. High averages 43.9 FPS, and Ultra averages 41.0 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium at 4K is 15.7 FPS, suggesting a steep cost for the next step up in visual complexity. None of the higher presets come close to 60 FPS, so 4K gaming with this combo requires accepting the Low preset.

Across all resolutions, the pattern holds: Low is always the fastest, Ultra is always the slowest, and the deltas between presets are consistent. At 1080p, the spread from Low to Ultra is 52.4 FPS; at 1440p, it is 45.7 FPS; at 4K, it is 29.4 FPS. This compression at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU becomes more dominant as pixel count rises.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Microsoft Flight Simulator at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings?

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 1080p Ultra is 66.5, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best preset for 2560x1440 to stay above 60 FPS?

A: Medium, with an average of 75.7 FPS. High drops to 57.0 FPS, which is below the threshold.

Q: Does the RTX 4060 handle 4K resolution in this game?

A: Only at the Low preset, which averages 70.4 FPS. Medium averages 54.7 FPS, and both High and Ultra fall further behind at 43.9 and 41.0 FPS respectively.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 1440p at the same preset?

A: At Low, the average drops from 118.9 FPS to 96.3 FPS, a 22.6 FPS reduction. At Medium, the drop is from 94.0 FPS to 75.7 FPS, an 18.3 FPS reduction.

Q: Is the Ultra preset playable at any resolution for this combo?

A: Yes, but only at 1920x1080, where it averages 66.5 FPS. At 1440p Ultra the average is 50.6 FPS, and at 4K Ultra it is 41.0 FPS.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combination?

A: 118.9 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low preset.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets reveals which component is the primary constraint at each setting. At 1920x1080, the CPU's role is relatively more significant because the GPU has fewer pixels to process. The i5-13400F, with 10 cores and 16 threads, posts a 3dmark_max_threads score of 7307 and a passmark_multithread score of 25032, indicating strong multi-threaded capacity. This is sufficient to keep the RTX 4060 fed at lower resolutions, as evidenced by the 118.9 FPS at Low and the relatively modest drop to 66.5 FPS at Ultra.

As resolution increases to 2560x1440, the GPU begins to take on a larger share of the workload. The RTX 4060's FP32 throughput of 15.11 TFLOPS and texture rate of 236.2 GTexel/s are the relevant limits here. The FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p at the same preset — for example, High going from 70.8 to 57.0 FPS — is a 19.5% reduction, which aligns with the increased pixel count. The CPU's contribution becomes less visible because the GPU is now the bottleneck at higher presets.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is unambiguously the limiting factor. The RTX 4060's 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth are modest by 4K standards, and the data shows that even Medium cannot hold 60 FPS. The CPU's performance headroom is irrelevant at this resolution because the GPU cannot keep up with the pixel workload. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (41.0) is nearly identical to 4K High (43.9), suggesting that the GPU is saturated regardless of the preset.

The preset scaling also illustrates this shift. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra costs 52.4 FPS, a 44.1% reduction. At 4K, the same move costs only 29.4 FPS, a 41.8% reduction — but from a much lower baseline. The percentage differences are similar, but the absolute values confirm that the GPU is the dominant constraint at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

Among all tested combinations in the database, this i5-13400F + RTX 4060 pairing ranks 1969 out of 3714 combos for Microsoft Flight Simulator. That places it in the middle of the distribution, slightly above the median. The percentile data for the individual components supports this: the CPU ranks in the 77th percentile among all processors, while the GPU ranks in the 61st percentile among all graphics cards. The combo's overall position is lower than the CPU's percentile would suggest, because the GPU's more modest standing drags the pair down in a game that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions.

The rank of 1969 out of 3714 means there are roughly 1745 tested combos that perform worse and about 1969 that perform better. This is not a top-tier configuration, but it is far from the bottom. For a flight simulator that demands both strong single-threaded and multi-threaded CPU performance, the i5-13400F's cinebench_r23_multicore score of 22604 and single-core score of 3191 are solid, but the RTX 4060's passmark_g3d score of 19545 is only average relative to other GPUs in the database.

The game's genre — flight simulation — tends to reward CPU performance for physics and scenery processing, but the measured FPS data shows that resolution scaling is the dominant factor here. The combo's rank reflects a balanced but not exceptional pairing: it can handle 1080p Ultra and 1440p Medium, but it cannot stretch into 4K territory beyond Low.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the i5-13400F's average benchmark score of 25292 is nearly identical to several other processors. The AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS scores 25284, a delta of 0%, meaning it would produce virtually the same CPU-bound performance in this game. The Intel Core 5 120 scores 25362, which is 0.3% higher, and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D scores 25365, also 0.3% higher. The AMD Ryzen 7 6800H scores 25201, 0.4% lower. Any of these CPUs would behave similarly to the i5-13400F in Microsoft Flight Simulator, assuming the same GPU and settings.

For the GPU, the RTX 4060's average benchmark score of 17639 is closely matched by several older or integrated parts. The AMD Radeon HD 7790 scores 17666, 0.2% higher; the AMD Radeon 780M scores 17588, 0.3% lower; the AMD Radeon Pro 560 scores 17551, 0.5% lower; and the AMD Radeon Pro 460 scores 17509, 0.7% lower. These deltas are all within 1%, so in practice, swapping the RTX 4060 for any of these GPUs would yield nearly identical frame rates in this game. It is worth remembering these rival GPUs have different architectural characteristics — the Radeon 780M is an integrated solution while the HD 7790 is a much older discrete card — but the benchmark scores indicate similar overall throughput.

If a user were to pair the i5-13400F with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D, the CPU performance delta would be negligible. Likewise, replacing the RTX 4060 with an AMD Radeon 780M would produce frame rates within 0.3% of the original. These alternatives represent the closest performance envelope for this combo.

The Verdict

The verdict by resolution is straightforward. At 1920x1080, this PC can run Microsoft Flight Simulator with every preset — Low, Medium, High, and Ultra — all averaging above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 66.5 FPS, so even the highest quality setting is playable. At 2560x1440, the playable settings are Low (96.3 FPS) and Medium (75.7 FPS), but High (57.0 FPS) and Ultra (50.6 FPS) fall short of the 60 FPS threshold. At 3840x2160, only Low (70.4 FPS) is playable; Medium (54.7 FPS), High (43.9 FPS), and Ultra (41.0 FPS) all fail to reach 60 FPS.

In practical terms, a user targeting 1080p can enable Ultra without concern. A 1440p user must choose between Medium and High, with Medium being the safer bet for consistent smoothness. A 4K user is limited to Low, which still provides a playable experience but sacrifices most visual fidelity. The data does not support running this game at 4K with higher presets on this hardware.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 66.5 FPS. This is the highest quality option available at this resolution, and it clears the threshold by 6.5 FPS.

For 2560x1440, the best preset is Medium, averaging 75.7 FPS. Low is also playable at 96.3 FPS, but Medium offers better visual quality while still maintaining a 15.7 FPS margin above the threshold. High falls below 60 FPS, so it is not recommended.

For 3840x2160, the only preset that clears 60 FPS is Low, averaging 70.4 FPS. Medium drops to 54.7 FPS, which is 5.3 FPS short of the playable threshold. Therefore, Low is the best and only viable setting at this resolution.

These recommendations align directly with the verdictByResolution data: 1080p Ultra (66.5 FPS), 1440p Medium (75.7 FPS), and 4K Low (70.4 FPS). Users who prioritize frame rate stability over visual quality could opt for lower presets — for instance, 1440p Low at 96.3 FPS — but the above choices represent the optimal balance of image quality and performance based on the measured results.