Microsoft Flight Simulator

The Intel Core i5-13400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is a formidable combination for Microsoft Flight Simulator, delivering playable frame rates across all tested resolutions and settings. Benchmark data indicates this pairing ranks in the 92nd percentile of tested configurations for this title, with the GPU's raw throughput proving sufficient to drive even the most demanding Ultra preset at 4K. The following analysis details the measured performance characteristics, component roles, and optimal configuration for this hardware set.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest graphical preset this combo can run at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset is playable with an average frame rate of 70.4 FPS, while the High preset achieves 71 FPS. Both exceed the 60 FPS playability threshold.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded performance compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Core i5-13400F scores 22,604 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, placing it within 0.4% of the AMD Ryzen 7 6800H and 0.3% behind both the Intel Core 5 120 and AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D. Its average benchmark score of 25,292 is effectively identical to the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS at 25,284.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset produces 168.9 FPS average, while Ultra produces 91.8 FPS. This represents a 77.1 FPS drop (45.6%) when moving from the least to most demanding preset.

Q: Does the GPU maintain its performance lead over its nearest rival?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 54,209, which is 0.1% lower than the standard RTX 4080 (54,247) but 1.1% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (54,828). The performance difference between the SUPER and non-SUPER variants is negligible in synthetic tests.

Q: Which resolution shows the smallest performance gap between High and Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160, the gap between High (71 FPS) and Ultra (70.4 FPS) is only 0.6 FPS, making the Ultra preset essentially free in performance terms at 4K.

Q: Is the CPU's single-thread performance sufficient for flight simulation workloads?

A: The i5-13400F scores 3,191 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 960 in 3DMark single-thread tests, ranking in the 77th percentile among all CPUs. This indicates strong single-thread capability suitable for the simulation's core logic.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear shift in component bottleneck behavior across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the CPU's influence is most apparent: the RTX 4080 SUPER produces 193.6 FPS on Low settings, but this drops to 114.5 FPS on Ultra, a 40.9% reduction. The 1080p Low result suggests the GPU is capable of far higher output than the CPU can feed, as the 193.6 FPS figure approaches practical limits for the i5-13400F's per-thread performance.

Moving to 2560x1440, the GPU begins to assert dominance. The Low preset delivers 168.9 FPS, which is 12.8% lower than at 1080p, while Ultra drops to 91.8 FPS (19.8% lower than 1080p Ultra). This scaling pattern indicates that at 1440p, the RTX 4080 SUPER's rendering workload becomes the primary constraint, though the CPU still contributes meaningfully at lower presets where frame rates exceed 150 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is unequivocally the limiting factor. Low settings produce 122.5 FPS, which is 36.7% lower than at 1080p, and Ultra produces 70.4 FPS. The 4K Ultra figure sits just 10.4 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold, demonstrating that the RTX 4080 SUPER's 52.22 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 736.3 GB/s memory bandwidth are fully utilized at this resolution. The CPU's role diminishes significantly at 4K, where even the most modest preset keeps the i5-13400F below its saturation point.

Preset scaling further clarifies the split. Across all resolutions, the jump from Low to Medium costs between 20.1% (at 4K) and 17.0% (at 1080p) of frame rate. The Medium to High transition is smaller, ranging from 6.6% at 4K to 23.5% at 1440p. The High to Ultra step is the most variable: minimal at 4K (0.9%), moderate at 1080p (7.0%), and substantial at 1440p (8.8%). This pattern suggests that at 4K, the Ultra preset's additional effects are largely hidden by the GPU's memory bandwidth limits, while at lower resolutions the extra shader work becomes more visible.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination ranks 305th out of 3,714 tested configurations for Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the top 8.2% of all recorded builds. The ranking reflects the balance between the i5-13400F's 77th percentile CPU standing and the RTX 4080 SUPER's 86th percentile GPU position. The 305th rank indicates that while this pairing is strong, there are 304 configurations that achieve higher frame rates in this title, likely featuring newer or more expensive components.

The rank is particularly notable given the CPU's mid-range positioning. The i5-13400F's 10 cores and 16 threads provide sufficient parallelism for the simulator's multi-threaded rendering pipeline, but its 20 MB L3 cache and DDR4/DDR5 memory support do not place it among the top-tier processors. The RTX 4080 SUPER compensates for this, with its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 80 RT cores ensuring that the GPU never becomes the bottleneck until 4K Ultra.

Compared to the 3,409 configurations ranked below it, this combo demonstrates that a strong GPU can boost a mid-range CPU into the upper echelon of flight simulation performance. The 70.4 FPS 4K Ultra result is particularly impressive, as many higher-ranked configurations likely achieve this through more expensive CPUs rather than meaningfully faster GPUs.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals show that the i5-13400F's computational output is closely matched by several other processors. The AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS (average score 25,284, 0% delta) offers nearly identical multi-threaded performance, while the Intel Core 5 120 (25,362, -0.3% delta) and AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D (25,365, -0.3% delta) are statistically indistinguishable. The AMD Ryzen 7 6800H (25,201, 0.4% delta) completes the group. In practice, swapping the i5-13400F for any of these would result in frame rate differences well under 1% in Microsoft Flight Simulator.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4080 SUPER's performance envelope is shared by several cards. The standard RTX 4080 (54,247, -0.1% delta) is the closest equivalent, offering virtually identical average scores. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (54,828, -1.1% delta) is slightly faster in synthetic tests, while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (55,698, -2.7% delta) and AMD Radeon 8060S (55,757, -2.8% delta) both outperform the SUPER by a small margin. For this game, these alternatives would produce frame rates within 2-3 FPS of the RTX 4080 SUPER at any given resolution and preset.

A system using any of the rival CPUs with the RTX 4080 SUPER would maintain the same 305th rank or move within a few positions, as the CPU performance differences are negligible. Similarly, pairing the i5-13400F with the RTX 4080 (non-SUPER) would yield nearly identical results, since the benchmark delta is only 0.1%.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the best choice, delivering 114.5 FPS average. This exceeds the 60 FPS threshold by 90.8%, providing ample headroom for demanding scenes such as dense city flyovers or heavy weather effects.

At 2560x1440, Ultra remains the optimal setting, achieving 91.8 FPS average. This is 52.9% above the playability threshold, leaving comfortable margin for frame time spikes during complex scenery loading.

For 3840x2160, the Ultra preset runs at 70.4 FPS average, which is 17.3% above the 60 FPS floor. While this is the most demanding preset that stays playable, the margin is thinner than at lower resolutions. Users sensitive to frame rate dips may prefer High settings (71 FPS), but the data shows Ultra maintains the required performance.

The Verdict

This PC can definitively run Microsoft Flight Simulator at playable frame rates across all tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset clears 60 FPS with 114.5 FPS average, while at 2560x1440, Ultra produces 91.8 FPS. Even at 3840x2160, the most demanding configuration tested, Ultra settings maintain 70.4 FPS average.

The verdict by resolution confirms that every setting tier at every resolution exceeds the 60 FPS playability threshold. The lowest recorded average is 70.4 FPS (4K Ultra), which still provides a 17.3% buffer over the minimum playable rate. This indicates the combination has sufficient performance headroom for the game's most intensive moments, such as detailed airport approaches or heavy cloud layers.

For users prioritizing visual fidelity, the Ultra preset is viable at all resolutions. For those seeking maximum frame rates, the 1080p Low setting reaches 193.6 FPS, which would benefit high-refresh-rate displays. The system's weakest point is 4K Ultra, where the 70.4 FPS average leaves less margin for unexpected drops, but it remains comfortably playable.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080:

• Low: 193.6 FPS average
• Medium: 160.8 FPS average
• High: 123.1 FPS average
• Ultra: 114.5 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 168.9 FPS average
• Medium: 127.7 FPS average
• High: 100.6 FPS average
• Ultra: 91.8 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 122.5 FPS average
• Medium: 97.9 FPS average
• High: 71 FPS average
• Ultra: 70.4 FPS average

The data shows a consistent scaling pattern: moving from Low to Ultra costs 40.9% of frame rate at 1080p, 45.6% at 1440p, and 42.5% at 4K. The 1440p penalty is the highest, suggesting the GPU's shading units and memory bandwidth are most stressed at this intermediate resolution. The 4K penalty is slightly lower, indicating that the RTX 4080 SUPER's 256-bit memory bus and 736.3 GB/s bandwidth handle the increased pixel count more efficiently than the additional shader work at 1440p Ultra. Notably, the gap between High and Ultra at 4K is just 0.6 FPS, making High a redundant option when Ultra provides nearly identical performance with better visual quality.