Microsoft Flight Simulator

The Intel Core i5-13400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is an unusual combination—a mid-range 10-core Raptor Lake CPU driving the most powerful consumer GPU on the market. In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the data shows this pairing delivers exceptional frame rates across all tested resolutions and presets, with the RTX 4090’s raw rasterization power overwhelming the simulator’s demands even at 4K Ultra. The measured FPS figures confirm that this system never dips below the 60 FPS playability threshold at any setting, making it a top-tier option for flight simulation enthusiasts who prioritize visual fidelity.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that maintains at least 60 FPS is Ultra, which delivers an average of 78.5 FPS. This is a significant achievement, as the gap between High and Ultra at this resolution is negligible—both presets produce identical average frame rates of 78.5 FPS. The data indicates that the RTX 4090 has sufficient headroom at 4K to run the game at maximum settings without compromising fluidity. Medium settings at this resolution push the average to 103.6 FPS, while Low reaches 137.4 FPS, showing that even at 4K, the system has substantial performance reserves for users who prefer higher refresh rates over maximum visual quality.

Moving down to 2560x1440, the Ultra preset remains the best choice, with an average of 105.2 FPS. This represents a 34% improvement over the 4K Ultra result, demonstrating that the GPU scales efficiently when pixel count decreases. High settings at 1440p yield 112 FPS, Medium reaches 146.2 FPS, and Low tops out at 177.3 FPS. The gap between Ultra and High at this resolution is only 6.8 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset’s additional graphical features cost relatively little performance at 1440p compared to the 4K scenario.

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates, with Ultra averaging 131.1 FPS. This is the first resolution where Ultra settings produce a triple-digit average, indicating that the CPU-GPU combination is well-balanced for 1080p gaming. High settings reach 139.4 FPS, Medium achieves 174.7 FPS, and Low hits an impressive 194.7 FPS. The 1080p results show only a 6% difference between Ultra and High, meaning users can enable maximum settings without sacrificing meaningful performance. Across all three resolutions, the Ultra preset consistently delivers frame rates well above the 60 FPS threshold, making it the recommended setting for users with high-refresh-rate displays.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific CPU-GPU combination ranks 129th out of 3,714 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the top 3.5% of all systems benchmarked. The ranking reflects the RTX 4090’s dominance in this title, as the GPU’s 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 1.01 TB/s memory bandwidth provide ample resources for the simulator’s complex rendering workloads. The i5-13400F’s 10 cores and 16 threads, with a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, contribute enough CPU throughput to avoid bottlenecking the GPU at most settings, though the rank suggests that systems with higher-end CPUs paired with the RTX 4090 do achieve better results.

The percentile data supports this interpretation: the RTX 4090 sits at the 88th percentile among all GPUs, while the i5-13400F ranks at the 77th percentile among CPUs. This discrepancy indicates that the CPU is the limiting factor in this pairing, particularly at lower resolutions where frame rates are higher and CPU overhead becomes more significant. However, the rank of 129 out of 3,714 still represents an elite performance tier, and the measured FPS data confirms that no practical playability issues exist at any resolution or preset combination tested.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Microsoft Flight Simulator at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the data shows an average of 78.5 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, which exceeds the 60 FPS playability threshold by 30.8%.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: Ultra settings at 2560x1440 produce an average of 105.2 FPS, making it the most demanding preset that stays comfortably above 60 FPS while delivering maximum visual quality.

Q: How does the system perform at 1080p with Low settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 194.7 FPS, which is more than triple the playability threshold and suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Q: Is there a significant performance difference between High and Ultra presets?

A: The difference varies by resolution: at 4K, High and Ultra both average 78.5 FPS, while at 1440p the gap is 6.8 FPS (112 vs 105.2), and at 1080p the gap narrows to 8.3 FPS (139.4 vs 131.1).

Q: What is the system’s overall ranking among tested configurations?

A: This combo ranks 129th out of 3,714 tested combinations in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the top 3.5% of all benchmarked systems.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at any resolution?

A: The i5-13400F ranks at the 77th percentile among CPUs, while the RTX 4090 ranks at the 88th percentile among GPUs, suggesting the CPU is the limiting factor—but the measured FPS shows no resolution falls below 78.5 FPS at Ultra settings.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Based on the nearestRivals data for the CPU, the Intel Core i5-13400F’s average benchmark score of 25,292 is nearly identical to several alternatives. The AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS scores 25,284, a negligible 0% difference, making it a direct performance equivalent despite being a mobile-oriented chip. The Intel Core 5 120 scores 25,362, which is 0.3% higher, while the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D scores 25,365, also 0.3% higher. The AMD Ryzen 7 6800H scores 25,201, which is 0.4% lower. These four CPUs would produce virtually identical frame rates in Microsoft Flight Simulator when paired with the RTX 4090, as the GPU dominates performance in this title.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090’s average benchmark score of 60,347 is closely matched by several alternatives, though the deltaPct values reveal interesting nuances. The Intel Arc Pro A60 scores 60,326, a 0% difference, suggesting it would offer similar raw performance in this workload. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 scores 60,140, which is 0.3% higher, while the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M scores 61,896, representing a 2.5% advantage. The AMD Radeon PRO V710 scores 58,657, which is 2.9% lower. These GPU alternatives would deliver comparable frame rates, though the RTX 4090’s 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth provide additional headroom for texture-heavy scenarios that these rivals may not match.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling across resolutions reveals which component matters more for Microsoft Flight Simulator at different settings. At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the dominant factor, as the transition from Low to Ultra settings costs 58.9 FPS (from 137.4 down to 78.5), demonstrating that pixel throughput is the primary constraint. The CPU’s role at 4K is minimized because the GPU is fully saturated with rendering work, and the i5-13400F’s 16 threads provide sufficient physics and simulation processing without becoming a bottleneck.

At 2560x1440, the balance shifts slightly toward the CPU. The frame rate range from Low (177.3 FPS) to Ultra (105.2 FPS) shows a 72.1 FPS spread, which is larger than at 4K, indicating that the GPU has more headroom and the CPU’s per-thread performance (single-thread score of 960 in 3dmark) becomes more relevant. The RTX 4090’s FP32 throughput of 82.58 TFLOPS is still the primary driver, but the CPU’s ability to feed the GPU with draw calls and simulation updates at higher frame rates starts to matter.

At 1920x1080, the CPU’s role becomes most pronounced. The frame rate range from Low (194.7 FPS) to Ultra (131.1 FPS) spans 63.6 FPS, and the absolute frame rates are high enough that the i5-13400F’s 10 cores and boost clock of 4.60 GHz are likely limiting factors. The CPU’s percentile ranking of 77% compared to the GPU’s 88% suggests that at 1080p, the system’s overall performance is constrained by the processor’s ability to process game logic and issue rendering commands. Users seeking even higher frame rates at 1080p would benefit more from a CPU upgrade than a GPU upgrade, though the current configuration still delivers 131.1 FPS at Ultra settings.

The Verdict

The verdictByResolution data is unambiguous: this system can run Microsoft Flight Simulator at every resolution and preset tested, with all configurations exceeding the 60 FPS playability threshold. At 3840x2160, the playable settings include High, Low, Medium, and Ultra, with Ultra being the best option at 78.5 FPS. At 2560x1440, all four presets are playable, with Ultra averaging 105.2 FPS. At 1920x1080, the same pattern holds, with Ultra delivering 131.1 FPS. The measured data confirms that the combination of the Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 provides a consistently smooth experience across all tested scenarios, making it a viable high-end configuration for flight simulation. The only caveat is the CPU’s slightly lower percentile ranking relative to the GPU, which may become more impactful in future titles or at higher frame rates, but for Microsoft Flight Simulator specifically, this pairing delivers outstanding performance.