Microsoft Flight Simulator

The Intel Core i5-13400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 delivers a robust experience in Microsoft Flight Simulator, with benchmark data showing that the combination is capable of high frame rates across all tested resolutions. The measured results place this combo at rank 729 out of 3714 tested configurations, indicating it sits in the top 20% of systems evaluated. The data shows a clear scaling pattern: as resolution increases, average frame rates decline predictably, but the system remains comfortably above the 60 FPS playable threshold at every setting except for Ultra at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system produces its highest frame rates. With Low settings, the average FPS reaches 176, while High settings yield 103 FPS on average. Medium settings deliver 137 FPS with a minimum of 116 and a maximum of 157, providing a tightly consistent window. Ultra settings still produce 98 FPS on average, which is well above the playability threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong. Low settings average 142 FPS, and High settings drop to 83 FPS. Medium settings show an average of 110 FPS with a minimum of 94 and a maximum of 127, while Ultra settings maintain an average of 79 FPS. The step from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 20-25% of the average frame rate at each corresponding preset, which is a typical scaling pattern for a flight simulator that relies heavily on both CPU and GPU resources.

At 3840x2160, the demands increase substantially. Low settings still manage an average of 105 FPS, but Medium settings fall to 81 FPS with a minimum of 69 and a maximum of 94. High settings average 61 FPS, which is barely above the 60 FPS threshold, while Ultra settings dip to an average of 58 FPS, missing the playable mark. The data shows that the 4K Ultra preset is the only configuration where this combo fails to maintain 60 FPS, and even then, the deficit is only 2 FPS.

CPU and GPU Roles

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor with a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, and it holds a 77th percentile ranking among all CPUs. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070, with 6144 shading units and 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus, holds an 82nd percentile among all GPUs. In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the data suggests that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU maintains sufficient headroom.

Evidence for this comes from the scaling between presets. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 78 FPS (176 down to 98), which is a 44% reduction. At 1440p, the same comparison shows a 63 FPS drop (142 down to 79), also a 44% reduction. At 4K, the drop from Low to Ultra is 47 FPS (105 down to 58), a 45% reduction. This consistent percentage reduction across resolutions indicates that the relative workload shift between CPU and GPU is stable, with the GPU handling the extra pixel throughput as resolution increases.

However, the absolute frame rates at 4K Low (105 FPS) versus 1080p Low (176 FPS) show a 40% performance hit from resolution alone, while the CPU work per frame remains largely unchanged. This points to the RTX 5070 being the limiting factor at 4K, as the i5-13400F has enough single-thread performance—evidenced by its 3191 Cinebench R23 single-core score—to feed the GPU adequately. At 1080p and 1440p, the CPU and GPU are more balanced, with the GPU still dominating the frame time budget but the CPU never falling below the required throughput.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, but barely. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with High settings is 61, which sits just 1 FPS above the 60 FPS playable threshold. This is the most demanding preset that remains playable at 4K.

Q: What is the highest preset that maintains 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: Ultra settings at 2560x1440 produce an average of 79 FPS, which is significantly above the threshold. All four presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are playable at this resolution.

Q: How does the i5-13400F compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The i5-13400F has an average benchmark score of 25292, which is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS (25284, 0% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 7 6800H (25201, 0.4% delta). It trails the Intel Core 5 120 by 0.3% and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D by 0.3%, meaning performance is effectively tied across these four processors.

Q: Is the RTX 5070 significantly faster than its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 5070 has an average benchmark score of 40377. The nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon Pro 580 (40318, 0.1% delta), AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 (40063, 0.8% delta), and AMD Radeon Pro 5300 (40870, -1.2% delta). These deltas are within 2%, indicating near-identical synthetic performance, though real-world game results may vary.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the system averages 137 FPS, with a minimum of 116 and a maximum of 157. This provides a smooth experience with minimal frame time variance.

Q: Does the system ever drop below 60 FPS in the tested configurations?

A: Only at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, where the average FPS is 58. Every other tested configuration—across all resolutions and presets—maintains an average of at least 61 FPS.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the Intel Core i5-13400F's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS, Intel Core 5 120, AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D, and AMD Ryzen 7 6800H. All four processors have average scores within 0.4% of the i5-13400F, meaning any of these would deliver statistically indistinguishable frame rates in Microsoft Flight Simulator when paired with the same GPU. The Ryzen 5 5600X3D, with its 3D V-Cache, might offer different behavior in cache-sensitive titles, but the benchmark data shows no meaningful advantage here.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals to the RTX 5070 are the AMD Radeon Pro 580, AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100, AMD Radeon Pro 5300, and NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile. These GPUs have average scores within 2% of the RTX 5070. In practical terms, a system with the i5-13400F and any of these GPUs would produce nearly identical FPS numbers in this game, with the RTX 5070's 12 GB of GDDR7 memory and 672.0 GB/s bandwidth providing a modest edge in texture-heavy scenarios. The RTX A500 Mobile, despite being a mobile part, benchmarks within 2% of the desktop RTX 5070, which is notable for its lower power envelope.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 ranks 729th out of 3714 tested combos for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the 80th percentile of all configurations tested, meaning roughly 20% of systems perform better. The CPU's 77th percentile ranking and the GPU's 82nd percentile ranking are consistent with this overall position; the combo performs slightly better than the CPU would suggest alone, indicating that the GPU is the stronger component in this pairing.

In practical terms, this rank means the system outperforms the majority of tested hardware while not reaching the top tier. The gap to the top 10% is likely driven by combinations with higher-end CPUs like the Core i9 or Ryzen 9 series, which would provide additional headroom in CPU-bound scenarios, though the measured FPS data shows that this combo already clears 60 FPS at nearly all settings.

The Verdict

Yes, this PC can run Microsoft Flight Simulator. The verdict by resolution is clear: at 1920x1080, all four presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are playable, with the lowest average being 98 FPS at Ultra. At 2560x1440, all four presets are also playable, with Ultra averaging 79 FPS. At 3840x2160, three presets are playable—Low (105 FPS), Medium (81 FPS), and High (61 FPS)—but Ultra falls short with an average of 58 FPS.

The system is therefore a strong performer for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can handle the highest settings without issue. For 4K, the system is playable at High settings, but users seeking Ultra quality will need to reduce resolution or accept a frame rate just below the 60 FPS target. The data shows that the RTX 5070's 12 GB VRAM and 672.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for High settings at 4K, but the 80 ROPs appear to be the limiting factor at Ultra.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which achieves an average of 98 FPS. This is the recommended setting for maximum visual quality without sacrificing smoothness.

At 2560x1440, Ultra settings are again the best choice, producing an average of 79 FPS. This provides a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold while delivering the highest fidelity.

At 3840x2160, High settings are the most demanding playable preset, with an average of 61 FPS. This is a tight margin—just 1 FPS above the threshold—so users may prefer Medium settings (81 FPS) for additional headroom, especially in dense urban areas or with heavy cloud cover, where frame rates can dip from the average. The minimum FPS data for Medium at 4K is 69, which confirms that even the lowest frames stay above the playable line.