Microsoft Flight Simulator

The Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination delivers a consistently high-refresh-rate experience in Microsoft Flight Simulator, with measured average frame rates that clear the 60 FPS threshold at every tested resolution and preset. The data indicates a system that is not only playable but also offers substantial headroom for demanding flight scenarios, with the lowest recorded average being 60.8 FPS at 4K Ultra settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data reveals a clear performance gradient across the three primary resolutions. At 1920x1080, the combination performs exceptionally well, with average frame rates ranging from 99.4 FPS at Ultra settings to 183.3 FPS at Low settings. The Medium preset yields an average of 142.4 FPS, while the High preset produces 110.1 FPS. These figures suggest that at 1080p, the system has enough headroom to run the game at its highest visual fidelity while still maintaining a frame rate nearly 40 FPS above the playable threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS figures remain impressive, though the expected scaling penalty is evident. The Low preset produces an average of 147.7 FPS, which is a decline of 35.6 FPS from the 1080p result. The Medium preset follows the same trend, dropping to 117.1 FPS from 142.4 FPS. High settings yield 87.7 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 80.6 FPS. The performance scaling between 1080p and 1440p is nearly linear, indicating that the GPU is still the primary performance driver at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the performance curve flattens significantly. The Low preset average is 107.8 FPS, which represents a 75.5 FPS drop from the 1080p Low result. Medium averages 81.7 FPS, and both High and Ultra presets show an average of 60.8 FPS. The convergence of High and Ultra results at 60.8 FPS suggests that the CPU begins to impose a performance ceiling at 4K, as the GPU can handle the extra load but the frame rate does not improve proportionally. Notably, the average FPS for High and Ultra are identical, which indicates a bottleneck that is not resolved by lowering graphics detail.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, all tested presets remain above the 60 FPS playability threshold, but the Ultra preset provides the maximum visual quality while maintaining an average of 99.4 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, and the data shows it remains far above that line, making it the unambiguous choice for 1080p.

At 2560x1440, the same logic applies: the Ultra preset yields an average of 80.6 FPS, which is the highest quality setting that still clears the 60 FPS mark. The difference between High and Ultra is 6.9 FPS, but the margin over the threshold at Ultra is still a comfortable 20.6 FPS, so the user can choose the maximum visual preset without concern.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more nuanced. Both High and Ultra settings produce an average of 60.8 FPS. Since the Ultra preset provides the same measured average as High, it is the best setting to use at 4K as it offers the highest visual quality without any measurable performance penalty. The data shows that the system maintains an average of 60.8 FPS at Ultra, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold. Thus, Ultra is the recommended setting here, though the margin is slim.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, the measured average at 3840x2160 Ultra is 60.8 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold. This is the most demanding preset tested.

Q: What is the difference in performance between High and Ultra at 4K?

A: The measured average FPS is identical at 60.8 FPS for both High and Ultra presets at 3840x2160. The benchmark data shows no penalty for choosing Ultra.

Q: How much faster is the 1080p Low preset compared to 4K Ultra?

A: The 1080p Low preset averages 183.3 FPS, while 4K Ultra averages 60.8 FPS. The 1080p Low result is over 3 times higher than the 4K Ultra result.

Q: Is the system more CPU-bound or GPU-bound at 1440p?

A: The data shows a strong scaling between 1080p and 1440p for all presets. This indicates the GPU is the primary performance driver at 1440p, as the frame rate drops proportionally with the increase in pixel count.

Q: What is the best preset for a 1440p monitor?

A: The Ultra preset is the best choice, as it maintains a 80.6 FPS average, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold, while offering the highest visual quality.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination ranks 608th out of 3714 tested combos for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This placement places it in the top 16.4% of all tested hardware configurations. The data indicates a combination that delivers a strong performance profile, likely due to the balance between the CPU and GPU for this particular title.

Given the game's release date of 2020-08-17, this is an older title, and the combo is ranked highly, which suggests that it is a modern, high-end pairing. The rank of 608 with such a large pool of 3714 combos shows that this system is well above the median performer, and it is capable of running the game at high settings across all tested resolutions.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals in the benchmark database are all very close in average score. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U is a 0.1% difference, the Intel Core i9-11900 is a 0.2% difference, and the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS is a -0.2% difference. These are all within a single percentage point of the i5-14400F, so any of these processors would be expected to deliver similar frame rates in this game, all else being equal.

The GPU also has a tight grouping of near-equivalent performers. The NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile are both 0.1% slower in average score, while the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 is 0.2% slower. The RTX 4090 Mobile is 1% faster. These results show that the RTX 4070 SUPER is positioned within a performance band where minor score differences will not yield noticeable FPS changes in a game like Microsoft Flight Simulator.

The Verdict

This combination is fully capable of running Microsoft Flight Simulator at the highest settings for all tested resolutions. At 3840x2160, the best settings are Ultra, which maintains an average of 60.8 FPS, and the list of playable settings includes High, Low, Medium, and Ultra. For 2560x1440, the Ultra preset produces an average of 80.6 FPS, and again all presets are playable. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset reaches 99.4 FPS, with all presets yielding well above the 60 FPS threshold.

The verdict is clear: every preset in the factor pack is playable at every resolution. The system clears the 60 FPS threshold at the highest visual settings, and it has ample headroom to maintain smooth gameplay. The only point of caution is the slim 0.8 FPS margin at 4K Ultra, but it still clears the threshold. The data suggests that the system will not struggle with this title at any setting.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling between resolutions reveals the distinct roles of the CPU and GPU. When moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440, the frame rate drops by percentages across all presets. For instance, the Low preset falls from 183.3 FPS to 147.7 FPS, which is a 19.4% decrease. The Medium preset falls from 142.4 to 117.1 FPS, a 17.8% decrease. This consistent scaling with resolution is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where the GPU is the primary performance limiter at both 1080p and 1440p.

The transition from 1440p to 4K shows a different pattern. The Low preset falls from 147.7 to 107.8 FPS, a 27.0% decrease. However, the High preset falls from 87.7 to 60.8 FPS, a 30.7% decrease, and the Ultra preset also falls from 80.6 to 60.8 FPS, a 24.6% decrease. The fact that High and Ultra both converge to the same 60.8 FPS at 4K is a strong indicator that the CPU is now the limiting factor at this resolution. The game becomes CPU-bound at 4K, as the GPU is able to render the frames at a rate that the CPU cannot feed it data fast enough. Therefore, the GPU dominates performance at 1080p and 1440p, while the CPU matters more at 4K to keep the frame rate from bottoming out at 60.8 FPS.