Microsoft Flight Simulator

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers substantial performance in Microsoft Flight Simulator, with measured frame rates that comfortably exceed the 60 FPS playable threshold across every resolution and preset combination tested. The data set includes average FPS figures for Low, Medium, High, and Ultra settings at 1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160, revealing a system that scales predictably with resolution and settings while maintaining headroom for demanding flight simulation scenarios.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that remains at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which produces an average of 73.9 FPS. This is the highest visual quality available, and the data confirms it stays well clear of the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset at this resolution delivers 78.8 FPS, Medium reaches 108.2 FPS, and Low hits 132.5 FPS, but Ultra is the recommended choice since it maximizes fidelity without sacrificing smoothness.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset again qualifies as the best settings option, with an average of 105.8 FPS. This represents a substantial margin above the playable threshold, allowing for full visual detail. The High preset at this resolution averages 109.2 FPS, Medium reaches 144.2 FPS, and Low produces 184.4 FPS. Since Ultra remains above 60 FPS by a wide margin, there is no reason to drop to lower presets for performance reasons.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset achieves an average of 131.3 FPS, making it the clear best settings choice. The High preset averages 135.4 FPS, Medium reaches 177 FPS, and Low produces 194.5 FPS. All presets at this resolution deliver frame rates far above the 60 FPS threshold, so the Ultra setting provides the optimal balance of visual quality and performance. The data indicates that this combination is never constrained by the playable threshold at any resolution, with even the most demanding configuration at 4K Ultra maintaining a 13.9 FPS buffer above 60 FPS.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals how the CPU and GPU contributions shift across resolutions and presets. At 1920x1080, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is 63.2 FPS (194.5 down to 131.3), indicating that the GPU is heavily utilized at lower resolutions where the CPU can feed frames quickly. The scaling from Low to Medium at this resolution is relatively modest (194.5 to 177, a 17.5 FPS drop), while the jump from Medium to High is larger (177 to 135.4, a 41.6 FPS drop), and High to Ultra is a smaller 4.1 FPS decline (135.4 to 131.3). This pattern suggests that the RTX 4090's rendering load increases significantly as settings rise, but the CPU maintains sufficient throughput to avoid bottlenecking until the highest presets.

At 2560x1440, the same trend continues but with reduced overall frame rates. Low averages 184.4 FPS, Medium 144.2 FPS, High 109.2 FPS, and Ultra 105.8 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra here is 78.6 FPS, wider than at 1080p, which points to the GPU becoming more dominant as pixel count increases. The CPU's role diminishes slightly at this resolution because the GPU takes longer to render each frame, but the i5-14400F still provides enough single-thread performance to keep the RTX 4090 well-fed.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's role becomes even more pronounced. Low averages 132.5 FPS, Medium 108.2 FPS, High 78.8 FPS, and Ultra 73.9 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra here is 58.6 FPS, and the gap between High and Ultra narrows to just 4.9 FPS. This compression at the top end indicates that the GPU is nearing its rendering limits at 4K Ultra, while the CPU's influence fades further. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings shows a 57.4 FPS drop (131.3 to 73.9), demonstrating that resolution increases place progressively more strain on the GPU rather than the CPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are 194.5 for Low, 177 for Medium, 135.4 for High, and 131.3 for Ultra. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a steady decline, with the largest single drop occurring between Medium and High at 41.6 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra is minimal at 4.1 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset adds only marginal rendering cost over High at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 184.4 for Low, 144.2 for Medium, 109.2 for High, and 105.8 for Ultra. The drop from Medium to High is 35 FPS, which is the steepest decline in this resolution tier. The difference between High and Ultra is again small at 3.4 FPS. Compared to 1080p, the Low preset loses 10.1 FPS, Medium loses 32.8 FPS, High loses 26.2 FPS, and Ultra loses 25.5 FPS, indicating that higher resolutions amplify the cost of medium and high settings disproportionately.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 132.5 for Low, 108.2 for Medium, 78.8 for High, and 73.9 for Ultra. The drop from Low to Medium is 24.3 FPS, from Medium to High is 29.4 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 4.9 FPS. Moving from 1440p to 4K, the Low preset loses 51.9 FPS, Medium loses 36 FPS, High loses 30.4 FPS, and Ultra loses 31.9 FPS. The data shows that the most significant performance hit occurs when transitioning from 1440p to 4K at the Low preset, while the Ultra preset's cost remains relatively consistent across resolutions.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals based on average benchmark scores, the Intel Core i5-14400F sits at an average score of 32279. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U is nearly identical with a score of 32233, a delta of 0.1 percent. The Intel Core i9-11900 scores 32226, also a 0.2 percent difference. The AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS scores 32354, which is 0.2 percent higher than the i5-14400F, while the Intel Core i7-12800H scores 32121, a 0.5 percent deficit. These rivals would produce very similar CPU-bound performance in Microsoft Flight Simulator, with the Ryzen 7 6800HS potentially offering a slight edge and the i7-12800H a marginal deficit.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 has an average benchmark score of 60347. The Intel Arc Pro A60 scores 60326, a negligible 0 percent difference. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 scores 60140, which is 0.3 percent lower. The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M scores 61896, exceeding the RTX 4090 by 2.5 percent, while the AMD Radeon PRO V710 scores 58657, a 2.9 percent shortfall. In practical terms, the Arc Pro A60 and Radeon Pro Vega 48 would deliver nearly identical frame rates to the RTX 4090, while the W6600M might push slightly higher numbers and the PRO V710 would lag by a small margin.

The Verdict

The data clearly indicates that this PC can run Microsoft Flight Simulator at all tested resolutions and presets. At 3840x2160, the verdict lists High, Low, Medium, and Ultra as playable, with the best settings being Ultra at an average of 73.9 FPS. At 2560x1440, all four presets are playable, with Ultra as the best settings at 105.8 FPS. At 1920x1080, every preset clears the 60 FPS threshold, and Ultra is the best settings at 131.3 FPS.

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 never drops below the playable threshold in any measured configuration. Even the most demanding scenario—4K Ultra—maintains an average of 73.9 FPS, providing a comfortable cushion above 60 FPS. The system offers the most headroom at 1080p, where even Ultra settings exceed 130 FPS, making it suitable for high-refresh-rate displays. At 1440p, the Ultra preset's 105.8 FPS average also supports high-refresh-rate monitors. The 4K Ultra result of 73.9 FPS is the only configuration that approaches the threshold, but it still remains safely above it.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, the measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 73.9 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best settings preset at 2560x1440?

A: The Ultra preset is the best settings at 2560x1440, achieving an average of 105.8 FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings?

A: At Ultra settings, the average FPS drops from 131.3 at 1920x1080 to 73.9 at 3840x2160, a difference of 57.4 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU play a larger role at 3840x2160?

A: At 3840x2160, the GPU is the dominant factor, as evidenced by the larger frame rate drops between Low and Ultra presets compared to lower resolutions.

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

A: The lowest average FPS in the data is 73.9 FPS, recorded at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Q: Are all presets playable at 1920x1080?

A: Yes, the data shows average FPS values of 194.5 for Low, 177 for Medium, 135.4 for High, and 131.3 for Ultra, all well above 60 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested hardware combinations for Microsoft Flight Simulator, this Intel Core i5-14400F plus NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 pairing ranks 134 out of 3714 tested combos. This places it in the top 3.6 percent of all configurations measured for this game. The high ranking reflects the RTX 4090's position in the 88th percentile of all GPUs and the i5-14400F's 83rd percentile standing among CPUs. The combination's ability to maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra, a feat achieved by only a small fraction of the 3714 tested setups, solidifies its position as an elite performer in the database. The rank of 134 indicates that while there are 133 combinations that achieve higher average scores, this pairing sits well above the median and delivers top-tier playability across all resolution and settings combinations.