Microsoft Flight Simulator

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the Intel Arc B390 delivers a very limited experience in Microsoft Flight Simulator. The recorded data shows that this combination struggles to maintain smooth frame rates across all tested resolutions and presets. At 3840x2160, the best average frame rate observed is 33 FPS on Low settings, while High and Ultra presets both average just 19 FPS. Medium settings at this resolution yield an average of 26 FPS, with a minimum of 22 FPS and a maximum of 30 FPS. The Arc B390, an integrated graphics solution, is clearly the limiting factor here, as even the most demanding settings produce sub-30 FPS averages.

Moving to 2560x1440, the situation improves slightly but remains far from the 60 FPS playable threshold. Low settings produce an average of 45 FPS, while Medium settings average 35 FPS with a range of 30 to 40 FPS. High settings drop to 26 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 25 FPS. At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, Low settings average 56 FPS, which is the closest this combo gets to playability. Medium settings average 43 FPS, with a minimum of 37 FPS and a maximum of 50 FPS. High settings average 33 FPS, and Ultra settings average 31 FPS. Across all resolutions and presets, no configuration reaches the 60 FPS threshold, and the verdict data confirms that no playable settings exist at any resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rate data for Microsoft Flight Simulator shows a clear pattern of diminishing returns as resolution increases. At 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only profile with a recorded average above 20 FPS, hitting 33 FPS. The medium preset at this resolution averages 26 FPS, with recorded lows of 22 FPS and highs of 30 FPS. High and Ultra presets both average 19 FPS, indicating that the integrated Arc B390 cannot leverage additional graphical fidelity without significant frame rate penalties. The average frame rate at 3840x2160 across presets spans a narrow range, with only 14 FPS separating the lowest and highest averages recorded at High and Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 45 FPS, while the Medium preset averages 35 FPS with a spread from 30 to 40 FPS. High settings average 26 FPS, and Ultra settings average 25 FPS, the latter being the slowest average recorded at this resolution. The difference between the fastest preset average at 2560x1440 Low and the slowest at Ultra is 20 FPS, showing a steep drop as settings intensity increases. At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 56 FPS, with no recorded minimum or maximum values recorded. Medium settings average 43 FPS, with a minimum of 37 FPS and a maximum of 50 FPS, a spread of 13 FPS across the recorded range. High settings average 33 FPS, and Ultra settings average 31 FPS, the latter being the second slowest preset average at this resolution, only 2 FPS behind High.

The data indicates that frame times at 1920x1080 Low are nearly playable, at 56 FPS average, while every other tested preset at this resolution sits below 45 FPS or lower. Across all measured resolutions, the average frame rates never exceed 56 FPS, and the only presets with recorded minimums are Medium at all three resolutions. The recorded data shows that at 3840x2160 Medium, the minimum is 22 FPS and the maximum is 30 FPS, while at 2560x1440 Medium, the minimum is 30 FPS and the maximum is 40 FPS, and at 1920x1080 Medium, the minimum is 37 FPS and the maximum is 50 FPS. These are the only three configurations with complete min/avg/max data, and each shows that the Arc B390 operates within a constrained performance envelope.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested CPU and GPU combinations for Microsoft Flight Simulator, this pairing ranks 3302 out of 3714 total combos. That places the Intel Core i5-14600KF and Intel Arc B390 in the bottom 11 percent of all tested configurations, meaning that roughly 89 percent of tested combos achieve better frame rates in this title. The rank reflects the severe bottleneck imposed by the integrated Arc B390, which has a percentile ranking of 9 among all GPUs in the database. The CPU, by contrast, is a strong performer, with a percentile ranking of 90 among all CPUs, but the GPU's low percentile dominates the in-game outcome.

The Arc B390's nearest rivals in the database are all legacy NVIDIA parts: the GeForce GT 520MX, the GeForce 800M, the GeForce GT 625 OEM, and the GeForce GT 710. The B390 scores 1482 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark, which is 1.3 percent higher than the GT 520MX, 1.5 percent higher than the GeForce 800M, 2.5 percent higher than the GT 625 OEM, and 2.7 percent higher than the GT 710. These narrow deltas in synthetic testing do not translate into playable flight simulation performance, as the game's demands exceed what this class of GPU can deliver. The CPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, which scores 0.3 percent higher, and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, which scores 0.4 percent higher, while the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 scores 0.8 percent higher and the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 scores 0.8 percent lower. This indicates that the i5-14600KF is competitive with modern mid-range and high-end processors, but the GPU pairing negates that advantage in this specific game.

The combination rank of 3302 out of 3714 is a direct consequence of the GPU's limitations, as the CPU's high percentile and strong synthetic benchmarks, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32544 and a single-core score of 4594, cannot compensate for the Arc B390's low throughput. The data suggests that this combo is better suited for less demanding titles or for use with a discrete GPU, as the integrated graphics cannot sustain the frame rates required for Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Best Settings per Resolution

The database records no playable settings for this combination at any resolution, as the playable threshold is set at 60 FPS and no tested preset reaches that mark. At 3840x2160, the best average frame rate is 33 FPS on Low settings, which is 27 FPS short of the playable threshold. At 2560x1440, the best average is 45 FPS on Low settings, which is 15 FPS short. At 1920x1080, the best average is 56 FPS on Low settings, which is 4 FPS short of the 60 FPS target. Since no preset at any resolution achieves an average of 60 FPS, the verdict data lists no playable settings and no best settings for any resolution.

For users who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity, the Low preset at 1920x1080 provides the highest measured average at 56 FPS, though it remains below the playability threshold. The Medium preset at 1920x1080 averages 43 FPS, with a minimum of 37 FPS minimum, and a maximum of 50 FPS, offering a more stable frame time range than Low, which has no recorded minimum or maximum. At 2560x1440, Low averages 45 FPS, which is 11 FPS higher than Medium at the same resolution. At 3840x2160, Low averages 33 FPS, which is 7 FPS higher than Medium and 14 FPS higher than High and Ultra. The data shows that lowering settings provides consistent gains at every resolution, but the gains are insufficient to reach playable levels.

FAQ

Q: Can the Intel Core i5-14600KF and Intel Arc B390 run Microsoft Flight Simulator at 1920x1080?

A: No. The best average frame rate at 1920x1080 is 56 FPS on Low settings, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. Medium settings average 43 FPS, High settings average 33 FPS, and Ultra settings average 31 FPS.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded at 3840x2160 with this combo?

A: The highest average FPS at 3840x2160 is 33 FPS on Low settings, with Medium averaging 26 FPS, and High and Ultra averaging 19 FPS each.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 in 3DMark Steel Nomad?

A: The Arc B390 scores 2.7 percent higher than the GeForce GT 710 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark, with scores of 1482 and 1443 respectively, a delta of 2.7 percent.

Q: Which component is the main bottleneck, the i5-1000KF or the Arc B390?

A: The Arc B390 is the bottleneck. The CPU ranks in the 90th percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU ranks in the 9th percentile, and the GPU's nearest rivals are legacy NVIDIA parts like the GeForce GT 520MX and GeForce GT 625 OEM.

Q: Are there any settings at 2560x1440 that reach 60 FPS?

A: No. The best average at 2560x1440 is 45 FPS on Low settings, while Medium averages 35 FPS, High averages 26 FPS, and Ultra averages 25 FPS, all below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested configurations in this game?

A: The combo ranks 3302 out of 3714 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 11 percent of all tested CPU and GPU pairings for Microsoft Flight Simulator.

CPU and GPU Roles

The division of labor between the Intel Core i5-14600KF and Intel Arc B390 in Microsoft Flight Simulator is heavily skewed toward the GPU. The CPU is a high-end desktop processor with 14 cores, 20 threads, and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, and it sits in the 90th percentile of all CPUs in the database. Its synthetic performance is strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32544 and a single-core score of 4594, and its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 and Intel Core Ultra 5 245, both within 0.8 percent of its average benchmark score. In contrast, the Arc B390 is an integrated graphics solution with 1536 shading units, a boost clock of 2500 MHz, and a TDP of 80 W, and it ranks in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all over a decade old, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482 is the only benchmark recorded for it.

The scaling between resolutions demonstrates the GPU bottleneck. At 1920x1080 Low, the average FPS is 56, but at 2560x1440 Low, the average drops to 45 FPS, and at 3840x2160 Low, it drops to 33 FPS. This is a 23 FPS penalty when moving from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 at the same settings, which indicates that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are insufficient for higher resolutions. The Arc B390 uses system-shared memory with system-dependent bandwidth, which further limits its ability to handle the large textures and geometry of flight simulation at high resolutions. The CPU's role is less visible in the frame rate data, as the game's performance is constrained by the GPU at every tested configuration. The CPU's high single-core performance, as shown by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4594, is sufficient to feed the GPU, but the GPU cannot translate that into playable frame rates.

The settings scaling also points to the GPU as the limiting factor. At 3840x2160, moving from Low to Medium reduces the average from 33 FPS to 26 FPS, a 21 percent drop, while moving from Medium to High reduces it to 19 FPS, a 27 percent drop. At 2560x1440, Low averages 45 FPS, Medium averages 35 FPS, High averages 26 FPS, and Ultra averages 25 FPS. At 1920x1080, Low averages 56 FPS, Medium averages 43 FPS, High averages 33 FPS, and Ultra averages 31 FPS. The consistent drop across settings and resolutions indicates that the GPU's compute and memory resources are exhausted quickly, while the CPU remains underutilized. The data suggests that upgrading to a discrete GPU would yield substantial frame rate improvements, as the CPU has the headroom to support a more capable graphics card.

The Verdict

The Intel Core i5-14600KF and Intel Arc B390 cannot run Microsoft Flight Simulator at a playable frame rate at any tested resolution or preset. The verdict data lists no playable settings for 3840x2160, 2560x1440, or 1920x1080. At 3840x2160, the highest average is 33 FPS on Low settings, which is 27 FPS below the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440, the highest average is 45 FPS on Low settings, which is 15 FPS below the threshold. At 1920x1080, the highest average is 56 FPS on Low settings, which is 4 FPS below the threshold. The combo ranks 3302 out of 3714 tested combinations, and its performance is dominated by the Arc B390's 9th percentile GPU ranking. The CPU is a capable processor, ranking in the 90th percentile, but it cannot overcome the GPU's limitations in this game. For Microsoft Flight Simulator, this combination is not viable for 60 FPS gameplay, and the data indicates that a discrete GPU would be required to achieve playable frame rates.