Microsoft Flight Simulator

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 combination delivers its strongest results. With Low settings the average frame rate reaches 128.3 FPS, which is the highest recorded value across all resolutions and presets in the database. Moving to Medium settings drops the average to 103.7 FPS, while High settings produce 76.7 FPS. Interestingly, Ultra settings at 1080p yield 77.8 FPS, which is actually 1.1 FPS higher than the High preset. This indicates that the Ultra preset at this resolution is not substantially more demanding than High in the measured scenario, or that the engine scales certain effects in a way that favors the Ultra configuration. All four presets at 1920x1080 clear the 60 FPS threshold, with Low and Medium both offering significant headroom above 100 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down but remains largely playable. Low settings average 110.1 FPS, Medium settings average 81.7 FPS, and High settings average 65.8 FPS. The Ultra preset falls to 58.5 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS playability threshold. The drop from Medium to High at this resolution is 15.9 FPS, while the drop from High to Ultra is only 7.3 FPS. This suggests that the High preset is the most demanding configuration that still maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS at 1440p. The gap between Low and Medium at this resolution is 28.4 FPS, which is the largest single-preset jump in the entire dataset, indicating that Medium settings introduce rendering features that have an outsized impact on frame rate at this pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes significantly. Low settings average 78 FPS, which is the only preset at 4K that clears the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings drop to 59.2 FPS, just barely missing the playable mark. High settings average 46.9 FPS, and Ultra settings average 46.2 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra at 4K is only 0.7 FPS, meaning that for this hardware combination, the visual upgrade from High to Ultra at 4K costs almost nothing in terms of frame rate. However, the jump from Low to Medium at 4K is 18.8 FPS, which is a substantial penalty. The data shows that 4K rendering with this CPU and GPU pairing is only viable at the lowest preset, and even then, the 78 FPS average leaves limited headroom for complex scenes that might cause dips.

The database does not include minimum or maximum frame rate values for any of the tested configurations, so the analysis relies entirely on average FPS. This means the recorded numbers represent typical performance, but transient stutters or frame-time spikes are not captured in the dataset. For a flight simulator like Microsoft Flight Simulator, where dense terrain and weather effects can cause sudden load spikes, the absence of min FPS data means that the margins above 60 FPS should be interpreted with some caution.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions reveals how the balance shifts between the Intel Core i5-9400 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070. At 1920x1080, the CPU has a more prominent role because the GPU is not fully saturated at lower pixel counts. The fact that Ultra settings at 1080p (77.8 FPS) outperform High settings at 1080p (76.7 FPS) suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU adequately even at higher preset levels, and that the bottleneck at this resolution is not consistently on either component. The 128.3 FPS result at Low settings shows that the CPU can push the GPU to very high frame rates when the rendering load is light, which indicates that the i5-9400's six cores and six threads are sufficient for this game at 1080p across all presets.

At 2560x1440, the GPU begins to take on a larger share of the workload. The frame rate drops from 110.1 FPS at Low to 81.7 FPS at Medium, a 28.4 FPS reduction, which is larger than the corresponding drop at 1080p (from 128.3 to 103.7, a 24.6 FPS reduction). This widening gap suggests that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor as pixel count increases, because the CPU work per frame does not scale as steeply with resolution. The High preset at 1440p (65.8 FPS) is 10.9 FPS below the High preset at 1080p (76.7 FPS), which is a moderate penalty. The Ultra preset at 1440p (58.5 FPS) falls below 60 FPS, and this is the first sign that the GPU cannot sustain the highest quality settings at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the dominant constraint. The difference between Low and Medium at 4K is 18.8 FPS (from 78 to 59.2), and the difference between Medium and High is 12.3 FPS (from 59.2 to 46.9). These are steep drops that indicate the RTX 3070's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 256-bit bus are being pushed to their limits. The CPU's role at 4K is diminished because the frame rate is low enough that the i5-9400 can easily keep up with the GPU's output. The fact that High and Ultra at 4K are nearly identical (46.9 vs 46.2 FPS) suggests that the GPU is saturated and that additional preset complexity does not translate into a meaningful frame rate change. The CPU's benchmark scores, such as the Cinebench R23 multicore score of 6629 and singlecore score of 935, place it at the 47th percentile among all CPUs, which is mid-pack, but the data shows this is sufficient for this game at all tested resolutions.

The recorded data indicates that the RTX 3070, which sits at the 61st percentile among all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 17208, is the component that determines whether the game stays above 60 FPS. At 1080p and 1440p, the GPU has enough headroom to handle the CPU's output. At 4K, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, and the CPU's performance becomes largely irrelevant to the outcome.

FAQ

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

A: No. The recorded data shows an average of 46.9 FPS at 3840x2160 with High settings, which is below the 60 FPS playability threshold. Only the Low preset at 4K reaches a playable average of 78 FPS.

Q: What is the best preset for 2560x1440 that stays above 60 FPS?

A: High settings at 2560x1440 produce an average of 65.8 FPS, which is the highest quality preset that clears 60 FPS at this resolution. The Ultra preset drops to 58.5 FPS, which misses the threshold.

Q: Is the Ultra preset at 1920x1080 significantly slower than High?

A: No. The Ultra preset at 1080p averages 77.8 FPS, which is actually 1.1 FPS higher than the High preset's 76.7 FPS. Both are comfortably above 60 FPS, so Ultra is the recommended choice at this resolution.

Q: How much performance does the system lose when moving from 1080p to 1440p at Medium settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the average is 103.7 FPS. At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the average is 81.7 FPS. This represents a drop of 22 FPS, or roughly 21 percent of the 1080p value.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance more at 4K?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor at 3840x2160. The data shows that High and Ultra presets produce nearly identical averages (46.9 and 46.2 FPS), which indicates the GPU is saturated. The CPU's performance is sufficient at this resolution because the frame rate is low enough for the i5-9400 to keep up.

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

A: The highest average is 128.3 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only preset and resolution combination in the dataset that exceeds 120 FPS.

The Verdict

The Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 combination can run Microsoft Flight Simulator, but the experience depends heavily on the chosen resolution and preset. At 1920x1080, all four presets clear the 60 FPS threshold, with the Ultra preset averaging 77.8 FPS. This makes 1080p the most forgiving resolution for this hardware, and players can safely enable the highest quality settings without worrying about dropping below playable frame rates. The Low preset at 1080p reaches 128.3 FPS, which is useful for competitive or high-refresh-rate displays, but the Ultra preset is the recommended choice because it delivers strong visuals with a comfortable margin.

At 2560x1440, the system remains playable for High, Medium, and Low presets. High settings average 65.8 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold but leaves only 5.8 FPS of headroom. Medium settings average 81.7 FPS, offering a safer margin for complex scenes, while Low settings average 110.1 FPS for maximum smoothness. The Ultra preset at 1440p falls to 58.5 FPS, which is below the playable threshold, so players should avoid Ultra at this resolution unless they are willing to tolerate occasional frame rate dips. The verdict for 1440p is that the system can run the game well, but the preset choice requires some care.

At 3840x2160, the system can only run the game at Low settings, which average 78 FPS. Medium settings drop to 59.2 FPS, just under the 60 FPS line, and High and Ultra settings fall to the mid-40s. For 4K owners, the recommendation is to use Low settings for a playable experience, or to consider lowering the resolution to 1440p for better visual quality at higher presets. The verdict by resolution is clear: 1080p is fully playable at all presets, 1440p is playable up to High settings, and 4K is only playable at Low settings.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Intel Core i5-9400 sits at the 47th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2254. Its nearest rivals in the database include the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, which has an average score of 2259 and is 0.2 percent slower, and the Intel Core i7-10710U, which scores 2248 and is 0.3 percent faster. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, making it 0.4 percent faster than the i5-9400, while the Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264, which is 0.4 percent slower. These four CPUs are all within a narrow band of performance, so a system built with any of them would deliver nearly identical frame rates in Microsoft Flight Simulator when paired with the same GPU. The differences are negligible in real-world gaming, and the choice between them would likely come down to platform features or availability rather than gaming performance.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 sits at the 61st percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17208. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT, which scores 17083 and is 0.7 percent slower, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690, which scores 17037 and is 1 percent slower. The AMD Radeon HD 7970M scores 17019, making it 1.1 percent slower, while the NVIDIA Tesla K40c scores 17468, which is 1.5 percent faster. For gaming purposes, the RX 7600 XT is the most relevant alternative, as the GTX 690, HD 7970M, and Tesla K40c are older or professional-oriented parts that would not offer the same feature set for DirectX 12 Ultimate or ray tracing. The RX 7600 XT would deliver essentially the same frame rates in this game, with a difference of less than 1 percent. The Tesla K40c is slightly faster in raw compute benchmarks, but its driver support and lack of modern gaming features make it an impractical choice for Microsoft Flight Simulator.

For players considering an upgrade or a different build, the data suggests that swapping the i5-9400 for any of its nearest CPU rivals would not meaningfully change the frame rates in this game, because the GPU is the primary constraint at higher resolutions. Similarly, swapping the RTX 3070 for an RX 7600 XT would produce nearly identical results. The performance envelope of this combination is well defined by the measured FPS values, and any of these alternatives would land within a few percent of the recorded numbers.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which averages 77.8 FPS. This is the highest quality setting available in the database, so players at 1080p can enable it without any concerns about playability. The margin above 60 FPS is 17.8 FPS, which provides some buffer for dense scenery or weather effects. Low, Medium, and High settings also clear the threshold, with averages of 128.3, 103.7, and 76.7 FPS respectively, but Ultra is the best choice because it offers the highest visual fidelity while maintaining a comfortable frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, which averages 65.8 FPS. This leaves a margin of 5.8 FPS above the playable threshold, which is acceptable but not generous. Medium settings average 81.7 FPS and provide a larger safety margin, while Low settings average 110.1 FPS for the smoothest experience. Ultra settings average 58.5 FPS, which falls below 60 FPS, so it is not recommended for 1440p play. Players who prioritize visual quality should use High, while those who want more headroom for complex scenarios might prefer Medium.

At 3840x2160, the only preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Low, which averages 78 FPS. This is the only playable option at 4K for this hardware combination. Medium settings average 59.2 FPS, which is just below the threshold, and High and Ultra settings average 46.9 and 46.2 FPS respectively, which are not playable for a smooth experience. The Low preset at 4K offers a margin of 18 FPS above 60, which is reasonable, but players should be aware that the visual quality at Low will be noticeably reduced compared to the High or Ultra presets available at lower resolutions. For the best balance of visuals and performance, the data suggests that 1440p with High settings is the sweet spot for this system.