Instant compatibility check with FPS benchmarks and optimization tips
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Performance
1080p (Full HD)
1440p (2K / QHD)
4K (Ultra HD)
Requirements Check
Recommendations
Your hardware doesn't meet minimum requirements for this game.
Your GPU supports ray tracing.
Average FPS: resolution vs quality settings
| Ultra | High | Medium | Low | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4K Ultra HD | 69 | 73 | 97 | 108 |
| 1440p QHD | 94 | 98 | 109 | 119 |
| 1080p Full HD | 104 | 105 | 117 | 128 |
Cell color: green is 120+ FPS, teal is 60+, amber is 30+, red is below 30. Cards marked Estimated above have no measured row and are scaled from your GPU benchmark percentile.
Performance Analysis: Microsoft Flight Simulator on Your System
Similar Performance Alternatives
The Intel Core i5-9400 sits in a tight cluster of comparable CPUs according to the recorded average benchmark data. Its average score of 2254 places it within a fraction of several nearby processors. The closest match is the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 with an average score of 2259, which trails the i5-9400 by only 0.2 percent. The Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264, a 0.4 percent advantage over the i5-9400 in the opposite direction. The Intel Core i7-10710U lands at 2248, effectively a 0.3 percent deficit, while the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 posts 2246, a 0.4 percent gap. These four rivals bracket the i5-9400 so closely that in practical terms, any of them would deliver nearly identical frame pacing in a CPU-bound scenario. The i5-9400 holds the 47th percentile among all tested CPUs, meaning it outperforms roughly half of the processors in the database while trailing the other half.
For the GPU side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER achieves an average benchmark score of 54209, placing it at the 86th percentile of all GPUs tested. Its nearest rival is the standard NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 with a score of 54247, a minuscule 0.1 percent difference. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828, which is 1.1 percent higher than the RTX 4080 SUPER. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB reaches 55698, a 2.7 percent lead, and the AMD Radeon 8060S tops the group at 55757, 2.8 percent ahead. The RTX 4080 SUPER is thus the slowest of its immediate peer group, though the deltas are small enough that all five cards would produce visually indistinguishable frame rates in most titles. When pairing the i5-9400 with the RTX 4080 SUPER, the GPU clearly outclasses the CPU in raw compute potential, but the benchmark data for Microsoft Flight Simulator shows the combination still delivers strong playable results across all tested settings, which suggests the flight simulator's workload does not fully saturate the CPU in this pairing.
How This Combo Ranks
The database records this specific CPU and GPU pairing at rank 779 out of 3714 tested combinations for Microsoft Flight Simulator. That places the combo in the top 21 percent of all systems tested for this game. The rank reflects the combined influence of the i5-9400's modest multi-threaded throughput and the RTX 4080 SUPER's exceptional graphics horsepower. In a flight simulator that stresses both geometry rendering and complex scenery streaming, the GPU carries most of the load, and the 86th percentile GPU ranking shows why this combo lands well above the median. The CPU's 47th percentile might suggest a bottleneck in other titles, but the measured FPS data for this game indicates the i5-9400 provides sufficient instruction throughput to keep the RTX 4080 SUPER fed at playable levels.
Compared to the full field of 3714 combos, a rank of 779 means the majority of tested systems fall below this pairing. The data also shows that the combination clears the 60 FPS playable threshold at every resolution and preset tested, which is a strong outcome for a CPU that predates the GPU by several years. The RTX 4080 SUPER's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 736.3 GB/s bandwidth likely contribute to the consistent performance, as flight simulator scenes often involve large texture sets and dense terrain data. The combo rank does not tell the whole story, but it confirms that this pairing is well above average for this specific game, even if the CPU is not a top-tier part by contemporary standards.
Measured FPS Breakdown
At 3840x2160, the recorded data shows a clear progression across presets. Low settings produce an average of 108 FPS. Medium settings drop to 97 FPS on average, with a recorded minimum of 82 FPS and a maximum of 111 FPS. High settings average 73 FPS. Ultra settings average 69 FPS. Notably, the Low, High, and Ultra runs did not record minimum or maximum values, so only the Medium preset provides the full range at this resolution. The gap between Low and Ultra is 39 FPS, which indicates the RTX 4080 SUPER has ample headroom even at 4K, but the i5-9400 may start to limit the lower presets since the CPU handles physics and scenery object updates regardless of graphics quality.
At 2560x1440, Low settings average 119 FPS. Medium settings average 109 FPS with a minimum of 92 FPS and a maximum of 125 FPS. High settings average 98 FPS. Ultra settings average 94 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 25 FPS, narrower than at 4K, which suggests the GPU is less of a constraint at this resolution and the CPU begins to play a larger role. The Medium preset's minimum of 92 FPS still clears the 60 FPS threshold by a wide margin. The Ultra preset at 94 FPS average is particularly strong, as it delivers near-100 FPS performance with all visual features enabled.
At 1920x1080, Low settings average 128 FPS. Medium settings average 117 FPS with a minimum of 99 FPS and a maximum of 134 FPS. High settings average 105 FPS. Ultra settings average 104 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is only 24 FPS, and the Ultra preset still holds above 100 FPS on average. The Medium preset's minimum of 99 FPS is the highest recorded minimum across all resolutions, showing that even in busy scenes with multiple objects on screen, the frame rate stays well within playable territory. The 1080p results reinforce that the i5-9400 is not a serious bottleneck here, since the frame rates scale smoothly with resolution and settings rather than hitting a hard CPU ceiling.
The Verdict
This PC can run Microsoft Flight Simulator at every resolution and preset combination that the database measured. The verdict data lists all four presets, Low, Medium, High, and Ultra, as playable at 3840x2160, 2560x1440, and 1920x1080. The playable threshold is 60 FPS, and every recorded average exceeds that mark. At 4K Ultra, the average is 69 FPS, which is 9 FPS above the threshold. At 1440p Ultra, the average rises to 94 FPS. At 1080p Ultra, the average reaches 104 FPS. The minimum recorded values, where available, also stay above 60 FPS: 82 FPS at 4K Medium, 92 FPS at 1440p Medium, and 99 FPS at 1080p Medium. No recorded frame rate in the dataset falls below the playable threshold.
The RTX 4080 SUPER is the dominant factor in these results. With 10240 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 112 ROPs, the GPU has enough raw throughput to handle flight simulator's demanding rendering at high resolutions. The 16 GB VRAM capacity also prevents texture streaming bottlenecks at 4K. The i5-9400, with 6 cores and 6 threads running at a 2.90 GHz base and 4.10 GHz boost, does not appear to drag the system below playable levels in this game. The verdict is unambiguous: this combination delivers a smooth experience across the board, with the best visual quality available at each resolution still holding well above 60 FPS.
FAQ
Q: Can this setup run Microsoft Flight Simulator at 4K Ultra settings?
A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 69 FPS, which exceeds the 60 FPS playable threshold.
Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?
A: The highest average is 128 FPS, recorded at 1920x1080 with Low settings.
Q: Are there any settings where the frame rate drops below 60 FPS?
A: No. All recorded averages and all recorded minimums stay above 60 FPS. The lowest recorded minimum is 82 FPS at 3840x2160 with Medium settings.
Q: How does the RTX 4080 SUPER compare to its closest rival?
A: The RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54209 on average, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 scores 54247, a difference of 0.1 percent in favor of the standard RTX 4080.
Q: Is the Intel Core i5-9400 a bottleneck for this GPU in this game?
A: The data does not indicate a severe bottleneck. The combo ranks 779 out of 3714 tested combinations, and the frame rates scale consistently with resolution and settings, suggesting the CPU keeps up with the GPU in this specific title.
Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming with this combo?
A: Ultra settings at 2560x1440 produce an average of 94 FPS, making it the best choice without sacrificing visual quality.
Best Settings per Resolution
At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 69 FPS. The other presets also qualify: High averages 73 FPS, Medium averages 97 FPS, and Low averages 108 FPS. Since Ultra is the highest quality option and still clears the threshold by 9 FPS, it is the recommended setting for 4K.
At 2560x1440, Ultra is again the best choice, averaging 94 FPS. High averages 98 FPS, Medium averages 109 FPS, and Low averages 119 FPS. The Ultra preset provides the full visual experience while remaining comfortably above 60 FPS, with a 34 FPS margin over the threshold.
At 1920x1080, Ultra averages 104 FPS, which is the strongest result relative to the threshold. High averages 105 FPS, Medium averages 117 FPS, and Low averages 128 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1080p delivers a 44 FPS cushion above the playable threshold, making it the clear recommendation for this resolution. Across all three resolutions, the pattern is consistent: the RTX 4080 SUPER has enough headroom to enable maximum settings without compromising the 60 FPS target, and the i5-9400 does not prevent that outcome.