Microsoft Flight Simulator

Measured FPS Breakdown

Microsoft Flight Simulator presents a demanding workload across all tested resolutions. The recorded data for the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 combination covers three resolutions and four quality presets, with average frame rates ranging from 42.6 FPS to 125.8 FPS. No minimum or maximum frame rate data was captured; the analysis relies entirely on average FPS values.

At 1920x1080, the combination delivers its strongest performance. The Low preset averages 125.8 FPS, which is the highest recorded value across the entire test matrix. Medium settings produce an average of 96.7 FPS, while High settings drop to 74.8 FPS. The Ultra preset maintains an average of 72.4 FPS, showing that even the most demanding settings at this resolution remain comfortably above the playable threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, frame rates scale downward as expected. Low settings average 101.1 FPS, still well above 60 FPS. Medium settings average 80.2 FPS, and High settings fall to 59.3 FPS, just slightly below the playable threshold. Ultra settings average 57.5 FPS, which is marginally lower than High and still below 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 5060 faces its toughest challenge. Low settings average 75.4 FPS, which clears the playable threshold. Medium settings average 56.7 FPS, falling below 60 FPS. High settings average 44.3 FPS, and Ultra settings average 42.6 FPS, the lowest recorded average in the entire dataset. The gap between Low and Medium at 4K is substantial, with a drop of roughly 19 FPS, indicating a steep performance curve as visual quality increases.

Across all resolutions, the pattern is consistent: Low settings provide the highest frame rates, followed by Medium, then High, with Ultra being the most demanding. The delta between Low and Ultra grows with resolution. At 1080p, the spread is about 53 FPS; at 1440p, it is about 44 FPS; at 4K, it narrows to about 33 FPS. This narrowing suggests that at higher resolutions, the GPU becomes more saturated and the relative cost of each preset level diminishes in absolute terms.

CPU and GPU Roles

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread processor from the Coffee Lake architecture, running at a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. Its average benchmark score is 2254, placing it at the 47th percentile among all CPUs. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060, built on Blackwell 2.0 architecture with 3840 shading units, has an average benchmark score of 26331 and sits at the 72nd percentile among all GPUs.

The recorded FPS data shows that at 1920x1080, the CPU has enough headroom to keep frame rates high. The jump from Low at 125.8 FPS to Ultra at 72.4 FPS indicates that the GPU is the primary limiter when settings increase, since the CPU workload for flight simulation logic remains relatively constant across presets. The fact that 1080p Ultra still averages 72.4 FPS suggests the i5-9400 can feed the RTX 5060 adequately at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, frame rates across all presets drop noticeably compared to 1080p. Low drops from 125.8 to 101.1 FPS, a 24.7 FPS reduction. Medium drops from 96.7 to 80.2 FPS, and High drops from 74.8 to 59.3 FPS. This scaling behavior points to the GPU becoming the dominant factor, as the pixel count increases by roughly 78% from 1080p to 1440p, and the frame rate reductions are proportionally significant.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck. Low settings average 75.4 FPS, down from 101.1 FPS at 1440p. Medium averages 56.7 FPS, High averages 44.3 FPS, and Ultra averages 42.6 FPS. The pixel count at 4K is about 2.25 times that of 1440p, and the frame rate drops reflect this heavy load. The CPU's role diminishes further at this resolution, as the RTX 5060's rendering pipeline is saturated regardless of the preset.

In summary, at 1080p the CPU and GPU share responsibility, with the GPU becoming more influential as settings rise. At 1440p and 4K, the GPU is the clear limiting factor, and the i5-9400's six cores provide sufficient throughput for the game's simulation and scenery processing. The data shows no evidence of CPU-induced frame rate collapses at any resolution, even at 1080p Low with 125.8 FPS.

Best Settings per Resolution

The playable threshold is defined as 60 FPS average. Based on the recorded data, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS varies by resolution.

At 1920x1080, all four presets clear the threshold. Ultra settings average 72.4 FPS, which is above 60 FPS, so Ultra is the best settings choice at this resolution. This gives the highest visual quality while maintaining a comfortable margin above the threshold.

At 2560x1440, Low and Medium both exceed 60 FPS, with averages of 101.1 and 80.2 FPS respectively. High falls to 59.3 FPS, just below the threshold, and Ultra averages 57.5 FPS. The best settings at 1440p are Medium, providing an average of 80.2 FPS, which offers a solid balance between visual fidelity and performance.

At 3840x2160, only Low clears the threshold, averaging 75.4 FPS. Medium averages 56.7 FPS, which is below 60. Therefore, Low is the best settings choice at 4K. While Low settings involve reduced visual detail, the 75.4 FPS average provides a smooth experience, and no higher preset reaches the playable threshold.

These results indicate that users seeking 60 FPS must make significant preset concessions at 4K, while 1440p allows for Medium settings, and 1080p supports full Ultra.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core i5-9400, based on average benchmark scores, include the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 with an average score of 2259 and a delta of negative 0.2 percent, meaning it performs essentially identically. The Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248, a positive 0.3 percent delta, also effectively equal. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, a positive 0.4 percent delta. The Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264, a negative 0.4 percent delta. All four rivals are within less than one percent of the i5-9400's average score of 2254, so any of these CPUs would deliver nearly identical CPU-bound performance in Microsoft Flight Simulator.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060, the nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon 860M with an average score of 26401 and a negative 0.3 percent delta, the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 with an average score of 26421 and a negative 0.3 percent delta, the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary with an average score of 26553 and a negative 0.8 percent delta, and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT with an average score of 26011 and a positive 1.2 percent delta. These GPUs are all within about one percent of the RTX 5060's average benchmark score of 26331, suggesting similar frame rates in this game when paired with a comparable CPU.

In practical terms, a system with any of these rival CPUs paired with the RTX 5060 would show FPS numbers nearly identical to the i5-9400 combination. Likewise, swapping the RTX 5060 for one of its nearest rival GPUs while keeping the i5-9400 would yield similar performance, since the delta percentages are all under 1.2 percent. The recorded FPS values for this combo therefore generalize well to a small cluster of hardware configurations.

The Verdict

Based on the verdict data, this PC can run Microsoft Flight Simulator at all three tested resolutions, but the playable settings differ. At 1920x1080, the system clears 60 FPS on every preset, with Ultra averaging 72.4 FPS. This is the only resolution where the full range of settings is viable.

At 2560x1440, the system clears 60 FPS on Low and Medium, with Medium averaging 80.2 FPS. High and Ultra fall short, averaging 59.3 and 57.5 FPS respectively. Users targeting 1440p should stick to Medium for a comfortable margin.

At 3840x2160, only Low clears the threshold, averaging 75.4 FPS. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below 60 FPS. Users at 4K must accept Low settings to achieve smooth frame rates.

Overall, the combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is capable of running the game at playable frame rates, provided the resolution and preset are chosen appropriately. The system excels at 1080p, handles 1440p with medium settings, and struggles at 4K beyond low settings.

How This Combo Ranks

Among all tested combinations in the database, this pairing ranks 1702 out of 3714 combos. This places it in the upper half of all tested systems, roughly at the 54th percentile. The rank reflects the balance between the i5-9400's mid-range CPU performance, at the 47th percentile among CPUs, and the RTX 5060's above-average GPU performance, at the 72nd percentile among GPUs. The GPU's higher percentile contributes more to the overall rank than the CPU, which is consistent with the game's tendency to be GPU-bound at higher resolutions and settings.

Given that the combo ranks above the median, it outperforms a substantial portion of tested hardware in this game. However, it is not near the top of the rankings, and the 4K Ultra result of 42.6 FPS shows that this system is not designed for maximum fidelity at high pixel counts. The rank of 1702 out of 3714 provides context: there are many faster systems, but also many slower ones.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Microsoft Flight Simulator at 60 FPS on Ultra settings?

A: Only at 1920x1080. Ultra settings average 72.4 FPS at 1080p. At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 57.5 FPS, and at 3840x2160, Ultra averages 42.6 FPS, both below the 60 FPS threshold.

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

A: Medium settings, which average 80.2 FPS. High and Ultra fall below 60 FPS, while Low also clears the threshold at 101.1 FPS, but Medium offers higher visual quality.

Q: How does the RTX 5060 compare to its nearest rival GPU?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT scores 26011, which is 1.2 percent lower than the RTX 5060's average score of 26331. The AMD Radeon 860M and NVIDIA GeForce MX550 are both within 0.3 percent, so performance would be nearly identical.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-9400 a bottleneck at 4K?

A: The data shows the GPU is the limiting factor at 3840x2160, since frame rates scale strongly with resolution. The CPU's nearest rivals are all within 0.4 percent in average benchmark score, and no CPU-specific frame rate data indicates a bottleneck.

Q: What average FPS does the system achieve at 1920x1080 on Low settings?

A: 125.8 FPS, the highest recorded value in the dataset.

Q: How many tested combinations does this system outperform?

A: The combo ranks 1702 out of 3714 tested combinations, meaning it outperforms more than half of all tested systems in this game.