Microsoft Flight Simulator

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the Intel Arc B580 presents a mixed picture for Microsoft Flight Simulator, a title known for its demanding rendering of vast landscapes and detailed aircraft. Benchmark data shows that this combination is capable of delivering playable frame rates, but only under specific conditions. At 1920x1080, the system achieves 94.2 FPS on Low settings, dropping to 77 FPS on Medium, and 55.3 FPS on High, while Ultra falls to 53.1 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, the average frame rates are 76.3 FPS on Low, 62.1 FPS on Medium, 43.7 FPS on High, and 45.4 FPS on Ultra. At 4K (3840x2160), the performance becomes more constrained, with only 58.3 FPS on Low, 41.5 FPS on Medium, 32.5 FPS on High, and 28.8 FPS on Ultra. These results indicate that the 60 FPS threshold is achievable at 1080p and 1440p, but only with reduced graphical presets.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo reveals a clear pattern of performance scaling across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system is most capable, with the Low preset delivering 94.2 FPS average, which is well above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The Medium preset at 1080p produces 77 FPS, still comfortably playable. However, the High preset drops to 55.3 FPS, and the Ultra preset yields 53.1 FPS, both falling short of the 60 FPS target. This suggests that at 1080p, the user can enjoy Medium settings for a smooth experience, but must accept lower frame rates for higher visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the performance decreases as expected. The Low preset achieves 76.3 FPS, which is still above the playable threshold. The Medium preset manages 62.1 FPS, just barely clearing the 60 FPS mark. High settings at 1440p produce 43.7 FPS, and Ultra drops further to 45.4 FPS. Interestingly, the Ultra preset at 1440p performs slightly better than High, which may indicate a variance in scene complexity during measurement rather than a true performance inversion. Nonetheless, the data shows that 1440p gaming is viable, but only on Low or Medium presets.

The 3840x2160 resolution presents the greatest challenge for this hardware. The Low preset achieves 58.3 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS threshold, making it technically unplayable by the stated metric. Medium drops to 41.5 FPS, High to 32.5 FPS, and Ultra to 28.8 FPS. None of the 4K presets reach the 60 FPS playable threshold, so users seeking 4K performance would need to rely on upscaling technologies or accept sub-60 FPS gameplay. The data shows a consistent scaling pattern: moving from Low to Medium reduces frame rates by roughly 28-30%, while High and Ultra presets incur even larger penalties, particularly at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Microsoft Flight Simulator at 60 FPS on 1080p with High settings?

A: No. The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 55.3 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The Medium preset at 1080p delivers 77 FPS, making it the highest preset that clears 60 FPS at this resolution.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming with this combo?

A: The best preset that stays at or above 60 FPS at 2560x1440 is Medium, which achieves an average of 62.1 FPS. The Low preset also works at 76.3 FPS, but Medium offers higher visual quality while still meeting the playable threshold.

Q: Is 4K gaming possible with the Core i7-12700KF and Arc B580?

A: No preset at 3840x2160 reaches the 60 FPS threshold. The closest is Low at 58.3 FPS, which is just below 60 FPS. All other presets (Medium: 41.5 FPS, High: 32.5 FPS, Ultra: 28.8 FPS) fall significantly short, so 4K is not playable by the stated metric.

Q: How does the Arc B580’s performance compare to its nearest rivals in this game?

A: The Arc B580’s average benchmark score is 23021, placing it near the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (23061, -0.2% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (22895, 0.6% delta), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (23172, -0.7% delta). These deltas indicate the Arc B580 performs within 1% of these cards in synthetic benchmarks, though real-world flight sim performance may vary.

Q: What is the performance gap between Low and Medium presets at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 94.2 FPS while Medium averages 77 FPS. This represents a drop of 17.2 FPS, or roughly 18% lower performance when moving from Low to Medium settings.

Q: Does the system perform better at 1440p Ultra compared to 1440p High?

A: The data shows 45.4 FPS for Ultra and 43.7 FPS for High at 2560x1440. This 1.7 FPS difference is within measurement variance and does not represent a meaningful performance advantage for Ultra; both presets are below the 60 FPS threshold.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS is Medium, which delivers 77 FPS. This represents the sweet spot for visual quality and performance at this resolution. While Low achieves 94.2 FPS, Medium provides better graphical fidelity without sacrificing smoothness.

At 2560x1440, the best playable preset is also Medium, with an average of 62.1 FPS. This just clears the 60 FPS threshold, making it viable for users who prioritize frame rate over maximum detail. The Low preset at 76.3 FPS offers a larger safety margin but with reduced visual quality.

For 3840x2160, no preset meets the 60 FPS requirement. The closest is Low at 58.3 FPS, which is 1.7 FPS short of the threshold. As such, there is no recommended preset for 4K gaming with this hardware, as all options fall below the playable target.

The Verdict

This PC can run Microsoft Flight Simulator, but with significant caveats depending on the resolution. At 1920x1080, the system is fully capable of exceeding 60 FPS, with the Medium preset delivering 77 FPS and Low reaching 94.2 FPS. The 2560x1440 resolution is also playable, but only on Low (76.3 FPS) and Medium (62.1 FPS) presets; High and Ultra fall to 43.7 FPS and 45.4 FPS respectively. The verdict by resolution confirms that 1440p Medium is the best playable setting, with an average of 62.1 FPS at that configuration.

For 3840x2160, the verdict is clear: this combo cannot maintain 60 FPS at any preset. The best result is 58.3 FPS on Low, which is below the playable threshold, and all other presets are substantially lower (41.5 FPS on Medium, 32.5 FPS on High, 28.8 FPS on Ultra). Therefore, users with 4K displays would need to lower resolution or accept sub-60 FPS gameplay. Overall, the system is a solid choice for 1080p and capable at 1440p with reduced settings, but it is not suited for 4K gaming in this title.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals how the Core i7-12700KF and Arc B580 share the workload across resolutions. The CPU’s strong multi-threaded performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 28838 and Passmark multithread score of 34092, suggests it can handle the simulation’s complex physics and AI calculations. The GPU, with its 12 GB of GDDR6 memory and 456.0 GB/s bandwidth, is responsible for rendering the vast terrain and detailed aircraft models.

As resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, the frame rates drop across all presets, indicating that the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher pixel counts. At 1080p, the CPU has enough headroom to push frame rates to 94.2 FPS on Low, but the GPU’s limits become apparent on High (55.3 FPS) and Ultra (53.1 FPS). At 1440p, the GPU’s load increases, and frame rates drop further, with only Low (76.3 FPS) and Medium (62.1 FPS) maintaining playability. At 4K, the GPU is clearly overwhelmed, as even Low settings only produce 58.3 FPS.

The scaling between presets also highlights the GPU’s role. At 1080p, moving from Medium to High costs 21.7 FPS (from 77 to 55.3 FPS), while at 4K, the same preset change costs only 9 FPS (from 41.5 to 32.5 FPS). This suggests that at lower resolutions, the CPU can partially compensate for GPU limitations, but at higher resolutions, the GPU’s raw throughput dominates the frame rate. The CPU’s single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4071) is adequate for the game’s main thread, but the data shows that the Arc B580’s rendering capabilities are the primary constraint at 1440p and above.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Microsoft Flight Simulator, the Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the Intel Arc B580 ranks 2841 out of 3714 total combos. This places the system in the lower-middle portion of all tested configurations, indicating that while it is not a top-tier performer, it is far from the bottom. The rank reflects the measured FPS data, which shows playable performance at 1080p and 1440p on lower presets, but not at 4K.

The CPU itself ranks in the 85th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35365, placing it very close to rivals like the Core i7-13700T (35403, -0.1% delta) and Core i5-13600T (35305, 0.2% delta). The GPU, however, ranks in the 68th percentile against all GPUs, with an average score of 23021, sitting near the RX 580 2048SP (23061, -0.2% delta) and RTX 2080 (22895, 0.6% delta). The combination of a high-ranking CPU with a mid-ranking GPU results in the overall 2841st position, which suggests that the GPU is the more limiting component in this pairing for flight simulator workloads.

The data indicates that users seeking better in-game performance would benefit more from a GPU upgrade than a CPU upgrade, given the CPU’s strong relative standing. However, within the constraints of this specific combo, the rank confirms that the system is best suited for 1080p and modest 1440p gaming, with 4K remaining out of reach for playable frame rates.