Microsoft Flight Simulator

The Intel Core i7-13700K and Intel Arc B570 combination delivers a highly playable Microsoft Flight Simulator experience at 1080p, but demands significant settings compromises as resolution climbs. This pairing ranks 2988th out of 3714 tested combos in the game, placing it in the lower-mid tier of the database. The data shows a system that can comfortably clear 60 FPS at lower presets, yet the demanding nature of the flight simulator becomes evident at 4K, where no tested setting achieves a playable frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 2988 out of 3714 tested combinations places it in the 20th percentile of all tested systems for this specific title. This is a modest standing, reflecting the Arc B570’s position as a mid-range GPU rather than a flagship performer. The CPU, however, is a strong contributor: the Core i7-13700K sits in the 89th percentile against all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 46881. This mismatch between CPU strength and overall combo rank indicates that the graphics card is the limiting factor in Microsoft Flight Simulator.

The GPU itself ranks in the 65th percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20556. When compared to its nearest rivals, the Arc B570 sits in a tight cluster: it is just 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (which scores 20534), and 0.1% behind the Intel Arc A750 (20582). The performance delta to the AMD Radeon R9 M390X (20662) is only 0.5%, and the Quadro M4000M (20480) trails by 0.4%. This suggests the B570 is positioned squarely between these alternatives, offering no dramatic performance swings in either direction.

What these benchmark scores mean for the game is that the combo’s measured FPS aligns with its mid-pack ranking. The system is not a top-tier contender, but it is far from the bottom of the stack. The practical takeaway is that the i7-13700K provides ample headroom, while the Arc B570 determines the frame rate ceiling at higher resolutions and presets.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear division of labor between the Intel Core i7-13700K and the Intel Arc B570 across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the GPU is the primary bottleneck, but the CPU’s strong single-thread performance helps maintain solid averages. The i7-13700K’s 3dmark single-thread score of 1136 and passmark single-thread score of 4333 indicate robust per-core capability, which matters for a simulation title that often relies on a few heavily loaded threads.

Scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a typical GPU-bound progression. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 86 at 1080p to 69 at 1440p, a 19.8% reduction. The same pattern holds at High settings, where the average falls from 50 to 41 FPS, a 18% decline. This consistent drop suggests the GPU is the limiting factor, as the CPU workload does not change significantly with resolution.

Moving from 1440p to 4K amplifies the GPU’s dominance. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 69 to 51, a 26.1% reduction. At High settings, it drops from 41 to 30, a 26.8% decline. These steeper drops at higher resolutions confirm that the Arc B570’s memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s and 10 GB of GDDR6 memory become increasingly taxed. The GPU’s 160-bit bus width is a constraint at 4K, where the pixel throughput demand (200.0 GPixel/s) is stretched.

Preset scaling within a resolution further illustrates the GPU’s role. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium reduces the average from 86 to 67 FPS, a 22.1% penalty. Pushing to High costs another 25.4% (down to 50), and Ultra brings the average to 48. This steep preset scaling is characteristic of a GPU that has limited headroom for additional shading and texture work, especially given the B570’s FP32 throughput of 11.52 TFLOPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best results. Low settings produce an average of 86 FPS, with no min or max recorded. Medium settings yield 67 FPS on average, with a minimum of 57 and a maximum of 77. High settings drop to 50 FPS average, while Ultra brings the average down to 48 FPS. The Medium setting is the sweet spot for smooth gameplay, as it stays above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

At 2560x1440, performance takes a noticeable step back. Low settings average 69 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS line. Medium settings average 54 FPS, with a minimum of 46 and a maximum of 62. High settings fall to 41 FPS, and Ultra averages 39 FPS. Only the Low preset achieves playability at this resolution, and even then, the margin is narrow.

The 3840x2160 results are the weakest. Low settings average 51 FPS, which is below the playable threshold. Medium settings average 40 FPS, with a minimum of 34 and a maximum of 46. High settings drop to 30 FPS, and Ultra averages 28 FPS. No setting at 4K reaches 60 FPS, and the gap is substantial. The jump from Low to Medium at 4K costs 11 FPS, a 21.6% reduction, which shows how quickly the GPU is overwhelmed.

Across all resolutions, the min and max FPS data is sparse, but the available numbers provide context. At 1080p Medium, the 57 FPS minimum and 77 FPS maximum show a 20 FPS spread, indicating some frame pacing variability. At 1440p Medium, the 46 to 62 range is wider, and at 4K Medium, the 34 to 46 range shows the system struggling to maintain consistency.

The Verdict

Can this PC run Microsoft Flight Simulator? The answer is conditional on resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the system is playable at both Low and Medium presets, with the Medium setting providing a 67 FPS average that comfortably exceeds the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset at 50 FPS and Ultra at 48 FPS are not playable by the standard definition.

At 2560x1440, only the Low preset clears the 60 FPS bar, with a 69 FPS average. Medium falls short at 54 FPS, and High and Ultra are well below at 41 and 39 FPS respectively. This resolution requires a significant visual quality compromise to maintain smooth frame rates.

At 3840x2160, the system fails to reach 60 FPS on any setting. The best result is Low at 51 FPS, which is still below the playable threshold. Medium, High, and Ultra average 40, 30, and 28 FPS respectively, making 4K gaming impractical with this combination. The verdict is straightforward: 1080p is the target resolution for this combo, with 1440p viable only at the lowest settings.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the CPU’s nearest rivals, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 scores 46971, which is 0.2% higher than the i7-13700K’s 46881 average. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 scores 47022, a 0.3% improvement. On the other side, the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX and Intel Xeon w3-2535 both score 46654 and 46653 respectively, trailing by 0.5%. These differences are negligible, meaning any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in Microsoft Flight Simulator when paired with the same GPU.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile is the closest match, with a score of 20534 that is 0.1% below the Arc B570’s 20556. The Intel Arc A750 scores 20582, which is 0.1% higher. The AMD Radeon R9 M390X (20662) is 0.5% faster, and the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (20480) is 0.4% slower. In practice, swapping the Arc B570 for any of these would yield FPS numbers within a rounding error of the measured results. The RTX 3070 Mobile and Arc A750 are the most direct equivalents, offering near-identical performance characteristics.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU combination?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where multiple presets clear the 60 FPS playable threshold. Medium settings average 67 FPS, and Low averages 86 FPS. At 2560x1440, only Low achieves 69 FPS, while 3840x2160 never reaches 60 FPS on any setting.

Q: Can this system run the game at 60 FPS on Ultra settings?

A: No. At 1920x1080 Ultra, the average FPS is 48. At 2560x1440 Ultra, it drops to 39, and at 3840x2160 Ultra, it falls to 28. The Arc B570 does not have enough performance headroom for the Ultra preset at any resolution.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570 compare to the Intel Arc A750?

A: The two GPUs are nearly identical in performance. The Arc B570 has an average benchmark score of 20556, while the Arc A750 scores 20582, a difference of 0.1%. In game, the measured FPS would be effectively the same.

Q: Is the CPU or the GPU the limiting factor at 4K?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor at 3840x2160. The Core i7-13700K ranks in the 89th percentile for CPUs, while the Arc B570 ranks in the 65th percentile for GPUs. The FPS drops from 51 at Low to 28 at Ultra at 4K, which is a GPU-bound scaling pattern.

Q: What settings should I use for a smooth experience at 1440p?

A: The only playable setting at 2560x1440 is Low, which averages 69 FPS. Medium drops to 54 FPS, below the 60 FPS threshold. If you prioritize frame rate, Low is the only option that meets the playable standard.

Q: Does the system have enough memory bandwidth for Microsoft Flight Simulator at high resolutions?

A: The Arc B570 has 380.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth across a 160-bit bus. The steep FPS drops at 4K (from 51 at Low to 30 at High) suggest that bandwidth is a constraint, as the GPU struggles to feed the higher resolution’s pixel demand.