Microsoft Flight Simulator

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 delivers a decisive performance victory in Microsoft Flight Simulator, clearing the 60 FPS threshold at every resolution and preset combination measured. The data shows a system that is not merely playable but exceptionally capable, with the RTX 5080 providing enough headroom to run the game at maximum settings even at 4K Ultra, where it posts a 74.6 FPS average. This combination ranks 139th out of 3714 tested combos, placing it in the top 3.7% of all systems, a position that reflects the strength of both the 13th-generation Core i7 processor and the Blackwell-architecture GPU working in concert.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the RTX 5080 demonstrates its high-resolution prowess, though the gap between presets reveals the game's scaling behavior. The Low preset yields a 132.8 FPS average, which drops to 99.7 FPS at Medium, a 33.1 FPS reduction that indicates a substantial increase in shading and texture work. Moving to High brings the average down to 76.6 FPS, and the Ultra preset, which represents the most demanding configuration, still maintains a 74.6 FPS average. The difference between High and Ultra is a modest 2.0 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset's additional effects are not disproportionately taxing on this GPU at 4K.

The 2560x1440 results show a more pronounced separation between presets, as the GPU is less constrained by pixel throughput. Low delivers a 179.1 FPS average, Medium drops to 139.5 FPS, High sits at 106.4 FPS, and Ultra maintains a 101.8 FPS average. The delta from Low to Ultra is 77.3 FPS, indicating that the CPU and GPU have ample resources to push frame rates well beyond the 60 FPS target at this resolution. The step from Medium to High (33.1 FPS) is the largest single-preset drop, while the High-to-Ultra transition costs only 4.6 FPS, mirroring the pattern seen at 4K.

At 1920x1080, the system's performance becomes almost excessive for the workload. The Low preset achieves a 226 FPS average, which is the highest figure recorded across all tests. Medium produces 175.1 FPS, High delivers 130.1 FPS, and Ultra still manages a 121.4 FPS average. The scaling from 1440p to 1080p is not linear: at Ultra, the frame rate increases by 19.6 FPS, while at Low it jumps by 46.9 FPS, showing that lower resolutions allow the CPU-bound portions of the engine to take greater advantage of the i7-13700K's 16 cores and 24 threads. Notably, all measured FPS values are averages; the FACT PACK does not include min or max frame rate data, so the consistency of frame delivery cannot be quantified here.

Best Settings per Resolution

For every resolution, the Ultra preset is the recommended setting, as it remains above the 60 FPS playability threshold while providing the highest visual fidelity. At 3840x2160, Ultra runs at a 74.6 FPS average, which is 14.6 FPS above the threshold, leaving a comfortable margin for complex scenes or dense weather effects. The fact that High (76.6 FPS) only outperforms Ultra by 2.0 FPS means there is little reason to sacrifice the extra visual features at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 101.8 FPS, which is 41.8 FPS above the threshold. This is a strong result that indicates the GPU is not the limiting factor at this resolution; the 4K Ultra result (74.6 FPS) versus 1440p Ultra (101.8 FPS) shows a 27.2 FPS improvement when dropping from 4K, a scaling factor that suggests the RTX 5080 has significant headroom for high-refresh-rate monitors at 1440p. For 1920x1080, Ultra delivers a 121.4 FPS average, which is 61.4 FPS above the threshold, making this the optimal choice for competitive or visually rich play without any compromise.

The verdict data confirms that all four presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are playable at every resolution tested. The best settings per resolution are therefore identical: Ultra at all three resolutions, with the caveat that the 4K Ultra margin (14.6 FPS above threshold) is smaller but still robust.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling across resolutions reveals a clear division of labor between the i7-13700K and the RTX 5080. At 1920x1080, the CPU's role becomes more prominent, as evidenced by the 226 FPS Low preset result. This figure is 46.9 FPS higher than the 1440p Low result (179.1 FPS), while the 4K Low result (132.8 FPS) is 46.3 FPS lower than the 1440p figure. The consistent ~47 FPS steps between resolutions at Low settings indicate that the GPU is still the primary bottleneck, but the CPU's single-thread performance (3dmark_single_thread score of 1136) and multi-thread capability (cinebench_r23_multicore score of 30745) are sufficient to feed the GPU at these high frame rates.

As settings increase to Ultra, the GPU's workload grows, and the resolution scaling changes. At 4K Ultra, the 74.6 FPS result is only 27.2 FPS lower than 1440p Ultra (101.8 FPS), and 1080p Ultra (121.4 FPS) is 19.6 FPS higher than 1440p. The smaller delta between 1080p and 1440p at Ultra (19.6 FPS) compared to the delta at Low (46.9 FPS) suggests that at Ultra, the GPU is more heavily utilized, and the CPU has less influence on the final frame rate. This is typical for flight simulators, which are often CPU-intensive for physics and AI calculations, but the data shows that this combination is balanced enough that the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher presets.

The CPU's benchmark scores support its role as a capable partner. The i7-13700K achieves a passmark_multithread score of 45887 and a geekbench_singlecore score of 2529, placing it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, has an average score of 46971, which is 0.2% higher, indicating near-identical CPU performance. The GPU, meanwhile, sits in the 87th percentile of all GPUs, with its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE, scoring 57367, which is 2.2% higher. This parity in percentile rankings suggests that neither component is severely mismatched for the other, allowing the system to scale predictably from 1080p to 4K.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals provide a clear picture of what would behave similarly. The AMD Ryzen 9 5900 has an average benchmark score of 46971, which is 0.2% lower than the i7-13700K's 46881 average. This means a system with a Ryzen 9 5900 would deliver nearly identical frame rates in Microsoft Flight Simulator, particularly at lower resolutions where the CPU matters more. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 (score 47022, 0.3% lower) and the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX (score 46654, 0.5% higher) are also within a 1% band, indicating that users with these CPUs would experience no perceptible difference in this game. The Intel Xeon w3-2535 (score 46653, 0.5% higher) rounds out the list, though its workstation-oriented design may have different thermal and power characteristics in practice.

On the GPU side, the RTX 5080's nearest rivals show a slightly wider spread. The AMD Radeon 8060S has an average score of 55757, which is 0.6% lower than the RTX 5080's 56083, meaning it would perform almost identically in this game. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (score 55698, 0.7% lower) is also a close match, though its 12 GB memory capacity could be a limitation at 4K Ultra in a texture-heavy title. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (score 54828, 2.3% lower) would show a small but measurable FPS deficit, likely around 1-2 FPS at 4K Ultra based on the scaling data. The AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE (score 57367, 2.2% higher) would be a slight upgrade, potentially adding 2-3 FPS at the same settings, but not enough to change the verdict at any resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the i7-13700K and RTX 5080 achieves a rank of 139 out of 3714 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the 96.3rd percentile of all systems tested, which is a strong result given the game's demanding nature. The ranking reflects the synergy between the CPU's high single-thread performance and the GPU's raw throughput, as the game benefits from both. The fact that this combo ranks higher than the CPU's individual percentile (89th) and the GPU's individual percentile (87th) suggests that the pairing is particularly well-suited for this title, likely because the i7-13700K's 16 cores handle the simulation's background tasks while the RTX 5080 renders the scenery.

In practical terms, this rank means that only 138 other combinations out of 3714 tested deliver higher average frame rates across the tested presets. Those systems likely include higher-end GPUs like the RTX 5090 or more powerful CPUs, but the data shows that this combo is already at the point of diminishing returns, as the 4K Ultra result of 74.6 FPS is well above the 60 FPS threshold. The rank also indicates that the system has room to spare for future patches or more demanding add-ons, as the 1080p Ultra result of 121.4 FPS provides a 61.4 FPS buffer.

The Verdict

Yes, this PC can run Microsoft Flight Simulator with exceptional headroom. The verdict data confirms that all four presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are playable at all three tested resolutions, with the best settings being Ultra at every resolution. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset delivers a 74.6 FPS average, which is 14.6 FPS above the 60 FPS playability threshold. This is the most demanding scenario, and the system clears it comfortably, meaning that users with 4K displays can enable maximum settings without concern.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 101.8 FPS, which is 41.8 FPS above the threshold, providing a smooth experience even during complex maneuvers or over dense urban areas. The 1920x1080 Ultra result of 121.4 FPS is 61.4 FPS above the threshold, making this the ideal resolution for high-refresh-rate displays (up to 120 Hz) or for users who prefer maximum visual fidelity. The data shows no scenario where this combination fails to meet the 60 FPS target, and the rank of 139 out of 3714 combos underscores the system's elite standing. The only consideration is that the 4K Ultra margin, while healthy, is the smallest of the three resolutions, so users who anticipate heavy modding or extreme weather scenarios may see dips, but the FACT PACK does not include min FPS data to quantify this risk. Overall, the i7-13700K and RTX 5080 constitute a top-tier configuration for Microsoft Flight Simulator.