Microsoft Flight Simulator

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER places at rank 2712 out of 3714 tested combinations in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places the combo in the lower third of the database, meaning that while it is far from the slowest hardware tested, it is not positioned for high-end flight simulation performance. The percentile data reinforces this: the CPU sits at the 91st percentile among all processors, while the GPU lands at the 62nd percentile among all graphics cards. The imbalance is clear, the processor is a top-tier part, but the graphics card is the limiting factor in this pairing.

The measured frames per second across all resolutions and settings ranges from a low of 31.2 FPS at 4K Ultra to a high of 97.4 FPS at 1080p Low. The median experience hovers around the 55-65 FPS mark, which is just below or at the 60 FPS playability threshold depending on the exact configuration. The data suggests that this combo struggles to maintain smooth performance at higher resolutions, but can deliver acceptable results at 1440p and 1080p with moderate settings.

CPU and GPU Roles

The recorded data shows a clear pattern of GPU-bound behavior at higher resolutions, with CPU headroom being abundant. At 3840x2160, the average FPS drops sharply across all settings: High yields 32.7 FPS, Medium 48.1 FPS, and Low 57.2 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is only 26 FPS (57.2 vs 31.2), which indicates that the graphics card is saturated and cannot scale with setting reductions as effectively as at lower resolutions.

At 2560x1440, the picture changes. Low settings produce 81.9 FPS, Medium 65.8 FPS, High 44.7 FPS, and Ultra 43.9 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium is a 16.1 FPS drop, while from High to Ultra there is only a 0.8 FPS difference. This suggests that the GPU is still the primary constraint, but the CPU begins to show its strength in maintaining higher frame rates at lower settings.

At 1920x1080, the CPU's influence becomes more apparent. Low settings reach 97.4 FPS, Medium 78.7 FPS, and both High and Ultra settle at 56.5 FPS. The fact that High and Ultra produce identical average FPS at 1080p indicates that the game is now hitting a different bottleneck, likely a combination of GPU limits and engine-level constraints. The CPU's high single-thread performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4958 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2429, ensures that it is never the limiting factor in this title.

The scaling between resolutions is steep. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at Medium settings reduces average FPS from 78.7 to 65.8, a 16.4% drop. Moving from 1440p to 4K at Medium drops from 65.8 to 48.1, a 26.9% reduction. This nonlinear scaling is typical of a GPU-limited scenario, where the rendering workload grows faster than the resolution increase.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the Intel Core i7-14700F is closely matched by the Intel Xeon 6505P, which scores 53701 against the i7's 53620, a delta of -0.2%. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X sits at 53288, just 0.6% behind, while the AMD EPYC 7313P is at 53206, 0.8% behind. The Intel Xeon Phi 7290 scores 53469, 0.3% ahead. These alternatives would deliver nearly identical frame rates in Microsoft Flight Simulator, as the CPU is not the bottleneck in this pairing.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is bracketed by the RTX 3060 Mobile (18159 vs 18093, -0.4%), the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (18189, -0.5%), the AMD Radeon RX 460 (18373, -1.5%), and the Intel Arc A770M (18383, -1.6%). The RTX 3060 Mobile and Radeon Pro 5700 are the closest matches, meaning users with those GPUs would see nearly identical performance in this game. The RX 460 and Arc A770M are slightly ahead in aggregate benchmarks, but the deltas are within 2%, so real-world flight simulator performance would be virtually indistinguishable.

The practical implication is that swapping the i7-14700F for any of these CPUs would change nothing measurable, while swapping the RTX 2060 SUPER for the RX 460 or Arc A770M would provide a marginal improvement at best. None of these alternatives would push the combo into a higher performance tier.

The Verdict

The verdict data is unambiguous. At 3840x2160, there are no playable settings. Every preset fails to reach 60 FPS, with Ultra averaging 31.2 FPS and Low averaging 57.2 FPS, which is still below the threshold. This resolution is not viable for smooth gameplay with this hardware.

At 2560x1440, the combo clears 60 FPS on Low (81.9 FPS) and Medium (65.8 FPS). High and Ultra fall short at 44.7 FPS and 43.9 FPS respectively. The best playable setting is Medium, which delivers 65.8 FPS on average.

At 1920x1080, the situation improves further. Low averages 97.4 FPS, Medium 78.7 FPS, and High and Ultra both sit at 56.5 FPS. The best playable setting is Medium at 78.7 FPS, which provides a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold.

In practical terms, this PC can run Microsoft Flight Simulator at 1440p and 1080p, but only with Medium or lower presets. The 4K resolution is out of reach. For users targeting 60 FPS, the recommended configuration is 1440p Medium or 1080p Medium, both of which provide stable averages. High and Ultra presets are not recommended at any resolution, as they consistently fall below 60 FPS.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Microsoft Flight Simulator at 4K?

A: No. At 3840x2160, all four presets fail to reach 60 FPS. The best result is Low at 57.2 FPS, which is still below the playable threshold of 60 FPS. Ultra averages 31.2 FPS.

Q: What is the best setting at 1440p for this hardware?

A: Medium is the best playable setting at 2560x1440, delivering an average of 65.8 FPS. Low is also playable at 81.9 FPS, but Medium offers a better visual quality while still exceeding 60 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700F scores 53620 in the aggregate benchmark. The Intel Xeon 6505P is 0.2% lower, the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 is 0.3% higher, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X is 0.6% lower, and the AMD EPYC 7313P is 0.8% lower. All are within 1% of each other.

Q: Is the GPU the bottleneck in this pairing?

A: Yes. The CPU ranks in the 91st percentile, while the GPU ranks in the 62nd percentile. The FPS scaling across resolutions and settings shows GPU-limited behavior, particularly at 4K where even Low settings cannot reach 60 FPS.

Q: What is the highest FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS is 97.4, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. Medium at 1080p reaches 78.7 FPS, and Low at 1440p reaches 81.9 FPS.

Q: Are High and Ultra settings ever playable?

A: No. At every resolution, High and Ultra presets fall below 60 FPS. The closest is 1080p High and Ultra, both at 56.5 FPS, which is 3.5 FPS short of the threshold.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, there is no preset that reaches 60 FPS. The database records no playable settings for this resolution, so the recommendation is to avoid 4K or lower the resolution entirely.

At 2560x1440, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Medium, with an average of 65.8 FPS. Low also exceeds the threshold at 81.9 FPS, but Medium provides a better visual experience while maintaining a 5.8 FPS margin above the 60 FPS target.

At 1920x1080, the best playable setting is Medium, averaging 78.7 FPS. Low reaches 97.4 FPS, but Medium offers a substantial quality improvement with an 18.7 FPS margin above the threshold. High and Ultra are not recommended, as they both average 56.5 FPS, which is below 60 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data comes directly from the recorded measurements for the Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER combination.

3840x2160:

• Ultra: 31.2 FPS average
• High: 32.7 FPS average
• Medium: 48.1 FPS average
• Low: 57.2 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Ultra: 43.9 FPS average
• High: 44.7 FPS average
• Medium: 65.8 FPS average
• Low: 81.9 FPS average

1920x1080:

• Ultra: 56.5 FPS average
• High: 56.5 FPS average
• Medium: 78.7 FPS average
• Low: 97.4 FPS average

The minimum and maximum FPS values were not recorded in the database, so only average figures are available for analysis. The pattern is consistent across all resolutions: Ultra and High are tightly grouped, Medium provides a significant step up, and Low is the fastest preset. The delta between Medium and High is largest at 1440p (21.1 FPS) and smallest at 4K (15.4 FPS), further confirming that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The identical 56.5 FPS at 1080p for High and Ultra suggests a hard performance cap that is independent of settings beyond a certain point.