Microsoft Flight Simulator

The Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination delivers a strong showing in Microsoft Flight Simulator, with measured data covering four presets across three resolutions. The benchmark results, all captured as average FPS, reveal a system that scales predictably with both resolution and settings, though the demands of 4K Ultra push the pairing to its limit. This analysis walks through the exact figures, compares nearby hardware, and determines the best ways to configure the game for smooth performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the average frame rates drop noticeably as settings rise. The Low preset averages 94.1 FPS, which is comfortably above the playable threshold. Medium averages 75 FPS, offering a solid balance. High averages 57.3 FPS, just under 60 FPS. Ultra averages 50.6 FPS, the lowest figure recorded in the entire dataset. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 43.5 FPS, showing that the preset choice heavily impacts performance here.

At 2560x1440, the same settings scale upward. Low averages 131.5 FPS, Medium averages 102.7 FPS, High averages 78.5 FPS, and Ultra averages 74.3 FPS. Every preset at this resolution clears 60 FPS with margin. The difference between Low and Ultra is 57.2 FPS, meaning even the heaviest settings retain a playable frame rate. The step from Medium to High costs 24.2 FPS, while High to Ultra only drops 4.2 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the data shows the strongest performance. Low averages 162.4 FPS, Medium averages 130 FPS, High averages 95.8 FPS, and Ultra averages 94.6 FPS. All presets are far above 60 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 67.8 FPS, with the largest single drop occurring between Low and Medium at 32.4 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra is minimal at 1.2 FPS, indicating diminishing returns at the top end.

Looking at resolution scaling, the 4070 shows a predictable pattern. At Ultra settings, 1080p averages 94.6 FPS, 1440p averages 74.3 FPS, and 4K averages 50.6 FPS. That is a 44 FPS drop from 1080p to 4K. At Low settings, 1080p averages 162.4 FPS, 1440p averages 131.5 FPS, and 4K averages 94.1 FPS, a 68.3 FPS drop. The data indicates that lower settings make the resolution scaling steeper, which is typical for a simulation workload. The min and max FPS fields are null in the dataset, so all analysis relies on average values only.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals, based on average benchmark scores, place the i7-14700K in a very tight performance band. The AMD EPYC 9115 scores 0.1% higher, while the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X is 0.2% lower, the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX is 0.7% lower, and the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is 0.9% lower. All four rivals are within 1% of the i7-14700K's average score, which means the pairing with the RTX 4070 would produce nearly identical FPS in Microsoft Flight Simulator. The CPU's percentile at 94 vs all CPUs, so it is not a bottleneck for this game at these settings.

The GPU's nearest rivals are similarly close. The NVIDIA Tesla P4 scores 0.1% higher, the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 scores 0.4% higher, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile is 1.3% lower, while the AMD Radeon PRO W6400 is 1.3% higher. These deltaPct values are so small that swapping the RTX 4070 for any of these would change the measured FPS by only a few frames. The RTX 4070 sits at the 81st percentile among all GPUs, so a user with any of these nearby cards should expect similar results. For instance, a system with an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X and a Radeon RX Vega 56 would likely land close to the same average FPS values listed in the measured data.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, at Low and Medium presets it does. The 4K Medium preset averages 75 FPS, and Low averages 94.1 FPS. High and Ultra fall below the 60 FPS threshold, with 57.3 and 50.6 respectively.

Q: Which resolution gives the highest FPS?

A: 1920x1080. At the Ultra preset, the combo averages 94.6 FPS. At the Low preset, it averages 162.4 FPS, the highest number in the dataset.

Q: Is the CPU or the GPU the main performance factor?

A: The data shows the GPU is the main factor. The RTX 4070's percentile vs all GPUs is 81, while the i7-14700K's percentile vs all CPUs is 94. The CPU is far stronger relative to its pool than the GPU is, so the GPU is more likely to limit FPS.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested hardware?

A: The combo ranks 919th out of 3714 total combinations, placing it in the top 25% of all systems tested for this game.

Q: What is the best preset at 1440p?

A: Ultra is playable, averaging 74.3 FPS. This is the highest settings option that still clears the 60 FPS bar.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination ranks 919th out of 3714 total tested combos, putting it in the top quarter of all systems. That rank reflects the balance between the i7-14700K's strong CPU score and the RTX 4070's mid-tier GPU placement. The CPU is in the 94th percentile versus all CPUs, while the GPU sits in the 81st percentile. The rank of 919 suggests that many systems with higher-end GPUs or more recent hardware outperform it, but it also indicates that the combo is far from a low-end configuration. For a game like Microsoft Flight Simulator, which is known for heavy CPU usage, the strong CPU helps push the rank higher than the GPU percentile alone would suggest. The average benchmark score for the CPU is 69355, and the average score for the GPU is 37648, so the CPU does more heavy lifting in synthetic tests as well. In actual game FPS, the data shows that the GPU becomes the limiting factor at 4K, where Ultra drops below 60 FPS, but the CPU keeps the frame rates stable at lower resolutions.

The Verdict

The data clearly shows that this PC can run Microsoft Flight Simulator at all tested resolutions, but not always at the highest settings. At 1920x1080, all four presets are playable, with the Ultra preset averaging 94.6 FPS, far above the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440, all four presets are playable, with the Ultra preset averaging 74.3 FPS. At 3840x2160, only the Low and Medium presets clear the 60 FPS line, with Medium averaging 75 FPS. The High preset at 4K averages 57.3 FPS, which is below the playable threshold, and Ultra averages 50.6 FPS. The verdict by resolution is straightforward: 1080p and 1440p are fully playable at Ultra, while 4K requires dropping to Medium for a smooth experience.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Medium, which averages 75 FPS. At 2560x1440, the best settings are Ultra, averaging 74.3 FPS. At 1920x1080, the best settings are also Ultra, averaging 94.6 FPS. The data shows a clear pattern: as resolution increases, the preset must be lowered to maintain playability. At 1080p, Ultra is 34.6 FPS above the threshold. At 1440p, Ultra is 14.3 FPS above. At 4K, Medium is 15 FPS above. For the highest visual quality without dropping below 60 FPS, the user should choose Ultra at 1440p and 1080p, but Medium at 4K.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data indicates that the GPU dominates the performance scaling in this game. The RTX 4070's 81st percentile rank versus the CPU's 94th percentile shows that the CPU is relatively stronger. This means the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher settings. For example, at 4K, the Ultra preset drops to 50.6 FPS, while the CPU's strong single-core performance (2160 in Cinebench R23 single-core) does not help. The FPS drop from 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra is 44 FPS, directly tied to the GPU's rendering load. The CPU's involvement is more visible at low resolutions: at 1080p Low, the combo hits 162.4 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's limit for the game's simulation logic. At 4K Low, the FPS drops to 94.1, showing that the GPU still has headroom but the resolution is more demanding. The scaling between presets also shows this: at 1080p, the gap between Low and Ultra is 67.8 FPS. At 4K, the same gap is 43.5 FPS. This smaller gap at 4K suggests the GPU is saturating, while at 1080p, the CPU can still push higher frame rates. The CPU's 20 cores and 28 threads, with a 5.60 GHz boost, are enough to avoid limiting the GPU at 1080p and 1440p. At 4K, the GPU is the clear bottleneck, as the RTX 4070's 12 GB of memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for the game, but the raw FPS is not.