Microsoft Flight Simulator

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 presents a stark contrast in capability for Microsoft Flight Simulator. The CPU is a top-tier performer, sitting in the 94th percentile of all processors, while the GPU, at the 58th percentile, is clearly the limiting factor. The measured FPS data confirms this imbalance: the combination delivers smooth frame rates only when the graphical load is reduced, making preset and resolution selection critical.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data provides a clear picture of performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. All figures represent average FPS, as minimum and maximum frame rate data was not captured for this configuration.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates at any preset. The Low preset delivers an average of 55.4 FPS, which is the highest result at this resolution. Medium drops to 44.2 FPS, while High falls further to 29.7 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, yielding only 32.5 FPS. Notably, the High preset performs slightly worse than Ultra in this specific measurement, a data point that suggests potential variance in the test scenario, but the overall trend is clear: 4K is not viable for this combo.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), the situation improves modestly. The Low preset reaches an average of 73.7 FPS, comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset falls just short of playability at 57.4 FPS. High drops to 43.9 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 41.2 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is significant, a 16.3 FPS difference, indicating that the GPU's memory bandwidth and raw compute are heavily taxed as settings increase.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the system finally shows its full potential. The Low preset hits 91 FPS on average, providing a very fluid experience. Medium remains playable at 70.5 FPS, while High drops to 56.2 FPS, narrowly missing the 60 FPS target. Ultra is the only preset that fails to reach playable levels, with an average of 49.1 FPS. The scaling from Low to Medium is a 20.5 FPS drop, while the step from Medium to High costs another 14.3 FPS.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data indicates a profound GPU bottleneck at higher resolutions and presets. The Intel Core i7-14700KF, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, is more than capable of handling the simulation's complex flight model and world-generation logic. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44167 and single-core score of 6235 place it far above the demands of this title. The RTX 2060, with only 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and a 192-bit bus, is simply overwhelmed by the game's high-resolution textures and rendering loads.

This is evident in the resolution scaling. From 1080p Low (91 FPS) to 1440p Low (73.7 FPS), the frame rate drops by 17.3 FPS, a clear sign that the GPU is working harder. The jump from 1440p Low to 4K Low (55.4 FPS) costs another 18.3 FPS. Meanwhile, the CPU's performance headroom remains untapped; the processor is likely waiting on the GPU to finish each frame.

The preset scaling reinforces this. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium costs 20.5 FPS, and from Medium to High costs another 14.3 FPS. These are large penalties that directly correlate with increased pixel shading and texture filtering work, all handled by the GPU. The RTX 2060's Passmark G3D score of 14111 and its DirectX 12 benchmark of 53 point to a mid-range part that cannot sustain the visual complexity of Microsoft Flight Simulator at higher settings. In this pairing, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with data, but the GPU is the component that dictates the final frame rate.

Best Settings per Resolution

Based on the measured data and the 60 FPS playable threshold, the best settings for each resolution are as follows.

At 3840x2160, there is no playable preset. The highest average FPS recorded is 55.4 at Low, which falls short of the target. No setting is recommended.

At 2560x1440, the only playable option is the Low preset. It delivers an average of 73.7 FPS, which provides a smooth experience. This is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS at this resolution.

At 1920x1080, the Medium preset is the best choice. It achieves an average of 70.5 FPS, leaving a reasonable margin above the 60 FPS threshold. While Low is faster at 91 FPS, Medium offers a substantially better visual quality for a playable cost.

The Verdict

The question of whether this PC can run Microsoft Flight Simulator has a nuanced answer. At 3840x2160, the answer is no. No preset reaches the 60 FPS threshold, with the best result being 55.4 FPS on Low. At 2560x1440, the answer is a conditional yes. The system can run the game, but only on the Low preset, which achieves 73.7 FPS. Higher presets fall below 60 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the answer is a clear yes. The system runs the game smoothly on Low (91 FPS) and Medium (70.5 FPS) presets. Both exceed the 60 FPS target. However, the High preset (56.2 FPS) and Ultra preset (49.1 FPS) are not playable. The data suggests that this configuration is best suited for 1080p gaming with moderate settings. Users with 1440p monitors can play, but they must accept significant visual compromises. For 4K, the hardware is insufficient.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals to the CPU and GPU provide context for what other hardware might behave similarly in this game.

For the Intel Core i7-14700KF, the closest alternatives are all within a 2% performance delta. The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (0.2% slower), AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (0.4% slower), and AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (0.9% slower) would all produce nearly identical CPU-bound results. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is 1% faster, meaning it would not change the gaming outcome. None of these processors would alter the frame rate in this game, as the GPU is the bottleneck.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, the rivals are equally close. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 (0% delta) and AMD Radeon 680M (0.1% slower) are essentially the same in average benchmark score. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM (0.6% slower) and AMD Radeon RX 7600 (0.8% slower) are also within a single percent. In practice, swapping the RTX 2060 for any of these would result in virtually the same FPS in Microsoft Flight Simulator. The performance class is identical, meaning the same resolution and preset limitations would apply.

How This Combo Ranks

The database ranks this specific combination at 2904 out of 3714 tested combos for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the lower half of all configurations tested, specifically around the 22nd percentile of combos.

This ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU's limitations. The RTX 2060's 58th percentile standing among all GPUs drags the overall combo down, despite the CPU's strong 94th percentile ranking. The data indicates that this pairing is unbalanced for this title. Many other combinations, even with weaker CPUs, would outperform this setup if they paired a stronger GPU with the i7-14700KF. The combo rank reflects the real-world experience: the system is playable at 1080p Medium and 1440p Low, but it cannot compete with higher-end configurations that pair a top-tier CPU like this one with a more capable graphics card. The ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU's inability to keep pace with the simulation's demands at higher settings, leaving the CPU's potential largely unrealized in this specific game.