Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator is an exceptionally demanding title, and the data for the Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT reveals a configuration that is heavily influenced by both resolution and graphics settings. The measured frame rates show a clear progression from CPU-bound territory at lower resolutions to GPU-bound performance at 4K, with the simulation's unique workload creating a distinct performance curve that differs from typical first-person shooters or action games. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data, the role of each component, and what the numbers indicate about the system's balance.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a predictable decline as resolution increases, but the magnitude of the drop is heavily dependent on the graphics preset. At Low settings, the transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 results in a significant performance hit, with average FPS falling from 153.6 to 88.9, a reduction of roughly 42%. This indicates that even at the lowest visual fidelity, the GPU is still being tasked with a substantial workload at 4K. Conversely, at Ultra settings, the drop from 1080p to 4K is less severe in absolute terms, moving from 86.6 FPS to 52.1 FPS, a 40% decrease. This consistency across settings suggests that the resolution scaling is primarily a GPU limitation, as the frame rate penalty remains proportionally similar regardless of the graphical load.

The data further illustrates that the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution decreases. At 1920x1080, the difference between Low (153.6 FPS) and Ultra (86.6 FPS) is 67 FPS, a massive swing that points to the CPU's ability to feed the GPU at lower resolutions. However, at 3840x2160, the same settings gap narrows to 36.8 FPS (88.9 vs 52.1), which strongly suggests that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck. The frame rate at 4K Ultra, 52.1 FPS, is close to the 4K High result of 54.7 FPS, indicating that the GPU is saturated and additional settings increases yield diminishing returns. This behavior is classic for a GPU-limited scenario, where the RX 6800 XT's raw compute power is the deciding factor.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Its benchmark scores show a strong single-thread performance, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1681 and a 3DMark single-thread score of 893. This is crucial for Microsoft Flight Simulator, which is known for its heavy reliance on single-threaded performance for game logic and physics calculations. The CPU's 12 MB of shared L3 cache also helps in keeping frequently accessed data close to the cores.

The benchmark results indicate that the i3-12100F is capable of delivering high frame rates when the GPU is not the limiting factor, as seen in the 1080p Low result of 153.6 FPS. However, the CPU's performance ceiling is evident in the 1080p Ultra result of 86.6 FPS, which is only slightly higher than the 1440p Ultra result of 68.5 FPS. This suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is beginning to struggle to keep up with the GPU's frame generation, preventing the frame rate from scaling as it does at lower settings. The processor's average benchmark score of 13516 places it at the 72nd percentile, and it is within 1.8% of the Intel Core i7-7700K, indicating its competitive position in older high-end territory.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this configuration?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 153.6, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the system perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 52.1, which is the lowest frame rate recorded in the data set.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the data suggests a CPU bottleneck at higher settings, as the FPS difference between High (90.7) and Ultra (86.6) is minimal, while the jump from Low (153.6) to Medium (116.8) is much larger.

Q: What is the performance difference between High and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, High settings yield an average of 72.7 FPS, while Ultra settings produce 68.5 FPS, a difference of 4.2 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 6800 XT's benchmark score compare to its nearest rival?

A: The RX 6800 XT has an average benchmark score of 49982, which is 1.7% lower than the NVIDIA RTX A1000's score of 50826.

Q: Can this system achieve 60 FPS at 4K?

A: At 4K, the system only exceeds 60 FPS on Low settings (88.9 FPS). Medium settings drop to 68.3 FPS, while High and Ultra fall below 60 FPS at 54.7 and 52.1 FPS, respectively.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the system shows a wide range of performance, from a highly playable 153.6 FPS on Low to 116.8 FPS on Medium, 90.7 FPS on High, and 86.6 FPS on Ultra. These figures demonstrate that at 1080p, the configuration is capable of delivering smooth gameplay even at maximum settings, though the frame rate scaling from Low to Ultra is not linear, indicating a growing CPU limitation.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong but begin to show the GPU's influence. Low settings produce 122 FPS, which drops to 96.6 FPS on Medium, 72.7 FPS on High, and 68.5 FPS on Ultra. The difference between High and Ultra at this resolution is only 4.2 FPS, suggesting that the GPU is starting to hit its limits, but the system still offers playable performance across the board. At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck, with Low settings yielding 88.9 FPS, Medium at 68.3 FPS, High at 54.7 FPS, and Ultra at 52.1 FPS. The 4K results show that while the card can handle 4K, it only does so comfortably at lower settings, with Ultra settings barely maintaining a playable frame rate.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is a high-end graphics card based on the RDNA 2.0 architecture, featuring 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 512.0 GB/s. Its boost clock is rated at 2250 MHz, with a game clock of 2015 MHz, and it has 4608 shading units. The card's compute capabilities are substantial, with an FP32 performance of 20.74 TFLOPS. The GPU's benchmark scores confirm its high-end positioning, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 3689 and a Passmark G3D score of 24980, placing it at the 87th percentile of all GPUs.

In the context of Microsoft Flight Simulator, the RX 6800 XT's role is to handle the heavy graphical load of rendering vast landscapes and detailed aircraft. The data shows that at 4K, the GPU is the limiting factor, as the frame rate drops significantly from Low to Ultra settings. The card's 16 GB of VRAM is likely sufficient for the game's high-resolution textures, but the raw compute power is what determines the performance ceiling. The GPU's average benchmark score of 49982 is 0.5% higher than the Intel Arc A550M, but 2.6% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER, indicating it sits in a competitive mid-to-high-end tier. The measured FPS at 4K High (54.7) and 4K Ultra (52.1) are close, showing that the card is fully utilized at this resolution, and further settings increases provide minimal gains.