Microsoft Flight Simulator

# Microsoft Flight Simulator — Intel Core i3-12100F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER

This combination of a 4-core/8-thread Intel Core i3-12100F with an 8 GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER produces a playable but decidedly mid-range experience in Microsoft Flight Simulator, with the data showing a clear pattern: the GPU becomes the primary limiter as resolution climbs, while the CPU holds its own at lower settings. The measured results span from a fluid 101 FPS at 1080p Low to a demanding 33 FPS at 4K Ultra, and the combo ranks 2571st out of 3714 tested configurations — placing it in the lower third of the database.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, revealing a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 101 FPS at 1920x1080 to 81 FPS at 2560x1440 — a 20 FPS reduction — and then further to 60 FPS at 3840x2160. That represents a 41% loss from 1080p to 4K, which is a substantial hit but still leaves the game playable at 4K Low.

The Medium preset tells a similar story with slightly lower absolute numbers: 78 FPS at 1080p, 63 FPS at 1440p, and 47 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1440p to 4K here is a 16 FPS drop, while the jump from 1080p to 1440p costs 15 FPS. This near-linear decline suggests the RTX 2060 SUPER's 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 7.181 TFLOPS of FP32 compute are being fully utilized, with each pixel increase adding proportional workload.

High and Ultra presets show the same trajectory but at lower starting points. High goes from 59 FPS at 1080p to 47 FPS at 1440p to 35 FPS at 4K, while Ultra starts at 56 FPS, drops to 45 FPS at 1440p, and bottoms out at 33 FPS at 4K. The gap between High and Ultra narrows as resolution rises — at 1080p the difference is 3 FPS, at 1440p it is 2 FPS, and at 4K it is also 2 FPS. This compression indicates that at higher resolutions, the GPU is so saturated that the extra visual fidelity of Ultra over High adds only marginal cost.

The data strongly suggests that the limiting component shifts with resolution. At 1080p, the i3-12100F's single-thread performance — a PassMark single-thread score of 3444 and a 3DMark single-thread score of 893 — appears sufficient to feed the GPU, as evidenced by the 101 FPS ceiling at Low settings. However, the fact that Ultra at 1080p only reaches 56 FPS despite the CPU having headroom indicates the GPU's rasterization limits are already being approached. By 4K, the GPU is unquestionably the bottleneck, with even Low settings unable to exceed 60 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER, built on the Turing architecture with a TU106 chip, provides 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock of 1470 MHz and boost clock of 1650 MHz are modest by modern standards, but the 2176 shading units and 64 ROPs deliver enough throughput for this flight simulator at moderate settings.

The memory configuration is particularly relevant for Microsoft Flight Simulator, which streams vast amounts of terrain and scenery data. The 8 GB frame buffer is adequate for 1080p and 1440p across all presets, but at 4K Ultra the 33 FPS average suggests the GPU is both compute-limited and potentially memory-pressure-limited. The 14 Gbps effective memory speed translates to the 448.0 GB/s figure, which is the same bandwidth class as the RTX 3060 Mobile (deltaPct -0.4% in average benchmark score) and AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (deltaPct -0.5%).

Looking at the GPU's synthetic benchmarks, the PassMark G3D score of 16462 places it at the 62nd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 18093. Its nearest rivals in the database are the RTX 3060 Mobile (18159, -0.4% delta), Radeon Pro 5700 (18189, -0.5% delta), and notably the Radeon RX 460 (18373, -1.5% delta) — the latter being an older, lower-tier card that nonetheless scores slightly higher in aggregate benchmarks. This indicates the 2060 SUPER's raw compute is competitive with mid-range offerings, but its age (released July 2019) shows in the measured FPS figures.

The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4 API compatibility are relevant for Microsoft Flight Simulator, which can leverage modern rendering paths. The PassMark DirectX 12 score of 61 and DirectX 11 score of 130 show the card handles both APIs, though the lower DX12 score suggests the game's DX12 path may not be optimally utilized on this hardware. The FP32 throughput of 7.181 TFLOPS and texture rate of 224.4 GTexel/s are the key specs driving the measured frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: The maximum measured average is 101 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. The next best is 81 FPS at 2560x1440 Low, followed by 78 FPS at 1080p Medium.

Q: Is this combination capable of 4K gaming in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where it averages 60 FPS. Medium at 4K drops to 47 FPS, High to 35 FPS, and Ultra to 33 FPS. The 4K Low result is playable, but higher presets fall below the 60 FPS threshold.

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

A: The Intel Core i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13494, placing it at the 68th percentile. Its nearest rival is the Intel Core 3 N355 at 13492 (0% delta), followed by the Intel Core i5-9500 at 13452 (0.3% delta) and the Intel Core 5 120UL at 13594 (-0.7% delta). The i3-12100F is effectively tied with these processors.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Medium and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium averages 63 FPS (with min 54 and max 73), while Ultra averages 45 FPS. This is an 18 FPS difference, representing a 29% reduction in frame rate for the higher preset.

Q: Does the RTX 2060 SUPER outperform its nearest GPU rivals?

A: In average benchmark score, the RTX 2060 SUPER (18093) is slightly below the RTX 3060 Mobile (18159, -0.4% delta) and Radeon Pro 5700 (18189, -0.5% delta), and further below the Radeon RX 460 (18373, -1.5% delta). It ranks at the 62nd percentile among all GPUs.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank in the database for Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: This CPU+GPU combination ranks 2571st out of 3714 tested combos for this game, placing it in the lower third of all configurations in the database.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data points to a clear sweet spot: Medium settings at 1440p, where the combo delivers 63 FPS average with a minimum of 54 FPS and maximum of 73 FPS. This is the only 1440p preset that stays above 60 FPS, and the min FPS of 54 indicates acceptable frame pacing for a flight simulator, where sudden dips are less jarring than in fast-paced action games.

For users prioritizing smoothness over visual fidelity, 1080p Low at 101 FPS is the best choice, providing nearly double the frame rate of the Medium preset at the same resolution (78 FPS). The gap between Low and Medium at 1080p is 23 FPS, which is substantial, but Medium's 78 FPS is still well above playable thresholds. At 1080p Ultra, the 56 FPS average is the lowest at this resolution, and the 3 FPS difference between High (59) and Ultra (56) makes Ultra a poor trade for the extra GPU load.

At 4K, only Low settings (60 FPS) achieve a playable frame rate. Medium at 47 FPS and High at 35 FPS are marginal, while Ultra at 33 FPS is borderline — acceptable for slow, scenic flight but not for dynamic maneuvers. The data suggests that 4K users should stick to Low or Medium, accepting the visual compromise for playability.

Overall, the recommended preset depends on the target resolution: 1080p users should choose Medium or High (78 or 59 FPS respectively), 1440p users should select Medium (63 FPS), and 4K users should use Low (60 FPS). The Medium preset at 1080p offers the best balance of visual quality and frame rate, with 78 FPS and a min of 67 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080: At Low settings, the combo achieves 101 FPS average. Medium settings produce 78 FPS with a minimum of 67 and maximum of 90. High settings yield 59 FPS, while Ultra drops to 56 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 45 FPS total reduction, with the largest single-step drop occurring between Low and Medium (23 FPS).

2560x1440: Low settings deliver 81 FPS, which is the highest at this resolution. Medium settings average 63 FPS with a minimum of 54 and maximum of 73. High settings drop to 47 FPS, and Ultra falls to 45 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium here is 18 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra narrows to just 2 FPS, indicating diminishing returns at the top end.

3840x2160: Low settings are the only preset to break 60 FPS, achieving exactly 60 FPS average. Medium settings average 47 FPS with a minimum of 40 and maximum of 54. High settings produce 35 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 33 FPS. The total spread from Low to Ultra at 4K is 27 FPS, which is the smallest range across all resolutions, confirming the GPU is the hard limiter here.

The data also reveals that the Medium preset's min FPS figures (67 at 1080p, 54 at 1440p, 40 at 4K) are consistently about 14 FPS below the average, suggesting occasional stutters during complex scenes. The max FPS values (90 at 1080p, 73 at 1440p, 54 at 4K) show headroom exists in less demanding moments, but the average is what matters for sustained gameplay.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process. Its base clock of 3.30 GHz and boost clock of 4.30 GHz provide the single-thread performance that Microsoft Flight Simulator heavily relies on for its simulation logic and draw-call processing. The 12 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache are modest but sufficient for this workload.

Synthetic benchmarks show the i3-12100F's strengths: a PassMark single-thread score of 3444, a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1674, and a 3DMark single-thread score of 893. These place it at the 68th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13494. Its multi-threaded scores are less impressive — Cinebench R23 multi-core at 11860 and PassMark multi-thread at 14015 — but the game's reliance on single-thread performance means these are less critical.

In the context of Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU's role is evident in the scaling behavior. At 1080p Low, the 101 FPS result shows the i3-12100F can feed the RTX 2060 SUPER effectively at lower resolutions. However, the fact that Ultra at 1080p only reaches 56 FPS — despite the CPU being capable of higher frame rates — confirms the GPU is the limiting factor even at 1080p. The CPU's headroom is further demonstrated by the 4K results, where all presets are GPU-bound, and the CPU's 4.30 GHz boost clock is not the constraint.

The nearest CPU rivals in the database — the Core 3 N355 (13492, 0% delta), Core i5-9500 (13452, 0.3% delta), and Core 5 120UL (13594, -0.7% delta) — all have nearly identical average benchmark scores. This means the i3-12100F's performance in this game would be very similar to these alternatives, making the choice between them largely about platform features rather than raw FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

This particular CPU+GPU pairing ranks 2571st out of 3714 tested combinations for Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the 31st percentile of all configurations. This is a low ranking, but the context matters: the database includes high-end combos with far more powerful CPUs and GPUs, and this budget-oriented pairing is competing against those.

The ranking is consistent with the measured FPS data. At 1080p Ultra, the combo achieves 56 FPS, which is playable but not exceptional — many higher-ranked combos would exceed 100 FPS at this setting. At 4K Ultra, the 33 FPS result is below the 60 FPS standard that many users target, further explaining the low rank.

Relative to the GPU's nearest rivals, the RTX 2060 SUPER's performance is competitive — it is within 1.6% of the RTX 3060 Mobile, Radeon Pro 5700, Radeon RX 460, and Intel Arc A770M in average benchmark scores. This suggests that swapping to any of these GPUs would yield nearly identical results in Microsoft Flight Simulator, keeping the combo in the same ranking band.

The CPU's rank (68th percentile) is notably higher than the combo's overall rank (31st percentile), indicating that the GPU is the weaker component in this pairing. Upgrading the RTX 2060 SUPER to a higher-tier card would likely improve the combo's rank more than upgrading the i3-12100F, since the CPU has more headroom relative to its peers. However, the data only measures this specific combination, and the 2571st rank reflects the current balance of the two components.