Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator is a demanding title, and the pairing of the Intel Core i3-12100F with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER produces a combination that ranks in the 281st position out of 1795 tested combos, placing it in the top 16% of all configurations. The data shows that this setup is capable of delivering playable frame rates at 4K Ultra, but it truly excels at lower resolutions, where the GPU's substantial power is fully utilized. The benchmark results indicate a system that is balanced enough for high-fidelity flight simulation, though the CPU's four cores become a limiting factor in specific scenarios.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall performance ranking of this CPU and GPU combo in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: The combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 281st out of 1795 tested combos for this game, placing it in the top 15.7% of all configurations tested.

Q: Can this system handle Microsoft Flight Simulator at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, the data shows it is capable of 4K gaming. At 3840x2160 resolution, it achieves an average of 61.2 FPS on High settings and 60.5 FPS on Ultra settings, both of which are comfortably playable.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the average frame rate drops from 88.7 FPS on High settings to 79.9 FPS on Ultra settings. This represents an 8.8 FPS decrease for the visual fidelity gain of the Ultra preset.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Core i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13516. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX, scores 13534, making the Intel chip only 0.1% slower. It is 0.4% faster than the Intel Core i7-1250U and 1.8% faster than the Intel Core i7-7700K.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration and how does it relate to the game?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. This substantial memory allocation is well-suited for the high-resolution textures and complex scenery in Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a high-refresh-rate 1080p monitor?

A: For 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 182.8 FPS, while Medium achieves 144.8 FPS. The Medium preset offers a significantly higher visual quality than Low while still providing frame rates high enough to take advantage of most high-refresh-rate displays.

How This Combo Ranks

The data places this specific configuration at rank 281 out of 1795 total combos tested in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places the system in the 84.3rd percentile of all tested configurations, indicating a strong overall performance level. The score suggests that while it is not an absolute top-tier setup, it outperforms the vast majority of systems tested. The high rank is largely attributable to the GPU's excellent performance, which is in the 84th percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU sits in the 72nd percentile. This indicates that the GPU is the primary driver of the system's high placement in the rankings, with the CPU providing solid but less exceptional support.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing. Its benchmark scores are impressive, with a Passmark G3D score of 29995 and an average benchmark score of 42576, placing it in the 84th percentile of all GPUs. The card's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth provide ample resources for Microsoft Flight Simulator's vast, texture-rich environments. The GPU's boost clock of 2475 MHz and its 7168 shading units are key to its ability to render the game's complex geometry and lighting. Its performance is closely matched with the NVIDIA RTX A6000, which has an average score of 42653, a difference of only 0.2%. This GPU-centric performance is evident in the frame rate data, where the system shows a clear ability to push high frame rates at lower resolutions, with the CPU becoming the bottleneck as resolution decreases.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data reveals a clear performance hierarchy across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system is exceptionally fast, with the Low preset hitting an average of 182.8 FPS. This number drops to 144.8 FPS on Medium and 104.7 FPS on High. The Ultra preset at 1080p yields 103.3 FPS, showing a minimal difference from High. Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 148.1 FPS (Low), 115.6 FPS (Medium), 88.7 FPS (High), and 79.9 FPS (Ultra). At the demanding 3840x2160 resolution, the system still performs admirably, with the Low preset averaging 106 FPS, Medium at 83.3 FPS, High at 61.2 FPS, and Ultra at 60.5 FPS. The data shows that the system can maintain playable frame rates even at 4K Ultra, though the headroom for higher refresh rates is lost.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a classic pattern of GPU-bound behavior. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 182.8 FPS, but this drops to 148.1 FPS at 1440p and 106 FPS at 4K. This is a clear indication of the GPU being the primary limiter at lower resolutions. However, the scaling is less dramatic on the Ultra preset: 103.3 FPS at 1080p, 79.9 FPS at 1440p, and 60.5 FPS at 4K. The difference between 1080p and 4K on Ultra is a 42.8 FPS drop, which is less severe in percentage terms than the drop on Low. This suggests that as settings increase, the CPU's ability to feed the GPU becomes more relevant. The frame rate gap between 1080p and 1440p on Ultra is only 23.4 FPS, indicating that the CPU's four cores are starting to limit the maximum frame rate, preventing the GPU from fully flexing its muscles at 1080p.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture. Its benchmark scores show a strong single-thread performance, with a Geekbench single-core score of 2224 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1681. This is beneficial for Microsoft Flight Simulator, which is known to be sensitive to single-thread performance. However, its multi-threaded performance is more modest, as shown by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11912 and 3DMark max-thread score of 4023. The CPU's 12 MB of shared L3 cache and boost clock of 4.30 GHz help it keep up with the GPU, but the data indicates it is the limiting factor in this pairing. The frame rate data supports this, as the scaling from 1080p to 1440p is not as steep as from 1440p to 4K, suggesting the CPU is capping performance at lower resolutions. Its average benchmark score of 13516 is within 1.8% of the Intel Core i7-7700K, showing that while it's a modern chip, it competes with older high-end parts in overall synthetic tests.

Settings Recommendations

For users with a 4K display, the High preset is the optimal choice, delivering an average of 61.2 FPS. The Ultra preset offers only a marginal improvement in visual quality over High but drops the average frame rate to 60.5 FPS, providing less headroom for complex scenes. At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset is the best option, as it maintains a solid 79.9 FPS average while providing the highest visual fidelity, a 9.9% performance reduction from High for a significant visual upgrade. For 1080p gaming, the Medium preset strikes the best balance, offering a substantial improvement over Low while maintaining a high 144.8 FPS average, which is more than sufficient for smooth gameplay. The High preset at 1080p is also viable, but its 104.7 FPS average is only slightly higher than the Ultra preset's 103.3 FPS, making the Ultra preset a better choice for users who want maximum quality at that resolution.