Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator pairs a 4-core Intel Core i3-12100F with the 16 GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER in this measured benchmark set. The data shows a system that produces playable frame rates across every resolution and preset combination, ranging from 68.2 FPS at 4K Ultra up to 179.3 FPS at 1080p Low. Across the full 1,795-combo database, this pairing ranks 128th, suggesting that the CPU does not prevent the GPU from delivering near-top-tier results in this flight sim.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS table shows a consistent performance decline as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 and then 3840x2160. At Low settings, the average drops from 179.3 FPS at 1080p to 166.2 FPS at 1440p, then to 121.4 FPS at 4K. At Medium settings, the progression is 160.8 FPS at 1080p, 132.1 FPS at 1440p, and 95.5 FPS at 4K. At High settings, the same resolution ladder goes from 121.4 FPS to 100.3 FPS to 70.9 FPS. For Ultra, the averages are 116.9 FPS, 95.5 FPS, and 68.2 FPS respectively.

This pattern indicates that the RTX 4080 SUPER is the dominant scaling factor as pixel count grows. Every preset loses FPS when moving to 4K, and the loss is substantial in absolute terms. For example, High drops from 121.4 FPS at 1080p to 70.9 FPS at 4K, which is a much larger reduction than the step from Low to High at 1080p. The 4K Ultra result of 68.2 FPS is the lowest measured value in the entire table, reinforcing that by the time the renderer is pushing 3840x2160 pixels, GPU workload is the primary limiter.

At 1080p, the CPU has more influence on the result. The Low preset reaches 179.3 FPS, showing that the processor can feed a lightly loaded GPU at high speed. The gap between High and Ultra at 1080p is narrow in practical terms: 121.4 FPS versus 116.9 FPS. A similar pattern appears at 1440p, where High produces 100.3 FPS and Ultra 95.5 FPS. This suggests that beyond a certain preset level, the game’s simulation overhead and CPU-side work start to compress FPS gains, even though the GPU still has headroom at lower resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD103 chip on a 5 nm process. Its memory subsystem is a central part of the 4K result: 16 GB of GDDR6X on a 256-bit bus provides 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU runs at a 2295 MHz base clock and a 2550 MHz boost clock, with memory at 1438 MHz and 23 Gbps effective. These specifications line up with the measured 4K behavior, where even the highest preset still produces a positive average FPS rather than collapsing.

The GPU’s synthetic standing is strong. It has a Passmark G3D score of 34245 and an average benchmark score of 53610, placing it at the 88th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the database are the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT with an average score of 53489 and a deltaPct of 0.2, the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M at 53414 with a deltaPct of 0.4, the AMD Radeon RX 7700S at 52505 with a deltaPct of 2.1, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti at 52086 with a deltaPct of 2.9. That places the RTX 4080 SUPER at the top of its immediate comparison group.

The 16 GB VRAM capacity is relevant to this game’s results because the measured data includes 4K presets at Medium, High, and Ultra. At 4K Medium the combo produces 95.5 FPS, at High 70.9 FPS, and at Ultra 68.2 FPS. These are not memory-limited results in the sense of refusing to run; rather, the card’s bandwidth and capacity allow the flight sim to maintain usable frame rates even at the most demanding tested settings.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows make it possible to compare presets at each resolution. At 1080p, Low yields 179.3 FPS, Medium 160.8 FPS, High 121.4 FPS, and Ultra 116.9 FPS. At 1440p, the same order produces 166.2, 132.1, 100.3, and 95.5 FPS. At 4K, the values are 121.4, 95.5, 70.9, and 68.2 FPS.

High is the strongest balanced preset in this dataset. It is the highest preset that consistently stays above the 68.2 FPS floor seen at 4K Ultra, and it outperforms Ultra at every resolution: 121.4 versus 116.9 at 1080p, 100.3 versus 95.5 at 1440p, and 70.9 versus 68.2 at 4K. For a user who wants the higher preset level without giving up FPS, High is the best measured option.

Medium is the alternative for users who prioritize frame rate over the visual step to High. At 4K, Medium produces 95.5 FPS, which is the second-fastest 4K row in the table behind Low’s 121.4 FPS. At 1440p, Medium reaches 132.1 FPS, and at 1080p, 160.8 FPS. Low is the fastest preset at every resolution, but it is also the lowest quality tier; in a flight simulator, the step from Medium to Low may be less desirable than the frame rate gain suggests. The data indicates High as the best experience overall, with Medium available when smoother motion is the priority.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested CPU and GPU combinations for Microsoft Flight Simulator, this specific pairing holds the 128th position out of 1,795 combinations. The rank is based on measured data, since the dataIsMeasured field is true, not on synthetic estimates. Being inside the top 128 of 1,795 places the combo well toward the upper end of all tested systems.

This is notable because the processor is a desktop Core i3 with only four cores, while the GPU is an end-of-life high-end 40-series part. The combination still ranks ahead of the vast majority of tested combos, which indicates that the RTX 4080 SUPER is capable of carrying the system in this game. The CPU does not appear to drag the result down far enough to drop the pairing out of the upper tier. Given the GPU’s 88th percentile standing against all GPUs, the 128th combo rank aligns with a system whose high-end graphics card is doing most of the work.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 12th-generation Core i3 from the Alder Lake-S family, manufactured on Intel’s 10 nm process. It has 4 cores and 8 threads, a base clock of 3.30 GHz, and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Cache configuration includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 12 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory over a dual-channel bus, and it has no integrated graphics.

Its synthetic performance is competitive for a 4-core part. The average benchmark score is 13516, placing it at the 72nd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals in overall score are the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX at 13534 with a deltaPct of -0.1, the Intel Core i7-1250U at 13462 with a deltaPct of 0.4, the Intel Core i3-10105 at 13430 with a deltaPct of 0.6, and the Intel Core i7-7700K at 13280 with a deltaPct of 1.8. The i3-12100F effectively sits in the same aggregate performance band as those CPUs despite having far fewer cores in some cases.

Single-thread performance is strong. The CPU scores 1681 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 3444 in Passmark single-thread. Multithread results are also solid: 11912 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 14015 in Passmark multithread. These numbers matter because the game’s measured results show that the CPU can maintain high frame rates when the GPU is not heavily loaded. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 179.3 FPS, and even at 1080p High it stays at 121.4 FPS. The CPU’s clock speed and 12 MB L3 cache appear sufficient to keep the RTX 4080 SUPER fed across all measured presets.

The core count remains a limiting factor in the broader context, but not enough to undermine the pairing. At 4K, the FPS values are 121.4, 95.5, 70.9, and 68.2 for Low through Ultra, and the CPU is not the component causing those numbers to fall. Instead, the data shows the i3-12100F providing enough single-thread and multithread throughput to place this combination in the 128th spot overall, while the RTX 4080 SUPER determines the scaling behavior across resolution and settings.