Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator is a demanding flight simulation title that stresses both the CPU and GPU heavily, and the pairing of the Intel Core i3-12100F with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 produces a distinctive performance profile. The data shows a system capable of high frame rates across all tested resolutions, but the scaling pattern reveals a clear shift in bottleneck behavior as the workload increases. This analysis walks through the measured FPS data, the role of each component, and how this specific combination ranks against other tested setups.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates across 1080p, 1440p, and 4K reveal how the system's performance ceiling moves as pixel count rises. At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 133, which climbs to 182 on Low settings. Moving to 2560x1440, the Ultra average drops to 107 FPS, while Low settings yield 169 FPS. At 3840x2160, the Ultra average falls further to 79 FPS, with Low settings producing 142 FPS.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a moderate drop: Ultra goes from 133 to 107 FPS, a reduction of roughly 19.5%. However, the transition from 1440p to 4K is more severe, with Ultra dropping from 107 to 79 FPS, a decrease of about 26.2%. This pattern indicates that at lower resolutions, the CPU is the primary limiting factor, preventing the powerful GPU from reaching its full potential. At 4K, the GPU becomes the dominant constraint, as the pixel workload increases enough to saturate the RTX 5090's capabilities.

The Low settings data reinforces this interpretation. At 1080p Low, the system hits 182 FPS, but at 4K Low it still manages 142 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 63 FPS (142 vs 79), while at 1080p the gap is 49 FPS (182 vs 133). This widening delta at higher resolutions confirms that the GPU is increasingly the bottleneck as resolution rises, since the CPU has less overhead to hide behind when the pixel count demands more from the graphics card. The i3-12100F's four cores and eight threads appear sufficient to feed the RTX 5090 at 1080p, but the GPU's headroom is not fully utilized there, whereas at 4K the GPU is working closer to its limit.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is a top-tier graphics card with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, delivering 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock is 2017 MHz with a boost clock of 2407 MHz, and it contains 21760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 raster output units. The card's 170 RT cores and 680 tensor cores support its DirectX 12 Ultimate feature set, which is relevant for a modern flight simulator that uses advanced rendering techniques.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the GPU's role is most visible at 4K resolution. The Medium preset at 3840x2160 shows an average of 110 FPS with a minimum of 94 and maximum of 127, indicating that the card can handle complex scenery rendering with some frame time variance. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 79 FPS, which is still playable but shows the GPU's limits under maximum graphical load. The 32 GB VRAM capacity is more than sufficient for this game's texture-heavy environments, and the memory bandwidth supports high-resolution texture streaming without stutter.

The RTX 5090's benchmark scores place it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79842. Its nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (0.3% lower score) and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (1.1% lower), though these comparisons are based on synthetic tests rather than this specific game. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 39650 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 376728 indicate strong raw compute performance, but the measured FPS data shows that the CPU pairing limits its effectiveness at lower resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 136th out of 3714 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the top 3.7% of all tested configurations, which is notable given the CPU's modest specifications. The ranking reflects the game's ability to use the GPU heavily at higher resolutions, where the RTX 5090's strengths can compensate for the CPU's limitations.

The CPU itself sits in the 68th percentile of all processors, with an average benchmark score of 13494. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core 3 N355 (0% delta), Intel Core i5-9500 (0.3% higher), and Intel Core 5 120UL (0.7% lower). These close scores suggest that the i3-12100F's performance is well-understood and predictable, but it is not a high-end part in the broader CPU landscape. The GPU, in contrast, is in the 92nd percentile, making this a lopsided pairing where the graphics card vastly outclasses the processor.

The combo rank of 136 indicates that many other configurations achieve better overall performance in this game, likely those with more powerful CPUs that can better feed high-end GPUs. However, the fact that this combo still ranks in the top percentile suggests that Microsoft Flight Simulator's engine is capable of leveraging the RTX 5090's power even with a budget CPU, particularly at 4K where the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. The Low preset averages 182 FPS, Medium averages 166 FPS with a minimum of 141 and maximum of 191, High averages 139 FPS, and Ultra averages 133 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 49 FPS, showing that the CPU can sustain high frame rates even as graphical load increases, but the GPU is not being pushed to its limits at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down predictably. Low averages 169 FPS, Medium averages 149 FPS with a minimum of 127 and maximum of 172, High averages 112 FPS, and Ultra averages 107 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 62 FPS, indicating that the GPU is starting to become more involved, but the CPU still has enough headroom to keep frame rates above 100 FPS on all presets.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's workload becomes the dominant factor. Low averages 142 FPS, Medium averages 110 FPS with a minimum of 94 and maximum of 127, High averages 83 FPS, and Ultra averages 79 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 63 FPS, and the minimum FPS on Medium (94) shows that frame times can spike under heavy load. The 4K Ultra result of 79 FPS is the lowest measured average, but it remains above 60 FPS, which is a common target for smooth gameplay.

The Medium preset at each resolution provides the most complete data, with minimum and maximum values recorded. At 1080p Medium, the range is 141 to 191 FPS, at 1440p Medium it is 127 to 172 FPS, and at 4K Medium it is 94 to 127 FPS. These ranges indicate that the system experiences frame rate variance that scales with resolution, with the 4K Medium showing the widest relative spread, suggesting occasional dips that could be noticeable in dense scenery areas.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance across all three resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the system averages 166 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate of most monitors and provides a smooth experience. The minimum of 141 FPS ensures that even the most demanding scenes remain fluid. At 1440p Medium, the average of 149 FPS with a minimum of 127 FPS is similarly excellent, providing high frame rates without sacrificing visual fidelity.

At 4K, the Medium preset averages 110 FPS with a minimum of 94 FPS, which is the strongest result for that resolution. The High preset drops to 83 FPS, and Ultra falls to 79 FPS, both of which are still playable but offer less headroom for frame time spikes. The Medium preset's minimum of 94 FPS means that even the worst-case scenario stays above 90 FPS, making it the most consistent choice for 4K gaming.

For users prioritizing maximum visual quality, the Ultra preset at 1080p (133 FPS) or 1440p (107 FPS) is viable, as both remain above 100 FPS. However, at 4K, the Ultra preset's 79 FPS average may result in noticeable stutters in complex scenes, so Medium is the recommended setting for that resolution. The Low preset is not recommended for this hardware, as the GPU is powerful enough that the visual compromises offer no meaningful performance benefit at any resolution.

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. It has 12 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory. Its benchmark scores show strong single-thread performance, with a 3DMark single-thread score of 893 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1674, but its multi-thread scores are more modest, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 11860 and a Geekbench multicore score of 7252.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU's role is most evident in the scaling between 1080p and 1440p. At 1080p Ultra, the system achieves 133 FPS, but at 1440p Ultra it drops to 107 FPS. This 19.5% reduction is larger than the pixel count increase (which is about 77% more pixels), suggesting that the CPU is not the limiting factor at 1080p. Instead, the GPU is being held back by the CPU's ability to prepare frames, and the RTX 5090's power is not fully utilized until the resolution increases to 4K.

The CPU's 68th percentile ranking and its close scores to rivals like the Intel Core i5-9500 (0.3% higher) and Intel Core 3 N355 (0% delta) indicate that it is a mid-range part. Its 3DMark 16-thread score of 4051 and 8-thread score of 4026 show that it scales well up to 8 threads, but its 4-core design limits its performance in heavily threaded workloads. For this game, the CPU's single-thread strength is sufficient to maintain high frame rates, but it cannot fully unlock the RTX 5090's potential at lower resolutions, leaving performance on the table until 4K.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU-GPU combo in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 with Medium settings provides the best balance, averaging 149 FPS with a minimum of 127 FPS. While 1080p offers higher frame rates (up to 182 FPS on Low), the visual quality improvement at 1440p is significant without a major performance penalty.

Q: How does the RTX 5090's 32 GB VRAM affect performance in this game?

A: The 32 GB GDDR7 memory with 1.79 TB/s bandwidth ensures that texture streaming and high-resolution assets do not cause VRAM-related stutters. The measured data shows consistent frame rates across all settings, with the Medium preset at 4K maintaining a minimum of 94 FPS, indicating no memory bottleneck.

Q: Is the i3-12100F a bottleneck for the RTX 5090 in this game?

A: Yes, at 1080p and 1440p the CPU limits the GPU's performance. Evidence includes the 1080p Ultra result of 133 FPS versus 4K Ultra at 79 FPS, where the GPU becomes the primary constraint. The CPU's 4-core design cannot fully feed the GPU's capabilities at lower resolutions.

Q: What is the combo's ranking among all tested configurations?

A: This combo ranks 136th out of 3714 tested combos, placing it in the top 3.7% of all configurations. This is notable given the CPU's modest specifications, and it reflects the game's ability to leverage the GPU's power at higher resolutions.

Q: Which settings preset provides the most consistent frame times?

A: The Medium preset at each resolution shows the most complete data with minimum and maximum values. At 4K Medium, the range is 94 to 127 FPS, which is a 33 FPS spread, while at 1080p Medium the range is 141 to 191 FPS, a 50 FPS spread. The 4K Medium offers the tightest relative variance, indicating more consistent performance.

Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance compare to its multi-thread performance in this game?

A: The CPU's single-thread performance is strong, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1674, which is well-suited for this game's physics and simulation calculations. Its multi-thread score of 11860 is lower relative to other CPUs, but the game appears to benefit more from the strong single-thread capability, as evidenced by the high frame rates achieved despite the modest core count.