Microsoft Flight Simulator

# Microsoft Flight Simulator — Intel Core i5-10400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060

This combination of a 6-core Comet Lake processor and an Ada Lovelace GPU delivers playable flight simulation across all tested resolutions, but the data reveals a system that leans heavily on the graphics card at higher settings while the CPU holds its own at lower presets. The measured frames per second across 1080p, 1440p, and 4K show a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling, with the RTX 4060's 8 GB frame buffer and 128-bit memory interface acting as the primary constraint at 4K Ultra.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS progression from 1080p to 4K tells a textbook story of GPU-bound performance. At High settings, the system produces 70 FPS at 1920x1080, drops to 56 FPS at 2560x1440, and settles at 42 FPS at 3840x2160. That is a 40% reduction from 1080p to 4K, indicating the render load is scaling almost entirely with pixel count. The jump from 1440p to 4K costs 14 FPS, while moving from 1080p to 1440p costs 14 FPS as well — a remarkably linear decline that points to the RTX 4060 as the limiting component, not the i5-10400F.

Lower settings amplify this trend. At Low preset, the system hits 119 FPS at 1080p, 96 FPS at 1440p, and 71 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K here is roughly 40% again, but the absolute numbers are high enough that the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads start to matter more. At 1080p Low, the 119 FPS figure suggests the i5-10400F can feed the GPU adequately when the pixel load is light. However, the gap between Low and Ultra at each resolution reveals where the bottleneck shifts.

At 1080p, Ultra produces 66 FPS against Low's 119 FPS — a 53 FPS spread driven almost entirely by GPU workload. At 4K, that spread narrows to 31 FPS (40 FPS Ultra vs 71 FPS Low), which means the GPU is so saturated at 4K that even dropping to Low cannot fully recover frame rates. The Medium preset shows the only min/max data in the pack: 79-107 FPS at 1080p, 64-86 FPS at 1440p, and 47-64 FPS at 4K. Those ranges demonstrate that frame pacing remains consistent, with no catastrophic stutters even at 4K Medium.

The practical takeaway is that this combo is a 1080p-to-1440p machine for Microsoft Flight Simulator. At 4K, you are looking at 40-42 FPS on High/Ultra, which is playable but far from smooth for a sim that benefits from steady frame times. The GPU is the ceiling here; the CPU has headroom to spare.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 brings 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. That memory configuration is the single biggest factor in this game's 4K performance. Flight simulators are notorious for loading large textures and terrain data, and 8 GB at 4K Ultra can hit capacity limits, which explains why the Ultra preset at 3840x2160 drops to 40 FPS — the lowest measured result in the entire set. The 128-bit bus width means the GPU must work harder to move data, and with a 272.0 GB/s ceiling, texture streaming at 4K becomes a choke point.

Clock speeds are respectable: the base is 1830 MHz with a boost of 2460 MHz. The 3072 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 48 ROPs process geometry and pixels efficiently, but the 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is modest for 4K workloads. The RTX 4060's passmark G3D score of 19545 and its 61st percentile ranking among all GPUs place it in the mid-range tier, which aligns with the measured FPS. Its nearest rivals in the synthetic benchmark — the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (0.2% faster), AMD Radeon 780M (0.3% slower), and AMD Radeon Pro 560 (0.5% slower) — are all older or integrated parts, underscoring that the 4060 is a capable but not high-end performer.

The 12 GB frame buffer shortage is not an issue at 1080p or 1440p, where High and Ultra settings stay above 54 FPS. But at 4K, the 40 FPS Ultra result suggests the GPU is either hitting VRAM limits or memory bandwidth saturation. The fact that 4K Low (71 FPS) nearly doubles 4K Ultra (40 FPS) indicates that reducing texture and shading complexity alleviates the memory pressure — a clear sign that the 8 GB capacity and 128-bit bus are the binding constraints at that resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on Comet Lake, manufactured on Intel's 14 nm process. It runs at a 2.90 GHz base clock and boosts up to 4.30 GHz. Its 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support (42.7 GB/s bandwidth) are adequate for feeding a mid-range GPU in a flight sim, which is typically more GPU-dependent than CPU-heavy at high resolutions. The processor's percentile rank of 68 among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 14185, places it solidly in the upper-mid tier — close to Intel Xeon 6756E (0.2% higher), Intel Core 7 160UL (0.3% lower), AMD EPYC 7552 (0.5% higher), and AMD Ryzen 3 7320C (0.6% lower).

In this game, the CPU's role becomes evident at lower resolutions and settings. At 1080p Low, the system produces 119 FPS — a figure that requires the CPU to maintain high draw-call throughput. The i5-10400F's single-thread performance, measured at 688 in 3dmark_single_thread and 1451 in cinebench_r23_singlecore, is sufficient for the game's main thread. Multi-threaded scores like cinebench_r23_multicore at 10283 and passmark_multithread at 12115 show that the 6-core/12-thread configuration handles background simulation tasks without bottlenecking the GPU at 1080p Medium (93 FPS) or High (70 FPS).

However, the CPU is not completely exonerated. At 1080p Low, the 119 FPS ceiling may be partially limited by the i5-10400F's architecture — newer CPUs with higher IPC would likely push that number higher. The 4.30 GHz boost clock helps, but the 14 nm process and Comet Lake design are aging. That said, the fact that 4K Ultra (40 FPS) is only 26 FPS lower than 1080p Ultra (66 FPS) confirms the GPU is the dominant bottleneck in this pairing. If the CPU were the constraint, we would expect the FPS gap between resolutions to be smaller at Ultra settings, since the GPU would be waiting on CPU data. Instead, the opposite occurs — the GPU's workload scales with resolution, and the CPU keeps pace.

Settings Recommendations

For a smooth experience, the Medium preset is the sweet spot across all three resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the system delivers 93 FPS average with a 79-107 FPS range — well within high-refresh territory. At 1440p Medium, 75 FPS average (64-86 range) is comfortable for a flight sim, and even 4K Medium's 55 FPS average (47-64 range) is playable if you tolerate occasional dips. The Medium preset offers the best balance between visual fidelity and frame rate, as it retains enough detail to make the sim immersive while avoiding the heavy texture loads that cripple 4K Ultra.

High settings are viable at 1080p (70 FPS) and 1440p (56 FPS), but 4K High at 42 FPS may feel sluggish during busy airport scenes or weather transitions. Ultra settings are only recommended for 1080p, where 66 FPS remains acceptable; at 1440p (54 FPS) and 4K (40 FPS), the visual gains do not justify the frame rate losses. Low settings are unnecessary at 1080p, since Medium already clears 90 FPS, but at 4K, Low (71 FPS) might be worth considering if you prioritize smoothness over visuals — though the 55 FPS of Medium is likely a better compromise.

The min/max data from Medium settings shows the frame time consistency: at 1080p, the 79 FPS minimum means no severe drops, and at 4K, the 47 FPS minimum is stable enough for casual flying. Avoid Ultra at 4K, as the 40 FPS average offers no margin for complex scenes.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific pairing — Intel Core i5-10400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 — ranks 1978 out of 3714 tested combinations in Microsoft Flight Simulator. That places it in the 53rd percentile of all combos, meaning roughly half of the tested systems perform better and half perform worse. Given the mid-range nature of both components, this ranking makes sense: the GPU's 61st percentile and CPU's 68th percentile suggest a slightly above-average pairing, but the 8 GB VRAM and 6-core CPU cap its ceiling.

Compared to other combos, this system sits in the middle of the pack, which is expected for a 1080p/1440p-focused build. The ranking reflects that while the RTX 4060 excels at lower resolutions, its 4K performance drags the overall score down relative to combos with higher-end GPUs. The i5-10400F's age also prevents the combo from climbing higher, as newer CPUs with higher single-thread scores would boost the 1080p Low results. For a balanced mid-range setup, this rank is competitive, but enthusiasts seeking top-tier sim performance would need to look at combos in the top quartile.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1440p Medium (75 FPS average) as the best balance of visual quality and smoothness. At 1080p Medium, you get 93 FPS, but the visual upgrade to 1440p is worth the 18 FPS drop. 4K is playable only on Medium (55 FPS) or Low (71 FPS).

Q: Will this system run 4K Ultra in this game?

A: Yes, but just barely — 40 FPS average at 3840x2160 Ultra. That is the lowest result in the measured data, and the 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus are likely the limiting factors. You will see dips below 40 FPS in dense scenery.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU's passmark G3D score of 19545 places it 0.2% behind the AMD Radeon HD 7790, 0.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon 780M, and 0.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 560. These are all older or integrated parts, so the 4060 is clearly a step up in real-world gaming.

Q: Is the i5-10400F a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the system hits 119 FPS, which suggests the CPU can keep up with the GPU. However, at 1080p Ultra (66 FPS), the GPU is still the primary limiter. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads handle the game's simulation threads without major issues, but newer CPUs would likely push the 1080p Low result higher.

Q: What settings should I use for the most consistent frame times?

A: Medium settings provide the only min/max data in the pack, showing stable ranges: 79-107 FPS at 1080p, 64-86 FPS at 1440p, and 47-64 FPS at 4K. These ranges indicate no severe stutters, making Medium the safest choice for consistent performance.

Q: How does this combo rank overall in the benchmark database?

A: It ranks 1978 out of 3714 tested combos for Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it just above the median. This reflects the mid-range nature of both components — solid for 1080p/1440p, but not competitive with high-end systems at 4K.