Microsoft Flight Simulator

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 lands at rank 910 out of 1795 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. That places this configuration almost exactly in the middle of the database, a position that reflects the mix of a mid-generation CPU with a current-generation GPU. The data shows a system that is neither a top-tier enthusiast setup nor a low-end compromise; it sits squarely in the broad middle band where most practical gaming builds reside.

Looking at the individual components, both the CPU and GPU occupy the 73rd percentile against all other parts in their respective categories. The i5-10400F's average benchmark score of 14168 places it within a tight cluster of rivals. It sits 0.4% above the AMD EPYC 7552, 0.8% below the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C, 1.1% below the Intel Core i5-8500, and 1.2% below the AMD Ryzen Embedded V2546. These are all within a margin that would be imperceptible in real-world gaming, suggesting the CPU is performing exactly as expected for its class.

The RTX 5060 tells a similar story. Its average benchmark score of 30109 is essentially tied with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT at a 0% delta, 0.2% above the AMD Radeon RX 570, 0.5% below the NVIDIA Tesla M60, and 0.6% below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile. The GPU is performing right at its expected level. The combination of two components that each sit at the 73rd percentile against their peers yields a mid-pack overall ranking, which is consistent with what the measured FPS data will show across resolutions and settings.

FAQ

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 910 out of 1795 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the middle of the database.

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo can achieve?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 128.6 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. Even at 4K with Low settings, the combo maintains 71.9 FPS.

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

A: The i5-10400F's average benchmark score of 14168 is 0.4% above the AMD EPYC 7552, 0.8% below the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C, 1.1% below the Intel Core i5-8500, and 1.2% below the AMD Ryzen Embedded V2546.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 5060's average benchmark score of 30109 is tied with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT, 0.2% above the AMD Radeon RX 570, 0.5% below the NVIDIA Tesla M60, and 0.6% below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile.

Q: Does the combo maintain playable frame rates at 4K?

A: Yes, at 3840x2160 the combo achieves 40 FPS on Ultra, 42.7 FPS on High, 55.3 FPS on Medium, and 71.9 FPS on Low settings.

Q: What is the 3DMark single-thread score for the CPU?

A: The i5-10400F scores 688 in the 3dmark_single_thread test, 1350 in the 2-thread test, and 4748 in the 16-thread test.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of scaling from 1080p through 1440p to 4K. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo produces 76.1 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings drops that to 59.4 FPS, a 22% reduction. At 3840x2160, the frame rate falls further to 42.7 FPS, which is 44% below the 1080p result. This steep drop-off indicates that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor as resolution increases.

The pattern holds across all settings presets. At Low settings, the combo delivers 128.6 FPS at 1080p, 98.4 FPS at 1440p, and 71.9 FPS at 4K. The 4K result is 44% lower than 1080p, nearly identical to the percentage drop seen at High settings. At Medium, the numbers are 96.6 FPS at 1080p, 77.4 FPS at 1440p, and 55.3 FPS at 4K, with the 4K figure sitting 43% below 1080p. Ultra settings show 69.4 FPS at 1080p, 55.2 FPS at 1440p, and 40 FPS at 4K, a 42% drop from 1080p to 4K.

The consistency of these percentage drops across all four settings presets is telling. If the CPU were the primary bottleneck, the gap between 1080p and 4K would shrink at higher resolutions because the CPU workload would remain constant while the GPU workload increases. Instead, the FPS falls by roughly 42-44% from 1080p to 4K regardless of settings, which indicates that the RTX 5060 is the component driving the performance ceiling at higher resolutions. The GPU's 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for this title, but the raw compute capacity of 19.18 TFLOPS FP32 is what limits the frame rate as pixel count climbs.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. Low settings produce 128.6 FPS, Medium settings 96.6 FPS, High settings 76.1 FPS, and Ultra settings 69.4 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 59.2 FPS, showing a wide range of performance headroom depending on visual fidelity preferences. The step from Medium to High costs 20.5 FPS, while the step from High to Ultra costs only 6.7 FPS, suggesting diminishing returns at the top end of the settings scale.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates compress somewhat. Low settings yield 98.4 FPS, Medium 77.4 FPS, High 59.4 FPS, and Ultra 55.2 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra narrows to 43.2 FPS. The step from Medium to High costs 18 FPS, while High to Ultra costs just 4.2 FPS. The relatively small penalty for Ultra over High at this resolution makes the highest preset a more viable option here than at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the performance envelope tightens considerably. Low settings produce 71.9 FPS, Medium 55.3 FPS, High 42.7 FPS, and Ultra 40 FPS. The total spread from Low to Ultra is 31.9 FPS, the narrowest of any resolution. The penalty for moving from Medium to High is 12.6 FPS, while High to Ultra costs only 2.7 FPS. This compression indicates that the GPU is nearing its limits across all settings at 4K, and the choice of preset has less impact on performance than it does at lower resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

For users targeting 1920x1080, the data suggests that High settings at 76.1 FPS offer the best balance of visual quality and smoothness. Ultra adds only 6.7 FPS of cost over High but delivers diminishing returns, while Medium at 96.6 FPS is a strong option for those who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity. The 128.6 FPS Low preset exists for competitive play or for users who want maximum headroom, but the visual sacrifice is substantial for a flight simulator where scenery detail matters.

At 2560x1440, High settings at 59.4 FPS and Ultra at 55.2 FPS are close enough that the visual upgrade may justify the 4.2 FPS penalty. Medium at 77.4 FPS remains a solid choice for smoother motion, but the gap between Medium and High is larger at 18 FPS. Users with 144Hz displays should consider Medium, while those with 60Hz panels can comfortably run Ultra.

At 3840x2160, the recommendation is more constrained. Ultra at 40 FPS and High at 42.7 FPS are both below the 60 FPS threshold that many users consider ideal, but they remain playable for a flight simulator where frame pacing is less critical than in fast-paced genres. Medium at 55.3 FPS is the strongest option for 4K, providing a meaningful improvement over High while staying above 50 FPS. Low at 71.9 FPS is the only preset that clears 60 FPS at 4K, but it represents a significant visual downgrade. The measured data indicates that Medium is the sweet spot for 4K on this combo.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F brings 6 cores and 12 threads to this pairing, running at a base clock of 2.90 GHz with a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. The 14 nm Comet Lake architecture provides 12 MB of shared L3 cache, with 64 KB of L1 and 256 KB of L2 per core. The CPU's benchmark scores show a moderate single-thread capability with a 3dmark_single_thread score of 688, scaling up to 4748 in the 16-thread test. The Cinebench R23 results of 1453 single-core and 10297 multi-core reinforce this profile.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU's role is significant but not dominant. The resolution scaling analysis shows that the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases, but at 1080p the CPU still has room to influence results. The 3dmark_2_threads score of 1350 and 4-thread score of 2560 indicate that the CPU can feed the GPU adequately at lower resolutions where frame rates are higher. The 8-thread score of 3929 and max-thread score of 4735 show that the CPU's multi-threaded performance is sufficient for the game's background simulation tasks.

The i5-10400F sits at the 73rd percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 14168. Its nearest rivals are all within a 1.2% delta, confirming that it performs exactly at the expected level for its specifications. The CPU's memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s over a dual-channel DDR4 interface is adequate for this game. The data suggests that while the CPU is not a bottleneck at 4K, it may contribute to the frame rate ceiling at 1080p where the GPU has more headroom. The 128.6 FPS result at 1080p Low settings represents the practical upper limit of this pairing, a figure that is constrained by both components working together.