Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator with an Intel Core i5-11400F and AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT presents a compelling data set for analysis, ranking 578th out of 1795 tested combos. This pairing of a mid-range 11th Gen processor with a high-end RDNA 2 graphics card yields a wide spread of performance across resolutions and settings, revealing where each component becomes the primary driver of frame rates. The measured data offers a clear look at how this combination handles the demanding flight simulator.

FAQ

Q: What is the best performance this combo can achieve at 1080p?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 153.7 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This drops to 86.8 FPS when the preset is switched to Ultra, showing a significant performance cost for maximum visual fidelity.

Q: How does the GPU perform at 4K compared to 1080p?

A: At 3840x2160, the average frame rates are substantially lower across all settings. For example, the High preset yields 54.6 FPS at 4K, compared to 91.3 FPS at 1080p, indicating a major performance hit as resolution increases.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the limiting factor at lower resolutions?

A: At 1080p, the frame rate differences between settings are pronounced, but the CPU's performance metrics, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14372, suggest it can keep pace. The larger performance gap between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p points to the GPU being the primary bottleneck even at this resolution.

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

A: The combination is ranked 578th out of 1795 tested combos, placing it in the upper third of all systems tested for this game. This indicates above-average overall performance for the pairing.

Q: How much of a frame rate penalty is there for using the Ultra preset over High?

A: The penalty varies by resolution. At 1080p, the drop from High to Ultra is 4.5 FPS (from 91.3 to 86.8). At 1440p, the drop is 1.9 FPS (from 70.9 to 69.0), and at 4K, the drop is 3.9 FPS (from 54.6 to 50.7).

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming with this title?

A: The data shows that at 3840x2160, only the Low preset achieves over 90 FPS, with an average of 91.5. The High and Ultra presets fall to 54.6 and 50.7 FPS respectively, which may be playable but not consistently smooth for all users.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is a high-end graphics card built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture, featuring 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 512.0 GB/s. Its boost clock is rated at 2250 MHz, with a game clock of 2015 MHz. These specifications are crucial for handling the vast, detailed environments of Microsoft Flight Simulator.

The benchmark data shows that the GPU's performance scales predictably with resolution. At 1920x1080, the card is not fully taxed, delivering 153.7 FPS on Low settings and 91.3 FPS on High. However, as the resolution increases to 3840x2160, the demand on the GPU's shading units and memory bandwidth grows. The average frame rate for High settings drops to 54.6 FPS at 4K, a reduction of over 40% from the 1080p result. This indicates that the RX 6800 XT is the decisive component in determining frame rates at higher resolutions.

The GPU's 72 ray accelerators and 4608 shading units are put under significant strain by the simulator's complex lighting and terrain rendering. The data suggests that while the card is powerful enough for high-refresh-rate 1080p and 1440p play, 4K Ultra settings push it to its limits, resulting in an average of 50.7 FPS. The performance gap between the Low and Ultra presets at 4K (91.5 vs 50.7 FPS) highlights the substantial computational cost of the highest visual features.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured average frame rates, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and desired smoothness. For players prioritizing a consistent high refresh rate at 1920x1080, the High preset offers a strong balance, delivering 91.3 FPS. This is a significant improvement over the Ultra preset's 86.8 FPS, with a relatively minor visual sacrifice.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset provides a solid experience at 97.1 FPS, which is notably higher than the High preset's 70.9 FPS. This makes Medium the most sensible choice for 1440p gaming, as it stays well above the 60 FPS threshold while maintaining decent visual quality. The Ultra preset at this resolution drops to 69.0 FPS, which is still playable but offers diminishing returns for the performance cost.

For 4K gaming, the data suggests that the Low preset is the only option for a high frame rate, achieving 91.5 FPS. The Medium preset at 71.7 FPS is also viable, but the High and Ultra presets fall below 60 FPS, making them less ideal for a smooth experience. The data indicates that High at 4K (54.6 FPS) is a compromise, but players seeking a stable 60 FPS should consider Medium or Low.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates range from 153.7 FPS on Low to 86.8 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset achieves 119.5 FPS, while High lands at 91.3 FPS. This shows a clear progression where each step up in quality reduces performance by roughly 20-30 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are lower across the board. The Low preset produces 123.6 FPS, which is a substantial decrease from the 1080p result. Medium delivers 97.1 FPS, and High falls to 70.9 FPS. The Ultra preset manages 69.0 FPS, which is nearly identical to the High preset, suggesting that the GPU is becoming a limiting factor at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the impact of resolution is most severe. Low settings yield 91.5 FPS, which is still a good result, but Medium drops to 71.7 FPS. High and Ultra presets produce 54.6 and 50.7 FPS respectively. The data shows a consistent pattern of performance degradation with increasing resolution and quality, with the GPU's workload growing exponentially at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and reveals the GPU's workload. At Low settings, the average FPS decreases from 153.7 at 1080p to 91.5 at 4K, a reduction of about 40%. This is a significant scaling factor, indicating that the RX 6800 XT is heavily taxed by the increased pixel count.

For the High preset, the drop is even more pronounced. The average FPS goes from 91.3 at 1080p to 54.6 at 4K, a reduction of over 47%. This suggests that the combination of higher resolution and higher visual fidelity places an immense load on the GPU, pushing it to its limits. The data implies that the GPU is the definitive bottleneck at 4K High and Ultra settings.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K also shows the GPU's limitations. At High settings, the drop from 70.9 FPS to 54.6 FPS is a 23% reduction. This is less severe than the 1080p to 1440p jump but still significant. The data suggests that while the CPU has headroom, the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute power are the primary constraints at higher resolutions, particularly when visual quality is maximized.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F features 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14372 and single-core score of 2029 indicate solid performance for a mid-range processor. In Microsoft Flight Simulator, which is known for its heavy single-threaded simulation logic, the CPU's single-core capabilities are critical.

The data suggests that the CPU is less of a bottleneck than the GPU at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low settings, the CPU is able to feed the GPU enough data to achieve 153.7 FPS, indicating it is not the limiting factor. However, at 1080p Ultra, the frame rate drops to 86.8 FPS, which could indicate that the CPU is struggling to keep up with the increased draw calls and simulation complexity, or it could simply be the GPU's workload.

The CPU's 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support (with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth) provide adequate data throughput for the simulator. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 5619 and max thread score of 5652 show that the processor scales well with multi-threaded workloads, but the game's primary thread performance is more relevant. The data implies that the i5-11400F is sufficient for this GPU, as the frame rate drops at higher settings are more consistent with GPU limitations than CPU bottlenecks.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-11400F and AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is ranked 578th out of 1795 tested combos, placing it in the 68th percentile of all systems. This is a strong showing, indicating that the pairing delivers above-average performance for Microsoft Flight Simulator.

The GPU's individual percentile is notably high at 87, while the CPU's is 75. This reflects the GPU's stronger relative performance in the benchmark suite. The combo's rank is likely pulled down by the CPU, which is a mid-range part, but the overall result is still positive, given the demanding nature of the game.

The data shows that the combo performs best at 1080p and 1440p, where the GPU can be fully utilized. At 4K, the GPU's limitations become more apparent, but the system still manages playable frame rates on lower presets. The rank suggests that this is a capable system for flight simulation, offering a good balance of CPU and GPU performance for most gaming scenarios, though it is not at the very top of the performance charts.