Microsoft Flight Simulator

# Microsoft Flight Simulator — Intel Core i5-11400F + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti

This combination of the Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti delivers playable but constrained performance in Microsoft Flight Simulator, with the measured data showing a system that is firmly GPU-limited at higher resolutions and settings. The combo ranks 1584th out of 1795 tested combinations in this game, placing it in the lower third of the database, which aligns with the GTX 1660 Ti's 55th percentile position among all GPUs and the i5-11400F's 75th percentile among all CPUs. The CPU is a 14nm Rocket Lake part with 6 cores and 12 threads, boosting to 4.40 GHz, while the GPU is a 12nm Turing chip with 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals how drastically resolution impacts this combo's performance in Microsoft Flight Simulator. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 80.4 FPS, which drops to 60.7 FPS at 1440p and further to 45.4 FPS at 4K. This represents a 43.5% reduction from 1080p Low to 4K Low. The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings tiers, indicating that the GTX 1660 Ti's rendering throughput is the primary bottleneck as pixel count increases.

Looking at High settings, the progression is 44.1 FPS at 1080p, 38.1 FPS at 1440p, and 27 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 13.6%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 29.1%. This accelerating decline suggests that memory bandwidth and fill-rate constraints become progressively more severe at higher resolutions. The GTX 1660 Ti's 288.0 GB/s bandwidth and 84.96 GPixel/s pixel rate are simply insufficient for the pixel workload at 4K in this simulator.

The Medium settings row shows a similar pattern: 61.8 FPS at 1080p, 46.8 FPS at 1440p, and 36.5 FPS at 4K. The 4K result is 41% lower than the 1080p result. Ultra settings produce the most dramatic scaling, with 42.7 FPS at 1080p falling to 34.5 FPS at 1440p and 22.9 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is 46.4% below the 1080p Ultra figure, demonstrating that the most demanding preset amplifies the resolution penalty.

The data indicates that at 1080p, the CPU can still feed the GPU adequately, but as resolution climbs, the GPU's 1536 shading units and 48 ROPs become the limiting factor. The i5-11400F's strong single-thread performance, evidenced by its 868 3dmark single-thread score and 2029 Cinebench R23 single-core score, is sufficient to avoid becoming the primary constraint at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The GTX 1660 Ti's specifications directly explain the measured results. With 6 GB of GDDR6 memory, a 192-bit bus, and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth, the card has enough capacity for 1080p and 1440p in this game, but the 4K results suggest memory pressure and bandwidth limitations. The GPU's base clock of 1500 MHz and boost clock of 1770 MHz are modest by current standards, and the 5.437 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is the fundamental limit for pixel shading in Microsoft Flight Simulator's dense scenery rendering.

The GPU's benchmark scores corroborate the in-game measurements. Its 3dmark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1061 and Passmark G3D score of 12871 place it in the 55th percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 570X with a 0.4% higher average score and the NVIDIA Tesla K10 at 0.7% lower, showing that the 1660 Ti sits in a tightly contested performance band. The RTX A2000 Mobile is 0.8% higher, while the GTX 680 is 0.8% lower.

The 12 nm Turing architecture lacks dedicated ray tracing cores and tensor cores, which is relevant for a flight simulator that increasingly uses advanced lighting techniques. However, the measured data shows that at Low settings, the combo can push 80.4 FPS at 1080p, indicating the GPU has headroom when visual complexity is reduced. The 169.9 GTexel/s texture rate and 5.437 TFLOPS are sufficient for the simpler shaders used at Low preset, but the Ultra preset's 22.9 FPS at 4K reveals the ceiling of this hardware.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on preset selection. At 1080p, Low settings deliver 80.4 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth flight simulation. Medium settings at 1080p yield 61.8 FPS, still playable, while High drops to 44.1 FPS and Ultra to 42.7 FPS. For a 1080p display, Medium offers the best balance, providing a 23.2% improvement over High's framerate while maintaining acceptable visual quality.

For 1440p users, Low settings achieve 60.7 FPS, the only preset at this resolution that crosses the 60 FPS mark. Medium at 1440p produces 46.8 FPS, High 38.1 FPS, and Ultra 34.5 FPS. The data suggests that 1440p users should stick with Low or Medium, with Medium being viable if the user prioritizes visual fidelity over raw smoothness. The gap between Low and Medium at 1440p is 22.9%, while the jump from Medium to High is 18.6%.

At 4K, no preset reaches 45 FPS. Low yields 45.4 FPS, Medium 36.5 FPS, High 27 FPS, and Ultra 22.9 FPS. The 4K Low result is the only one that approaches playability, and even it falls short of the 60 FPS target. Users with 4K displays should either reduce resolution or accept sub-30 FPS at Medium and above. The scaling from Low to Medium at 4K is a 19.6% reduction, while Medium to High costs another 26% of framerate.

The best experience per the measured rows is 1080p Medium at 61.8 FPS, which balances the 80.4 FPS Low result against the 44.1 FPS High result. This preset provides a 40.1% improvement over High while retaining most visual features. For users who prioritize framerate above all, 1080p Low at 80.4 FPS is the clear choice, but Medium is recommended as the sweet spot for this hardware combination.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Microsoft Flight Simulator at 60 FPS?

A: Yes, but only at 1080p with Low settings (80.4 FPS) or 1440p with Low settings (60.7 FPS). At 1080p Medium, the result is 61.8 FPS, which also crosses the 60 FPS threshold. No higher preset or resolution combination reaches 60 FPS in the measured data.

Q: What is the best resolution for this hardware?

A: 1080p is the most practical resolution, as it offers the widest range of playable presets. The 1440p Low result of 60.7 FPS is viable, but 4K results range from 22.9 to 45.4 FPS, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay at any preset.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 Ti compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 13925 is 0.4% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 570X and 0.7% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla K10. It also trails the RTX A2000 Mobile by 0.8% and leads the GTX 680 by 0.8%. These are marginal differences, indicating the 1660 Ti is competitive with these cards.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-11400F a bottleneck in this game?

A: The CPU's 75th percentile rank among all processors and strong single-thread scores (868 in 3dmark single-thread, 2029 in Cinebench R23) suggest it is not the primary limiter. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K shows the GPU becoming increasingly constrained, which indicates the GTX 1660 Ti is the bottleneck at higher resolutions.

Q: What FPS can I expect at 1440p Ultra?

A: The measured data shows 34.5 FPS at 1440p Ultra. This is below the 60 FPS target and even falls short of 40 FPS. Users seeking 1440p performance should consider Medium (46.8 FPS) or Low (60.7 FPS) presets instead.

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

A: It ranks 1584th out of 1795 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the lower 12% of the database, reflecting the GPU's modest performance tier despite the CPU's above-average standing.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1584 out of 1795 tested combinations in Microsoft Flight Simulator places it in the 88th percentile from the bottom, meaning only 211 combinations perform worse. This low ranking is primarily attributable to the GTX 1660 Ti, which sits at the 55th percentile among all GPUs. The CPU, by contrast, is a relative strength, ranking at the 75th percentile among all processors.

The contrast between CPU and GPU performance is stark. The i5-11400F's average benchmark score of 17181 places it nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (17189, 0% delta) and Intel Core i7-1260P (17212, -0.2% delta). Its 6-core, 12-thread configuration with a 4.40 GHz boost clock provides ample compute for flight simulation's physics and world-generation tasks. The GPU, however, with its 12871 Passmark G3D score, is a mid-range part from 2019 that struggles with the simulator's demanding rendering.

This combination's rank is consistent with the measured FPS data. At 1080p Medium, the 61.8 FPS result is adequate but unremarkable. The 4K results, ranging from 22.9 to 45.4 FPS, are firmly in the territory of lower-tier combinations. The data suggests that users with this hardware should target 1080p or 1440p with conservative settings, as the GPU cannot sustain high framerates at 4K under any preset.

The ranking also reflects the age of the GPU relative to the CPU. The GTX 1660 Ti was released in February 2019, while the i5-11400F launched in March 2021. This generational gap means the CPU has headroom that the GPU cannot exploit, particularly at higher resolutions where the GPU's 6 GB memory and 192-bit bus become limiting factors. For users considering upgrades, the data indicates that replacing the GPU would yield the most significant performance improvement, as the CPU is already positioned well above the 55th percentile GPU in relative terms.