Microsoft Flight Simulator

The Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combination delivers a playable, if not consistently smooth, experience in Microsoft Flight Simulator, with performance scaling predictably across resolutions and presets. The measured data shows this pairing is positioned in the lower-mid tier of tested configurations, ranking 1440 out of 1795 combos in this specific title. The system’s strengths lie in its 1080p performance, where it achieves passable frame rates at medium and high settings, while 4K remains a challenge for the GPU.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Rocket Lake architecture, built on Intel's 14 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU’s cache layout includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and a shared 12 MB L3 cache. This processor supports DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration, offering a memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. The CPU’s benchmark scores show a single-thread performance of 868 in 3dmark_single_thread and a multi-thread score of 5652 in 3dmark_max_threads. In Cinebench R23, it scores 2029 single-core and 14372 multi-core.

The CPU’s performance relative to other processors is solid; its average benchmark score of 17181 places it in the 75th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, which scores 17189 with a deltaPct of 0, and the Intel Core i7-1260P, which scores 17212 with a deltaPct of -0.2. The Core Ultra 7 164U is also close at 17215 with a deltaPct of -0.2. This indicates the i5-11400F is balanced, offering strong single-core capability that is crucial for flight simulation workloads.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU’s role is significant for handling the complex simulation logic, AI traffic, and physics calculations. The measured FPS data indicates that frame rates scale with resolution changes, which is typical when the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves 91.8 FPS, suggesting the CPU can feed the GPU effectively at lower graphical loads. However, as settings increase to Ultra at the same resolution, the average FPS drops to 53.1, showing that the CPU’s headroom is adequate but the GPU begins to struggle. The 6-core, 12-thread configuration provides enough parallelism for the game’s engine, but the data suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor in most scenarios, as the FPS drop is more pronounced when raising graphical settings rather than lowering resolution.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 features a TU106 chip on the Turing architecture, manufactured on a 12 nm process at TSMC. It has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. The GPU’s base clock is 1365 MHz with a boost clock of 1680 MHz, and memory runs at 1750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective speed. The card has 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, along with 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores. Its compute performance is rated at 6.451 TFLOPS for FP32, and the TDP is 160 W. The GPU’s benchmark results show a Passmark G3D score of 14111 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 71278, placing it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs.

The RTX 2060’s nearest rivals in benchmark scores include the AMD Radeon RX 7600S with a score of 15996 and a deltaPct of 0.5, and the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M with a score of 16351 and a deltaPct of -1.7. The Radeon Pro 5700 also scores 16351, and the Radeon Pro W5500 scores 15786 with a deltaPct of 1.8. This places the RTX 2060 in a competitive mid-range position, but the VRAM capacity of 6 GB is a notable constraint for a demanding title like Microsoft Flight Simulator, which features large textures and detailed environments.

The GPU role in this game is heavily tied to memory bandwidth and capacity. The measured FPS results show a clear pattern: at 3840x2160, even with Low settings, the system only achieves 52.9 FPS, and at Ultra it drops to 32.4 FPS. At 2560x1440, the average FPS ranges from 39.5 at Ultra to 75.6 at Low. At 1920x1080, the system reaches 91.8 FPS at Low, but falls to 53.1 at Ultra. The 6 GB VRAM is likely a limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the game’s texture data can exceed this capacity, leading to performance degradation. The GPU’s boost clock of 1680 MHz and bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s are sufficient for 1080p, but the data suggests that the card is overwhelmed at 4K, where even the low preset yields sub-60 FPS.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Analyzing the measured FPS rows, the best experience depends on the target resolution and acceptable frame rates. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers an average of 55.7 FPS, which is playable for most users, while Medium provides 70.3 FPS, offering a smoother experience with minimal visual compromise. The Ultra preset at 1080p yields 53.1 FPS, which is slightly below the High setting, indicating that the extra visual fidelity is not worth the performance cost. The Low preset at 1080p hits 91.8 FPS, but this likely sacrifices too much visual detail for a simulation game.

For 2560x1440, the High preset averages 43.8 FPS, which is borderline playable but may feel stuttery in dense areas. The Medium preset at 58.7 FPS is a better balance, providing a smoother experience while retaining reasonable detail. The Low preset at 75.6 FPS is the best for performance, but at 1440p, the visual downgrade is more noticeable. The Ultra preset at 39.5 FPS is not recommended due to the significant frame rate drop.

At 3840x2160, all presets fail to reach 60 FPS. The Low preset achieves 52.9 FPS, which is the only viable option for 4K, but it still falls short of a smooth experience. Medium at 40.8 FPS, High at 33.8 FPS, and Ultra at 32.4 FPS are all too low for comfortable play. Based on this data, the recommended settings are Medium at 1080p for the best balance of frame rate and visual quality, or Medium at 1440p if the user prioritizes resolution over smoothness. The data indicates that High settings are a reasonable middle ground at 1080p, but the gains over Medium are marginal in terms of FPS.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks 1440 out of 1795 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places the system in the bottom 20% of configurations, indicating that it is not a high-performance pairing for this specific title. The rank reflects the GPU’s mid-range positioning and the CPU’s adequate but not exceptional performance. Compared to other combos, this system is likely outperformed by setups with more powerful GPUs or CPUs, as the data shows that frame rates are heavily influenced by the GPU at higher resolutions.

The CPU’s percentile ranking of 75th suggests that the i5-11400F is above average among all processors, but the GPU’s 58th percentile pulls the overall combo down. The FPS data confirms this, as the system struggles to maintain 60 FPS at 1440p on higher settings, and cannot reach a smooth experience at 4K. The combo’s low rank is a direct consequence of the RTX 2060’s 6 GB VRAM and limited compute power relative to more modern cards. While the CPU offers sufficient single-thread performance for the simulation, the GPU bottleneck is evident, particularly at 3840x2160 where even the low preset only achieves 52.9 FPS. This rank suggests that users seeking higher frame rates would need to upgrade the GPU before considering a CPU change.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 55.7, which is playable but not consistently smooth for a simulation game.

Q: Can this system achieve 60 FPS at 2560x1440?

A: No, the highest average FPS at 1440p is 75.6 with Low settings, but at Medium it drops to 58.7, and at High it is 43.8.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U?

A: The i5-11400F has an average benchmark score of 17181, while the Ryzen 7 5700U scores 17189, showing a deltaPct of 0, meaning they are effectively tied in performance.

Q: What is the best preset for 4K gaming with this combo?

A: The Low preset offers the highest average FPS at 52.9, but this is still below 60 FPS, making 4K gaming challenging.

Q: What is the GPU’s memory bandwidth?

A: The RTX 2060 has a memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s, which is a key factor in its performance at higher resolutions.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 rank against the AMD Radeon RX 7600S?

A: The RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 16074, while the RX 7600S scores 15996, giving a deltaPct of 0.5, meaning the RTX 2060 is slightly faster.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the system delivers the following average FPS values: Low settings achieve 91.8 FPS, Medium settings reach 70.3 FPS, High settings provide 55.7 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 53.1 FPS. The progression shows a steady decline as visual fidelity increases, with the largest drop occurring from Low to Medium, a decrease of 21.5 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS is as follows: Low settings hit 75.6 FPS, Medium settings achieve 58.7 FPS, High settings reach 43.8 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 39.5 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 16.9 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is 14.9 FPS, indicating a consistent performance cost per preset level.

At 3840x2160, the results are more constrained: Low settings average 52.9 FPS, Medium settings achieve 40.8 FPS, High settings reach 33.8 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 32.4 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium is 12.1 FPS, but the drop from High to Ultra is only 1.4 FPS, showing diminishing returns at the highest preset. Across all resolutions, the data shows that the system is most capable at 1080p, with the RTX 2060’s limitations becoming increasingly apparent as resolution increases.