Microsoft Flight Simulator

The Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER delivers a playable but resolution-sensitive experience in Microsoft Flight Simulator. Benchmark results show this combo ranks 1084th out of 1795 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database. The data indicates that the RTX 2070 SUPER is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the i5-11400F provides sufficient headroom to push frame rates at 1080p. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across three resolutions and four quality presets to determine where this hardware sits in the performance hierarchy.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear GPU-bound scenario. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 113.9 FPS at 1920x1080 to 61.7 FPS at 3840x2160, a reduction of 52.2 FPS or roughly 46%. This steep decline indicates that the RTX 2070 SUPER’s rendering throughput is the bottleneck once pixel count increases. The scaling from 1440p to 4K at Low settings shows a similar pattern, dropping from 86.5 FPS to 61.7 FPS, a 24.8 FPS difference.

At Ultra settings, the resolution scaling becomes even more pronounced. The 1080p result of 62.1 FPS falls to 49 FPS at 1440p and then to 37 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 4K at Ultra is 25.1 FPS, which represents a 40% performance loss. This compression of frame rates at higher settings suggests that the GPU’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are being saturated, particularly at 4K where the Ultra preset only manages 37 FPS, below the 40 FPS threshold many users consider minimum playability.

The data shows that 1080p is the only resolution where this combo consistently exceeds 60 FPS across all settings, with the Low preset hitting 113.9 FPS and Medium reaching 86.3 FPS. At 1440p, only the Low preset (86.5 FPS) and Medium preset (69.9 FPS) stay above 60 FPS. At 4K, no preset achieves 60 FPS, with Low being the sole option above 50 FPS at 61.7 FPS. This scaling pattern points to the GPU as the limiting component, as the CPU’s performance does not degrade with resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER operates with a base clock of 1605 MHz and a boost clock of 1770 MHz, built on the Turing architecture with a 12 nm process. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus delivers 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is directly reflected in the measured FPS differences across presets. The GPU’s 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs handle the rendering load, but the data shows that higher settings at 4K overwhelm this configuration.

The GPU’s benchmark scores provide context for its in-game performance. It achieves a Passmark G3D score of 18169, placing it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA RTX A400, scores 22307, which is 0.5% higher. The AMD Radeon RX 5700 sits 2.5% lower with a score of 21670. These synthetic results align with the measured FPS, where the RTX 2070 SUPER delivers solid 1080p performance but struggles to maintain 60 FPS at 4K even on Medium settings (52.3 FPS).

The GPU’s DirectX 12 Ultimate support and 40 RT cores suggest it was designed for modern workloads, but Microsoft Flight Simulator’s demanding rendering at 4K Ultra (37 FPS) shows its limits. The transition from High to Ultra at 1440p costs 4.9 FPS (53.9 to 49 FPS), while the same transition at 1080p costs 5.8 FPS (67.9 to 62.1 FPS). These modest differences indicate that the GPU is already near its ceiling at High settings, and Ultra provides diminishing returns for the performance hit.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F brings 6 cores and 12 threads with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth provide adequate feeding for the GPU. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14372 and single-core score of 2029 place it in the 75th percentile of all CPUs, indicating strong performance for a mid-range part.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U with an average score of 17189 (0% delta) and the Intel Core Ultra 7 164U with 17215 (-0.2% delta). These scores are nearly identical, suggesting the i5-11400F is evenly matched with those parts in compute tasks. However, in Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU’s role is less critical than the GPU’s, as evidenced by the FPS scaling pattern.

At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 113.9 FPS, which is close to the CPU’s practical limit for this workload. The boost clock of 4.40 GHz on a single core helps maintain frame pacing, but the data shows that lowering settings from Ultra to Low at 1080p only improves FPS from 62.1 to 113.9, a 51.8 FPS jump. This improvement is primarily due to reduced GPU load rather than CPU headroom. The CPU’s Passmark multithread score of 16908 and single-thread score of 2981 confirm it is not the bottleneck at higher resolutions, where the GPU’s workload dominates.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 1084th out of 1795 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the bottom 40% of the database. This ranking reflects the GPU’s mid-tier status (65th percentile) combined with the CPU’s solid but unremarkable position (75th percentile). The combo’s average FPS across all measured points is 65.8 FPS, but this figure is skewed by the strong 1080p results.

The ranking suggests that many other CPU-GPU pairings outperform this setup in this specific game. The RTX 2070 SUPER’s nearest GPU rival, the RTX A400, scores 0.5% higher in synthetic benchmarks, yet the combo ranking indicates that other hardware configurations with similar GPUs achieve better in-game results. The i5-11400F’s rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-1260P (-0.2% delta), show that CPU choice has minimal impact on the overall ranking when paired with this GPU, as the GPU’s limitations dominate at 1440p and 4K.

The data shows that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can exceed 60 FPS on most settings. At 1440p, it drops below 60 FPS on High and Ultra presets, and at 4K, it struggles to reach 40 FPS on anything above Low. This positions the combo as a capable 1080p machine for flight simulation, but not a high-resolution performer.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset (86.3 FPS) offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, providing a 27.6 FPS improvement over High (67.9 FPS) while maintaining smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset at 1080p (62.1 FPS) is playable but offers only marginal visual gains over High for a 5.8 FPS loss.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset (69.9 FPS) is the recommended choice, as it stays above 60 FPS while delivering better visuals than Low (86.5 FPS). The High preset (53.9 FPS) and Ultra preset (49 FPS) fall below 60 FPS, making them less ideal for smooth flight simulation where frame pacing is critical for a realistic experience.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset (61.7 FPS) is the only option that exceeds 60 FPS, but users seeking better visuals may accept the Medium preset (52.3 FPS) as a compromise. The High preset (39.8 FPS) and Ultra preset (37 FPS) are below 40 FPS, which is generally considered too low for a flight simulator where smooth camera panning is essential. For 4K users, the Low preset is the safest recommendation, while Medium is viable for those prioritizing visual fidelity over frame rate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are 113.9 FPS on Low, 86.3 FPS on Medium, 67.9 FPS on High, and 62.1 FPS on Ultra. The jump from Low to Medium costs 27.6 FPS, while the jump from Medium to High costs 18.4 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 5.8 FPS. This diminishing returns pattern indicates that the Medium preset is the sweet spot for 1080p.

At 2560x1440, the results are 86.5 FPS on Low, 69.9 FPS on Medium, 53.9 FPS on High, and 49 FPS on Ultra. The gap between Low and Medium is 16.6 FPS, Medium to High is 16 FPS, and High to Ultra is 4.9 FPS. The 1440p High and Ultra presets both fall below 60 FPS, making Medium the best playable option.

At 3840x2160, the measured values are 61.7 FPS on Low, 52.3 FPS on Medium, 39.8 FPS on High, and 37 FPS on Ultra. The difference between Low and Medium is 9.4 FPS, Medium to High is 12.5 FPS, and High to Ultra is 2.8 FPS. The 4K results show that only Low maintains 60 FPS, with Medium being the only other preset above 50 FPS.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the best resolution, as all four presets exceed 60 FPS, with Low hitting 113.9 FPS and Ultra at 62.1 FPS.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: At 3840x2160, only the Low preset (61.7 FPS) exceeds 60 FPS. Medium (52.3 FPS) is playable, but High (39.8 FPS) and Ultra (37 FPS) fall below 40 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER scores 18169 on Passmark G3D, while the NVIDIA RTX A400 scores 22307 (0.5% higher) and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 scores 21670 (2.5% lower).

Q: Is the i5-11400F a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 113.9 FPS, which is near the CPU’s practical limit. The CPU’s boost clock of 4.40 GHz and single-thread score of 2981 indicate it is not the primary bottleneck.

Q: What settings should I use at 1440p for 60 FPS?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset (86.5 FPS) and Medium preset (69.9 FPS) both exceed 60 FPS. High (53.9 FPS) and Ultra (49 FPS) do not.

Q: How does this combo rank overall?

A: This combo ranks 1084th out of 1795 tested combinations in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database.