Microsoft Flight Simulator

# Microsoft Flight Simulator — Intel Core i5-11400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090

This combination pairs a six-core Rocket Lake processor with NVIDIA's flagship Blackwell GPU, producing frame rates that reveal a system balanced differently at each resolution. The measured data shows the RTX 5090's massive compute resources are progressively constrained as resolution drops, while the i5-11400F's single-thread performance becomes the limiting factor at 1080p. The result is a system that delivers playable frame rates across all tested settings, but with a distinctive scaling pattern that warrants close examination.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 4K to 1080p shows a clear pattern of diminishing returns as resolution decreases. At 4K Ultra, the system averages 79.2 FPS, which climbs to 107.9 FPS at 1440p Ultra and then to 127.5 FPS at 1080p Ultra. This represents a 36% improvement from 4K to 1440p, but only an 18% gain from 1440p to 1080p. The compression of gains at lower resolutions indicates that the CPU is beginning to cap performance.

Looking at High settings, the same pattern emerges: 81 FPS at 4K, 115.7 FPS at 1440p, and 130.6 FPS at 1080p. The jump from 4K to 1440p is substantial (43% faster), while the 1440p-to-1080p gain shrinks to just 13%. This suggests that at 1080p, the i5-11400F is approaching its ceiling for this simulation, preventing the RTX 5090 from fully stretching its legs.

At Low settings, the scaling becomes even more telling. The system delivers 132.3 FPS at 4K, 146.1 FPS at 1440p, and 160.1 FPS at 1080p. The total spread from 4K to 1080p is only 21%, compared to a 61% spread at Ultra settings. When graphics load is minimized, the CPU-bound nature of the simulation dominates, and the RTX 5090's headroom goes unused. The data indicates that at Low settings, even 4K is largely CPU-limited, as the frame rate gap between resolutions narrows dramatically.

The Medium preset follows a similar trajectory: 109 FPS at 4K, 133.6 FPS at 1440p, and 143.4 FPS at 1080p. This 31% improvement from 4K to 1440p versus a 7% gain from 1440p to 1080p reinforces that the CPU becomes the primary constraint as pixel count drops. For users targeting high refresh rates at 1080p, the system will deliver between 127.5 FPS (Ultra) and 160.1 FPS (Low), with the ceiling set by the processor rather than the graphics card.

GPU Role

The RTX 5090 brings 32 GB of GDDR7 memory across a 512-bit bus, yielding 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is exceptionally generous for Microsoft Flight Simulator, which streams vast terrain and scenery data. The 32 GB capacity ensures that even at 4K Ultra, the GPU has ample headroom for texture data and future content updates. The 1750 MHz memory clock (28 Gbps effective) supports this bandwidth, allowing the card to feed its 21760 shading units without starvation.

Clock speeds for the GPU are listed as a 2017 MHz base and 2407 MHz boost. These figures are modest relative to the card's immense shader count, but the architecture's efficiency makes the raw FP32 throughput of 104.8 TFLOPS available. In this game, the GPU's role is most visible at 4K, where it drives the difference between 79.2 FPS (Ultra) and 132.3 FPS (Low). The 67% frame rate improvement from dropping settings at 4K demonstrates that the GPU is the dominant factor at this resolution.

However, the GPU's influence wanes at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Ultra (127.5 FPS) and Low (160.1 FPS) is only 26%, indicating that the processor is now the bottleneck. The RTX 5090's 176 ROPs and 680 TMUs are more than sufficient for this game's rendering demands, and the card's 94th percentile ranking among all GPUs (avg benchmark score 84306) confirms its top-tier status. The nearest rivals — RTX 5090 D (0.1% higher), RTX 5050 Mobile (0.2% higher), and Radeon PRO W6600 (1.3% higher) — show that the 5090 sits at the very top of the performance hierarchy, though flight simulation's CPU sensitivity tempers its advantage.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F provides 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and boost up to 4.40 GHz. This Rocket Lake processor, built on Intel's 14 nm process, has a 12 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 memory with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth. The 3dmark single-thread score of 868 and passmark single-thread score of 2981 indicate solid per-core performance, which is critical for flight simulation's main-thread-heavy workload.

The CPU's benchmark profile shows a 3dmark max-threads score of 5652, which is nearly identical to the 16-thread score of 5619 — evidence that the 12-thread configuration is fully utilized without additional scaling beyond that point. Cinebench R23 scores of 14372 multi-core and 2029 single-core place this chip in the 75th percentile of all CPUs (avg benchmark score 17181). The nearest rivals are closely matched: AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (0% delta), Intel Core i7-1260P (-0.2%), Intel Core Ultra 7 164U (-0.2%), and Intel Core i5-1240U (0.2%).

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU's role is most apparent at 1080p Low, where the system hits 160.1 FPS — just 9.5% higher than the 4K Low result of 132.3 FPS. This narrow spread indicates that the processor is nearing its limit even at 4K when graphics load is light. The 4.40 GHz boost clock helps maintain responsiveness, but the 6-core/12-thread configuration is adequate rather than exceptional for this simulation's physics and scenery processing. At 1080p Ultra, the CPU's constraint is visible: 127.5 FPS versus 130.6 FPS at High, a mere 2.4% difference that suggests the graphics settings have minimal impact once the CPU is saturated.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maximize frame rates?

A: At 1080p Low, the system achieves its highest measured average of 160.1 FPS. For a balance of visual quality and performance, 1440p High delivers 115.7 FPS, which is 43% faster than 4K High.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from Low to Ultra at 4K?

A: The 4K Ultra average is 79.2 FPS, while 4K Low averages 132.3 FPS. This represents a 40% reduction in frame rate when enabling Ultra settings at 4K.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance more at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the CPU is the primary constraint. Evidence shows only a 26% difference between Ultra (127.5 FPS) and Low (160.1 FPS), compared to a 67% difference at 4K, indicating the processor caps frame rates at lower resolutions.

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

A: This combo ranks 96th out of 1795 tested combinations (comboRankInGame), placing it in the top 5.4% of all systems tested for this game.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 compare to its closest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5090's average benchmark score is 84306, which is 0.1% below the RTX 5090 D and 0.2% below the RTX 5050 Mobile. It outperforms the Radeon PRO W6600 by 1.3% but trails the NVIDIA CMP 40HX by 1.6%.

Q: Is 32 GB of VRAM necessary for this game?

A: The 32 GB GDDR7 memory provides 1.79 TB/s bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for Microsoft Flight Simulator's streaming terrain data. Even at 4K Ultra, the game does not appear to stress this capacity, as frame rates remain consistent across settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 96 out of 1795 tested systems places it in the upper echelon of configurations evaluated for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This top 5.4% positioning reflects the RTX 5090's exceptional rasterization performance, which the data shows is among the best available. However, the i5-11400F's mid-range standing (75th percentile among CPUs) prevents this combo from climbing higher, as the processor's single-thread and multi-thread scores are modest compared to the GPU's capabilities.

The ranking is particularly notable given the CPU's age — this Rocket Lake chip was released in 2021 with a $157 launch MSRP, while the GPU is a 2025 flagship. The data indicates that the combo still achieves strong frame rates, but the CPU's constraint at 1080p means the system cannot fully exploit the GPU's potential at lower resolutions. At 4K, the GPU's dominance is clear, and the combo delivers 79.2 FPS at Ultra — a highly playable result for a flight simulator.

Compared to other tested combos, this system's strength lies in its 4K performance, where the RTX 5090's 32 GB VRAM and 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 throughput shine. The 96th rank suggests that most higher-ranked combos pair the 5090 with stronger processors, which would reduce the CPU bottleneck observed at 1080p. Users with this combo should prioritize 1440p or 4K gaming to maximize the GPU's contribution.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual fidelity and frame rate, the High preset at 1440p is the recommended configuration. This delivers 115.7 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth flight simulation, while maintaining the visual quality that makes the game immersive. At 4K, High settings produce 81 FPS, which is also playable, but the 1440p High option provides a 43% faster experience without a dramatic visual downgrade.

For users prioritizing maximum frame rates, the Low preset at 1080p offers 160.1 FPS, but this sacrifices significant visual detail. The Medium preset at 1440p (133.6 FPS) is a strong middle ground, providing 15% more performance than High at the same resolution while retaining moderate visual quality. At 4K, Medium settings (109 FPS) are preferable to Ultra (79.2 FPS) for users who value responsiveness over maximum fidelity.

The Ultra preset is only recommended at 1080p, where it achieves 127.5 FPS. At 1440p Ultra (107.9 FPS) and 4K Ultra (79.2 FPS), the visual gains over High are marginal relative to the performance cost. Given the CPU's constraint at lower resolutions, users should avoid pairing Ultra settings with 1080p if they want to maintain frame rates above 130 FPS; instead, High at 1440p offers a superior balance of quality and speed. The measured data consistently shows that High settings provide the most efficient use of this hardware combination across all resolutions.