Microsoft Flight Simulator

# How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 ranks 1704 out of 3714 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places the combination in the lower-middle portion of the benchmark database, at roughly the 46th percentile of all tested system pairings. The rank reflects a system that is competent for the title but not exceptional, with the data showing that it sits closer to the median than to the top tier.

The CPU component itself holds a percentile rank of 72 against all processors, which is notably stronger than the combo's overall standing. This disparity indicates that the processor is not the primary constraint holding this pairing back in Flight Simulator. Meanwhile, the GPU sits at the 58th percentile against all graphics cards, which aligns more closely with the combo's final rank. The difference between the CPU's 72nd percentile and the GPU's 58th percentile suggests that the graphics card is the limiting factor in this specific pairing, a conclusion reinforced by the resolution scaling data discussed later.

In terms of raw benchmark averages, the GPU posts an average score of 15852, placing it in close competition with the AMD Radeon R9 370X (15862, a 0.1% difference) and the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (15679, a 1.1% difference). The CPU's average benchmark score of 18683 puts it within 0.1% of the AMD EPYC 7643 and 0.3% of the Intel Core i7-1355U, showing that the i5-12400 performs in line with significantly more expensive server and mobile parts in synthetic tests. However, synthetic benchmarks do not always translate directly to game performance, and the measured FPS data provides a more accurate picture of real-world capability.

FAQ

Q: What is the best-performing settings preset for this combo at 1080p?

A: The Low preset delivers the highest average FPS at 1920x1080 with 126 FPS, followed by Medium at 98 FPS, High at 74 FPS, and Ultra at 70 FPS. The Low preset offers the largest performance margin, but the Medium preset may be more balanced for visual quality.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded performance compare to its single-threaded performance?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400 achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15989 and a single-core score of 2257, representing a roughly 7x scaling from single to multi-threaded workloads. The 3DMark results show similar scaling, with a max-thread score of 5890 versus a single-thread score of 910.

Q: Does the GPU's VRAM capacity matter for this game?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7700 features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 624.1 GB/s bandwidth. Given that Flight Simulator can be demanding on memory at higher resolutions, the 16 GB capacity provides ample headroom, and the bandwidth is sufficient to support the measured frame rates across all tested settings.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p and 4K at Ultra settings?

A: At 1920x1080 Ultra, the combo achieves 70 FPS, while at 3840x2160 Ultra, it drops to 42 FPS. This represents a 40% reduction in average frame rate when moving from 1080p to 4K, which is a substantial but expected penalty for a 4x increase in pixel count.

Q: Which resolution provides the most balanced experience?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the combo achieves 60 FPS, which is exactly at the threshold for smooth gameplay in most scenarios. The Medium preset at 1440p delivers 79 FPS, providing additional headroom while still maintaining good visual fidelity.

Q: How does this combo rank relative to other tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 1704 out of 3714 total combinations tested in this game, placing it in the 46th percentile. The CPU alone ranks in the 72nd percentile, while the GPU ranks in the 58th percentile, indicating the graphics card is the weaker link in this pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of resolution scaling that identifies the GPU as the primary bottleneck. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings, the average frame rate drops from 74 FPS to 60 FPS, a 19% reduction. Scaling further to 3840x2160 at High settings brings the average down to 44 FPS, a 41% reduction from the 1080p baseline. This non-linear scaling is characteristic of GPU-bound scenarios, where the rendering workload increases quadratically with resolution.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more pronounced: 126 FPS at 1080p, 102 FPS at 1440p, and 75 FPS at 4K. The 1440p to 4K transition at Low settings shows a 26% drop, while the 1080p to 1440p transition shows a 19% drop. This pattern suggests that even at the lowest graphical settings, the GPU is still the limiting factor, as a CPU-bound scenario would show minimal FPS changes across resolutions.

The Medium preset provides the most complete data with min/max values recorded. At 1080p Medium, the combo averages 98 FPS with a range of 84-113 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 79 FPS with a range of 67-91 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 59 FPS with a range of 50-67 FPS. The consistent 20-25% reduction between each resolution step confirms that the graphics card's rendering throughput is the dominant factor, rather than any CPU limitation.

This resolution scaling behavior indicates that for users targeting 4K, the RX 7700 is insufficient for maintaining high frame rates, even at lower settings. The 44 FPS average at 4K High suggests that 4K gaming would require either reduced settings or a more powerful GPU. Conversely, at 1080p, the combo shows strong performance across all settings, with even Ultra preset maintaining 70 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Intel Core i5-12400 and AMD Radeon RX 7700 deliver a wide range of performance depending on settings. The Low preset achieves an average of 126 FPS, which represents the highest frame rate recorded for this combo. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 98 FPS with a minimum of 84 FPS and a maximum of 113 FPS. The High preset produces 74 FPS average, while the Ultra preset manages 70 FPS. The 56 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p demonstrates the significant performance cost of higher graphical fidelity in this game.

At 2560x1440, the same settings hierarchy persists but with reduced absolute values. Low settings yield 102 FPS average, Medium produces 79 FPS (range: 67-91), High delivers 60 FPS, and Ultra drops to 57 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra at 1440p narrows to just 3 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset's additional visual features have diminishing returns at this resolution. The 1440p results show that the combo can maintain playable frame rates at Medium settings and above, though Ultra approaches the 60 FPS threshold with only 57 FPS average.

At 3840x2160, the performance envelope tightens considerably. The Low preset manages 75 FPS, Medium averages 59 FPS (range: 50-67), High drops to 44 FPS, and Ultra falls to 42 FPS. The 33 FPS spread between Low and Ultra at 4K is smaller than at lower resolutions, indicating that the GPU is becoming saturated. The 4K Medium result of 59 FPS is the only 4K setting that approaches a playable 60 FPS threshold, and even that is borderline with a minimum of 50 FPS.

The data shows that the combo's optimal performance window is at 1080p with Medium or High settings, where it maintains 74-98 FPS. At 1440p, Medium settings provide the best balance with 79 FPS average. At 4K, only Low settings provide comfortable frame rates above 60 FPS, with Medium being marginal.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 18 MB of shared L3 cache. These specifications position it as a mainstream desktop processor with solid multi-threaded capabilities.

In Flight Simulator, the CPU's synthetic benchmark scores provide context for its gaming performance. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15989 and single-core score of 2257 indicate strong all-around processing power. The 3DMark results show a max-thread score of 5890 versus a single-thread score of 910, representing roughly 6.5x scaling across the 12 threads. This scaling is typical for a 6-core/12-thread part and suggests that the CPU can handle multi-threaded workloads effectively.

The CPU's 72nd percentile ranking against all processors, combined with the combo's 46th percentile game rank, strongly suggests that the processor is not the limiting factor in this pairing. The nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the AMD EPYC 7643 (0.1% lower score) and the Intel Core i7-1355U (0.3% lower), showing that the i5-12400 performs competitively with parts from very different market segments.

For Flight Simulator specifically, the CPU's 12 threads and 4.40 GHz boost clock provide sufficient processing power to feed the GPU at 1080p and 1440p. The resolution scaling data shows consistent FPS drops as resolution increases, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario rather than a CPU constraint. At 1080p Low, the 126 FPS result indicates that the CPU can drive high frame rates when the GPU is not overburdened, but the GPU becomes the bottleneck as resolution and settings increase.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, the High preset with 74 FPS average provides a strong balance between visual quality and performance, while the Ultra preset at 70 FPS offers minimal additional visual benefit for a 5% performance cost. The Medium preset at 98 FPS is the best choice for users prioritizing smoothness, as it provides a substantial FPS buffer above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset with 79 FPS average (range: 67-91) is the clear recommendation. It maintains frame rates well above 60 FPS, with a minimum of 67 FPS ensuring consistent playability. The High preset at 60 FPS is acceptable but leaves no headroom for demanding scenes, while the Ultra preset at 57 FPS dips below the ideal threshold. The Low preset at 102 FPS sacrifices too much visual quality for the performance gain.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more constrained. The Low preset at 75 FPS is the only setting that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS, but it significantly reduces visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 59 FPS (range: 50-67) is borderline, with the minimum falling to 50 FPS during demanding scenes. Users targeting 4K should accept Medium settings as the practical maximum, or consider reducing resolution to 1440p for a better experience.

For the best overall experience, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 offers the most balanced combination of visual quality and performance, with an average of 79 FPS. Users with 1080p displays can comfortably use High settings for superior visuals while maintaining 74 FPS. Those with 4K displays should use Medium settings for playable frame rates, recognizing that the GPU is the limiting factor at this resolution.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 32 chip, manufactured on TSMC's 5 nm process. It features 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 96 raster operation units, along with 40 ray tracing cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1900 MHz, a game clock of 2041 MHz, and a boost clock of 2459 MHz. It is equipped with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 624.1 GB/s of memory bandwidth.

The GPU's synthetic benchmark scores show a Passmark G3D score of 20974 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2865. Its average benchmark score of 15852 places it in the 58th percentile against all GPUs, with nearest rivals including the AMD Radeon R9 370X (0.1% higher) and the AMD Radeon RX 9060 (1% higher). The Geekbench OpenCL score of 106028 reflects strong compute performance, while the Passmark GPU Compute score of 10963 shows reasonable compute capabilities.

In Flight Simulator, the GPU's 16 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for the tested scenarios, as the game's memory footprint at 4K Ultra is unlikely to exceed this capacity. The 624.1 GB/s memory bandwidth provides ample throughput for texture streaming and geometry processing at all tested resolutions. The GPU's FP32 performance of 25.18 TFLOPS supports the resolution scaling pattern observed, with the card becoming increasingly saturated as pixel count rises.

The GPU's 58th percentile ranking aligns more closely with the combo's 46th percentile game rank than the CPU's 72nd percentile, confirming that the RX 7700 is the limiting component in this pairing. The 1080p results show the GPU can deliver high frame rates at lower settings (126 FPS at Low), but the 4K results show it struggles to maintain 60 FPS even at Medium settings. This behavior is consistent with a mid-range GPU that excels at 1080p and 1440p gaming but falls short at 4K in demanding titles like Flight Simulator.