Microsoft Flight Simulator

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is a familiar mid-range combination, and in Microsoft Flight Simulator it delivers a playable but resolution-sensitive experience. The data shows a system that is clearly GPU-limited at higher resolutions, but which also demonstrates surprising headroom at 1080p, where the CPU’s strong single-thread performance helps push frame rates well past 60 FPS. This pairing ranks in the 18th percentile of tested combos, placing it in the lower-middle pack for this specific title, yet the measured results indicate that it remains viable for simulation at moderate settings.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep, and the pattern reveals exactly where the bottleneck sits. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 52.4 at 1920x1080 to 41.4 at 2560x1440, a reduction of 11 frames, and then to 31.1 at 3840x2160, a further drop of over 10 frames. This scaling is nearly linear with pixel count, which is the classic signature of a GPU-bound workload. The RTX 2060 is doing the heavy lifting here, and as the resolution climbs, the sheer number of pixels overwhelms the 6 GB frame buffer and the 336.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth.

At Low settings, the pattern shifts. The 1080p result of 90.2 FPS is strong, but the 1440p result of 75.7 FPS represents a smaller relative loss, and the 4K result of 55 FPS is still very usable. This suggests that at Low settings, the CPU begins to play a larger role at lower resolutions, while at 4K the GPU remains the limiting factor even when graphical load is reduced. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is also telling: 55 FPS versus 31.2 FPS, a difference of nearly 24 frames, which shows that the RTX 2060 simply cannot sustain high fidelity at that resolution.

The 1080p to 4K scaling at Ultra settings is particularly informative. The average FPS moves from 50.7 to 40.4 to 31.2 across the three resolutions. This is a modest drop in percentage terms, but it underscores that the game is well-optimized for this GPU class at lower resolutions, while 4K Ultra remains out of reach. For a flight simulator where smoothness matters for immersion, the data suggests that 1080p is the sweet spot, with 1440p being acceptable only if settings are kept to Medium or below.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is built on the Turing architecture and features 1920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 48 raster operation pipelines. Its boost clock of 1680 MHz and base clock of 1365 MHz are modest by modern standards, but the card’s 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. In Microsoft Flight Simulator, this memory configuration appears to be a limiting factor at 4K, where the High and Ultra settings produce nearly identical average FPS of 31.1 and 31.2, respectively. This plateau suggests that the frame buffer is saturated, and additional graphical detail does not cost performance because the memory bandwidth is already exhausted.

The GPU’s 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores are present, but this title does not heavily leverage ray tracing, so their impact on the measured results is minimal. The FP32 performance of 6.451 TFLOPS is adequate for the game’s workloads, and the PassMark G3D score of 14111 places the card in the 58th percentile of all GPUs. Compared to its nearest rivals, the RTX 2060 sits within 1.8% of the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 and within 0.5% of the AMD Radeon RX 7600S, indicating that its raw compute is competitive with those parts, but the measured FPS in this game shows that the 6 GB memory capacity is the more relevant spec for high-resolution play.

At 1080p, the GPU has enough headroom to deliver 90.2 FPS at Low settings, which is more than sufficient for smooth flight. However, at 4K, even Low settings yield only 55 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a sim that benefits from high frame rates. The card’s 160 W TDP and dual-slot design are typical for this class, and the data shows that its performance is consistent with its position as a mid-range part from the 20-series generation.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its single-thread performance is a standout, as evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2249 and a 3DMark single-thread score of 910. In Microsoft Flight Simulator, which is known for its heavy reliance on a single main thread for simulation logic, this strong single-core showing is directly reflected in the 1080p results. At Low settings, the system achieves 90.2 FPS, which is a clear indication that the CPU is not the limiting factor at that resolution.

The CPU’s 18 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory provide adequate feeding for the GPU. Its PassMark single-thread score of 3456 and multithread score of 18747 place it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, and it trades blows with the Intel Core i7-9700, sitting just 0.1% ahead in average benchmark score. This parity is interesting because the i7-9700 has more cores, but the i5-12400’s newer architecture and higher boost clock compensate in this game’s workload.

At 4K, the CPU’s role diminishes, as the GPU becomes the bottleneck. The fact that the 4K Low result of 55 FPS is still higher than the 4K High result of 31.1 FPS shows that the CPU can feed the GPU at lower settings, but the GPU cannot keep up with higher fidelity. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15935 indicates that the CPU has enough multithreaded headroom for background tasks, but for this game, the single-thread performance is the key metric, and it delivers where it matters most.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system performs admirably. Low settings yield an average of 90.2 FPS, Medium drops to 69.6 FPS, High settles at 52.4 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 50.7 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra is just 1.7 FPS, suggesting that the GPU is nearing its limit, but the CPU is still providing enough throughput to keep frame rates in a playable range. For most users, 1080p High at 52.4 FPS is a solid experience, and dropping to Medium gains over 17 FPS with a modest visual penalty.

Moving to 2560x1440, the numbers decline predictably. Low settings produce 75.7 FPS, which is still smooth, but Medium falls to 57.4 FPS, High to 41.4 FPS, and Ultra to 40.4 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra is again small, at just 1 FPS, which reinforces the idea that the GPU is the limiting factor. At this resolution, Medium settings at 57.4 FPS are the practical ceiling for a consistently smooth experience.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles. Low settings manage 55 FPS, but Medium drops to 45.1 FPS, and both High and Ultra hover around 31 FPS. The 4K Low result is the only one that approaches playability, and even that is marginal for a flight sim where precision matters. The data indicates that 4K is not a viable option for this pairing unless the user is willing to accept Low settings and a frame rate that dips below the 60 FPS threshold.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks 1469 out of 1795 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. That places it in the 18th percentile, which is a low position relative to other systems that have been benchmarked. However, this ranking reflects the overall pool, which includes high-end configurations with far more powerful GPUs. In absolute terms, the measured FPS at 1080p and 1440p are respectable for a mid-range setup, but the 4K results drag the combo down in the rankings.

The CPU’s percentile of 77 is significantly higher than the GPU’s percentile of 58, which suggests that the processor is the stronger component in this pairing. In this game, that imbalance is manageable because the CPU’s single-thread strength compensates for the GPU’s limitations at lower resolutions. But at 4K, the GPU’s lower percentile becomes the dominant factor, and the combo’s overall ranking suffers accordingly. For a builder looking at this data, the takeaway is that this pairing is best suited for 1080p play, where it outperforms its rank would suggest, rather than for high-resolution simulation.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows the strongest results at 1920x1080, where Low settings hit 90.2 FPS and High settings reach 52.4 FPS. At 2560x1440, Medium settings at 57.4 FPS are the practical limit for smooth play, while 4K only achieves 55 FPS at Low settings.

Q: How does the RTX 2060’s 6 GB VRAM affect performance at 4K?

A: The 6 GB GDDR6 memory with 336.0 GB/s bandwidth appears to saturate at 4K, as evidenced by the nearly identical High and Ultra results of 31.1 and 31.2 FPS. This suggests the frame buffer is the limiting factor at that resolution.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low settings, the system achieves 90.2 FPS, indicating the GPU is the primary limiter. The CPU’s strong single-thread score of 2249 in Cinebench R23 ensures it is not holding back performance at this resolution.

Q: How does this combo compare to similar CPUs in terms of raw performance?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400 sits within 0.2% of the Intel Core i7-8700 and 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-9700 in average benchmark score, making it competitive with older higher-core-count parts.

Q: What settings should be used for a consistent frame rate at 1440p?

A: The benchmark results show that Medium settings at 2560x1440 yield 57.4 FPS, which is the highest quality setting that remains above 50 FPS. High and Ultra both drop below 42 FPS at this resolution.

Q: Does the combo’s rank of 1469 out of 1795 reflect its 1080p capability?

A: No, the rank is a composite across all resolutions. At 1080p, the system performs well, with Ultra settings at 50.7 FPS, which is above the playable threshold. The low rank is primarily driven by the weak 4K results.