Microsoft Flight Simulator

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 delivers strong, playable frame rates in Microsoft Flight Simulator, particularly at 1440p and 1080p, though the Ultra preset at 4K remains a demanding target. This combination ranks in the top 8% of all tested combos for this title, showing that the mid-range CPU does not bottleneck the high-end GPU in most scenarios.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall ranking of this CPU/GPU combo in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: This combination ranks 293rd out of 3714 tested combos, placing it in the top 8% of all systems tested for this game.

Q: Can this system run the game at 4K resolution?

A: Yes. At 3840x2160, the system achieves 73 FPS on High settings and 70 FPS on Ultra, indicating playable performance at 4K, though the Ultra preset dips to 70 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for high refresh rate monitors?

A: At 2560x1440, the system delivers 132 FPS on Medium and 99 FPS on High, making 1440p the sweet spot for high-refresh-rate displays. At 1920x1080, it reaches 183 FPS on Low and 164 FPS on Medium.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER?

A: The RTX 4080 scores 54,247 in average benchmark score, which is 0.1% higher than the RTX 4080 SUPER's 54,209. This puts the two cards statistically on par with each other.

Q: How does the i5-12400 compare to the Intel Core i3-14100F?

A: The i5-12400 has an average benchmark score of 18,683, which is 0.9% higher than the i3-14100F's 18,519. The i5-12400 also has 6 cores and 12 threads compared to the i3's lower core count.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded in the measured data?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 83 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 on Medium settings. At 2560x1440 Medium, the minimum is 112 FPS, and at 1920x1080 Medium, the minimum is 139 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the dominant component in this pairing, featuring 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's memory clocks run at 1400 MHz, with an effective data rate of 22.4 Gbps, while the base clock is 2205 MHz and the boost clock reaches 2505 MHz.

This memory configuration is crucial for Microsoft Flight Simulator, which streams vast amounts of terrain and scenery data. The 16 GB frame buffer ensures that even at 4K with high-resolution textures, the GPU does not run out of memory, allowing the 73 FPS average at 3840x2160 High settings.

The RTX 4080's raw compute capabilities are substantial, with 9,728 shading units and a peak FP32 throughput of 48.74 TFLOPS. It also includes 76 ray tracing cores and 304 tensor cores, though Microsoft Flight Simulator relies more on traditional rasterization than ray tracing for its visuals. The GPU's 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs confirms it is a top-tier part, and its average benchmark score of 54,247 is effectively identical to the RTX 4080 SUPER, which scores 54,209 (a 0.1% delta).

The performance scaling across resolutions shows the GPU's strength. From 1920x1080 to 2560x1440, the average FPS on High settings drops from 123 to 99, a 19.5% reduction. Moving from 1440p to 4K, the High preset drops from 99 to 73 FPS, a 26.3% reduction. This scaling pattern indicates the GPU is the primary driver of performance at higher resolutions, with the CPU keeping pace adequately.

At 4K Ultra, the system still manages 70 FPS, which is impressive for a flight simulator known for being demanding. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 55 FPS (125 vs 70), showing that the Ultra preset adds significant visual fidelity at a measurable performance cost.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 provides 6 cores and 12 threads, running at a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. This Alder Lake-S architecture chip has 18 MB of shared L3 cache and supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory. With a 65 W TDP, it is an efficient processor, and its 72nd percentile ranking among all CPUs reflects solid mid-range performance.

The CPU's benchmark results show strong single-threaded performance, which is critical for flight simulators that often rely on one main simulation thread. The i5-12400 scores 910 in 3DMark single-thread and 2,257 in Cinebench R23 single-core. Its multi-threaded scores are also respectable, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15,989 and a 3DMark max-threads score of 5,890.

When comparing to its nearest rivals, the i5-12400's average benchmark score of 18,683 is within 0.7% of the AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 (18,811) and 0.3% of the Intel Core i7-1355U (18,730). It beats the Intel Core i3-14100F by 0.9% (18,519). This places the i5-12400 in a competitive position, though it is not a performance leader.

In this game, the CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions. At 1920x1080, the difference between Low (183 FPS) and Medium (164 FPS) is 19 FPS, while the jump from Medium to High (123 FPS) is 41 FPS. This steep drop suggests the CPU becomes more of a factor as settings increase, though the GPU still handles the bulk of the rendering load.

The 4.40 GHz boost clock helps maintain consistent frame pacing in CPU-bound scenarios, such as flying over dense urban areas or complex weather systems. The 6-core/12-thread configuration is sufficient for the game's background tasks, such as AI traffic and physics calculations, without becoming a bottleneck that would limit the RTX 4080's potential.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 achieves a rank of 293 out of 3,714 tested combinations in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places the system in the top 7.9% of all tested configurations, indicating that this pairing is significantly more capable than the majority of systems used for this game.

The high ranking is notable because the i5-12400 is a mid-range CPU, yet it does not drag down the overall performance when paired with a high-end GPU. This suggests that Microsoft Flight Simulator is not extremely CPU-sensitive at the resolutions tested, or that the i5-12400's single-threaded performance is sufficient to keep up with the RTX 4080.

The relative performance of the GPU is the key driver of this ranking. With the RTX 4080 sitting at the 86th percentile among GPUs and the CPU at the 72nd percentile among CPUs, the combo's top-8% ranking is closer to the GPU's percentile than the CPU's. This indicates the GPU is the limiting factor for the overall system rating in this specific title.

Compared to other combos in the database, this system outperforms configurations with weaker GPUs but similar or better CPUs, reinforcing that the RTX 4080 is the star of this pairing. The 0.1% performance delta between the RTX 4080 and RTX 4080 SUPER suggests that users of this combo are getting nearly identical performance to the newer SUPER variant in average benchmark scores.

The rank of 293 also implies that there are 292 combos that perform better, likely featuring higher-tier CPUs like flagship Core i9 or Ryzen 9 processors paired with RTX 4090-class GPUs. However, for the price-conscious builder, this combo offers a strong balance of high frame rates and solid 4K capability without requiring a top-end CPU.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset offers the most balanced experience across all resolutions, providing smooth frame rates with reasonable visual quality. At 2560x1440, the Medium preset delivers 132 FPS with a minimum of 112 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. At 1920x1080, Medium achieves 164 FPS with a minimum of 139 FPS, ensuring no noticeable stutters.

For users with 4K displays, the High preset at 73 FPS is the recommended choice, as it offers a significant visual upgrade over Medium (97 FPS) while staying above the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset at 70 FPS is also playable, but the 3 FPS difference between High and Ultra at 4K suggests that the extra visual fidelity may not justify the performance cost, especially since the min FPS for Ultra is not recorded.

At 1440p, the High preset at 99 FPS is a solid choice for users who prioritize visual quality over maximum frame rates. The drop from Medium to High is 33 FPS, which is noticeable, but the resulting 99 FPS is still smooth. The Ultra preset at 95 FPS is only 4 FPS lower than High, making it a viable option for users who want the best visuals without sacrificing much performance.

For competitive or fast-paced flying, the Low preset at 1440p delivers 170 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate displays, though the visual compromise may not be worth it for a game like Microsoft Flight Simulator, where scenery detail is a major part of the experience. The Low preset at 1080p hits 183 FPS, which is the highest recorded average in the dataset.

The Medium preset appears to be the sweet spot, offering a balance of visual quality and performance that scales well across all three resolutions. It consistently provides frame rates well above 60 FPS, even at 4K, and the recorded minimum FPS values (83 at 4K, 112 at 1440p, 139 at 1080p) indicate stable performance without major frame dips.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160 (4K), the system shows a wide performance range across settings. The Low preset averages 125 FPS, while Medium averages 97 FPS with a minimum of 83 FPS and a maximum of 112 FPS. High settings average 73 FPS, and Ultra averages 70 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 55 FPS, showing that the Ultra preset is significantly more demanding.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), the performance scales as follows: Low averages 170 FPS, Medium averages 132 FPS with a minimum of 112 FPS and a maximum of 152 FPS, High averages 99 FPS, and Ultra averages 95 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 75 FPS, which is larger than at 4K, suggesting the CPU is less of a bottleneck at this resolution.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the system reaches its highest frame rates. Low averages 183 FPS, Medium averages 164 FPS with a minimum of 139 FPS and a maximum of 188 FPS, High averages 123 FPS, and Ultra averages 117 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 66 FPS, indicating that even at 1080p, the settings have a substantial impact on performance.

The data shows that the Medium preset consistently provides the most stable minimum FPS values across all resolutions, with 83 FPS at 4K, 112 FPS at 1440p, and 139 FPS at 1080p. These minimums are all well above the 60 FPS threshold, ensuring a smooth experience without major stutters.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p on the same settings is consistent: Low drops from 183 to 170 FPS (7.1% decrease), Medium from 164 to 132 FPS (19.5% decrease), High from 123 to 99 FPS (19.5% decrease), and Ultra from 117 to 95 FPS (18.8% decrease). The scaling from 1440p to 4K is more pronounced: Low drops from 170 to 125 FPS (26.5% decrease), Medium from 132 to 97 FPS (26.5% decrease), High from 99 to 73 FPS (26.3% decrease), and Ultra from 95 to 70 FPS (26.3% decrease).

This consistent scaling pattern indicates that the RTX 4080 is the primary performance driver, with the i5-12400 providing enough headroom to avoid introducing additional bottlenecks as resolution increases. The 4K Ultra preset at 70 FPS is the most demanding scenario in the dataset, while 1080p Low at 183 FPS is the least demanding, giving users a clear range of options based on their display and performance preferences.