Microsoft Flight Simulator

# Microsoft Flight Simulator: Intel Core i5-12400F + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER

This combination pairs a six-core, 12-thread Intel Core i5-12400F (Alder Lake-S, base 2.50 GHz, boost 4.40 GHz) with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER (6 GB GDDR6, 192-bit bus, 336.0 GB/s bandwidth, boost 1785 MHz). In Microsoft Flight Simulator, this system produces playable but not exceptional frame rates across most tested configurations, with the data showing a clear dependence on both resolution and graphical preset. The pairing ranks 1604 out of 1795 tested combos in this game, placing it in the lower third of the database, yet the measured FPS reveals specific scenarios where the hardware delivers smooth performance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor running on the Intel Socket 1700 platform. Its 2.50 GHz base clock and 4.40 GHz boost clock provide the computational foundation for Flight Simulator's complex flight physics and world-streaming calculations. The CPU's cache hierarchy — 80 KB L1 per core, 1.25 MB L2 per core, and 18 MB shared L3 — supports the game's need for rapid data access when rendering terrain and aircraft systems. In synthetic benchmarks, the chip scores 16,518 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,332 in single-core, with a PassMark multithread score of 19,433 and a single-thread score of 3,481. These numbers indicate a balanced performer that can handle the game's multi-threaded simulation logic while maintaining solid single-thread responsiveness.

The processor ranks in the 77th percentile among all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 19,221. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-8700K (average score 19,210, deltaPct 0.1) and the AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS (average score 19,364, deltaPct -0.7). The i5-12400F sits essentially level with the older i7-8700K, showing that its modern architecture compensates for fewer cores. In Flight Simulator specifically, the CPU's 12 threads are sufficient to feed the GTX 1660 SUPER, but the 3dmark results (16-thread score of 5,895, max-thread score of 5,912) suggest that the processor's headroom is modest. The 65 W TDP and dual-channel DDR4/DDR5 memory support indicate a mainstream part, and the data shows it does not bottleneck the GPU in low-resolution, low-settings scenarios where CPU load is highest relative to GPU work.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is a Turing-architecture GPU (TU116 chip, 12 nm process) with 1,408 shading units, 88 texture mapping units, and 48 ROPs. Its 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus delivers 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is critical for Flight Simulator's texture streaming at higher resolutions. The GPU boosts to 1785 MHz from a 1530 MHz base, producing 5.027 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and a pixel rate of 85.68 GPixel/s. In DirectX 12 benchmarks, the card scores 1,278 in 3DMark Steel Nomad and 50 in PassMark DirectX 12, while its overall PassMark G3D score is 12,699 with a GPU compute score of 5,076.

The GPU ranks in the 55th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 14,286. Its nearest rivals are integrated or entry-level parts: the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 (score 14,314, deltaPct -0.2), Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics (score 14,315, deltaPct -0.2), and AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (score 14,389, deltaPct -0.7). The GTX 1660 SUPER trails all of these by less than 1%, placing it in the same performance tier as integrated graphics in aggregate benchmarks. However, in Flight Simulator, the dedicated VRAM and bandwidth prove decisive — the 6 GB frame buffer is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p play, though 4K Ultra settings (25.3 FPS average) strain the memory subsystem and compute resources.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Microsoft Flight Simulator at 1080p smoothly?

A: Yes, at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS is 78.2, and at Medium it is 60.4. High settings yield 47.1 FPS, while Ultra drops to 43.3 FPS, all above the 30 FPS playability threshold.

Q: How does the system perform at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings produce exactly 60 FPS on average, Medium achieves 49.6 FPS, High drops to 33.7 FPS, and Ultra falls to 32.9 FPS. The data shows a steep decline from Low to High at this resolution.

Q: Is 4K gaming feasible with this hardware?

A: At 3840x2160, only Low settings reach a playable average of 44.5 FPS. Medium averages 32.3 FPS, High 25.6 FPS, and Ultra 25.3 FPS, indicating that 4K requires reduced settings for acceptable performance.

Q: What is the best resolution-to-settings balance for this combo?

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 at Medium settings (60.4 FPS) or 2560x1440 at Low settings (60 FPS) both provide smooth 60 FPS gameplay. The 1080p Medium option offers better visual fidelity at a marginal FPS difference.

Q: How does this GPU compare to its nearest rivals in aggregate benchmarks?

A: The GTX 1660 SUPER has an average score of 14,286, which is 0.2% below the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 (14,314) and Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics (14,315), and 0.7% below the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (14,389). These deltas are within noise levels.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in this game?

A: The data does not directly measure bottlenecking, but the CPU's single-thread score of 3,481 in PassMark and single-core Cinebench R23 score of 2,332 suggest adequate headroom. The FPS scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution follows GPU-centric patterns, implying the CPU is not the primary limiter.

How This Combo Ranks

This CPU-GPU pairing ranks 1604 out of 1795 tested combinations in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the 11th percentile of all systems in the database. That low rank reflects the GPU's position relative to modern hardware — the GTX 1660 SUPER sits at the 55th percentile among all GPUs, while the i5-12400F is much stronger at the 77th percentile among CPUs. The mismatch means the system's overall performance is constrained by the graphics card, not the processor. In aggregate scores, the CPU's average benchmark of 19,221 is 0.1% above the Intel Core i7-8700K and 0.3% above the Intel Core i5-1335U, but the GPU's 14,286 average is 0.7% below the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT.

The rank of 1604 out of 1795 indicates that most competing systems in the database outperform this combo in Flight Simulator, likely due to more powerful GPUs. However, the measured FPS data shows the combo is far from unusable. The 1080p Low result of 78.2 FPS exceeds the refresh rate of many monitors, and the 1440p Low result of exactly 60 FPS matches standard display refresh rates. The system's strength lies in its consistency — there are no settings combinations that become completely unplayable, with the worst case being 25.3 FPS at 4K Ultra. This suggests the combo is best suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming with adjusted settings, rather than pushing maximum visual quality.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings tiers. At 3840x2160 (4K), the results are: Low settings average 44.5 FPS, Medium averages 32.3 FPS, High averages 25.6 FPS, and Ultra averages 25.3 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 12.2 FPS (a 27% drop), while the gap between High and Ultra is negligible at 0.3 FPS, indicating that the GPU reaches a compute ceiling at these settings. None of the 4K results hit 60 FPS, so users must accept sub-60 performance or reduce resolution.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), the data shows: Low settings hit exactly 60 FPS on average, Medium averages 49.6 FPS, High averages 33.7 FPS, and Ultra averages 32.9 FPS. The step from Low to Medium costs 10.4 FPS, while the step from High to Ultra costs only 0.8 FPS. This pattern mirrors the 4K results: the GPU has diminishing returns at higher settings once it exceeds its memory bandwidth or shading capacity. The 1440p Low result is notable for being identical to the 1080p Medium result (60.4 FPS), suggesting that resolution scaling is not linear and the game's engine responds differently to settings changes.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the performance is strongest: Low averages 78.2 FPS, Medium averages 60.4 FPS, High averages 47.1 FPS, and Ultra averages 43.3 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 17.8 FPS, from Medium to High is 13.3 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 3.8 FPS. This is the only resolution where any setting exceeds 60 FPS, and the Low setting provides a comfortable margin above that threshold. The 1080p Ultra result of 43.3 FPS is still playable for a flight simulator, which is less sensitive to frame rate than fast-paced genres. Across all resolutions, the data reveals a consistent pattern: the largest FPS penalty occurs when moving from Low to Medium settings, while the Ultra preset adds relatively little additional load over High settings. This indicates that the GTX 1660 SUPER's 6 GB VRAM and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for the game's medium preset but become strained at higher quality levels, particularly at 4K where the Ultra setting produces only 25.3 FPS — barely over a third of the 1080p Low result.