Microsoft Flight Simulator

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread Alder Lake-S desktop processor with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its 18 MB shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4/DDR5 memory support position it as a mainstream part that ranks in the 77th percentile among all CPUs tested. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 16,518 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,332 in single-core, numbers that place it within 0.1% of the Intel Core i7-8700K (deltaPct 0.1) and 0.3% of the Intel Core i5-1335U (deltaPct 0.3), while trailing the AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS by 0.7%.

For Microsoft Flight Simulator, the combination of six physical cores with twelve threads matters because the game's simulation logic — weather, physics, and AI traffic — scales across multiple threads, but the single-thread score of 909 in 3DMark and 2,332 in Cinebench R23 defines the ceiling for frame pacing in CPU-bound scenarios. At 1080p with Low settings, the measured 186 FPS average indicates that the i5-12400F can feed the RTX 5090 adequately at lower resolutions, but the gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p (186 FPS vs 132.2 FPS, a 40.7% drop) shows that the CPU's thread scheduling becomes more relevant as the GPU load decreases. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 5,895 versus the max-thread score of 5,912 suggests the processor is nearly saturated at 16 threads, meaning that Flight Simulator's heavier scenes will engage all available threads before the GPU becomes the sole bottleneck.

The 65W TDP and active production status indicate this is a power-efficient part for a flight sim, where long sessions are typical. Its architecture, Alder Lake, uses a 10nm process from Intel, and the processor supports PCIe Gen 5 with 20 lanes, which provides ample bandwidth for the RTX 5090's PCIe 5.0 x16 interface. The benchmark data shows the CPU's average benchmark score of 19,221, which is 0.1% above the Core i7-8700K's 19,210 and 1.3% above the AMD EPYC 7773X's 18,979 — meaning the i5-12400F is no slouch for a six-core part, but it is not a top-tier performer either.

FAQ

Q: How does the i5-12400F compare to its closest rival in synthetic CPU tests?

A: The i5-12400F averages a benchmark score of 19,221, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i7-8700K's 19,210. It also sits 0.3% above the Intel Core i5-1335U (19,167) and 1.3% above the AMD EPYC 7773X (18,979), but trails the AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS by 0.7% (19,364).

Q: What is the CPU's single-thread performance, and why does it matter for Flight Simulator?

A: The i5-12400F scores 2,332 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 909 in 3DMark single-thread. These numbers indicate the processor's ability to handle the game's main simulation thread, which is critical for consistent frame times. The 1080p Low result of 186 FPS shows that single-thread headroom is sufficient for high frame rates, but the 132.2 FPS at 1080p Ultra suggests that CPU load increases with settings.

Q: Is the i5-12400F a bottleneck for the RTX 5090 in this game?

A: The data suggests the CPU is the limiting factor at lower resolutions and settings. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 186 FPS, but at 1440p Low it drops to 172.2 FPS, and at 4K Low it falls to 137.6 FPS. The 26% drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings indicates that the GPU becomes more involved at higher resolutions, but the CPU's 6-core/12-thread configuration still limits peak frame rates.

Q: How does the combo rank against all tested configurations?

A: This specific pairing of i5-12400F and RTX 5090 ranks 45th out of 1,795 total combos tested in Microsoft Flight Simulator. That places it in the top 2.5% of all configurations, which is strong but not top-tier, reflecting the CPU's mid-range position relative to the GPU's flagship status.

Q: What memory support does the CPU offer, and does it affect the game?

A: The i5-12400F supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel mode. While the fact pack does not list specific bandwidth numbers, the dual-channel bus is standard for this platform. Flight Simulator benefits from memory bandwidth, but the measured FPS data does not differentiate between memory types.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the CPU, and when was it released?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400F has a launch MSRP of $174 and was released on 2022-01-03. It is currently marked as Active in production.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a clear scaling pattern across resolutions. At Low settings, the combo delivers 186 FPS at 1080p, 172.2 FPS at 1440p, and 137.6 FPS at 4K. That is a 7.4% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 26% drop from 1080p to 4K. At Medium settings, the numbers are 166 FPS (1080p), 149.9 FPS (1440p), and 107.4 FPS (4K), representing a 9.7% and 35.3% drop respectively. For High settings, 142.1 FPS at 1080p falls to 110.9 FPS at 1440p (22% drop) and 80.4 FPS at 4K (43.4% drop). Ultra settings show 132.2 FPS at 1080p, 104.3 FPS at 1440p (21.1% drop), and 78.8 FPS at 4K (40.4% drop).

The pattern is telling: as settings increase, the resolution scaling penalty becomes more severe, indicating that the GPU (RTX 5090) is the primary bottleneck at higher presets. At Low settings, the relatively modest 26% drop from 1080p to 4K suggests the CPU is still contributing to frame rate limitations, since a fully GPU-bound scenario would show a more dramatic falloff. However, at Ultra settings, the 40.4% drop from 1080p to 4K shows that the RTX 5090's rendering load dominates, while the CPU's 12 threads are sufficient to maintain playable frame rates even at 4K Ultra (78.8 FPS average).

The data also shows that the gap between Low and Ultra narrows as resolution increases: at 1080p, the difference is 53.8 FPS (186 vs 132.2), but at 4K, it narrows to 58.8 FPS (137.6 vs 78.8). This means that at 4K, the RTX 5090's workload is so heavy that CPU differences between settings become less impactful on the final frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This configuration — Intel Core i5-12400F paired with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 — ranks 45th out of 1,795 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. That places it in the 97.5th percentile of all combinations, which is an exceptional result for a CPU that costs $174 at launch. The rank suggests that the RTX 5090 does most of the heavy lifting, but the i5-12400F does not drag the pairing down significantly.

To contextualize the rank, the CPU's average benchmark score of 19,221 puts it near the Intel Core i7-8700K (19,210, deltaPct 0.1) and above the AMD EPYC 7773X (18,979, deltaPct 1.3). The GPU's average benchmark score of 84,306 places it 0.1% above the RTX 5090 D (84,241) and 1.3% above the AMD Radeon PRO W6600 (83,209), while trailing the NVIDIA CMP 40HX by 1.6% (85,637). This means the combo's rank is driven primarily by the GPU's 94th percentile standing among all GPUs, with the CPU's 77th percentile position being the weaker link.

In practical terms, a rank of 45 out of 1,795 means there are 44 configurations that perform better in this game, likely featuring higher-end CPUs like the Core i9 or Ryzen 9 series. The data indicates that upgrading the CPU would yield diminishing returns at 4K, where the RTX 5090 is the primary constraint, but at 1080p Low, a faster CPU could push beyond the 186 FPS ceiling set by the i5-12400F.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset at 1440p offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, delivering 149.9 FPS average. This is 13% slower than Low settings at the same resolution (172.2 FPS) but provides significantly better visual fidelity for a flight simulator where terrain and cockpit detail matter. At 4K, the Medium preset at 107.4 FPS is the recommended choice for high-refresh-rate monitors, as it stays above the 100 FPS threshold while maintaining acceptable visual quality.

For users with 1080p displays, the Ultra preset at 132.2 FPS is viable and offers the best visual experience without dropping below 60 FPS. The High preset at 142.1 FPS is a safer choice for those wanting headroom for complex scenes. At 1440p, Ultra at 104.3 FPS is playable, but Medium at 149.9 FPS provides a smoother experience with only a moderate visual compromise. The data shows that Low settings at 4K (137.6 FPS) are unnecessary because the GPU can handle higher presets without dropping below playable frame rates.

The key insight is that the RTX 5090's 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth allow for high texture quality at 4K without VRAM constraints, so users should prioritize Medium or High presets over Low to leverage the GPU's capabilities.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

1920x1080:

• Low: 186 FPS average
• Medium: 166 FPS average
• High: 142.1 FPS average
• Ultra: 132.2 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 172.2 FPS average
• Medium: 149.9 FPS average
• High: 110.9 FPS average
• Ultra: 104.3 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 137.6 FPS average
• Medium: 107.4 FPS average
• High: 80.4 FPS average
• Ultra: 78.8 FPS average

The data shows a consistent hierarchy: Low > Medium > High > Ultra at every resolution, with the gap between High and Ultra being smallest at 4K (80.4 vs 78.8 FPS, a 2% difference) and largest at 1080p (142.1 vs 132.2 FPS, a 7.5% difference). The Medium preset at 1440p (149.9 FPS) outperforms the High preset at 1080p (142.1 FPS), indicating that resolution scaling favors higher resolutions when paired with this GPU. The Ultra preset at 4K (78.8 FPS) is the only measured configuration that dips below 80 FPS, making it the least recommended for smooth gameplay.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture using a 5nm process from TSMC, with 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die. Its 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus delivers 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth, which is critical for Flight Simulator's massive texture streaming and photogrammetry data. The GPU's boost clock of 2407 MHz and base clock of 2017 MHz, combined with 21,760 shading units, 680 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, allow it to process the game's dense geometry and lighting effects efficiently.

The RTX 5090's FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS and texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s indicate that the GPU is rarely the bottleneck at lower resolutions, but the 4K Ultra result of 78.8 FPS shows that even this flagship part is challenged by the game's highest settings. The 170 RT cores and 680 tensor cores support ray tracing and DLSS features, though the measured FPS data does not specify whether ray tracing was enabled.

The GPU's 94th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84,306, places it just 0.1% above the RTX 5090 D (84,241) and 1.3% above the AMD Radeon PRO W6600 (83,209). The GPU's nearest rival, the NVIDIA CMP 40HX, scores 85,637, which is 1.6% higher — a negligible difference in real-world terms. The 575W TDP and suggested 950W PSU indicate that this is a power-hungry part, but the measured FPS data shows that it delivers exceptional performance across all tested resolutions.

The GPU's 32 GB VRAM is particularly relevant for Flight Simulator, which loads large texture sets for terrain and aircraft. The 1.79 TB/s bandwidth ensures that texture streaming does not cause stutters, as evidenced by the consistent frame rates even at 4K. The GPU's launch MSRP is 1,999 USD, and it was released on 2025-01-29, making it a current-generation part that pairs well with the i5-12400F for this simulation title.