Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator is a uniquely demanding title, and the measured results for the Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 reveal a configuration that is heavily constrained by the graphics card at higher resolutions. The data indicates a system that can deliver smooth frame rates at 1080p but begins to struggle as pixel count increases, making the choice of settings and resolution critical for the user experience. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data to explain the relationship between the CPU, GPU, and the game's rendering load.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable trend: performance degrades significantly as resolution increases. At the Low preset, the average frame rate drops from 111 FPS at 1920x1080 to 89 FPS at 2560x1440, and finally to 66 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 40.5% decrease in performance from 1080p to 4K. Similarly, on the Medium preset, FPS drops from 86 at 1080p to 69 at 1440p and 51 at 4K, a 40.7% reduction. This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor; as the render resolution increases, the demand on the Radeon RX 9060's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth grows, causing the frame rate to fall proportionally.

The frame rate drop from 1440p to 4K is particularly steep. For the High preset, the average FPS falls from 52 at 2560x1440 to 39 at 3840x2160, a 25% reduction. This sharp decline suggests that the GPU is hitting a performance cliff at 4K, likely due to memory capacity or bandwidth limitations. The data implies that 4K gaming with this combo is only viable on the Low preset, where 66 FPS is achievable, but the visual sacrifice is significant.

Conversely, the scaling from 1080p to 1440p is less punishing but still notable. The High preset sees a drop from 65 FPS to 52 FPS, a 20% reduction. This pattern across all presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—confirms that the Radeon RX 9060 is the bottleneck in this configuration. The CPU's role becomes less critical as resolution rises, and the GPU's raw pixel throughput and memory subsystem dictate the final frame rate. For users targeting 1440p, the Medium preset at 69 FPS appears to be the sweet spot, while 1080p users can comfortably use High settings for 65 FPS or Low for a very high 111 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. Its synthetic benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23391 and a single-core score of 3302. While the CPU is capable, the measured FPS data in Microsoft Flight Simulator suggests that its performance headroom is not the limiting factor in most scenarios. The frame rate scaling with resolution points directly to the GPU as the primary constraint.

At 1080p, where CPU load is typically higher relative to GPU load, the combo achieves a High preset average of 65 FPS. This indicates that the i5-12600KF provides adequate single-thread performance to feed the GPU in this scenario. The CPU's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and high boost clock are beneficial for the game's simulation logic, but the data does not show a CPU bottleneck at this resolution. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rate would remain relatively flat across resolutions, which is not the case here.

The processor's performance relative to its nearest rivals is tight. Its average benchmark score of 27799 is nearly identical to the Intel Core i9-10900K (27872, -0.3% delta), the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE (27712, +0.3% delta), and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D (27896, -0.3% delta). This indicates that the i5-12600KF is competitive with these older or lower-tier parts, but the game's performance is not dictated by these small CPU differences. In the measured data, the CPU's 16 threads and high clock speeds are sufficient to avoid becoming the bottleneck, allowing the GPU to be the sole determinant of frame rate scaling.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which settings preset offers the best experience at each resolution. The primary goal is to maintain a playable frame rate without unnecessary visual degradation. The data suggests that the Medium preset is the most balanced option for most users.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 62 FPS, which is playable but not significantly better than the High preset's 65 FPS. The Medium preset offers 86 FPS, which is a substantial improvement for only a moderate visual quality reduction. For competitive or high-refresh-rate play, the Low preset at 111 FPS is the best choice. The data suggests that the step from Medium to High costs 21 FPS, while the step from High to Ultra costs only 3 FPS, making Ultra a poor return on investment.

At 2560x1440, the situation is similar. The Medium preset at 69 FPS is the most comfortable for general play, as it sits above the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset at 52 FPS is playable but may feel less smooth, and the Ultra preset at 50 FPS offers little benefit over High. The Low preset at 89 FPS is excellent for users who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity. The data indicates that High and Ultra are too close in performance to justify the extra graphical load on the GPU.

At 3840x2160, the options are more constrained. The Medium preset at 51 FPS is borderline, while the High preset at 39 FPS and Ultra at 37 FPS are below the ideal playability threshold. The Low preset at 66 FPS is the only option that provides a consistently smooth experience. The data suggests that 4K gaming with this combo requires significant compromises, and the Medium preset is the highest quality setting that approaches acceptable performance, but users may need to drop to Low for the best experience.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-12600KF and AMD Radeon RX 9060 ranks 1712 out of 2996 tested combos for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the lower-middle tier of all tested configurations, indicating that while it is not a top-tier setup, it is also not among the worst performers. The percentile ranking suggests that roughly 57% of tested combos perform better in this specific game.

This ranking is a direct result of the GPU's performance class. The Radeon RX 9060 has an average benchmark score of 16014 and sits in the 59th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (16129, -0.7% delta), the AMD Radeon R9 370X (15862, +1% delta), and the AMD Radeon RX 7700 (15852, +1% delta). The RX 9060's performance is nearly identical to these parts, confirming its mid-range positioning. The combo's rank reflects the fact that the GPU is not powerful enough to drive high frame rates at higher resolutions, despite the capable CPU.

The CPU's own ranking is more favorable. The i5-12600KF sits in the 79th percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is a strong processor. However, the combo's overall rank is dragged down by the GPU. The data shows that the CPU has significant headroom, as evidenced by the fact that frame rates scale directly with resolution, which is a hallmark of a GPU-bound scenario. For users looking to improve this combo's rank, upgrading the GPU would yield the most significant gains.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve 60 FPS or higher?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 with the Medium preset achieves 86 FPS, and 2560x1440 with the Medium preset achieves 69 FPS. For a consistent 60+ FPS experience, 1440p Medium is the highest resolution that reliably meets this target.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: At 3840x2160, only the Low preset achieves a playable average of 66 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 51 FPS, and High/Ultra fall to 39 and 37 FPS respectively, which are below ideal playability.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck. Frame rates drop consistently as resolution increases across all settings, which is a classic sign of GPU limitation. The CPU's performance is sufficient to avoid constraining the system.

Q: How does the Radeon RX 9060 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RX 9060 has an average benchmark score of 16014. It is within 1% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (16129) and the AMD Radeon RX 7700 (15852), and only 1% faster than the AMD Radeon R9 370X (15862).

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 111 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 62 FPS. This represents a 49 FPS difference, or a 79% performance uplift when using Low settings over Ultra.

Q: Does the CPU's 10-core configuration help in this game?

A: The CPU has 10 cores and 16 threads, but the frame rate scaling suggests the game is not heavily multi-threaded. The high single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3302) is more relevant, as the FPS does not increase when the GPU load is reduced.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact average FPS measurements for each resolution and settings preset.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 66 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 51 | 44 | 59 |

| 3840x2160 | High | 39 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 37 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 89 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 69 | 59 | 80 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 52 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 50 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 111 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 86 | 73 | 99 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 65 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 62 | - | - |

The Medium preset is the only one with recorded min/max FPS data. At 1080p, the frame rate fluctuates between 73 and 99 FPS, with an average of 86. At 1440p, the range is 59 to 80 FPS, averaging 69. At 4K, the range narrows to 44 to 59 FPS, averaging 51. This data suggests that the frame pacing is more consistent at lower resolutions, but the variance increases as the GPU becomes more stressed. The lack of min/max data for other presets indicates that only the Medium preset was tested for frame time consistency, but the average FPS figures provide a clear picture of overall performance.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with a Navi 44 chip, featuring 1792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units. It has a base clock of 1700 MHz, a game clock of 2400 MHz, and a boost clock of 2990 MHz. The GPU is equipped with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. These specifications position it as a mid-range card, and the measured FPS data reflects this.

The GPU's synthetic benchmark scores are modest. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 3322, and its Passmark G3D score is 17631. Its average benchmark score of 16014 places it in the 59th percentile of all GPUs. The direct comparison to the RTX 3060 Ti, which has a nearly identical average score, confirms that the RX 9060 is capable of 1080p and light 1440p gaming, but struggles with heavy 4K loads. The GPU's 8 GB memory capacity is a likely contributor to the significant frame rate drop at 4K, as the game's high-resolution textures may exceed this limit, causing performance to plummet.

The GPU's role as the bottleneck is undeniable when analyzing the FPS scaling. The 21.43 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is sufficient for moderate settings, but the 128-bit memory bus and 8 GB capacity limit its ability to handle the high data throughput required at 4K. The data shows that the GPU is the primary determinant of performance, and users should focus on managing resolution and settings to work within its capabilities. The boost clock of 2990 MHz helps maintain performance in lighter scenes, but the overall architecture limits the ceiling of this combo.