Microsoft Flight Simulator

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER produces a mid-table result in Microsoft Flight Simulator, ranking 2571st out of 3714 tested combinations. This placement, which sits in the lower third of the database, reflects a configuration that can handle the sim at playable rates but requires careful settings management to avoid dipping below smooth frame rates. The data shows a system that is consistently capable rather than exceptional, with the GPU emerging as the primary constraint as resolution and visual fidelity increase.

How This Combo Ranks

Among all 3,714 processor and graphics card combinations tested in Microsoft Flight Simulator, this pairing lands at position 2,571. That places it roughly in the 31st percentile of tested hardware, meaning about 69% of all recorded combos deliver higher average frame rates in this specific title. The rank is heavily influenced by the GPU’s standing; the RTX 2060 SUPER sits at the 62nd percentile among all GPUs in general benchmarks, while the CPU ranks at the 79th percentile among all processors. The gap between those two figures hints that the graphics card is the limiting factor in this pairing.

The CPU’s average benchmark score of 27,799 places it nearly even with several close rivals. It trails the Intel Core i9-10900K by just 0.3%, sits ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE by 0.3%, and is effectively tied with both the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U and AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D at -0.3% and -0.3% respectively. That clustering means the processor is delivering performance squarely in line with its peer group—no unexpected shortfall and no hidden headroom. For the GPU, the RTX 2060 SUPER’s average benchmark score of 18,093 is similarly tightly grouped: it trails the RTX 3060 Mobile by 0.4%, lags the Radeon Pro 5700 by 0.5%, sits 1.5% behind the Radeon RX 460, and is 1.6% behind the Arc A770M. The consistency of these deltas suggests the measured frame rates in this game are representative of the hardware’s typical output.

GPU Role

The RTX 2060 SUPER carries 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock runs at 1750 MHz, which translates to 14 Gbps effective, and the GPU’s boost clock reaches 1650 MHz. These specifications place the card in a capable but not overwhelming position for a flight simulator that streams large amounts of terrain and scenery data.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for the settings tested, but the card’s raw compute power becomes the bottleneck at higher presets. The GPU’s pixel rate of 105.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 224.4 GTexel/s provide a baseline for how quickly it can fill the screen with geometry and textures. At 4K resolution with Ultra settings, the average frame rate drops to 33 FPS, indicating the card is heavily saturated. The shift from High to Ultra at 1080p only costs 3 FPS (59 to 56), but at 4K the same settings change costs just 2 FPS (35 to 33), showing diminishing returns as the GPU hits its ceiling. The card’s FP32 throughput of 7.181 TFLOPS is the practical limit here; the sim’s complex rendering demands exceed what this GPU can deliver at maximum quality.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression across resolutions reveals a clear GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 101 FPS, which drops to 81 FPS at 1440p Low and 60 FPS at 4K Low—a 41% reduction from 1080p to 4K at the lowest settings. At Medium settings, the figures are 78 FPS at 1080p, 63 FPS at 1440p, and 47 FPS at 4K, a 40% drop. For High settings, the sequence is 59 FPS at 1080p, 47 FPS at 1440p, and 35 FPS at 4K, a 41% decline. Ultra settings show 56 FPS at 1080p, 45 FPS at 1440p, and 33 FPS at 4K, a 41% reduction as well.

The consistency of that ~40% performance loss when moving from 1080p to 4K across all four quality presets indicates the GPU is the limiting component at every resolution. If the CPU were the constraint, the scaling would flatten out at higher resolutions because the graphics card would have more time to wait for the processor. Instead, the steady proportional decline with pixel count shows the RTX 2060 SUPER is doing all the heavy lifting, and its workload scales directly with resolution. The CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU even at 1080p, where the frame rates are highest.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the lowest tested setting delivers 101 FPS average, which is the highest frame rate recorded for this combo. Medium settings produce 78 FPS with a minimum of 67 and maximum of 90 FPS. High settings yield 59 FPS average, and Ultra drops slightly to 56 FPS. The gap between Medium and High at 1080p is 19 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is only 3 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset adds visual complexity that the GPU cannot fully translate into a proportional frame rate penalty.

Moving to 2560x1440, Low settings average 81 FPS, Medium averages 63 FPS with a range of 54 to 73 FPS, High averages 47 FPS, and Ultra averages 45 FPS. The delta between High and Ultra narrows to just 2 FPS at this resolution, reinforcing that the card is approaching its limits. At 3840x2160, Low settings still achieve 60 FPS average, which is playable, but Medium drops to 47 FPS with a minimum of 40 FPS, High falls to 35 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 33 FPS. The 4K Medium result is notable because it includes a recorded minimum of 40 FPS, meaning there are moments of noticeable stutter even at a preset that averages near the playability threshold.

Settings Recommendations

For users targeting a smooth experience, the data points to 1080p as the sweet spot. At that resolution, Medium settings deliver 78 FPS average with a minimum of 67 FPS, which clears the standard 60 FPS target with headroom. High settings at 1080p drop to 59 FPS average, which is marginally below 60 but still playable, while Ultra at 56 FPS is only slightly lower. The 19 FPS gap between Medium and High at 1080p is significant enough that Medium offers the best frame rate cushion without sacrificing the visual fidelity that the sim’s cockpit and terrain details benefit from.

At 1440p, Medium settings produce 63 FPS average with a minimum of 54 FPS, which is acceptable for most users but does dip below 60 at times. High settings at 1440p average 47 FPS, which is noticeably less smooth. For 4K, only Low settings reach 60 FPS average; Medium drops to 47 FPS and High to 35 FPS. Given that the sim is a slow-paced experience where occasional frame drops are less jarring than in fast-action titles, 1440p Medium represents the best balance of image quality and frame rate for this hardware. At 4K, users should accept either Low settings for smoothness or Medium if they prioritize visual detail over frame rate consistency.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF provides 10 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 23,391 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 3,302 in single-core, while Geekbench shows 12,137 multi-core and 2,157 single-core. These numbers place the CPU well above the RTX 2060 SUPER’s performance tier, confirming that the processor is not the limiting factor in this game.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU’s role is primarily to handle flight physics, weather simulation, and AI traffic. The 10-core/16-thread configuration with a 20 MB shared L3 cache provides ample headroom for these tasks, especially given that the GPU is the bottleneck at all tested resolutions. The CPU’s 3DMark scores reinforce this: 7,956 in the 16-thread test and 1,016 in single-thread, showing strong multi-threaded capability that matches the sim’s tendency to spread work across cores. The processor’s 79th percentile ranking among all CPUs, combined with the GPU’s 62nd percentile, means the system is balanced toward CPU performance, but the GPU’s lower relative standing caps the overall frame rates.

FAQ

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

A: 1080p delivers the highest frame rates, with Medium settings averaging 78 FPS and even Ultra reaching 56 FPS. At 1440p, Medium drops to 63 FPS, while 4K only reaches 60 FPS at Low settings.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: The frame rate drops by approximately 40% at every quality preset. For example, Low goes from 101 FPS at 1080p to 60 FPS at 4K, and Ultra goes from 56 FPS to 33 FPS.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU is clearly the bottleneck. The RTX 2060 SUPER ranks at the 62nd percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU ranks at the 79th percentile, and the consistent ~40% frame rate drop with resolution scaling confirms the graphics card is saturated.

Q: What is the highest quality setting that maintains 60 FPS average at 1080p?

A: Medium settings achieve 78 FPS average, and High settings hit 59 FPS average. Only Low and Medium clear the 60 FPS threshold at this resolution.

Q: How does this combo compare to similar hardware in general benchmarks?

A: The CPU sits within 0.3% of the Intel Core i9-10900K and AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, while the GPU trails the RTX 3060 Mobile by 0.4% and the Radeon Pro 5700 by 0.5%.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM cause issues at 4K resolution?

A: The data does not show VRAM capacity as a limiting factor; instead, the GPU’s compute throughput appears to be the constraint, as frame rates decline proportionally with resolution across all settings.