Microsoft Flight Simulator

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 in Microsoft Flight Simulator produces a dataset that is heavily dictated by the graphics card, but with a notable CPU influence at lower resolutions. The measured frames per second (FPS) reveal a system capable of high performance, yet the scaling patterns from 1080p to 4K indicate where the bottleneck shifts. This analysis breaks down the resolution scaling, the combo's standing among tested configurations, the GPU's specific role, and provides a detailed FPS breakdown.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial, but the pattern is not uniform across all settings. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 205.7 at 1920x1080 to 142.3 at 3840x2160, a reduction of 30.8%. This is a significant drop, yet it still leaves the game playable at high refresh rates on 4K displays. In contrast, at Ultra settings, the drop is from 136.4 at 1080p to 80.4 at 4K, a 41.1% decrease. The larger percentage drop at Ultra settings indicates that the GPU is becoming the primary limiting factor as both resolution and graphical complexity increase.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is more involved in the performance equation. This is evident when comparing the Low and Medium settings at 1920x1080: the average FPS is 205.7 and 190.6, respectively, a difference of only 7.3%. This relatively small gap between Low and Medium at 1080p implies that the CPU is able to feed the GPU adequately, and the GPU is not yet saturated. However, moving from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 at Medium settings shows a sharper decline, from 148.1 to 110.7 FPS, a 25.3% reduction. This indicates that as pixel count rises, the GPU's rendering workload increases, making it the dominant constraint.

The most telling data point for bottleneck analysis is the difference between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings. The FPS only drops from 205.7 to 191.3, an 7.0% decrease. This modest decline suggests that the CPU, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, is capable of sustaining a high frame rate even as resolution increases. The i5-12600KF's boost clock of 4.90 GHz likely contributes to this, allowing it to keep up with the RTX 5090's demands at lower resolutions. However, the gap between 1440p and 4K at Low settings is more pronounced, falling to 142.3 FPS, which solidifies the GPU as the limiting component at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database for Microsoft Flight Simulator, this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is ranked 13th out of 1795 tested combos. This places it in the top 0.7% of all configurations, indicating exceptional performance. The rank is a composite measure that accounts for both CPU and GPU capabilities, and this pairing clearly leverages the strengths of both components.

The CPU's percentile ranking versus all CPUs is 84, meaning it performs better than 84% of all processors in the database. While this is a strong score, it is not at the very top tier. The GPU, however, has a percentile ranking of 94 versus all GPUs, placing it in the top 6% of all graphics cards. This disparity in percentile rankings suggests that the GPU is the stronger component in this pairing, which aligns with the resolution scaling analysis that shows the GPU becoming the bottleneck at 4K. The combo's overall rank of 13 likely benefits from the GPU's high percentile, while the CPU's lower percentile prevents it from reaching the top 10.

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals, the Intel Core i5-12600KF has an average benchmark score of 27827, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core i9-10900K's score of 27829. The deltaPct between them is 0, indicating they are performance equals in general benchmarks. Similarly, the difference from the Intel Core i5-12600K is -0.1%, which is negligible. This suggests that in this game, the CPU is not a differentiator at the higher resolutions where the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The CPU's performance is adequate to avoid holding back the RTX 5090 in most scenarios, but it is not the source of the combo's top-13 ranking.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the dominant component in this configuration, and its specifications directly correlate with the measured FPS. The GPU has 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. This massive memory capacity and bandwidth are crucial for Microsoft Flight Simulator, which is known for streaming large amounts of terrain and scenery data. The high bandwidth ensures that textures and geometry can be loaded quickly, preventing stutters and maintaining smooth frame rates, as evidenced by the high average FPS even at Ultra settings.

The GPU's clock speeds are also a factor. It has a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz. The boost clock is particularly relevant for sustained performance during complex flight scenes. The RTX 5090's architecture, Blackwell 2.0, and its 21,760 shading units provide the raw computational power needed to handle the game's rendering demands. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra of 80.4 reflects this power, as it remains playable despite the heavy load.

The GPU's memory configuration is a key differentiator. With 32 GB of VRAM, it is unlikely to be constrained by memory capacity at any setting or resolution in this game. The data supports this, as the FPS scales predictably with resolution, indicating that the GPU is not running out of memory but rather hitting its compute limits. The RTX 5090's performance at 1080p Low, achieving 205.7 FPS, shows that it is not the limiting factor at lower resolutions, reinforcing the CPU's role in those scenarios. However, the performance gap between Low and Ultra at 4K, from 142.3 to 80.4 FPS, is a clear indication that the GPU's rendering workload is the primary constraint at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the performance difference between 1080p and 4K at Ultra settings?

A: At 1920x1080 Ultra, the average FPS is 136.4, while at 3840x2160 Ultra, it drops to 80.4. This represents a 41.1% decrease in performance, which is a significant reduction but still maintains a playable frame rate.

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

A: At lower resolutions like 1080p, the CPU is more involved, as evidenced by the small FPS difference between Low and Medium settings (205.7 vs 190.6). At 4K, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck, with a larger percentage drop in FPS when increasing settings.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested configurations?

A: This combo is ranked 13th out of 1795 tested combos for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the top 0.7% of all configurations, indicating top-tier performance.

Q: What is the GPU's memory bandwidth and how does it affect performance?

A: The RTX 5090 has a memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s, provided by 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus. This high bandwidth is likely critical for streaming terrain data in the game, contributing to the consistently high average FPS across all settings.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rival?

A: The Intel Core i5-12600KF has an average benchmark score of 27827, which is exactly equal to the Intel Core i9-10900K's score of 27829, with a deltaPct of 0. This indicates they perform identically in general benchmarks.

Q: What is the FPS at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 148.1. This is a high frame rate that would be suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the measured average FPS for each resolution and settings combination. The data is derived from direct measurement, and no minimum or maximum FPS values were recorded.

| Resolution | Settings | Average FPS |

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

| 3840x2160 | Low | 142.3 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 110.7 |

| 3840x2160 | High | 85.1 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 80.4 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 191.3 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 148.1 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 114.2 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 105.1 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 205.7 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 190.6 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 140.7 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 136.4 |

The data shows a clear trend: as resolution increases, the average FPS decreases across all settings. The most significant drops occur when moving from 1440p to 4K, particularly at High and Ultra settings. For instance, at High settings, the FPS falls from 114.2 at 1440p to 85.1 at 4K, a 25.5% reduction. At Ultra, the drop is from 105.1 to 80.4, a 23.5% reduction. This pattern confirms that the GPU's rendering load is the primary factor limiting performance at higher resolutions. Conversely, at 1080p, the FPS remains high even at Ultra settings, with 136.4 FPS, demonstrating that the CPU can keep up with the GPU's output. The combination of the i5-12600KF and RTX 5090 delivers a robust performance profile, with the GPU taking over as the main constraint as the resolution increases.