Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator pairs the Intel Core i5-13400F with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, a combination that lands at rank 119 out of 1795 tested combos in this title. That placement puts it in the top 7% of all configurations, a strong showing that reflects a well-balanced pairing of a capable 10-core processor with a high-end Ada Lovelace GPU. The data suggests this combo is positioned to handle the simulator’s demanding rendering workload without a clear bottleneck from either component, though the measured frame rates reveal interesting dynamics about where the limits actually lie.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 119 out of 1795 places this system firmly in the upper echelon of tested configurations for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This is not a top-tier outlier, but it is a position that indicates substantial headroom for smooth gameplay at most settings. The ranking implies that the combination outperforms the vast majority of systems, yet it also leaves room for higher-end CPUs or GPUs to pull ahead, particularly at extreme settings. The data shows a configuration that is competitive but not maximal, suggesting that users with this setup can expect a premium experience without chasing the absolute highest scores. The rank also hints at the balance struck between the i5-13400F’s strong single-thread performance and the RTX 4080 SUPER’s raw graphical power, a pairing that seems optimized for this specific simulator’s engine.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER brings 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s. This memory configuration is critical for Microsoft Flight Simulator, which streams vast terrain and scenery data. The GPU’s boost clock of 2550 MHz and base clock of 2295 MHz, combined with 10240 shading units, provide the computational muscle needed for high-fidelity rendering. Benchmark results show the GPU achieving a Passmark G3D score of 34245 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6600, placing it in the 88th percentile among all GPUs. In the context of this game, the data indicates that the RTX 4080 SUPER is more than sufficient for 1440p and 4K workloads, as evidenced by the measured FPS at those resolutions. The GPU’s role becomes more pronounced at higher settings, where the frame rate drops are steeper, suggesting that the graphics card is the primary driver of performance when visual fidelity is maximized.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1080p with Ultra settings, the combo achieves 114.5 FPS, which drops to 91.8 FPS at 1440p and further to 70.4 FPS at 4K. This represents a 38.5% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings. The pattern is similar across other settings: Low settings go from 193.6 FPS at 1080p to 168.9 FPS at 1440p, then down to 122.5 FPS at 4K, a 36.7% drop. This scaling behavior indicates that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor as resolution increases, since the CPU’s workload remains relatively constant while the GPU’s rendering load grows with pixel count. The data suggests that at 1080p, the system is more balanced, potentially CPU-limited in certain scenarios, but at 4K, the RTX 4080 SUPER is clearly the component being pushed to its limits. The relatively modest frame rate drops between 1440p and 4K compared to the jump from 1080p to 1440p also hint at diminishing returns in GPU headroom at the highest resolution.

Settings Recommendations

Analyzing the measured rows, the most balanced experience appears to be at High settings across all resolutions. At 1080p High, the combo delivers 123.1 FPS, which is smooth and leaves headroom for fluctuations. At 1440p High, it achieves 100.6 FPS, still well above the 60 FPS threshold for comfortable play. At 4K High, it drops to 71 FPS, which remains playable but approaches the edge of what many users consider optimal. The Ultra preset, while visually superior, shows a significant cost: 114.5 FPS at 1080p, 91.8 FPS at 1440p, and 70.4 FPS at 4K. The data implies that High settings offer the best trade-off between visual quality and performance, as the frame rate penalty from High to Ultra is substantial, particularly at 1440p and above. For those prioritizing frame rate over fidelity, Medium settings provide a solid middle ground, with 160.8 FPS at 1080p and 127.7 FPS at 1440p, but the visual downgrade may not be necessary given the High preset’s strong numbers.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1440p High as the sweet spot, with 100.6 FPS, offering a strong balance between visual detail and smooth performance.

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

A: At Ultra settings, the average FPS drops from 114.5 at 1080p to 70.4 at 4K, a reduction of 38.5%.

Q: Is the RTX 4080 SUPER the bottleneck at 4K?

A: The frame rate scaling suggests yes, as the drop from 1440p to 4K at all settings indicates the GPU is increasingly limiting performance at higher pixel counts.

Q: Can this combo handle Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: Yes, it achieves 91.8 FPS at 1440p Ultra, which is playable, but High settings at 100.6 FPS provide more headroom.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-13400F scores 25236 on average, which is 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-13620H and 0.5% behind the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D.

Q: What is the GPU’s ranking relative to other graphics cards?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER sits in the 88th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 53610.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F features 10 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. Its 20 MB of shared L3 cache and support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory make it a versatile choice. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU shows strong multi-threaded performance with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 21279 and a Passmark multithread score of 25032. Single-thread performance is also solid, with a 3DMark single-thread score of 960 and a Passmark single-thread score of 3634. The CPU’s 82nd percentile ranking among all CPUs suggests it is well above average. In Microsoft Flight Simulator, which is known for being CPU-intensive in certain scenarios, the i5-13400F’s performance is sufficient to avoid bottlenecking the RTX 4080 SUPER at most settings. The data implies that the CPU’s role is more pronounced at lower resolutions, where the GPU is less stressed, but it still holds up well enough to deliver high frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 193.6 FPS on Low, 160.8 FPS on Medium, 123.1 FPS on High, and 114.5 FPS on Ultra. Moving to 2560x1440, the numbers drop to 168.9 FPS on Low, 127.7 FPS on Medium, 100.6 FPS on High, and 91.8 FPS on Ultra. At 3840x2160, the performance is 122.5 FPS on Low, 97.9 FPS on Medium, 71 FPS on High, and 70.4 FPS on Ultra. These numbers reveal a consistent pattern: the gap between High and Ultra is relatively small at each resolution, while the jump from Medium to High is more significant. The data also shows that at 4K, even Low settings cannot break past 122.5 FPS, indicating that the GPU’s rendering limits are the primary constraint at this resolution. Overall, the measured FPS breakdown confirms that this combo is capable of high-refresh-rate gameplay at 1080p and 1440p, while 4K requires a compromise on settings to maintain smooth performance.