Microsoft Flight Simulator

The Intel Core i5-13400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D delivers a compelling, high-refresh-rate experience in Microsoft Flight Simulator, though the data reveals a clear shift in bottleneck behavior as resolution changes. At 1080p, the system is heavily CPU-limited, while at 4K, the GPU becomes the primary constraint, though the RTX 5090 D's immense power keeps frame rates very playable even at Ultra settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a significant drop in performance as resolution increases, which is typical for a flight simulator with complex scenery rendering. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 149 FPS at 1920x1080 to 120 FPS at 2560x1440, and finally to 88 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 41% reduction from 1080p to 4K, indicating that the GPU is being pushed progressively harder at higher pixel counts.

However, the scaling pattern is not uniform across all quality presets. With Low settings, the drop from 1080p (192 FPS) to 4K (151 FPS) is only 21%, suggesting that at lower graphical loads, the CPU can keep up more effectively, and the GPU still has headroom. In contrast, at Ultra settings, the frame rate drops from 142 FPS at 1080p to 84 FPS at 4K, a 41% reduction that mirrors the High preset behavior.

The Medium preset data, which includes min and max FPS values, provides additional insight into the limiting component. At 1080p Medium, the average is 175 FPS with a minimum of 149 FPS and maximum of 202 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 159 FPS (min 136, max 183), and at 4K Medium, it falls to 118 FPS (min 100, max 135). The narrowing of the frame time distribution at higher resolutions—where the gap between min and max FPS shrinks from 53 FPS at 1080p to 35 FPS at 4K—suggests that the CPU is no longer causing sporadic hitches; instead, the GPU is delivering a more consistent, albeit lower, frame rate.

The fact that 4K Ultra still maintains an 84 FPS average is remarkable, and it indicates that the RTX 5090 D has enough raw throughput to handle the most demanding settings. The data suggests that at 1080p, the i5-13400F's 10 cores and 16 threads are the limiting factor, as the GPU is not being fully utilized. At 4K, the GPU's workload increases, and the system becomes more balanced, though the CPU still plays a significant role in maintaining playable frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

For users targeting 4K resolution, the data shows that Ultra settings are viable, with an average of 84 FPS. This is above the 60 FPS threshold commonly considered smooth for simulation games, so there is no need to compromise on visual fidelity. However, if you prefer a higher frame rate for smoother camera panning, the High preset at 4K delivers 88 FPS, which is only a 4 FPS improvement over Ultra—a negligible gain that does not justify the visual downgrade.

At 1440p, the situation is different. The Ultra preset provides 114 FPS, which is excellent for a flight simulator. The High preset at 1440p yields 120 FPS, but again, the difference is minimal. The Medium preset at 1440p offers 159 FPS, which might appeal to users with high-refresh-rate monitors, but the jump from Ultra to Medium (from 114 to 159 FPS) is substantial and may be worth considering if you have a 144Hz or 165Hz display.

At 1080p, the data reveals that the CPU is the bottleneck, as even the Ultra preset manages 142 FPS, while the Low preset reaches 192 FPS. This suggests that lowering settings to Medium (175 FPS) or High (149 FPS) provides diminishing returns in terms of frame rate gains, while significantly reducing visual quality. For 1080p users, the Ultra preset is the best choice, as it delivers a smooth experience without any meaningful performance penalty compared to lower presets.

The Medium preset's min FPS values are worth noting: at 1080p, the minimum is 149 FPS, at 1440p it is 136 FPS, and at 4K it is 100 FPS. These minimums are all above 60 FPS, indicating that even in demanding scenes, the system maintains playable performance. For the best balance of visual quality and frame rate stability, the High preset at 4K or the Ultra preset at 1440p are the most sensible choices based on the measured data.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks 43rd out of 3714 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the top 1.2% of all configurations tested, which is an exceptionally strong result. The ranking reflects the system's ability to deliver high frame rates across all resolutions, particularly the 84 FPS average at 4K Ultra, which is a demanding workload.

The combo's high rank is driven primarily by the RTX 5090 D's extraordinary performance. The GPU sits in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 77712. Its nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, which scores 78940 (1.6% higher), and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, which scores 79605 (2.4% higher). The RTX 5090 D also edges out the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT, which scores 76904 (1.1% lower).

The CPU, while not as dominant in its own percentile ranking, still performs admirably. The i5-13400F sits in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25292. Its nearest rivals are closely matched: the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS scores 25284 (0% difference), the Intel Core 5 120 scores 25362 (0.3% lower), and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D scores 25365 (0.3% lower). The AMD Ryzen 7 6800H scores 25201 (0.4% higher).

The rank of 43 out of 3714 indicates that this combo is not just good, but exceptional for this game. The data suggests that the RTX 5090 D's massive 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth are well-suited to Microsoft Flight Simulator's heavy texture streaming and complex geometry, while the i5-13400F's 10 cores and 16 threads provide sufficient processing power to avoid becoming a major bottleneck at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Microsoft Flight Simulator at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the measured data shows an average of 84 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, making 4K Ultra a viable option.

Q: What is the best resolution to use with this setup?

A: The data shows that 1440p Ultra provides 114 FPS, offering a strong balance between visual quality and frame rate. However, 4K Ultra at 84 FPS is also excellent, so the choice depends on your monitor's native resolution and refresh rate.

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

A: At 1080p, the CPU appears to be the limiting factor, as frame rates cap out around 192 FPS even at Low settings. At 4K, the GPU becomes more of a constraint, but the RTX 5090 D still delivers 88 FPS at High settings, indicating it is not severely limiting.

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

A: This combo ranks 43rd out of 3714 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the top 1.2% of all configurations tested.

Q: What is the minimum FPS I can expect at 4K Medium settings?

A: The measured data shows a minimum FPS of 100 at 3840x2160 with Medium settings, with an average of 118 FPS and a maximum of 135 FPS.

Q: Does the RTX 5090 D's 32 GB VRAM matter for this game?

A: The 32 GB of GDDR7 memory is a significant asset for Microsoft Flight Simulator, which is known for loading large amounts of scenery and texture data. The high memory capacity likely contributes to the stable frame rates observed at 4K Ultra settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications directly explain the strong performance in Microsoft Flight Simulator. The GPU features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. This is crucial for a flight simulator that streams terrain and airport data continuously, as the high bandwidth prevents texture pop-in and stuttering.

The GPU's clock speeds are 2017 MHz base and 2407 MHz boost, which are relatively modest for a flagship card, but the architecture compensates with sheer compute throughput. The RTX 5090 D has 21760 shading units, 680 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, delivering 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. This raw power is what enables the 84 FPS average at 4K Ultra, a setting that would cripple lesser GPUs.

The GPU's benchmark scores further illustrate its capability. It scores 44065 in Passmark G3D, placing it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. In DirectX 12 testing, it scores 219 in Passmark, while in Geekbench Vulkan it achieves 376915. These scores are consistent with the GPU's nearest rivals, which include the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (1.6% higher average score) and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (2.4% higher). The RTX 5090 D's average benchmark score of 77712 is just 1.1% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT's 76904, showing that it is competitive with the top-tier of available GPUs.

The GPU's role in this game is further highlighted by the resolution scaling data. At 1080p, the GPU is not fully utilized, as the CPU becomes the bottleneck. However, at 4K, the GPU's workload increases significantly, and the frame rates still remain high. This indicates that the RTX 5090 D has ample headroom for even more demanding scenarios, such as dense cityscapes or heavy weather effects, which are common in Microsoft Flight Simulator.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F provides the processing foundation for this combo, and its 10 cores and 16 threads are well-matched to the demands of Microsoft Flight Simulator. The CPU has a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, which are respectable for a mid-range part. It features 20 MB of shared L3 cache, which helps with the game's large data sets.

The CPU's benchmark performance shows it is a solid performer, though not a top-tier part. It scores 22604 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 3191 in single-core, with a Geekbench multicore score of 11068 and single-core score of 1996. In Passmark, it achieves 25032 in multithread and 3634 in single-thread. These scores place it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25292.

The CPU's nearest rivals are all within 0.4% of its average score, indicating that it is right in the middle of a tightly clustered group. The AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS scores 25284 (0% difference), the Intel Core 5 120 scores 25362 (0.3% lower), and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D scores 25365 (0.3% lower). This suggests that the i5-13400F is not a standout performer in synthetic benchmarks, but it is more than adequate for this game.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU's role is evident at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the frame rates are capped at around 192 FPS even at Low settings, indicating that the CPU is the limiting factor. The 10 cores and 16 threads are sufficient to handle the game's simulation logic, which includes flight physics, weather, and AI traffic, but they cannot push frame rates beyond a certain point. At 4K, the CPU's workload is less demanding relative to the GPU, allowing the RTX 5090 D to take over as the primary driver of frame rates. The data shows that the combo ranks 43rd out of 3714, which is an excellent result that reflects the balanced nature of this pairing, where the CPU does not bottleneck the GPU at higher resolutions.