Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator is one of the most demanding titles in the benchmark database, and the pairing of the Intel Core i5-14400F with the AMD Radeon RX 580 produces a combination that sits near the bottom of the performance hierarchy. With a combo rank of 1650 out of 1795 tested configurations, this system is firmly in the lower quartile of results. The data shows a platform that can handle the simulator's immense world-streaming demands on the CPU side, but the graphics card becomes a severe bottleneck as resolution and detail settings increase, resulting in a playable experience only at the lowest presets.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling, where the AMD Radeon RX 580's limitations become increasingly pronounced as pixel count rises. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 53.2 FPS, which is the only configuration in the entire dataset that approaches smooth, playable framerates. Moving to 1440p at the same Low preset drops the average to 45.1 FPS, a decline of roughly 15% that indicates the GPU is still managing the workload but with less headroom. At 4K with Low settings, the average falls further to 34 FPS, demonstrating that even the lowest quality preset cannot overcome the sheer pixel throughput demanded by 3840x2160 resolution.

The scaling pattern becomes more dramatic when examining the High preset. At 1080p High, the average FPS is 30.2, which drops to 26.3 at 1440p and plummets to just 18 at 4K. This represents a 40% performance loss from 1080p to 4K, a steep curve that points squarely at the RX 580's 8 GB of GDDR5 memory and 256-bit bus as the limiting factor. The Ultra preset tells an even more severe story: 32.8 FPS at 1080p, 23.3 at 1440p, and a nearly unplayable 17.7 at 4K. The difference between 1080p and 4K at Ultra is roughly 46%, showing that the GPU's compute resources and memory bandwidth are completely saturated at higher resolutions.

The fact that the 1080p Low result of 53.2 FPS is more than three times higher than the 4K Ultra result of 17.7 FPS highlights how resolution scaling dominates this configuration. The CPU, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, is not the primary constraint in these tests; rather, the RX 580's 6.175 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 256.0 GB/s memory bandwidth are the bottlenecks. Benchmark results indicate that to achieve a consistent 60 FPS target, users would need to stay at 1080p with Low settings, as even Medium at 1080p drops to 44.1 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth flight simulation.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F brings substantial processing power to this pairing, with a dual-cluster design featuring 10 cores and 16 threads. Its base clock of 2.50 GHz and boost clock of 4.70 GHz provide strong single-threaded performance, which is critical for Flight Simulator's complex flight dynamics and physics calculations. The CPU's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core help feed the simulation's continuous stream of terrain and aircraft data, while its 88th percentile ranking among all CPUs indicates it is well above average for processing tasks.

However, the benchmark results clearly show that the CPU is not the limiting component in this configuration. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21914 and single-core score of 3093 place the i5-14400F in a strong position relative to its nearest rivals, with the Intel Core i7-12800H matching its average score at a deltaPct of 0 and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 trailing by just 0.2%. This processing headroom means the CPU can easily keep up with the RX 580's output at 1080p, where the GPU is the primary constraint.

The data suggests that the i5-14400F's role becomes more relevant at higher resolutions, where the GPU's slowdown creates longer frame times. At 4K Ultra, where the average FPS drops to 17.7, the CPU has ample time between frames to prepare the next scene, meaning it is never waiting on the GPU. The PassMark multithread score of 25783 and single-thread score of 3723 further confirm that the processor has sufficient throughput for the simulator's demands. In essence, this CPU is capable of driving a much more powerful graphics card, and the RX 580 represents the performance ceiling for this combination.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this system?

A: The data shows that 1080p with Low settings is the only configuration that exceeds 50 FPS, achieving an average of 53.2 FPS. This is the recommended setup for a smooth experience, as 1080p Medium drops to 44.1 FPS and 1080p High falls to 30.2 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 580 compare to its closest GPU rivals?

A: The RX 580's average benchmark score of 13559 places it virtually tied with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570, which scores 13564 with a deltaPct of 0. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 trails by 0.1%, while the AMD Radeon Pro 455 is 1.1% behind. This indicates the RX 580 is a mid-range performer.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-14400F a bottleneck at 4K resolution?

A: No, the CPU is not the bottleneck at 4K. The GPU's 18 FPS average at 4K High and 17.7 FPS at 4K Ultra show that the RX 580 is severely limited, while the CPU's strong single-core performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3093) means it has no trouble keeping up.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, the Low preset averages 45.1 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 23.3 FPS. This represents a 48% performance drop from Low to Ultra, showing the significant impact of graphical detail on the RX 580.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: This combination ranks 1650 out of 1795 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the bottom 8% of all results. This reflects the RX 580's age and performance limitations for this demanding title.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming at any settings?

A: The data indicates 4K is not viable for smooth gameplay. The best 4K result is 34 FPS at Low settings, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold. All other 4K presets produce averages below 26 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of this system's capabilities across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the Low setting delivers the best average at 53.2 FPS, followed by Medium at 44.1 FPS, Ultra at 32.8 FPS, and High at 30.2 FPS. The spread between Low and High is 23 FPS, showing that detail settings have a substantial impact on the RX 580's performance at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages decrease across all presets: Low produces 45.1 FPS, Medium drops to 35.6 FPS, High falls to 26.3 FPS, and Ultra yields 23.3 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 21.8 FPS, but the relative percentage difference grows, indicating the GPU is struggling more at this resolution. The 1440p results show that only Low settings approach playable framerates, while Medium and above fall below the 40 FPS mark.

At 3840x2160, the RX 580's limitations become starkly apparent. Low settings average 34 FPS, Medium falls to 25.3 FPS, High drops to 18 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 17.7 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 16.3 FPS, but the percentages show a 48% reduction in performance. None of the 4K presets achieve even 35 FPS, making this resolution impractical for the combination. The data clearly shows that 1080p Low is the only setting that provides a smooth experience, with all other configurations requiring compromises on either resolution or quality.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 1650 out of 1795 tested combinations places this system in the 8th percentile of all configurations tested in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This low ranking is primarily attributable to the AMD Radeon RX 580, which scores at the 53rd percentile among all GPUs, indicating it is exactly average in the broader GPU landscape. However, the game's extreme demands on graphics hardware push this mid-range card to the bottom of the performance spectrum.

The Intel Core i5-14400F, by contrast, ranks at the 88th percentile among all CPUs, showing that the processor is far above average in capability. The disparity between the CPU's strong standing and the combo's poor ranking highlights the GPU as the clear bottleneck. With an average benchmark score of 32508, the i5-14400F performs nearly identically to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-12800H, which scores 32513 with a deltaPct of 0. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 is slightly behind at 32446 with a 0.2% delta, while the AMD Ryzen 7 250 and Intel Core i7-13705H both show a -0.2% delta, indicating the CPU is well-matched to its peers.

In the context of the full benchmark database, this combination's 1650th place ranking out of 1795 means there are only 145 tested configurations that perform worse. The data suggests that for Flight Simulator, the RX 580 is simply too weak to leverage the i5-14400F's processing power effectively. Users seeking better performance would need to upgrade the GPU to see meaningful FPS gains, as the CPU has substantial headroom to support a more capable graphics card.