Microsoft Flight Simulator

The Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER combination delivers playable framerates in Microsoft Flight Simulator at 1080p and 1440p, but 4K Ultra falls to 37.9 FPS. The CPU sits in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU sits in the 65th percentile, making the graphics card the clear bottleneck at higher resolutions. The measured data shows a system that can handle Ultra settings at 1080p with 62.4 FPS, but requires Low settings at 4K to reach 62 FPS.

Resolution Scaling

At High settings, the average framerate falls from 66.2 FPS at 1920x1080 to 54.4 FPS at 2560x1440, then to 40 FPS at 3840x2160. At Low settings, the same resolution steps produce 110.9, 90.6, and 62 FPS. The 4K Low result of 62 FPS is nearly identical to the 1080p High result of 66.2 FPS, which shows that resolution and settings trade off in this title.

The gap between Low and Ultra narrows as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, Low produces 110.9 FPS and Ultra produces 62.4 FPS. At 2560x1440, Low produces 90.6 FPS and Ultra produces 48.7 FPS. At 3840x2160, Low produces 62 FPS and Ultra produces 37.9 FPS. The shrinking spread indicates that the GPU becomes the limiting component at 4K — even dropping from Ultra to Low only recovers a modest amount of performance at that resolution.

The data shows that the 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth of the RTX 2070 SUPER are the constraints at 4K. The CPU, with its 5.30 GHz boost clock and 14 cores, has headroom to spare. The pattern across all three resolutions is consistent: the GPU is the primary determinant of framerate, and the CPU's contribution diminishes as pixel count rises.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF has 14 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32889 and single-core score of 4643 place it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs. The nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-14600K, has an average benchmark score 0.4% higher, while the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X is 0.6% higher — differences that are within noise. The CPU had a launch MSRP of $294.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU's contribution is most visible at 1080p Low, where the system reaches 110.9 FPS. This is the highest measured result in the dataset, and it demonstrates that the processor can drive the simulation loop well beyond typical display refresh rates when the GPU is not stressed. The single-core score of 4643 in Cinebench R23 is particularly relevant, as flight simulators typically run a primary simulation thread that benefits from high single-thread performance.

The 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample capacity for the game's streaming world data. The 5.30 GHz boost clock ensures the simulation loop runs at maximum speed. However, the CPU is not the limiting factor in this combo — the GPU's 65th percentile ranking versus the CPU's 93rd percentile makes that clear. The CPU's PassMark multi-thread score of 38697 and single-thread score of 4273 confirm it has substantial headroom.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock is 1770 MHz, and it has 2560 shading units. The PassMark G3D score of 18169 places it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rival, the NVIDIA RTX A400, scores 0.5% lower, while the AMD Radeon RX 5700 scores 2.5% higher. The GPU had a launch MSRP of $499 USD.

The GPU's role is decisive at higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the combo produces 37.9 FPS, which is below the 40 FPS measured at 4K High. The 8 GB VRAM is likely a constraint at 4K with high textures, as the game streams large terrain and photogrammetry data.

At 1080p, the GPU has more headroom. Ultra produces 62.4 FPS and High produces 66.2 FPS — both playable. The small difference between these two presets means users can enable Ultra at 1080p without a meaningful penalty. At 1440p, Medium produces 70.7 FPS, while High drops to 54.4 FPS and Ultra to 48.7 FPS.

The GPU's FP32 throughput of 9.062 TFLOPS and 40 RT cores are sufficient for 1080p Ultra in this title, but the 4K results show the card's limits. The 8 GB memory capacity, combined with the 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, is the defining constraint at 3840x2160.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers 62.4 FPS, which is close to the 66.2 FPS of High. Ultra is the recommended setting at 1080p, as the visual uplift costs only a small framerate penalty.

At 2560x1440, Medium delivers 70.7 FPS, while High drops to 54.4 FPS and Ultra to 48.7 FPS. Medium is the sweet spot at 1440p, maintaining a framerate above the 54.4 FPS of High while providing a substantial visual upgrade over Low (90.6 FPS). High at 1440p is playable but produces 54.4 FPS, and Ultra produces 48.7 FPS.

At 3840x2160, only Low (62 FPS) and Medium (50.5 FPS) are viable. High produces 40 FPS and Ultra produces 37.9 FPS, both at or below the 40 FPS mark. For 4K users, Low is the only preset that reaches 62 FPS, and Medium is the best visual quality that stays above 40 FPS.

The overall recommendation: 1080p Ultra, 1440p Medium, 4K Low or Medium depending on framerate preference.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination ranks 1082 out of 1795 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. The rank reflects the GPU's mid-range position: the CPU is in the 93rd percentile, but the GPU's 65th percentile pulls the overall combo down. The data shows that pairing a top-tier CPU with a mid-tier GPU produces a system that is GPU-bound in this game at most settings.

The 1082nd rank out of 1795 is consistent with the measured framerates. The combo handles 1080p and 1440p well but struggles at 4K Ultra. Systems with higher-ranked GPUs would close the gap at 4K, while the CPU would remain a non-factor.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the strongest resolution, with Ultra settings producing 62.4 FPS and High producing 66.2 FPS. At 2560x1440, Medium delivers 70.7 FPS, and at 3840x2160, only Low (62 FPS) and Medium (50.5 FPS) are playable.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU is in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 65th percentile. At 4K Ultra, the combo produces 37.9 FPS, and the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are the constraints.

Q: How does this combo compare to the nearest rival GPUs?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER's PassMark G3D score of 18169 is 0.5% higher than the NVIDIA RTX A400, 0.9% higher than the GTX TITAN Z, 2.3% lower than the RTX 4060 Mobile, and 2.5% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 5700.

Q: What settings should I use at 1440p?

A: Medium is the recommended preset at 2560x1440, delivering 70.7 FPS. High produces 54.4 FPS and Ultra produces 48.7 FPS, so Medium offers the best balance of visual quality and framerate.

Q: Can this combo run 4K?

A: Yes, but with compromises. At 4K Low, the system averages 62 FPS; at Medium, 50.5 FPS; at High, 40 FPS; and at Ultra, 37.9 FPS. Only Low and Medium are recommended for 4K.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The i5-14600KF's average benchmark score of 49367 is 0.4% lower than the i5-14600K, 0.5% higher than the AMD EPYC 4345P, 0.6% lower than the Ryzen 9 5950X, and 1.4% lower than the Xeon Gold 5318H.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080:

• Low: 110.9 FPS
• Medium: 86.7 FPS
• High: 66.2 FPS
• Ultra: 62.4 FPS

2560x1440:

• Low: 90.6 FPS
• Medium: 70.7 FPS
• High: 54.4 FPS
• Ultra: 48.7 FPS

3840x2160:

• Low: 62 FPS
• Medium: 50.5 FPS
• High: 40 FPS
• Ultra: 37.9 FPS

The full dataset shows a consistent pattern: each resolution step down adds framerate at the same settings. The largest single jump is from 4K Low (62 FPS) to 1440p Low (90.6 FPS). The smallest is from 4K Ultra (37.9 FPS) to 1440p Ultra (48.7 FPS).