Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator is one of the most demanding titles in the benchmark database, and this pairing of an Intel Core i5-9400 with an AMD Radeon RX 580 lands near the very bottom of the performance stack. The measured data places this combo at rank 1675 out of 1795 tested combinations, meaning it outperforms only about 7% of all recorded systems. This is a configuration that will run the sim, but the results are consistently low across every resolution and settings preset, making it suitable primarily for low-detail 1080p play or for users who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor built on the Coffee Lake architecture using Intel's 14 nm process node. It has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz, with 9 MB of shared L3 cache. The processor supports DDR4 memory through a dual-channel interface, offering 42.7 GB/s of memory bandwidth. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 7969 and a single-core score of 1125, placing it at the 50th percentile among all tested CPUs.

For a flight simulator like Microsoft Flight Simulator, which relies heavily on single-thread performance for physics and scenery streaming, the i5-9400's single-core capability is adequate but not exceptional. The processor's 50th percentile ranking indicates it sits exactly at the median of all CPUs in the database, meaning it is neither a bottleneck nor a standout performer. The lack of hyper-threading (6 threads total) may limit performance in scenarios where the sim tries to distribute load across more threads, but the data suggests the CPU is not the primary constraint in most tested configurations. The nearest rivals include the Intel Core i3-10305, which scores nearly identically with a 0.2% delta, and the Intel Core i7-8809G, which is 0.6% faster — all within a narrow band of performance.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combined system of the i5-9400 and RX 580 ranks 1675 out of 1795 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places the configuration in the bottom 7% of all recorded systems, a position that reflects the GPU's age and the game's heavy demands. For context, the GPU alone sits at the 53rd percentile among all graphics cards, but the combination with the CPU pulls the overall ranking down significantly. This suggests that while neither component is catastrophically weak on its own, the pairing does not create any synergy that would boost performance in this specific title.

The ranking indicates that users with this combo will experience frame rates well below the average of the database. The delta between this combo and the top performers is substantial, though the exact figures are not provided. What the data does show is that the system is firmly in the "entry-level" category for this game, and any expectation of high-refresh-rate or high-detail play should be tempered. The measured FPS numbers confirm this: even at 1080p Low, the average frame rate barely reaches 52 FPS, which is playable but far from smooth for a sim that benefits from consistent frame pacing.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound performance. At 1080p Low, the system averages 52 FPS, which drops to 42.8 FPS at 1440p Low, and further to 28.7 FPS at 4K Low. This scaling shows a 45% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K at Low settings (from 52 to 28.7 FPS). At High settings, the drop is from 32 FPS at 1080p to 22.8 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 20.6 FPS at 4K — a 36% reduction from 1080p to 4K.

The pattern indicates that the RX 580 is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The frame rate decreases as resolution increases, which is the classic signature of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU's performance remains relatively constant across resolutions, so the i5-9400 is not the primary constraint here. However, the fact that even at 1080p Low the system only achieves 52 FPS suggests that the GPU is also struggling at lower resolutions, possibly due to the sim's complex rendering pipeline that taxes both the shader units and the memory bandwidth. The RX 580's 256.0 GB/s bandwidth is modest by modern standards, and the 8 GB of GDDR5 memory, while sufficient in capacity, may be limited by the 256-bit bus width.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best results. With Low settings, the average FPS is 52, which is the highest recorded for this combo. Medium settings drop the average to 39.8 FPS, High settings to 32 FPS, and Ultra settings to 33 FPS. Interestingly, Ultra at 1080p (33 FPS) is slightly higher than High (32 FPS), which may be due to variance in the test scenario or the way certain Ultra options offload work differently. The difference is minor and within run-to-run variance.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance degrades noticeably. Low settings average 42.8 FPS, Medium averages 33.4 FPS, High averages 22.8 FPS, and Ultra averages 22.9 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is about 22%, while the gap between Medium and High/Ultra is roughly 32%. At 1440p, the system is clearly struggling to maintain playable frame rates at higher detail levels.

At 3840x2160, the results are marginal at best. Low settings average 28.7 FPS, Medium averages 25.1 FPS, High averages 20.6 FPS, and Ultra averages 17.6 FPS. None of these are playable for a smooth experience, and even Low settings at 4K fall below the 30 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for a playable sim. The data shows that 4K is effectively off the table for this combo unless the user is willing to accept sub-30 FPS performance.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 580 is a Polaris 20 chip built on GCN 4.0 architecture using a 14 nm process. It has 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The GPU runs at a base clock of 1257 MHz with a boost clock of 1340 MHz, and the 8 GB of GDDR5 memory operates at 2000 MHz (8 Gbps effective) across a 256-bit bus, yielding 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The card's compute capabilities include 6.175 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and a pixel rate of 42.88 GPixel/s.

In the benchmark suite, the RX 580 achieves a Passmark G3D score of 8813 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 37453, placing it at the 53rd percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 (0.1% faster) and the AMD Radeon Pro 455 (1.1% slower), showing that this GPU sits in a performance class that is now several generations old. The 8 GB VRAM is adequate for Microsoft Flight Simulator's texture loads, but the bandwidth and compute power are insufficient for high-detail rendering at higher resolutions. The GPU's 185 W TDP and single 8-pin power connector suggest it draws a moderate amount of power, but the measured FPS data confirms that it is the primary limitation in this pairing.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for this combo at 1080p?

A: The data shows that Low settings at 1080p yields the highest average FPS at 52. Medium drops to 39.8 FPS, and High and Ultra both fall below 33 FPS. For playable performance, Low is recommended, with Medium being acceptable if the user can tolerate occasional dips.

Q: Can this system handle 1440p gaming?

A: At 1440p, Low settings average 42.8 FPS, which is playable but not smooth. Medium averages 33.4 FPS, and High/Ultra both fall below 23 FPS. For 1440p, Low settings are the only viable option for a consistent experience.

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

A: The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K indicates the GPU is the limiting component. The frame rate drops by roughly 45% from 1080p Low to 4K Low, which is a classic sign of GPU-bound performance. The CPU's 50th percentile ranking and consistent single-core scores suggest it is not the primary constraint.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all tested systems?

A: This combination ranks 1675 out of 1795 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 7% of all systems. The GPU's 53rd percentile ranking does not translate to good in-game performance due to the game's heavy demands.

Q: What is the highest FPS recorded for this system?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 52, which occurs at 1080p with Low settings. No other resolution/settings combination exceeds this value in the measured data.

Q: Is 4K gaming possible with this hardware?

A: At 4K, the highest average FPS is 28.7 at Low settings, which is below the 30 FPS threshold for playability. Ultra settings drop to 17.6 FPS. 4K is not recommended for this combo.