Microsoft Flight Simulator

The Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER pairing produces a distinctly GPU-bound experience in Microsoft Flight Simulator, where the measured frames per second (FPS) drop predictably as resolution scales up. At 1080p, the combination delivers a solid range from 99.1 FPS on Low settings down to 58.8 FPS on Ultra, showing that the system has ample headroom for high refresh rate monitors at the lowest preset. Moving to 1440p, the average FPS across settings falls by roughly 20-25%, with Low still hitting 80.9 FPS but Ultra dropping to 42.8 FPS. At 2160p, the performance curve steepens significantly: Low manages 55.8 FPS, Medium hits 48.7 FPS, High drops to 32.9 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 31.7 FPS. This scaling pattern indicates that the RTX 2060 SUPER becomes the primary limiting factor at 4K, particularly on High and Ultra presets where the gap between 1080p and 4K exceeds 45%. The 6-core i5-9400 with its 2.90 GHz base and 4.10 GHz boost clock does not appear to bottleneck the GPU at any resolution, since the FPS reductions align closely with the increased pixel count rather than showing signs of CPU stalls.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a clear, consistent relationship between resolution and performance that points to the GPU as the bottleneck. At 1080p, the RTX 2060 SUPER has enough bandwidth and compute to push frame rates well above 60 FPS on most presets, with only Ultra dipping slightly below at 58.8 FPS. The 1440p results show a moderate penalty: Low drops from 99.1 to 80.9 FPS, Medium from 79.3 to 65.4 FPS, High from 59.7 to 47 FPS, and Ultra from 58.8 to 42.8 FPS. This 20-30% reduction across the board suggests the GPU is working harder but still delivering playable performance for most settings. At 2160p, the situation changes dramatically. Low settings retain 55.8 FPS, which is respectable, but Medium falls to 48.7 FPS, and both High and Ultra sink below 33 FPS. The 4K Ultra result of 31.7 FPS represents a 46% drop from the 1080p Ultra score, underscoring that the 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are stretched thin at this resolution. The pixel rate of 105.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 224.4 GTexel/s are simply insufficient for the workload imposed by 3840x2160 with high detail settings. Since the i5-9400’s benchmark scores—such as 803 in Cinebench R15 multicore and 7969 in R23 multicore—place it in the 50th percentile among all CPUs, it is not the limiting factor here; the GPU’s 63rd percentile ranking among all GPUs aligns more closely with the observed FPS drops.

FAQ

Q: Can this combination handle 1080p gaming at high refresh rates?

A: Yes, the measured data shows 99.1 FPS on Low and 79.3 FPS on Medium at 1920x1080, which indicates the system can exceed 60 FPS on most presets. High settings deliver 59.7 FPS, so a 60 Hz monitor is fully supported, while a 144 Hz display would require Low or Medium settings.

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

A: The 2560x1440 resolution offers the best balance, with Medium hitting 65.4 FPS and High at 47 FPS. This provides a substantial visual upgrade over 1080p while keeping frame rates within playable territory, unlike 4K where High and Ultra fall below 33 FPS.

Q: Does the i5-9400 bottleneck the RTX 2060 SUPER?

A: No, the data does not support CPU bottlenecking. The 6-core, 6-thread processor with a 4.10 GHz boost clock and 9 MB of shared L3 cache keeps pace with the GPU across all resolutions, as evidenced by the smooth FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K. The CPU’s 50th percentile ranking among all CPUs aligns with its ability to feed the GPU without holding it back.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals in raw GPU benchmarks?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 19774, which places it just 0.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN (19706) and 0.5% ahead of the RTX 2070 (19680). It also outperforms the Quadro K5200 (19623) by 0.8% and the Tesla K40m (19519) by 1.3%.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 4K with Medium settings?

A: The measured average is 48.7 FPS at 3840x2160 with Medium settings, which is marginally playable but not ideal for smooth flight simulation. Low settings at 4K yield 55.8 FPS, offering a better experience if visual fidelity is less critical.

Q: Is the RTX 2060 SUPER’s 8 GB VRAM sufficient for this game?

A: Based on the 4K results, the 8 GB GDDR6 memory with a 256-bit bus and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth appears to be a limiting factor on Ultra settings, where the average drops to 31.7 FPS. At 1080p and 1440p, the VRAM capacity is adequate, as frame rates remain higher across all presets.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Microsoft Flight Simulator, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER holds a rank of 1279 out of 1795 total combos, placing it in the lower-mid tier of the leaderboard. This ranking is influenced by both the CPU and GPU’s relative positions: the i5-9400 sits at the 50th percentile among all CPUs, while the RTX 2060 SUPER reaches the 63rd percentile among all GPUs. The combination’s percentile ranking suggests that a significant portion of tested systems—roughly 516 combos—deliver higher average FPS in this specific title. However, the ranking does not tell the whole story. The measured FPS data shows that the combo performs admirably at 1080p and 1440p, with Low settings exceeding 80 FPS at both resolutions. The weaker performance at 4K Ultra, where the average falls to 31.7 FPS, drags down the overall standing compared to systems with more powerful GPUs that can maintain higher frame rates at maximum settings. The GPU’s nearest rivals, such as the RTX 2070 with a deltaPct of 0.5%, are close in raw compute, but the RTX 2060 SUPER’s 7.181 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 2176 shading units are enough to keep it competitive in this game’s moderate demand. The CPU’s nearest rivals, like the Intel Core i3-10305 with a 0.2% deltaPct, do not meaningfully alter the ranking, as the game is clearly GPU-bound based on the resolution scaling.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience measured in this dataset, 1920x1080 with Medium settings provides the optimal balance, delivering 79.3 FPS while retaining enough visual detail for a flight simulator. High settings at 1080p yield 59.7 FPS, which is still smooth for most users, but the drop to 58.8 FPS on Ultra is marginal in performance yet likely adds significant visual strain. At 2560x1440, Medium is the recommended preset, hitting 65.4 FPS, which is the sweet spot for higher resolution without sacrificing frame rate. High at 1440p dips to 47 FPS, which may be acceptable for players who prioritize graphics over fluidity, but Ultra at 42.8 FPS is less advisable. For 3840x2160, Low settings at 55.8 FPS are the only truly playable option, as Medium drops to 48.7 FPS and High/Ultra fall below 33 FPS, making them unsuitable for smooth flight operations. The data suggests that users with a 60 Hz display should target Medium at 1080p or 1440p, while those with a higher refresh rate monitor should stick to Low at 1080p to maximize FPS. The RTX 2060 SUPER’s 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for Medium presets across all resolutions, but Ultra pushes the memory subsystem to its limit, as evidenced by the sharp FPS decline at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data for this combo is as follows. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are 99.1 FPS on Low, 79.3 FPS on Medium, 59.7 FPS on High, and 58.8 FPS on Ultra. Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 80.9 FPS on Low, 65.4 FPS on Medium, 47 FPS on High, and 42.8 FPS on Ultra. At 3840x2160, the averages drop to 55.8 FPS on Low, 48.7 FPS on Medium, 32.9 FPS on High, and 31.7 FPS on Ultra. These numbers reveal a consistent pattern: the gap between Low and Medium settings is relatively narrow (around 15-25 FPS at each resolution), while the gap between Medium and High is wider (around 15-20 FPS at 1080p and 1440p, but only 16 FPS at 4K). The most striking observation is the minimal difference between High and Ultra at both 1080p (0.9 FPS) and 4K (1.2 FPS), suggesting that Ultra settings provide negligible performance gains over High despite the increased visual load. The 1440p results are particularly telling, as Low achieves 80.9 FPS—nearly the same as Medium at 1080p—indicating that the GPU has headroom for resolution increases when settings are lowered. For the CPU, the i5-9400’s 6 cores and 6 threads with a 9 MB shared L3 cache are well-suited to this workload, as the game appears to scale smoothly without sudden FPS drops that would indicate CPU thrashing.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 plays a supporting role in this configuration, providing a stable foundation without becoming a bottleneck. Its 6 physical cores and 6 threads operate at a base clock of 2.90 GHz and boost up to 4.10 GHz, which is sufficient for Microsoft Flight Simulator’s simulation and physics calculations. The processor’s 9 MB of shared L3 cache and 64 KB L1 per core help maintain data throughput, while the dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 42.7 GB/s bandwidth ensures the GPU receives a steady stream of frame data. Benchmark results for the CPU show a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 7969 and a single-core score of 1125, placing it at the 50th percentile among all CPUs—a mid-tier standing that aligns with its performance in this game. The nearest rivals, including the Intel Core i3-10305 with a 0.2% higher average score and the Intel Core i7-8809G with a 0.6% lower score, indicate that the i5-9400 is closely matched with other mid-range processors. The fact that FPS scales consistently from 1080p to 4K without any anomalous dips suggests the CPU is not the limiting factor; instead, the RTX 2060 SUPER’s 7.181 TFLOPS FP32 compute and 105.6 GPixel/s pixel rate are what constrain performance at higher resolutions. The CPU’s 65 W TDP and 14 nm Coffee Lake architecture make it a capable partner for the GPU, and the benchmark data confirms that the pairing delivers a well-balanced experience, particularly at 1080p and 1440p where the i5-9400’s single-thread performance of 472 in Cinebench R20 single-core ensures smooth frame pacing.