Microsoft Flight Simulator

# Microsoft Flight Simulator with Intel Core i5-9400 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060

This combination of an Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 delivers a measured performance profile in Microsoft Flight Simulator that places it at rank 846 out of 1795 tested combos, positioning it in the middle of the database. The RTX 5060, with its 8 GB of GDDR7 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, handles the simulation's visual load, while the six-core i5-9400 from the Coffee Lake generation provides the computational foundation. The data shows a system that is capable of smooth play at 1080p across all settings, but struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K with demanding presets.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo achieves at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo reaches an average of 125.8 FPS, which is the highest measured result across all tested resolutions and settings.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: The combo ranks 846 out of 1795 tested combinations, placing it roughly in the 47th percentile of all tested systems for this game.

Q: Is the RTX 5060's 8 GB VRAM sufficient for 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo averages 42.6 FPS, which is playable but below the 60 FPS threshold. The 8 GB GDDR7 memory with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is adequate, but the frame rate data suggests the GPU is heavily burdened at this resolution.

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

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings yield 101.1 FPS average, while Ultra settings drop to 57.5 FPS, representing a 43.6 FPS difference between the two presets.

Q: How does the i5-9400 compare to its nearest CPU rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2305, which is 0.2% above the Intel Core i3-10305 (2300) and Intel Core i3-1125G4 (2299), and 0.4% above the Intel Xeon E-2134 (2295).

Q: Does the RTX 5060 outperform its nearest GPU rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5060's average benchmark score is 30109, which is essentially tied with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT (30097, 0% delta), and 0.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 570 (30158, -0.2% delta).

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 serves as the primary rendering engine in this combo, and its specifications directly shape the measured frame rates. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is critical for streaming the high-resolution textures that Microsoft Flight Simulator loads during flight. The Blackwell 2.0 architecture operates at a base clock of 2280 MHz and boosts to 2497 MHz, with 3840 shading units and 120 texture mapping units driving the pixel pipeline at 119.9 GPixel/s.

The GPU's 48 ROPs and 19.18 TFLOPS of FP32 performance determine how quickly the simulator can resolve geometry and apply lighting effects. The data indicates that at 1080p, the GPU has ample headroom, with Low settings producing 125.8 FPS and even Ultra maintaining 72.4 FPS. However, at 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, as the 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus constrain performance—the 3840x2160 Ultra result of 42.6 FPS is only 57% of the 1080p Ultra score. The RTX 5060's 30 ray tracing cores are present, but the measured data does not isolate ray tracing effects, so their impact is reflected only in the overall preset performance deltas.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific configuration of Intel Core i5-9400 and RTX 5060 holds rank 846 out of 1795 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it just below the median of the database. The percentile position suggests that while the GPU is a strong performer—sitting at the 73rd percentile among all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 30109—the CPU's mid-pack standing (50th percentile, average score 2305) anchors the combo's overall rank. The i5-9400's six cores and six threads without hyperthreading limit its ability to feed the GPU in CPU-bound scenarios, which the resolution scaling data will illustrate.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 5060's nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT, shows a 0% delta with a score of 30097, indicating near-identical compute performance. The CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core i3-10305, is within 0.2% of the i5-9400's score, but the i5-9400's 6-core/6-thread configuration and 9 MB of shared L3 cache give it a slight edge in the simulator's multi-threaded workloads. The combo rank of 846/1795 means that roughly 949 tested combinations outperform it, which aligns with the mid-tier positioning of both components in their respective benchmarks.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings levels. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 125.8 FPS on Low, 96.7 FPS on Medium, 74.8 FPS on High, and 72.4 FPS on Ultra. The 1080p results show that even the most demanding preset stays comfortably above 60 FPS, making this resolution the sweet spot for this hardware pairing.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates decrease but remain playable: Low produces 101.1 FPS, Medium 80.2 FPS, High 59.3 FPS, and Ultra 57.5 FPS. The 1440p data reveals a significant gap between Medium and High—a 20.9 FPS drop—suggesting that the High preset introduces effects that disproportionately tax the GPU. At 3840x2160, the performance curve steepens: Low achieves 75.4 FPS, Medium 56.7 FPS, High 44.3 FPS, and Ultra 42.6 FPS. The 4K Low result is the only 4K setting that breaks the 60 FPS barrier, while Ultra dips to just above 40 FPS, which is playable for a flight simulator but not ideal for fast-paced scenarios.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the bottleneck characteristics of this combo. For Low settings, the transition from 1920x1080 (125.8 FPS) to 2560x1440 (101.1 FPS) represents a 19.6% drop, and further to 3840x2160 (75.4 FPS) is a 40.1% drop from 1080p. For Ultra settings, the scaling is steeper: 72.4 FPS at 1080p drops to 57.5 FPS at 1440p (a 20.6% reduction), then to 42.6 FPS at 4K (a 41.2% reduction from 1080p). The consistency of these percentage drops across settings indicates that resolution scaling is the dominant factor, rather than preset-specific effects.

The fact that 4K Low (75.4 FPS) outperforms 1080p Ultra (72.4 FPS) is telling: it suggests that at lower settings, the GPU's pixel throughput is less stressed, and the 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient. Conversely, the narrow gap between 1440p High (59.3 FPS) and 1440p Ultra (57.5 FPS) implies that the CPU's six threads are limiting the frame rate once the GPU is fed enough data, as the i5-9400 cannot push more frames regardless of the graphics preset. The data indicates a balanced system where neither component fully dominates, but the CPU's age (released 2018) becomes apparent at higher frame rate targets.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal experience balances visual fidelity with frame rate stability. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset at 72.4 FPS is the best choice for users prioritizing image quality, as it remains above the 60 FPS threshold and the 8 GB VRAM is not strained. For 2560x1440, the Medium preset at 80.2 FPS offers the best combination of smoothness and detail, since High drops to 59.3 FPS and Ultra to 57.5 FPS—both below the ideal 60 FPS mark. Users who prefer higher settings at 1440p can accept the slight dip, but the data shows Medium delivers 20.9 FPS more than High with a moderate visual step down.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset at 75.4 FPS is the only setting that provides a consistently smooth experience, while Medium at 56.7 FPS is acceptable for slow, scenic flights. The High and Ultra presets at 44.3 FPS and 42.6 FPS, respectively, are borderline playable but will show stutter in dense urban environments or during rapid maneuvers. For a flight simulator where smooth camera panning matters, the recommendation is to use Medium at 1440p for the best overall experience, or Low at 4K if resolution is paramount. The 1080p Ultra setting is also viable, and the 72.4 FPS result shows that this combo can handle the game's maximum visual quality at the most common resolution without compromise.