Microsoft Flight Simulator

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER delivers a playable but constrained experience in Microsoft Flight Simulator, with performance heavily dictated by the graphics card's 6 GB frame buffer and the simulation's appetite for visual fidelity. The data shows this combo ranks 1577 out of 1795 tested combinations, placing it in the lower half of the field, yet the results reveal a clear path for users willing to dial in settings for smooth frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS demonstrates a predictable but steep penalty as resolution climbs from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 74.8 FPS, which drops to 59.3 FPS at 2560x1440 and further to 44.7 FPS at 4K. This 40% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings indicates the GPU is the primary limiting factor, as the pixel count quadruples while the frame rate does not halve — a sign that the CPU still has headroom to feed frames. Moving to High settings, the descent is steeper: 46 FPS at 1080p falls to 39.2 FPS at 1440p and bottoms out at 29.1 FPS at 4K. The gap between Low and High at 4K is 15.6 FPS, suggesting that the GTX 1660 SUPER's raw throughput, not the i7-12700K's processing power, governs the upper bound.

The scaling pattern becomes more pronounced at Ultra settings, where the 4K result of 24.9 FPS is nearly unplayable, while 1080p Ultra manages 40.4 FPS. Notably, the jump from Medium to Ultra at 1440p costs 13.1 FPS (49.9 to 36.8), whereas the same settings shift at 1080p costs 21.5 FPS (61.9 to 40.4). This nonlinear behavior points to texture memory pressure: at higher resolutions, the 6 GB VRAM fills faster, forcing the engine to swap assets and flattening the performance delta between quality presets. For a smooth experience, the data suggests sticking to 1080p, where even High settings clear 46 FPS, or dropping to Low at 1440p for 59.3 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K brings substantial processing muscle to this pairing, with 12 cores and 20 threads running at a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost of 5.00 GHz. Its Alder Lake architecture, built on a 10 nm process, delivers strong single-thread performance — a critical trait for flight simulators that often rely on a main simulation thread. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4128 and multi-core score of 29241 confirm this processor's capability, and the PassMark single-thread score of 4013 places it well above average. However, in this game's measured results, the CPU rarely becomes the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the 74.8 FPS figure likely represents a ceiling where the GPU is still the constraint, given that the same CPU can drive far higher frame rates in less demanding titles.

The benchmark data for the i7-12700K shows an 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35684. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (deltaPct -0.3) and Intel Core i7-13700T (deltaPct 0.6), indicating the processor is evenly matched with contemporary options. In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU's 25 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support (DDR4 or DDR5) help maintain consistent frame pacing, but the measured FPS deltas across resolutions reveal that the GPU's 12 nm Turing chip, with its 1408 shading units, is the limiting component. Users with this CPU will find it ready for future GPU upgrades, as the processor's headroom is ample for higher-end graphics cards.

How This Combo Ranks

The combined rank of 1577 out of 1795 tested combos places this pairing in the 12th percentile of all configurations, a low position driven almost entirely by the GTX 1660 SUPER's age and memory capacity. The GPU's percentile rank among all graphics cards is 55, with an average benchmark score of 14286, while its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 (deltaPct -0.2) and Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics (deltaPct -0.2). This means the GPU sits near the midpoint of all tested cards, but in a simulator as demanding as Microsoft Flight Simulator, that translates to bottom-tier results. The CPU, by contrast, ranks at the 89th percentile, so the combo's low overall rank is a direct consequence of the graphics card's limitations.

Compared to other tested combos, this pairing falls behind most configurations featuring mid-range GPUs from the same era, but it outperforms integrated graphics solutions. The rank also implies that roughly 218 combos score worse, which includes systems with older or weaker processors paired with entry-level GPUs. For a builder targeting high fidelity in this game, the data suggests the i7-12700K is overqualified for the GTX 1660 SUPER, and the combo would benefit from a GPU with more VRAM and higher compute throughput.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results: Low settings produce 74.8 FPS, Medium yields 61.9 FPS, High hits 46 FPS, and Ultra drops to 40.4 FPS. These numbers show a playable range across all presets, with Low offering a smooth experience and Ultra still maintaining a playable frame rate. The 34.4 FPS spread between Low and Ultra indicates that the GPU's 5.027 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is sufficient for 1080p, but the 6 GB GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus (336.0 GB/s bandwidth) may cause stutters in dense scenery at Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops: Low averages 59.3 FPS, Medium 49.9 FPS, High 39.2 FPS, and Ultra 36.8 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra narrows to just 2.4 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset's additional effects are constrained by the GPU's 48 ROPs and 88 TMUs. This resolution is playable at Medium, but Ultra is borderline. At 3840x2160, the combo struggles: Low produces 44.7 FPS, Medium 36.4 FPS, High 29.1 FPS, and Ultra 24.9 FPS. Only Low settings approach acceptable smoothness at 4K, and the 19.8 FPS difference between Low and Ultra highlights the GPU's inability to handle 4K's pixel load, which requires more than 6 GB of VRAM for high-quality textures.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER, built on the Turing architecture with a TU116 chip at 12 nm, is the decisive factor in this combo's performance. Its boost clock of 1785 MHz and base clock of 1530 MHz provide a moderate compute foundation, but the 6 GB GDDR6 memory is the limiting resource in Microsoft Flight Simulator. The game's vast, detail-rich environments demand large texture pools, and the 192-bit memory bus with 336.0 GB/s bandwidth cannot keep pace at higher resolutions and quality settings. The GPU's 5.027 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is adequate for 1080p, but the 4K results (29.1 FPS at High) reveal a hard ceiling.

The GPU's benchmark scores show a 55th percentile rank, with a PassMark G3D score of 12699 and a DirectX 12 score of 50, indicating modest DirectX 12 performance. Its nearest rivals in synthetic tests are integrated or low-end discrete options, which underscores its position as an entry-level card in 2024. In this game, the GPU's 1408 shading units are the primary shader processors, and the 48 ROPs handle pixel output, but the lack of ray tracing cores and tensor cores means it relies on traditional rasterization. The 125 W TDP and 300 W suggested PSU are modest, but the card's end-of-life production status suggests it is not future-proof for this simulator's evolving demands.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the only resolution where all settings remain playable, with Low at 74.8 FPS and Ultra at 40.4 FPS. At 1440p, only Low (59.3 FPS) and Medium (49.9 FPS) are smooth, while 4K is only viable at Low (44.7 FPS).

Q: How much FPS does the combo lose from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 46 at 1080p to 39.2 at 1440p and 29.1 at 4K. This represents a 16.9 FPS reduction from 1080p to 4K, a 37% decline.

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

A: The GPU is the limiting component. The i7-12700K scores in the 89th percentile of CPUs, while the GTX 1660 SUPER sits at the 55th percentile. The FPS scaling with resolution changes indicates GPU-bound performance, as CPU load would not rise proportionally with pixel count.

Q: Can this combo handle Ultra settings at any resolution?

A: Yes, at 1080p Ultra produces 40.4 FPS, which is playable. At 1440p Ultra drops to 36.8 FPS, and at 4K Ultra falls to 24.9 FPS, making it marginal or unplayable.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 14286, with rivals like the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 at a deltaPct of -0.2 and the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT at -0.7. This means the GTX 1660 SUPER is essentially tied with these cards, showing minimal performance separation.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 1577 out of 1795 tested combinations, placing it in the lower 12% of all systems. This low rank is driven by the GPU's limited VRAM and compute power, not the CPU.