Microsoft Flight Simulator

FAQ

Q: What is the overall rank of this CPU-GPU combination in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 ranks 313 out of 1,795 tested combos, placing it in the top 17.4% of all configurations for this flight simulator.

Q: How much faster is the RTX 5070 at 1080p Low compared to 4K Ultra?

A: The average frame rate at 1920x1080 Low is 176.2 FPS, while at 3840x2160 Ultra it drops to 61 FPS — a difference of 115.2 FPS. The 4K Ultra setting delivers less than half the frame rate of the 1080p Low preset.

Q: What is the CPU's single-thread performance compared to its multi-thread performance?

A: The Core i7-12700K scores 1,043 in 3DMark single-thread and 9,979 in 3DMark max-threads. Its Cinebench R23 scores are 4,128 single-core and 29,241 multi-core, showing strong scaling across its 12 cores and 20 threads.

Q: How does the GPU's average benchmark score compare to its nearest rival?

A: The RTX 5070 has an average benchmark score of 41,687, which is 0.6% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 (41,441) and 0.2% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 (41,610). It trails the AMD Radeon Pro 580X by 0.7%.

Q: What is the best frame rate achieved at 1440p across all settings?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset reaches 144.9 FPS, followed by Medium at 110.8 FPS, High at 83.5 FPS, and Ultra at 79.8 FPS. The Low preset at 1440p is the only setting tier above 120 FPS for this resolution.

Q: Does the CPU's average benchmark score surpass its closest rival?

A: The Core i7-12700K averages 35,684 across benchmarks, which is 0.6% ahead of the Intel Core i7-13700T (35,468) and 0.8% ahead of the Intel Core i7-13800H (35,416). It trails the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 by 0.3%.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 brings Blackwell 2.0 architecture on a 5 nm TSMC process to Microsoft Flight Simulator. With 6,144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 80 ROPs, the GPU's rasterization pipeline handles the dense terrain and aircraft geometry this sim renders. The 48 RT cores assist with lighting and shadow calculations, while 192 tensor cores provide AI acceleration.

Memory capacity and bandwidth are decisive for this title. The 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus delivers 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Flight Simulator streams vast satellite imagery and elevation data, making bandwidth a key factor. The memory clock runs at 1,750 MHz, translating to 28 Gbps effective. Base clock sits at 2,325 MHz, boosting to 2,512 MHz under load. The GPU's FP32 throughput reaches 30.87 TFLOPS, with the same figure for FP16 at a 1:1 ratio.

Benchmark data shows the GPU's broader capabilities. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the RTX 5070 scores 5,077. Geekbench results show 185,269 in OpenCL and 179,413 in Vulkan. PassMark G3D scores 29,137, while GPU compute hits 15,787. These numbers place the card in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs.

The measured frame rates reveal how this GPU behaves across settings tiers. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 176.2 FPS, while Ultra drops to 101 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, Low hits 144.9 FPS and Ultra falls to 79.8 FPS. At 3840x2160, the gap widens: Low manages 104.9 FPS, but Ultra only reaches 61 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K represents a 43.9 FPS reduction, highlighting the GPU's workload under maximum settings.

The RTX 5070's nearest rivals by average score include the RTX 3090, with the 5070 leading by 0.6%. It also edges the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 by 0.2%, though the Radeon Pro 580X leads by 0.7%. These deltas are small, suggesting the 5070 performs in a tight competitive band despite architectural differences.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K uses Alder Lake architecture on a 10 nm process, featuring 12 cores and 20 threads. Base clock runs at 3.60 GHz, boosting to 5.00 GHz. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB L1 per core, 1.25 MB L2 per core, and 25 MB shared L3. This configuration supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory across a dual-channel bus.

Flight Simulator relies heavily on single-thread performance for simulation logic. The CPU's 3DMark single-thread score of 1,043 and 2-thread score of 2,065 show its strength in lightly threaded workloads. Cinebench R23 single-core hits 4,128, while multi-core reaches 29,241. Geekbench scores 2,561 single-core and 13,892 multi-core. PassMark single-thread records 4,013, with multi-thread at 34,404.

Scaling tests reveal how the CPU handles additional threads. 3DMark scores progress from 4,011 at 4 threads to 7,202 at 8 threads, then 9,276 at 16 threads, and 9,979 at max threads. The diminishing returns past 8 threads suggest the sim's engine has practical thread limits, though the 20-thread configuration provides headroom for background tasks. Cinebench R15 scores 415 single-core and 2,947 multi-core, while R20 hits 1,733 and 12,281 respectively.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 35,684 places it in the 89th percentile of all processors. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, scores 35,802 — a 0.3% advantage for AMD. The Intel Core i7-13700T scores 35,468, trailing by 0.6%, while the Intel Core i5-14500HX leads by 0.7% with 35,940. The Intel Core i7-13800H trails by 0.8% at 35,416.

The measured FPS at higher resolutions show the CPU's role diminishing as GPU load increases. At 1080p Low, the 176.2 FPS average suggests the CPU can feed the GPU efficiently. At 4K Ultra, the 61 FPS result indicates the GPU becomes the bottleneck. The CPU's 89th percentile ranking across all processors supports adequate performance for this sim's demands.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 combination ranks 313 out of 1,795 tested configurations in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places the combo in the top 17.4% of all tested systems. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU's 89th percentile standing and the GPU's 83rd percentile position.

The measured data shows this combo's performance envelope across resolutions. At 1080p, frame rates range from 101 FPS on Ultra to 176.2 FPS on Low. The 1440p results span 79.8 FPS on Ultra to 144.9 FPS on Low. At 4K, the range narrows: 61 FPS on Ultra to 104.9 FPS on Low. This progression indicates the combo handles 1080p and 1440p smoothly, while 4K Ultra becomes demanding.

The nearest rival combos by component scores provide context. The CPU's 0.6% lead over the Intel Core i7-13700T and 0.8% lead over the Intel Core i7-13800H are modest. The GPU's 0.6% advantage over the RTX 3090 and 0.2% edge over the Radeon Pro 5300 are similarly slim. These deltas suggest the combo's rank stems from balanced pairing rather than dominance in either component.

The rank of 313 out of 1,795 means 87% of tested combos fall below this configuration. For a flight simulator that stresses both CPU and GPU, this position indicates solid performance. The data shows the combo excels at lower settings, where frame rates exceed 100 FPS at all resolutions except 4K Ultra.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimal settings. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 105.1 FPS, which is playable for most users. The Medium preset reaches 140.3 FPS, offering a smoother experience with minimal visual compromise. The Low preset hits 176.2 FPS, which suits competitive or high-refresh displays.

At 2560x1440, the High preset achieves 83.5 FPS, while Medium reaches 110.8 FPS. For 1440p displays with 100 Hz refresh rates, Medium provides the best balance. The Low preset at 144.9 FPS supports 144 Hz monitors, though visual quality suffers. The Ultra preset at 79.8 FPS remains playable but offers diminishing returns.

At 3840x2160, the High preset delivers 63.1 FPS, which approaches the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset reaches 83.6 FPS, providing headroom above 60 FPS. The Low preset at 104.9 FPS is the only 4K option exceeding 100 FPS. The Ultra preset at 61 FPS sits at the edge of playability.

The data suggests Medium or High settings provide the best experience across resolutions. At 1080p, Medium offers 140.3 FPS with better visuals than Low. At 1440p, Medium's 110.8 FPS balances quality and smoothness. At 4K, Medium's 83.6 FPS ensures consistent frame delivery above 60 FPS. The High preset at 4K (63.1 FPS) is viable for users prioritizing visual fidelity over frame rate headroom.

For users with high-refresh monitors, the Low preset at 1440p (144.9 FPS) or 1080p (176.2 FPS) unlocks the highest frame rates. The Ultra preset provides minimal benefit over High — at 1080p, the difference is 4.1 FPS; at 4K, it's 2.1 FPS. The scaling from High to Ultra is inefficient across all resolutions, making High the recommended ceiling for most users.