Microsoft Flight Simulator

The following analysis is based on measured FPS data for Microsoft Flight Simulator (released 2020-08-17) using the Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060. The combination ranks 1436th out of 1795 tested combos in this game, and the measured rows show a CPU that sits high in the database paired with a mid-pack GPU. At 1920x1080 Medium the average is 69.5 FPS, at 2560x1440 Medium it drops to 60.0 FPS, and at 3840x2160 the best preset is Low at 55.5 FPS.

FAQ

Q: What average FPS does this combo deliver at 1080p on Medium settings?

A: The measured average is 69.5 FPS. Low averages 92.9, High averages 54.2, and Ultra averages 52.2.

Q: Can this combo hold 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: Yes, on Low and Medium. Low averages 75.3 FPS and Medium averages 60.0 FPS. High drops to 45.2 FPS and Ultra to 40.9 FPS.

Q: Is 4K playable with this pairing?

A: No 4K preset reaches 60 FPS. Low averages 55.5, Medium 42.6, Ultra 32.0, and High 28.7. The 4K High result is actually lower than 4K Ultra in the measured data.

Q: How does the combo rank in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: It ranks 1436th out of 1795 tested combos, which places it in the lower portion of the tested field.

Q: Which component is stronger relative to its own benchmarks?

A: The CPU is at the 89th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is at the 58th percentile of all GPUs. The processor is clearly the stronger part in this pairing.

Q: What are the closest GPU rivals by average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 16074. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 7600S at 15996 with a deltaPct of 0.5, the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M at 16351 with -1.7, the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 at 16351 with -1.7, and the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 at 15786 with 1.8.

How This Combo Ranks

The game-specific combo rank is the clearest starting point: 1436th out of 1795 tested combinations. With over 350 entries below it, this is not a top-tier result, but it is also not at the very bottom of the database. The CPU and GPU are far apart in their own percentile standings, which explains the rank. The Intel Core i7-12700KF sits at the 89th percentile against all CPUs, while the RTX 2060 sits at the 58th percentile against all GPUs. When a strong processor is paired with a mid-pack graphics card, the GPU tends to set the ceiling in a graphics-heavy simulation, and the measured FPS pattern agrees.

The CPU’s average benchmark score is 35355. Its nearest rivals are all within a narrow band: the Intel Core i5-14400 scores 35336 with a deltaPct of 0.1, the Intel Core i7-13800H scores 35416 with -0.2, the Intel Core i9-12900HX scores 35289 with 0.2, and the Intel Core i5-13600T scores 35256 with 0.3. These small deltas show that the 12700KF is not an outlier on the CPU side. The GPU side is more spread out: the RTX 2060’s closest competitor, the RX 7600S, is only 78 points away in average score, but the Radeon Pro cards sit far enough away to show the RTX 2060 is in a mid-pack class of its own.

The rank of 1436 out of 1795 is specifically for this game, not a general hardware ranking. It reflects the measured FPS at the four settings and three resolutions listed in the database. Because the CPU is so much higher in percentile than the GPU, the practical limit of this combo is better described by the graphics card than by the processor.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a 12th Generation Alder Lake desktop processor on Intel Socket 1700. It has 12 cores and 20 threads, a base clock of 3.60 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The architecture is Alder Lake-S built on Intel’s 10 nm process, with 25 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB of L2 per core. It supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration and exposes PCIe Gen 4 with 20 CPU lanes. The multiplier is unlocked, and the CPU TDP is 125 W.

Synthetic benchmarks put this CPU in a strong position. Cinebench R23 multi-core is 28979 and single-core is 4091. Geekbench multi-core is 13596 and single-core is 2526. PassMark multithread is 34092 and single-thread is 3984. The 3DMark single-thread score is 1043, while the max-thread score is 9983. These numbers show a processor with both high single-thread performance and substantial multi-thread headroom.

In the context of this game’s measured results, the CPU is unlikely to be the main bottleneck. Its 89th percentile standing is far above the GPU’s 58th percentile. The FPS deltas between resolution steps and preset steps are large, which is consistent with the graphics card being the limiting component. Specifically, 1080p Low reaches 92.9 FPS, but 1080p High drops to 54.2 and 1080p Ultra to 52.2. A processor that could not feed the GPU would produce a flatter FPS curve across presets; the measured curve declines steadily, pointing back to the RTX 2060 as the performance gate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four presets. All values below are average FPS from the measured rows.

| Resolution | Low | Medium | High | Ultra |

|------------|-----|--------|------|-------|

| 1920x1080 | 92.9 | 69.5 | 54.2 | 52.2 |

| 2560x1440 | 75.3 | 60.0 | 45.2 | 40.9 |

| 3840x2160 | 55.5 | 42.6 | 28.7 | 32.0 |

At 1080p, the gap between Low and Ultra is large: Low is 92.9 FPS, while Ultra is 52.2 FPS. Medium at 69.5 FPS is the only 1080p setting that sits comfortably above 60 while still providing higher quality than Low. High and Ultra are close to each other at 54.2 and 52.2, so moving from High to Ultra costs very little measured average frame rate.

At 1440p, Low and Medium both remain at or above 60 FPS, with 75.3 and 60.0 respectively. High falls to 45.2 and Ultra to 40.9. The transition from Medium to High is a steep drop of 14.8 FPS, and the drop from High to Ultra is another 4.3 FPS. For a 1440p display, the data clearly favors Low or Medium if 60 FPS is the target.

At 4K, the situation changes. Low is 55.5 FPS, Medium is 42.6, Ultra is 32.0, and High is 28.7. The High and Ultra ordering is non-monotonic: Ultra averages 3.3 FPS more than High in the measured rows. This is worth noting because preset naming normally implies a consistent ladder. The measured data shows that at 3840x2160, High is the weakest result, not Ultra. Regardless, no 4K preset averages 60 FPS, so 4K gameplay requires accepting a lower frame rate or reducing resolution.

The FPS scaling across resolutions is consistent with a GPU-bound workload. At the same preset, going from 1080p to 1440p to 4K produces a steady decline. For example, Low moves from 92.9 to 75.3 to 55.5. Medium moves from 69.5 to 60.0 to 42.6. This pattern indicates that the render workload, not CPU simulation work, is limiting the measured averages at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 uses the TU106 chip on a 12 nm TSMC process. It has 1920 shading units, 120 texture units, 48 ROPs, 30 RT cores, and 240 tensor cores. The base clock is 1365 MHz and the boost clock is 1680 MHz. Memory is 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 336.0 GB/s bandwidth and a memory clock of 1750 MHz, listed as 14 Gbps effective. The card is a dual-slot design, 229 mm long, with one 8-pin power connector and a suggested 450 W PSU. It uses PCIe 3.0 x16. Its average benchmark score is 16074, and it sits at the 58th percentile of all GPUs.

The nearest GPU rivals show that the RTX 2060 is solidly mid-pack. The AMD Radeon RX 7600S scores 15996, a deltaPct of 0.5. The AMD Radeon Pro 5600M and Radeon Pro 5700 both score 16351, with a deltaPct of -1.7. The AMD Radeon Pro W5500 scores 15786, with a deltaPct of 1.8. None of these deltas are huge, so the RTX 2060 is not an outlier among its closest competitors.

The measured frame rates reflect the GPU’s position. At 1080p Medium the card produces 69.5 FPS, which is playable. At 1080p Ultra it drops to 52.2. At 1440p Ultra it falls to 40.9. At 4K, the results are clearly below the thresholds most users would want for smooth flight simulation: Low is 55.5, Medium is 42.6, and High/Ultra are in the 28.7 to 32.0 range. The 6 GB GDDR6 frame buffer and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are likely sources of strain at 3840x2160, where pixel throughput and memory pressure are highest. The data alone cannot prove a VRAM limit, but the measured FPS pattern points at the GPU as the component that holds this combo back at higher settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the best experience depends on the target resolution.

At 1920x1080, Medium is the strongest preset. It delivers 69.5 FPS, which is above 60, while Low is 92.9 and High is 54.2. If maximum smoothness is the priority, Low is obviously better, but Medium offers much higher visual quality while still maintaining a comfortable average. High and Ultra are close, at 54.2 and 52.2, so users who want the highest preset can select Ultra without a major FPS penalty compared to High.

At 2560x1440, Medium is again the natural choice. It hits 60.0 FPS exactly, while Low is 75.3 and High falls to 45.2. The drop from Medium to High is substantial, so staying on Medium provides the best balance for 1440p. Ultra at 40.9 FPS is workable only if frame rate is secondary to visual quality.

At 3840x2160, no preset reaches 60 FPS. Low at 55.5 FPS is the smoothest measured 4K option, making it the recommended preset for users who want to keep flight simulation fluid at 4K. Medium at 42.6 FPS is the next step up in quality if 60 FPS is not required. High and Ultra are not recommended for smooth play; High is the only measured preset below 30 FPS at 28.7, and Ultra is only 32.0. The unusual 4K High/Ultra ordering means users should not assume that dropping from Ultra to High will improve performance at that resolution.

For users targeting a consistent 60 FPS experience, the measured data points to 1080p Medium at 69.5 FPS or 1440p Medium at 60.0 FPS. For users willing to accept lower averages, 4K Low at 55.5 FPS is the best 4K option in this dataset. The overall message is that this CPU+GPU combo is best served by Medium presets at 1080p or 1440p, and by Low at 4K.