Microsoft Flight Simulator

Resolution Scaling

The recorded data for Microsoft Flight Simulator with the Intel Core i7-12700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 shows a clear pattern of frame rate scaling as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 210 FPS at 1080p to 170 FPS at 1440p, then to 125 FPS at 4K. That represents a 40 FPS reduction between 1080p and 1440p, followed by a 45 FPS reduction between 1440p and 4K. At High settings, the progression is 123 FPS at 1080p, 99 FPS at 1440p, and 73 FPS at 4K. The scaling behavior indicates that the RTX 4080 remains the primary performance driver even at 4K, as the frame rate drops consistently with pixel count rather than plateauing due to CPU limits.

The Medium settings results reinforce this interpretation. At 1080p Medium, the average is 164 FPS with a minimum of 139 FPS and maximum of 188 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average falls to 132 FPS with a minimum of 112 FPS and maximum of 152 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 97 FPS with a minimum of 83 FPS and maximum of 112 FPS. The minimum frame rate at 4K Medium, 83 FPS, is still well above typical display refresh rates, suggesting the combination handles the highest pixel counts without severe frame time spikes. The spread between minimum and maximum at Medium settings narrows as resolution increases, which is consistent with the GPU becoming the limiting factor more decisively at higher resolutions.

Ultra settings show the most demanding workload. The average frame rate at 1080p Ultra is 117 FPS, dropping to 95 FPS at 1440p Ultra, and further to 70 FPS at 4K Ultra. The gap between Ultra and High settings at the same resolution is relatively small: 6 FPS at 1080p, 4 FPS at 1440p, and 3 FPS at 4K. This suggests that the visual quality difference between High and Ultra in this flight simulator does not impose a proportional rendering cost, at least for this GPU configuration. The data indicates that users can run Ultra at 1080p and 1440p with average frame rates above 90 FPS, while 4K Ultra remains playable at 70 FPS average.

The resolution scaling analysis points to the GPU as the dominant constraint throughout the tested range. The CPU, with its 12 cores and 20 threads, appears to deliver sufficient frame pacing to avoid bottlenecking the RTX 4080 even at 1080p Low where the average reaches 210 FPS. The consistent frame rate reductions across all settings levels when moving to higher resolutions align with the GPU's rendering workload scaling. For users prioritizing higher resolutions, the data shows diminishing returns from lowering settings below High at 4K, since the jump from Ultra to High only recovers 3 FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The recorded average frame rate at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 70 FPS. This is the lowest average across all tested resolution and settings combinations.

Q: How does the frame rate at 1080p Low compare to 4K Low?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average frame rate is 210 FPS. At 3840x2160 with Low settings, the average drops to 125 FPS. That is a 40.5 percent reduction when moving from 1080p to 4K at the same quality level.

Q: Does the RTX 4080 maintain playable frame rates at 4K Medium?

A: Yes. The average frame rate at 3840x2160 with Medium settings is 97 FPS, with a recorded minimum of 83 FPS and maximum of 112 FPS. The minimum of 83 FPS indicates that even the slowest frames remain comfortably above 60 FPS.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between High and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, High settings produce an average of 99 FPS while Ultra settings produce 95 FPS. The difference is only 4 FPS, suggesting that Ultra does not impose a significant additional load over High at this resolution.

Q: Which resolution and settings combination delivers the highest average frame rate?

A: The highest recorded average is 210 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The next highest is 170 FPS at 2560x1440 with Low settings, followed by 164 FPS at 1920x1080 with Medium settings.

Q: How large is the frame rate gap between 1080p Ultra and 4K Ultra?

A: The average at 1080p Ultra is 117 FPS, while at 4K Ultra it is 70 FPS. That represents a 47 FPS difference, or roughly a 40 percent reduction in average frame rate when moving from 1080p to 4K at Ultra quality.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF brings 12 cores and 20 threads to the Microsoft Flight Simulator workload. This processor belongs to the Core 12th Gen series with Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. The base clock is 3.60 GHz with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, and the CPU has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 25 MB of shared L3 cache. The processor supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory through a dual-channel memory bus, and it connects via PCIe Gen 4 with 20 lanes from the CPU.

Benchmark data for the i7-12700KF shows strong multi-threaded performance. The Cinebench R23 multicore score is 28838, while the single-core score is 4071. The 3DMark max threads score reaches 9983, and the 16-thread score is 9282. The Geekbench multicore result is 14367 with a single-core score of 2255. The PassMark multithread score is 34092, and the single-thread PassMark score is 3984. These results place the CPU at the 85th percentile against all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 35365.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU role is primarily about maintaining frame pacing and feeding the GPU with draw calls and simulation data. The data indicates that the i7-12700KF does not become a bottleneck at any tested resolution. At 1080p Low, the average frame rate reaches 210 FPS, which is a demanding scenario for CPU-bound workloads, yet the processor sustains that output. The 20 threads provide ample parallelism for the flight simulator's terrain streaming and aircraft systems simulation, while the 5.00 GHz boost clock handles the single-threaded portions of the workload.

The nearest rival comparisons show the i7-12700KF sitting close to several other Intel processors. The Intel Core i7-13700T has an average benchmark score of 35403, which is 0.1 percent higher than the i7-12700KF. The Intel Core i5-13600T scores 35305, 0.2 percent lower. The Intel Core 5 213PE scores 35428, 0.2 percent higher. The Intel Core i7-12700K scores 35287, 0.2 percent lower. These small deltas indicate that the i7-12700KF performs within a narrow band of similarly positioned desktop and mobile processors in general compute tasks.

The relationship between CPU and GPU in this flight simulator becomes apparent when examining the frame rates across resolutions. The fact that the average frame rate at 1080p Low (210 FPS) is substantially higher than at 4K Low (125 FPS) suggests the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the CPU has enough headroom to push well beyond 200 FPS when the GPU load is light. The 12-core configuration with 20 threads appears well matched to the RTX 4080, as the frame rate scaling pattern does not show any abrupt plateaus that would indicate a CPU ceiling at specific settings levels.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-12700KF combined with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 242nd out of 3714 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. That places this configuration in the top 6.5 percent of all recorded combinations in the database. The rank reflects the measured FPS data across all tested resolutions and settings, providing a single summary position for the pairing.

The RTX 4080 itself sits at the 86th percentile against all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 54247. Its nearest rivals include the RTX 4080 SUPER with an average score of 54209, which is 0.1 percent lower than the RTX 4080. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828, which is 1.1 percent higher. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698, 2.6 percent higher, and the AMD Radeon 8060S scores 55757, 2.7 percent higher. These comparisons show the RTX 4080 performing in line with its direct successor and slightly below several AMD workstation and desktop cards in synthetic benchmarks.

The CPU percentile of 85 combined with the GPU percentile of 86 indicates a balanced pairing. Neither component significantly outperforms the other in relative database standings. The combo rank of 242 out of 3714 suggests that the combination of this specific CPU and GPU achieves high placement among all tested pairs, though the flight simulator's particular workload characteristics may favor other configurations with different balance points.

In the context of the game itself, the measured FPS data shows that this combo delivers average frame rates above 60 FPS at every resolution and settings combination tested. The lowest recorded average is 70 FPS at 4K Ultra, while the highest is 210 FPS at 1080p Low. This spread indicates that the combo can adapt to a wide range of visual quality and resolution targets without falling below the 60 FPS threshold that many users consider the baseline for smooth simulation gameplay.

The rank relative to other combos is best understood through the lens of the GPU's synthetic performance. The RTX 4080's PassMark G3D score is 34457, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 6567. These scores place it in the upper tier of graphics cards, which aligns with the combo rank in the flight simulator. The CPU's contribution to the rank is evident in the high frame rates at lower resolutions, where the i7-12700KF's 20 threads and 5.00 GHz boost clock prevent the processor from limiting the GPU's output.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD103 chip, manufactured by TSMC on a 5 nm process. The GPU contains 45,900 million transistors on a 379 mm² die, with a transistor density of 121.1 million per square millimeter. The base clock is 2205 MHz with a boost clock of 2505 MHz. Memory consists of 16 GB of GDDR6X on a 256-bit bus, providing 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock runs at 1400 MHz with 22.4 Gbps effective data rate. The GPU has 9728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, 112 ROPs, 76 ray tracing cores, and 304 tensor cores. The pixel rate is 280.6 GPixel/s, texture rate is 761.5 GTexel/s, and FP32 compute reaches 48.74 TFLOPS.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the GPU's role is central to rendering the dense terrain, weather effects, and aircraft models. The recorded frame rates show the RTX 4080 delivering strong performance across all tested configurations. At 1080p Low, the average of 210 FPS demonstrates the GPU's raw throughput when pixel load is minimal. At 4K Ultra, the average of 70 FPS still represents a playable experience for a flight simulator, where frame rates above 60 FPS are generally sufficient for smooth visual updates.

The VRAM capacity of 16 GB is relevant for flight simulator workloads, as the game streams high-resolution textures and photogrammetry data. The GDDR6X memory with 716.8 GB/s bandwidth supports the data transfer demands of the simulator's terrain rendering. The 256-bit bus width provides sufficient memory throughput for 4K resolution with Ultra settings, which is supported by the recorded 70 FPS average at that configuration.

The GPU's synthetic benchmark results position it close to several rivals. The RTX 4080 SUPER is 0.1 percent behind in average score, while the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X is 1.1 percent ahead. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB is 2.6 percent ahead, and the AMD Radeon 8060S is 2.7 percent ahead. These small deltas suggest that the RTX 4080 performs within a tight band of high-end graphics cards in general benchmarks, and the flight simulator results align with that positioning.

The GPU's boost clock of 2505 MHz and 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 compute provide the raw processing power needed for the simulator's complex shading and lighting calculations. The 76 ray tracing cores support the game's optional ray-traced effects, though the measured FPS data does not distinguish between ray tracing enabled or disabled. The 16 GB VRAM capacity ensures that texture streaming at 4K resolution does not exceed memory limits, which would otherwise cause frame rate drops or stuttering.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Intel Core i7-12700KF and RTX 4080 produce the following average frame rates: Low settings deliver 210 FPS, Medium settings deliver 164 FPS, High settings deliver 123 FPS, and Ultra settings deliver 117 FPS. The Medium settings measurement includes a minimum of 139 FPS and maximum of 188 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 93 FPS, indicating that settings changes have a substantial impact on performance at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the average frame rates are 170 FPS for Low, 132 FPS for Medium, 99 FPS for High, and 95 FPS for Ultra. The Medium settings measurement shows a minimum of 112 FPS and maximum of 152 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 75 FPS, which is narrower than the 1080p spread. The High to Ultra gap at 1440p is only 4 FPS, suggesting that the visual enhancements in Ultra do not heavily tax the GPU at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the average frame rates are 125 FPS for Low, 97 FPS for Medium, 73 FPS for High, and 70 FPS for Ultra. The Medium settings measurement includes a minimum of 83 FPS and maximum of 112 FPS. The Low to Ultra spread at 4K is 55 FPS, which is the smallest absolute difference across the three resolutions. This indicates that at 4K, the GPU is working near its limits even at Low settings, leaving less headroom for quality increases.

The measured data reveals a consistent pattern: for each resolution, lowering settings from Ultra to Low produces a predictable frame rate increase. At 1080p, moving from Ultra to Low adds 93 FPS. At 1440p, the same settings change adds 75 FPS. At 4K, it adds 55 FPS. The diminishing returns at higher resolutions confirm that the GPU becomes the limiting factor more prominently as pixel count increases, and the CPU's contribution to frame rate differences across settings diminishes.

Across all twelve measured combinations, the average frame rates range from 70 FPS at 4K Ultra to 210 FPS at 1080p Low. Every configuration maintains an average above 60 FPS, which is the commonly accepted threshold for smooth gameplay. The minimum recorded frame rate across all configurations is 83 FPS at 4K Medium, which indicates that even the slowest frames in that scenario stay well above 60 FPS. The maximum recorded frame rate is 188 FPS at 1080p Medium, showing that the combo can push well beyond typical display refresh rates at lower resolutions.