Microsoft Flight Simulator

The Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination delivers a highly capable Microsoft Flight Simulator experience, but the data reveals a clear performance hierarchy where resolution and settings dictate the bottleneck. At 1080p, the system is heavily CPU-bound, producing exceptional frame rates that scale down dramatically as resolution increases. The benchmark results indicate that this combo ranks in the 85th percentile (272nd out of 1795 tested configurations), placing it firmly in the top tier for this simulator. The measured FPS data shows that the transition from 1080p to 4K represents a significant shift in system behavior, with the GPU becoming the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and reveals a classic CPU-to-GPU bottleneck transition. At Low settings, average FPS falls from 184.9 at 1080p to 106.4 at 4K, representing a 42.5% reduction. This steep decline indicates that while the CPU can push extremely high frame rates at lower resolutions, the GPU's workload at 4K begins to cap overall performance. The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings: at High settings, the drop is from 109.5 to 61.5 FPS (43.8% reduction), and at Ultra settings, the decline is from 104.5 to 57.9 FPS (44.6% reduction).

The most telling observation is the narrowing gap between High and Ultra settings as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between High (109.5 FPS) and Ultra (104.5 FPS) is only 5 FPS, suggesting the CPU is the limiting factor at this resolution. However, at 4K, the gap between Medium (81.7 FPS) and Ultra (57.9 FPS) expands to 23.8 FPS, demonstrating that the GPU's rendering load becomes the dominant constraint. This behavior confirms that the RTX 4070 SUPER's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and its 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are being pushed to their limits at 4K Ultra, while the i7-13700K's processing power goes underutilized.

The 1440p results sit comfortably in the middle, with Low settings hitting 148.5 FPS and Ultra reaching 83.8 FPS. This resolution offers the best balance, as the frame rates remain high enough to fully engage the CPU's capabilities while still challenging the GPU sufficiently to avoid complete CPU saturation. The data suggests that users targeting 4K should expect roughly half the frame rates of 1080p, regardless of the quality preset chosen.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K brings substantial processing power to this flight simulator, featuring 16 cores and 24 threads with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. The benchmark results show this CPU sitting in the 93rd percentile against all processors, with an average benchmark score of 47282. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-13700KF, scores 47334, representing a mere 0.1% delta, indicating these two chips are essentially performance twins. The AMD EPYC 4364P trails slightly at 47131 (0.3% delta), while the Intel Core i9-12900F scores 47081 (0.4% delta).

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p, where the frame rates exceed 100 FPS across all settings, reaching as high as 184.9 FPS at Low settings. This performance aligns with the CPU's strong multi-threaded capabilities, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 39000 and Passmark multithread score of 45887. The 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide the data locality needed for the simulator's complex world-streaming calculations.

The CPU's single-thread performance is equally impressive, with a Geekbench single-core score of 2850 and a Passmark single-thread score of 4333. This is critical for flight simulators, which often rely heavily on a primary simulation thread. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1136 further reinforces this, showing that the 5.40 GHz boost clock delivers tangible benefits. However, the data shows that at 4K resolution, the CPU's advantages become less apparent, as the GPU becomes the bottleneck and the frame rates converge across different quality presets.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER handles the graphical demands of Microsoft Flight Simulator with its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory running at 21 Gbps effective, providing 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's 84th percentile ranking against all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 42576, places it in strong company. Its closest rival, the NVIDIA RTX A6000, scores 42653 (0.2% delta), while the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE achieves 42723 (0.3% delta).

The GPU's role becomes increasingly prominent as resolution climbs. At 1080p, the RTX 4070 SUPER appears underutilized, as evidenced by the relatively small performance gap between Low (184.9 FPS) and Medium (145 FPS) settings. But at 4K, the GPU's limits become clear: Ultra settings produce 57.9 FPS, which is still playable but represents a 68.7% drop from the 1080p Low result. The GPU's 35.48 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 198.0 GPixel/s pixel rate are being fully taxed at this resolution.

The memory configuration plays a notable role in the 4K results. The 12 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for the simulator's high-resolution textures, but the 192-bit bus width and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth show their constraints when compared to the 4K Ultra result of 57.9 FPS. The GPU's Ada Lovelace architecture with 56 RT cores and 224 tensor cores provides the hardware acceleration needed for the simulator's rendering features, but the data indicates that at 4K, these capabilities are pushed to their operational limits.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo achieve 60 FPS at 4K?

A: Yes, at High settings the combo averages 61.5 FPS at 3840x2160. However, at Ultra settings, the average drops to 57.9 FPS, which falls just below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the best resolution for maximum frame rates?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 184.9 FPS, which is the highest measured result. Even at 1080p Ultra, the system maintains 104.5 FPS, making 1080p the optimal resolution for high-refresh-rate displays.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rival?

A: The Intel Core i7-13700K scores 47282 on average benchmarks, which is 0.1% lower than the Intel Core i7-13700KF (47334) but 0.3% higher than the AMD EPYC 4364P (47131). This places it in a virtual tie with its direct sibling.

Q: Is the GPU's 12 GB VRAM sufficient for this game?

A: The measured data shows playable frame rates at 4K Ultra (57.9 FPS), indicating that 12 GB of GDDR6X memory is adequate for Microsoft Flight Simulator at these settings. The 504.2 GB/s bandwidth supports the high-resolution texture streaming demands.

Q: What performance can be expected at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the combo delivers 148.5 FPS at Low, 114.1 FPS at Medium, 84.9 FPS at High, and 83.8 FPS at Ultra settings. These results position 1440p as the sweet spot for balancing visual quality and frame rate.

Q: How does this combo rank overall?

A: The combination ranks 272nd out of 1795 tested configurations, placing it in the top 15.2% of all tested combos for this game.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 272 out of 1795 tested configurations (top 15.2%) reflects a strong, balanced system for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This ranking is consistent with the individual component performance: the CPU sits in the 93rd percentile of all processors, while the GPU ranks in the 84th percentile of all graphics cards. The combined result is a system that excels at 1080p and 1440p, with frame rates exceeding 100 FPS at 1080p High (109.5 FPS) and approaching 150 FPS at 1440p Low (148.5 FPS).

The rank becomes more meaningful when considering the game's demands. Flight simulators are notoriously CPU-heavy, and the i7-13700K's 16-core, 24-thread configuration with a 5.40 GHz boost clock provides the headroom needed for complex simulation logic. The GPU's 12 GB VRAM and Ada Lovelace architecture complement this, ensuring that graphical fidelity doesn't bottleneck the experience until 4K Ultra settings are applied.

Compared to other combos, this system's 272nd rank indicates that only 271 configurations deliver higher frame rates in this specific game. Given that this rank considers all possible CPU-GPU pairings, the i7-13700K + RTX 4070 SUPER combination represents a well-matched pairing where neither component dramatically bottlenecks the other in typical usage scenarios. The data shows that this combo outperforms the majority of systems while maintaining playable frame rates even at the most demanding 4K Ultra preset.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo produces its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings yield 184.9 FPS, Medium drops to 145 FPS, High achieves 109.5 FPS, and Ultra maintains 104.5 FPS. The 1080p results demonstrate excellent scaling, with only a 43.5% reduction from Low to Ultra, indicating that the CPU and GPU work efficiently together at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the GPU taking on more responsibility. Low settings deliver 148.5 FPS, Medium hits 114.1 FPS, High reaches 84.9 FPS, and Ultra produces 83.8 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra narrows to just 1.1 FPS at this resolution, suggesting that the GPU's rendering workload is beginning to limit the frame rate.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. Low settings still manage 106.4 FPS, which is surprisingly high, but Medium drops to 81.7 FPS, High falls to 61.5 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 57.9 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K shows a 45.6% reduction, but the absolute frame rates remain playable even at the highest settings. The most significant observation is that the difference between 1440p and 4K at Ultra settings is only 25.9 FPS (83.8 to 57.9), indicating diminishing returns as resolution increases.

Settings Recommendations

For users prioritizing maximum frame rates, the 1080p Low preset delivers 184.9 FPS, which is ideal for competitive or high-refresh-rate scenarios. However, given the simulator's visual nature, the 1080p High preset at 109.5 FPS offers a superior balance, providing 40.8% more visual fidelity than Low while still maintaining triple-digit frame rates.

At 1440p, the Medium preset at 114.1 FPS represents the best combination of visual quality and performance. The High preset at 84.9 FPS is also viable, but the 25.6% drop from Medium to High suggests that Medium provides better value in terms of frame rate retention. The Ultra preset at 83.8 FPS offers only marginal visual improvements over High for a negligible FPS cost, making it a reasonable choice for users with 144Hz displays.

For 4K gaming, the High preset at 61.5 FPS is the recommended choice, as it maintains a smooth experience above the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset at 57.9 FPS is playable but may introduce occasional stutter on displays with strict 60Hz refresh rates. The Medium preset at 81.7 FPS is an excellent alternative for users who prefer higher frame rates over maximum visual fidelity, offering a 33% improvement over High while still delivering strong image quality. The data clearly indicates that the Low preset should be avoided at 4K, as the 106.4 FPS result does not justify the significant visual compromises.