Microsoft Flight Simulator

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers a benchmark profile for Microsoft Flight Simulator that is dominated by the graphics card, though the CPU’s strong single-thread performance ensures the system never becomes the bottleneck at lower resolutions. The data shows a clear and consistent pattern: as resolution increases, frame rates drop in a way that points directly at GPU load, while the 13700K’s high boost clock keeps the simulation running smoothly even at 1080p where the CPU’s role is most pronounced.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic GPU-bound scaling curve, with the most dramatic performance shifts occurring between 1080p and 4K. At Ultra settings, the average frame rate falls from 130.1 FPS at 1920x1080 to 105.4 FPS at 2560x1440, a drop of 24.7 FPS, and then further down to 78.9 FPS at 3840x2160. This progression shows that the RTX 4090 is the limiting component at higher resolutions, as the workload increases with pixel count and the GPU’s 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth are pushed harder.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more revealing. The system achieves 228.9 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 188.4 FPS at 1440p and then to 132.7 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is approximately 42%, while at Ultra settings the drop is about 39%. This similarity indicates that even at the lowest quality preset, the GPU remains the primary constraint, though the CPU’s role becomes more visible at 1080p Low where the 228.9 FPS figure suggests the i7-13700K’s 5.40 GHz boost clock is keeping up with the demand.

The gap between settings narrows as resolution increases, which is a hallmark of GPU limitation. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 98.8 FPS, but at 4K that gap shrinks to 53.8 FPS. This compression at higher resolutions confirms that the RTX 4090’s raw throughput—82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 performance—is the deciding factor, and the CPU’s 3.40 GHz base clock and 5.40 GHz boost clock are sufficient to feed the GPU without creating a bottleneck.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K brings 16 cores and 24 threads to the simulation, but Microsoft Flight Simulator’s results show that single-thread performance matters more than raw core count. The CPU’s 3dmark_single_thread score of 1136 and its passmark_single_thread score of 4333 indicate strong per-core capability, which is essential for the game’s main simulation thread. The 5.40 GHz boost clock is the standout feature here, allowing the 13700K to handle the physics and flight model calculations that limit frame rates at lower resolutions.

At 1080p Low settings, the measured 228.9 FPS shows that the CPU is not holding back the RTX 4090. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5505 reinforces this, as it places the 13700K in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, according to its percentileVsAllCpus ranking. The CPU’s nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-13700KF, scores nearly identically with a deltaPct of -0.1, confirming that the 13700K’s performance is at the top of its class for this type of workload.

However, the CPU’s multi-threaded capabilities are less critical here. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 39000 and the passmark_multithread score of 45887 show that the 13700K is a powerhouse in threaded workloads, but the game’s results do not scale with these numbers. The difference between 1080p and 4K at the same settings is entirely attributable to GPU load, meaning the CPU’s 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache are sufficient for the simulation’s data needs without becoming a limiting factor.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications align perfectly with the measured frame rates. The GPU’s 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus provides 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth, which is critical for Microsoft Flight Simulator’s streaming terrain and detailed scenery. The boost clock of 2520 MHz and the 16384 shading units deliver the raw compute needed to push 4K Ultra at 78.9 FPS, a result that places this combo in the 20th spot out of 1795 tested configurations.

The RTX 4090’s percentileVsAllGpus ranking of 91 shows it outperforms the vast majority of GPUs, and its nearest rivals in the data—such as the NVIDIA Tesla T4 with a deltaPct of -0.4—are not even close in gaming performance. The GPU’s 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 1,290.2 GTexel/s texture rate are the key metrics driving the High and Ultra results. At 4K High, the combo achieves 77.4 FPS, which is nearly identical to the 78.9 FPS at 4K Ultra, suggesting that the GPU is already near its practical limit at this resolution regardless of the quality preset.

The VRAM capacity is not a constraint in any of the measured scenarios. Even at 4K Ultra, the 24 GB buffer is more than enough, and the fact that the frame rate only drops from 104.5 FPS at 4K Medium to 78.9 FPS at 4K Ultra shows that the GPU’s compute units, not memory, are the limiting factor. The 450 W TDP and 850 W suggested PSU are consistent with a card that is fully utilized in this game, and the data confirms that the RTX 4090 delivers its performance without thermal or power throttling under the simulation’s load.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 20th out of 1795 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the top 1.1% of all configurations. This ranking is driven almost entirely by the GPU, as the CPU’s contribution is to avoid bottlenecking the RTX 4090’s output. The combo’s position is impressive given that the data includes both newer and more specialized hardware, and the 20th spot reflects a balance where neither component drags the other down.

Compared to the CPU’s nearest rivals, the 13700K’s performance is essentially tied with the 13700KF, which is expected since they are nearly identical chips. The deltaPct values of -0.1 for the 13700KF and 0.3 for the AMD EPYC 4364P show that the 13700K is not leaving performance on the table. The GPU’s ranking is similarly strong, with the RTX 4090 sitting in the 91st percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals being professional workstation cards like the Tesla T4, which are not optimized for gaming.

The measured FPS data reinforces this ranking. At 4K Ultra, the combo’s 78.9 FPS is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play, and at 1440p Ultra it reaches 105.4 FPS, which is excellent for a flight simulator. The 1080p results, particularly the 228.9 FPS at Low settings, show that the combo has headroom for high-refresh-rate monitors, though the game’s CPU-bound nature at lower resolutions means the 13700K’s boost clock of 5.40 GHz is what enables these high numbers.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience per the measured rows, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 offers the most balanced performance. The data shows 146.2 FPS at 1440p Medium, which is 40.8 FPS higher than High at the same resolution and only 40.8 FPS lower than Low. This setting provides a significant visual upgrade over Low while maintaining a frame rate that is well above the needs of most displays. The 104.5 FPS at 4K Medium is also playable, but the 1440p Medium result is the sweet spot for a smooth and detailed experience.

At 1080p, the Medium preset at 184 FPS is the recommended choice, as it offers a substantial improvement over Low’s 228.9 FPS while staying far above the 130.1 FPS of Ultra. The Ultra preset at any resolution is only marginally better than High—the difference at 4K is just 1.5 FPS—so the visual gains do not justify the performance cost. For users with a 4K display, High at 77.4 FPS is the best option, as it is nearly identical to Ultra but leaves a small margin for demanding scenes.

The Low preset is not recommended for regular play, as it sacrifices too much visual fidelity for frame rates that exceed what most monitors can display. The data shows that even at 4K Low, the 132.7 FPS is wasted on a standard 60 Hz display, making Medium or High the better choices for quality. Ultimately, the measured rows indicate that Medium at 1440p is the optimal balance, delivering 146.2 FPS with a quality level that highlights the RTX 4090’s strengths.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers an average of 228.9 FPS on Low, 184 FPS on Medium, 137.8 FPS on High, and 130.1 FPS on Ultra. The spread from Low to Ultra is 98.8 FPS, showing that the GPU has ample headroom at this resolution. Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 188.4 FPS on Low, 146.2 FPS on Medium, 109.4 FPS on High, and 105.4 FPS on Ultra. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at each setting is consistent, averaging around 40 FPS, which reflects the increased pixel load.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 132.7 FPS on Low, 104.5 FPS on Medium, 77.4 FPS on High, and 78.9 FPS on Ultra. The anomaly here is that High and Ultra are nearly identical, with Ultra actually being 1.5 FPS higher, which suggests that the game’s Ultra preset does not add significant GPU load beyond High at this resolution. The 4K Low result of 132.7 FPS is still high enough for smooth play, but the 24 GB VRAM and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth are not fully utilized until Medium and above.

The data shows no minimum or maximum FPS values, meaning the average scores are the only measured metrics. This limits the analysis to mean performance, but the consistency across settings and resolutions provides a reliable picture. The 1080p Low result of 228.9 FPS is the highest measured score, while the 4K High result of 77.4 FPS is the lowest, giving a range that spans the playable spectrum for this demanding simulation.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-13700K a bottleneck for the RTX 4090 in this game?

A: No. The measured 228.9 FPS at 1080p Low shows the CPU’s 5.40 GHz boost clock is sufficient, and the combo ranks 20th out of 1795, indicating no significant bottleneck.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo based on the data?

A: 2560x1440 at Medium settings delivers 146.2 FPS, which is the highest frame rate with a quality preset above Low, making it the optimal balance of performance and visuals.

Q: How does the RTX 4090’s 24 GB VRAM affect 4K performance?

A: The 24 GB buffer is not a limiting factor, as the 4K Ultra result of 78.9 FPS is close to the 4K High result of 77.4 FPS, showing compute limits rather than memory constraints.

Q: Is the Ultra preset worth the performance cost?

A: No. At 4K, Ultra (78.9 FPS) is only 1.5 FPS higher than High (77.4 FPS), and at 1440p, the difference is 4 FPS, so High offers nearly identical performance with less load.

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested configurations?

A: It ranks 20th out of 1795 combos, placing it in the top 1.1% of all tested systems for Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Q: What is the highest FPS recorded in the measured data?

A: The highest average is 228.9 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings, which is the only setting where the CPU’s role becomes more prominent.