Microsoft Flight Simulator

# Microsoft Flight Simulator — Intel Core i7-14700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB

This combination pairs a top-tier 20-core CPU with an entry-level 4 GB GPU, and the benchmark data shows a system that is profoundly GPU-limited across every resolution and preset tested. The Intel Core i7-14700K ranks in the 94th percentile against all CPUs, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB sits at the 50th percentile — a massive capability gap that manifests as consistently low frame rates even at 1080p. The measured results indicate that this combo, ranked 3249 out of 3714 tested combinations, delivers playable performance only at the lowest settings and resolutions.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i7-14700K is a Raptor Lake Refresh part built on a 10 nm process, featuring 20 cores and 28 threads. It operates with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 33 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration, and includes integrated UHD Graphics 770, though the discrete GPU handles all rendering in this test.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i7-14700K delivers strong results: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 33440.5 and single-core score of 2160, a Geekbench multi-core score of 20767 and single-core score of 2569. PassMark tests show a multithread score of 52392 and single-thread score of 4472. The CPU's percentile ranking of 94 vs. all CPUs confirms its position near the top of the desktop heap, with an average benchmark score of 69355.

For Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU's role is theoretically significant — the game's flight model, weather simulation, and AI traffic generate substantial single-thread and multi-thread workloads. However, the measured FPS data tells a different story: at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 71 FPS average, but at 1080p Ultra it drops to 40 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra at every resolution is nearly identical in absolute terms (31 FPS at 1080p, 25 FPS at 1440p, 18 FPS at 4K), which suggests that the GPU is the binding constraint even at the lowest settings.

The CPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the AMD EPYC 9115 with an average score of 69288 (0.1% delta), the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X at 69515 (-0.2% delta), the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX at 69875 (-0.7% delta), and the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F at 69996 (-0.9% delta). These sub-1% score differences indicate that the i7-14700K is essentially tied with several high-end alternatives in raw compute, meaning CPU choice is unlikely to be the differentiator in this game's frame rates.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The combo achieves 55 FPS average, with a minimum of 47 FPS and a maximum of 64 FPS at 1920x1080 with Medium settings.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-core performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The i7-14700K's average benchmark score of 69355 is within 0.9% of all four nearest rivals listed — the AMD EPYC 9115 (69288, +0.1%), AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (69515, -0.2%), AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (69875, -0.7%), and AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (69996, -0.9%). This indicates performance parity with top-tier alternatives.

Q: What is the best FPS recorded across all tested configurations?

A: The highest average FPS is 71, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The next best is 57 FPS at 2560x1440 Low, followed by 55 FPS at 1080p Medium.

Q: What VRAM capacity does the GPU have, and what is its memory bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB features 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock is 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective).

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations in this game?

A: The combo ranks 3249 out of 3714 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the bottom 12.5% of tested systems.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the average FPS drops from 42 at Low settings to 24 at Ultra settings, a reduction of 18 FPS or roughly 43% of the Low-setting performance.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

Examining the measured FPS across resolutions reveals a consistent pattern of GPU-bound scaling. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 71 at 1080p to 57 at 1440p to 42 at 4K — a decline of 14 FPS (19.7%) from 1080p to 1440p, and another 15 FPS (26.3%) from 1440p to 4K. At High settings, the progression is 42 FPS → 34 FPS → 25 FPS across the same resolution ladder, with proportional drops of 19% and 26.5%. Medium settings show 55 FPS → 45 FPS → 33 FPS, and Ultra shows 40 FPS → 32 FPS → 24 FPS.

The percentage reductions between 1080p and 1440p, and between 1440p and 4K, are remarkably consistent across all four settings presets — typically around 19-20% for the first step and 25-27% for the second. This linear scaling pattern is characteristic of a system where the GPU is the primary bottleneck; if the CPU were limiting, the FPS would show less degradation at higher resolutions because the pixel workload would increase while the CPU workload remains constant.

The absolute FPS values reinforce this interpretation. At 4K Ultra, the combo produces just 24 FPS average, which is below playable thresholds for most users. Even at 1080p Low, the maximum measured FPS is 71 — a modest figure that suggests the RTX 3050 4 GB is unable to leverage the i7-14700K's substantial compute headroom. The data shows that this combination is effectively GPU-limited at every resolution and settings level, with the CPU's 94th-percentile performance going largely unused.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combo ranks 3249 out of 3714 tested combinations in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the bottom 12.5% of all systems tested for this game, which is a poor result given the CPU's capabilities. The ranking reflects the GPU's severe constraints — the RTX 3050 4 GB has a percentile ranking of 50 vs. all GPUs, meaning half of all GPUs in the database outperform it.

The gap between the CPU's 94th percentile rank and the GPU's 50th percentile rank is the defining characteristic of this combo. The i7-14700K is a top-6% CPU, yet the system's overall game performance lands in the bottom 12.5% of combos specifically because the GPU cannot translate CPU compute into frame rate. This mismatch is evident in the measured FPS: even at the lowest settings and resolution, the system cannot reach 100 FPS, which would be expected from a CPU of this caliber paired with a more capable GPU.

Compared to other combos in the database, this ranking suggests that systems with weaker CPUs but stronger GPUs would likely outperform this configuration in Microsoft Flight Simulator, since the game's frame rate is clearly tied to GPU throughput rather than CPU throughput in this specific pairing. The 4 GB VRAM capacity is particularly limiting for a game of this scope, as it constrains texture loading and draw distances.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB is built on the GA107 chip using Samsung's 8 nm process, with 8,700 million transistors on a 200 mm² die. It operates at a base clock of 1545 MHz and a boost clock of 1740 MHz, with 2048 shading units, 64 TMUs, 32 ROPs, 16 RT cores, and 64 tensor cores. The GPU delivers 7.127 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, with a pixel rate of 55.68 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 111.4 GTexel/s. Its 4 GB GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is modest by modern standards.

The GPU's 4 GB VRAM capacity is the single most consequential specification for Microsoft Flight Simulator. The game's high-resolution terrain textures, detailed aircraft models, and expansive draw distances demand significant memory bandwidth and capacity. The measured FPS data shows that even at 1080p High, the combo only manages 42 FPS average — a figure that indicates the GPU is simultaneously constrained by raw compute and memory bandwidth.

The RTX 3050 4 GB has a TDP of 90 W, uses a single 6-pin power connector, and requires a 250 W power supply. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, with display outputs including 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. The GPU is marked as end-of-life production status, with a predecessor in the GeForce 20 series and successor in the GeForce 40 series. Its launch MSRP was 199 USD.

The GPU's 50th percentile ranking vs. all GPUs places it at the median of the database, but in this game's context, it performs as a below-average part. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (24 FPS average) and 4K High (25 FPS average) are effectively unplayable, while even 1440p Ultra (32 FPS) and 1440p High (34 FPS) remain below the 60 FPS threshold many users target.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The complete measured FPS dataset for this combo is as follows:

At 3840x2160 (4K): Low settings produce 42 FPS average; Medium settings produce 33 FPS average with a minimum of 28 FPS and maximum of 38 FPS; High settings produce 25 FPS average; Ultra settings produce 24 FPS average. No minimum or maximum values are reported for Low, High, or Ultra at this resolution.

At 2560x1440 (1440p): Low settings produce 57 FPS average; Medium settings produce 45 FPS average with a minimum of 38 FPS and maximum of 51 FPS; High settings produce 34 FPS average; Ultra settings produce 32 FPS average. No minimum or maximum values are reported for Low, High, or Ultra at this resolution.

At 1920x1080 (1080p): Low settings produce 71 FPS average; Medium settings produce 55 FPS average with a minimum of 47 FPS and maximum of 64 FPS; High settings produce 42 FPS average; Ultra settings produce 40 FPS average. No minimum or maximum values are reported for Low, High, or Ultra at this resolution.

The data shows a consistent ordering: Low > Medium > High > Ultra at every resolution. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows as resolution increases — from 31 FPS at 1080p to 25 FPS at 1440p to 18 FPS at 4K. This narrowing suggests that at higher resolutions, the GPU becomes so saturated that even reducing settings yields diminishing returns. The Medium preset is the only one that reports minimum and maximum FPS values, and those show reasonable frame pacing: at 1080p, the 47-64 FPS range represents a 17 FPS spread; at 1440p, 38-51 FPS represents a 13 FPS spread; at 4K, 28-38 FPS represents a 10 FPS spread.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based strictly on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the target resolution and the user's minimum acceptable frame rate. The data shows that only one configuration exceeds 60 FPS average: 1080p Low at 71 FPS. No other combination reaches 60 FPS, which means users seeking smooth gameplay must accept either lower resolution or lower settings.

At 1080p, the Low preset at 71 FPS is the only measured configuration that clears the 60 FPS threshold. Medium at 55 FPS is close but still below 60, with a minimum of 47 FPS that could cause noticeable stutter in fast-moving flight scenarios. High at 42 FPS and Ultra at 40 FPS are both well below 60 FPS and would be suitable only for users who prioritize visual fidelity over smoothness.

At 1440p, Low at 57 FPS is the best option, though it still falls short of 60 FPS. Medium at 45 FPS, High at 34 FPS, and Ultra at 32 FPS all represent progressively worse experiences. At 4K, all presets are below 45 FPS, with Low at 42 FPS being the only remotely playable option; Medium, High, and Ultra at 33, 25, and 24 FPS respectively are all effectively unplayable for a flight simulator where precise control inputs are essential.

The measured data suggests that the Medium preset offers the best balance for users who want reasonable visual quality without sacrificing too much performance. At 1080p Medium, the 55 FPS average with a 47 FPS minimum and 64 FPS maximum provides the most consistent frame pacing among the higher-quality presets. The 47 FPS floor is the highest minimum FPS reported across all settings at any resolution, indicating that Medium produces the most stable experience relative to its visual output.

For users prioritizing frame rate above all else, 1080p Low at 71 FPS is the clear choice — it is the only configuration that achieves a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. However, the data shows that the GPU's limitations are so severe that even at Low settings, the system cannot deliver high refresh rates; the 71 FPS ceiling at 1080p Low represents the absolute maximum this combo can produce in Microsoft Flight Simulator.