Microsoft Flight Simulator

# How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT lands at rank 2745 out of 3714 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. That places this configuration in the bottom 26% of all tested pairings, which is a sobering result for a CPU that otherwise sits in the 94th percentile among all processors. The bottleneck here is unmistakable: the RX 5700 XT, which ranks in only the 59th percentile among all GPUs, is holding back what is otherwise a top-tier flight simulation CPU.

This rank disparity tells a clear story. The i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread Raptor Lake Refresh part with a 5.60 GHz boost clock, and it scores 44167 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 6235 in single-core. Those are elite numbers. Yet the GPU, with its 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, simply cannot feed frames fast enough to exploit that CPU strength. The result is a combo that ranks poorly despite having one very strong component.

When compared to other combos in the database, this pairing's 2745th place finish reflects a fundamental imbalance. The GPU's Passmark G3D score of 16277 and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2134 are unremarkable, and the card's 59th percentile standing among all GPUs confirms it as a mid-range part from 2019. The CPU, by contrast, beats its nearest rival — the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F — by only 0.2% in average benchmark score, yet that rival would almost certainly pair with a more modern GPU in most tested configurations.

For builders, this rank is a warning. If you already own the i7-14700KF, this GPU choice will leave performance on the table. If you are assembling a new system, the data suggests allocating more budget toward the graphics card, as the CPU has ample headroom to drive a faster GPU in this title.

# Settings Recommendations

Microsoft Flight Simulator is notoriously demanding, and the measured FPS data for this combo shows that settings presets matter enormously. At 1920x1080, the difference between Low and Ultra is 43 FPS — from 98 FPS down to 55 FPS. That is a massive swing, and it tells you exactly where the GPU struggles.

The best experience per the measured rows is the Medium preset. At 1080p Medium, the combo delivers 77 FPS average with a minimum of 65 FPS and a maximum of 88 FPS. That is a smooth, playable experience for a flight sim, where frame pacing matters more than raw FPS. The 65 FPS minimum is particularly important because it means the experience stays fluid even in dense scenery or weather-heavy conditions.

At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 62 FPS with a minimum of 52 FPS and a maximum of 71 FPS. That is still playable, but the 52 FPS floor is getting close to the threshold where you will notice stutter. For most users, 1080p Medium is the sweet spot — it keeps the minimum above 60 FPS and leaves headroom for occasional dips.

High settings are usable but not ideal. At 1080p High, the combo averages 58 FPS, which is technically playable but lacks the margin you want for a sim where smoothness is critical. At 1440p High, it falls to 46 FPS, and at 4K High, it drops to 34 FPS. Those are borderline at best.

Ultra is only for screenshots. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 55 FPS, but at 1440p it falls to 44 FPS and at 4K to 33 FPS. The 4K Ultra result of 33 FPS is below the 34 FPS High result at the same resolution, showing that Ultra settings push the GPU past its limits.

Low settings are surprisingly effective in this title. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 98 FPS average, and even at 4K Low it manages 59 FPS. If you prioritize smoothness above all else, Low at 4K is a legitimate option — the data shows it outperforms High at 1440p.

# Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and revealing. At Medium settings, the average goes from 77 FPS at 1080p to 62 FPS at 1440p to 46 FPS at 4K. That is a 40% reduction from 1080p to 4K, and the scaling is roughly linear with pixel count — which is the signature of a GPU-bound workload.

The pattern is consistent across all settings presets. At Low, the drop is from 98 FPS at 1080p to 79 FPS at 1440p to 59 FPS at 4K — a 40% decrease. At High, it goes from 58 FPS to 46 FPS to 34 FPS — a 41% decrease. At Ultra, the numbers are 55 FPS, 44 FPS, and 33 FPS — a 40% decrease.

This uniform scaling tells you the limiting component is the GPU. If the CPU were the bottleneck, you would expect the FPS to stay relatively flat as resolution increases, because the CPU work per frame remains constant regardless of resolution. Instead, the FPS drops in near-perfect proportion to the pixel count, which means the RX 5700 XT is saturated at every resolution.

The practical implication is that you cannot buy your way out of the GPU limitation by lowering resolution. Even at 1080p Low, the combo only manages 98 FPS, which is far from CPU-limited territory for a 20-core, 28-thread processor that scores 52425 in Passmark multithread. The i7-14700KF could push far more frames in this game if it had a faster GPU feeding it.

For 4K gaming, this combo is not viable beyond Low settings. The 4K Medium result of 46 FPS and 4K High of 34 FPS are both below the 60 FPS threshold that most flight sim enthusiasts would consider acceptable. At 1440p, Medium is the ceiling for a consistently smooth experience.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 98 FPS average
• Medium: 77 FPS average, 65 FPS minimum, 88 FPS maximum
• High: 58 FPS average
• Ultra: 55 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 79 FPS average
• Medium: 62 FPS average, 52 FPS minimum, 71 FPS maximum
• High: 46 FPS average
• Ultra: 44 FPS average

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 59 FPS average
• Medium: 46 FPS average, 39 FPS minimum, 52 FPS maximum
• High: 34 FPS average
• Ultra: 33 FPS average

The data shows a few noteworthy patterns. First, the gap between High and Ultra is small at every resolution — 3 FPS at 1080p, 2 FPS at 1440p, and 1 FPS at 4K. That suggests Ultra settings are not adding much visual load over High, or the GPU is equally saturated by both presets.

Second, the Medium preset consistently offers the best balance. At 1080p, it delivers 19 FPS more than High. At 1440p, it delivers 16 FPS more than High. At 4K, it delivers 12 FPS more than High. The minimum FPS numbers for Medium — 65 at 1080p, 52 at 1440p, and 39 at 4K — are all higher than the average FPS for High at the same resolutions.

Third, Low settings are disproportionately effective. The jump from Low to Medium costs 21 FPS at 1080p, 17 FPS at 1440p, and 13 FPS at 4K. That is a significant cost for what is usually a modest visual improvement in this title. If you are chasing high frame rates, Low is the only preset that consistently delivers above 60 FPS at 1440p and above.

# FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of 60 FPS at 1080p?

A: Yes, but only at Low or Medium settings. At 1080p Low, the average is 98 FPS, and at 1080p Medium, the average is 77 FPS with a 65 FPS minimum. High and Ultra presets fall to 58 FPS and 55 FPS respectively, which miss the 60 FPS mark.

Q: Can this system run Microsoft Flight Simulator at 4K?

A: Only at Low settings, where it averages 59 FPS. At Medium, the average drops to 46 FPS with a 39 FPS minimum. High and Ultra are not playable at 4K, with averages of 34 FPS and 33 FPS respectively.

Q: Which component is the bottleneck in this pairing?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT is clearly the limiting factor. The GPU ranks in the 59th percentile among all GPUs, while the Intel Core i7-14700KF ranks in the 94th percentile among all CPUs. The near-linear FPS scaling with resolution confirms the GPU is saturated at all settings.

Q: How does the i7-14700KF compare to its closest CPU rivals?

A: The i7-14700KF has an average benchmark score of 70163. It is 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (69996), 0.4% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (69875), and 0.9% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (69515). It trails the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K (70879) by 1%.

Q: What is the best settings preset for this combo?

A: Medium is the recommended preset. It provides the best balance of visual quality and performance, with 77 FPS average at 1080p and 62 FPS at 1440p. The minimum FPS values for Medium — 65 at 1080p and 52 at 1440p — are higher than the average FPS for High at the same resolutions.

Q: How does the RX 5700 XT compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RX 5700 XT has an average benchmark score of 16361. It is 0.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M (16351) but trails the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell (16408) by 0.3%, the AMD Radeon PRO W7500 (16415) by 0.3%, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D V2 (16504) by 0.9%.

# CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a Raptor Lake Refresh part built on Intel's 10 nm process, with a 257 mm² die size. It packs 20 cores and 28 threads, configured with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 33 MB of shared L3 cache. This is a desktop-class CPU on the Intel Socket 1700 platform, supporting DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel mode, with PCIe Gen 5 providing 16 lanes from the CPU.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i7-14700KF demonstrates exceptional multi-threaded capability. It scores 44167 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 18550 in Cinebench R20 multi-core, alongside 52425 in Passmark multithread. Single-thread performance is equally strong, with 6235 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 4480 in Passmark single-thread. The Geekbench scores of 21462 multi-core and 2578 single-core confirm this CPU is in the top tier of desktop processors.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, however, the CPU's role is secondary to the GPU. The measured FPS data shows that this game is heavily GPU-bound for this combo. The 40% FPS drop from 1080p to 4K at every settings preset is the hallmark of a graphics-limited workload — the CPU is not the constraint. Even at 1080p Low, where the combo reaches 98 FPS, the i7-14700KF is nowhere near its performance ceiling.

The CPU's 125 W TDP and unlocked multiplier mean it has headroom for overclocking, but that will not help in this scenario. The RX 5700 XT, with its 225 W TDP and 8 GB GDDR6 memory, is the limiting factor across all resolutions and settings tested. The GPU's Passmark G3D score of 16277 and its 59th percentile ranking among all GPUs place it firmly in mid-range territory, while the CPU's 94th percentile ranking places it among the best available.

For flight sim enthusiasts who own this CPU, the path to better performance is clear: upgrade the GPU. The i7-14700KF is capable of driving far more demanding graphics cards in this title, and the current pairing leaves the CPU's potential largely unrealized. The data indicates that this CPU is not the bottleneck at any resolution tested — the GPU is.