Microsoft Flight Simulator

# FAQ

Q: What is the combo rank of the Intel Core i9-14900K with AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: This combination ranks 1929th out of 3714 tested combos in the game's benchmark database, placing it in the lower-middle portion of all tested systems.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in overall average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core i9-14900K scores 79097 on average, which is 0.3% behind the Intel Core i9-14900KF and 0.6% behind the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, while running 1.7% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395.

Q: What is the GPU's relative performance position based on its average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT has an average benchmark score of 27425, placing it at the 72nd percentile of all GPUs. It sits 0.5% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 and 1.5% behind the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20, while matching the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile within 0%.

Q: What is the best average FPS achieved by this combo in the measured data?

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 121, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

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

A: The lowest average FPS is 40, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings.

Q: Does the combo provide higher average FPS at Medium settings than at High settings across all resolutions?

A: Yes. At every resolution, Medium settings deliver higher average FPS than High settings: 94 vs 71 at 1920x1080, 76 vs 57 at 2560x1440, and 56 vs 42 at 3840x2160.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture using the Navi 22 chip on a 7 nm process from TSMC. It carries 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 384.0 GB/s. The GPU's base clock runs at 2321 MHz, with a boost clock of 2581 MHz and a game clock of 2424 MHz. Memory operates at 2000 MHz with 16 Gbps effective speed. The card has 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units, along with 40 ray tracing cores. Its pixel rate is 165.2 GPixel/s, texture rate is 413.0 GTexel/s, and FP32 performance is 13.21 TFLOPS.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the GPU's memory subsystem and compute throughput directly influence how the game renders terrain, aircraft models, and weather effects. The 12 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for the measured settings, but the card's overall percentile rank of 72 versus all GPUs suggests it is a mid-range performer. Benchmark results show that at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo averages only 40 FPS, which indicates the GPU is heavily taxed at 4K resolution with maximum detail. The drop from High to Ultra at 4K is modest in absolute terms—42 to 40 FPS—but the gap between Low and Medium at 4K is substantial: 72 to 56 FPS. This suggests that the GPU's raw fill rate and memory bandwidth become limiting factors as texture quality and draw distances increase.

The GPU's nearest rivals in average score include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090, which scores 27565 (0.5% ahead), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile, which scores 27435 (0% delta). This places the RX 6700 XT in a competitive position against higher-tier cards, though its performance in this specific flight simulator is constrained by the game's rendering demands. The 40 ray tracing cores are present, but Microsoft Flight Simulator's primary load is traditional rasterization, so the GPU's FP32 throughput of 13.21 TFLOPS becomes the dominant factor in frame generation. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo reaches 121 FPS, showing that the GPU can deliver high frame rates when pixel count and shading complexity are reduced.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a 24-core, 32-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake-R architecture, manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz, with a TDP of 125 W. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory over a dual-channel bus, and it includes UHD Graphics 770 as integrated graphics. Its percentile rank against all CPUs is 95, placing it in the top 5% of processors tested.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU handles simulation logic, flight physics, AI traffic, and world-building tasks that are heavily single-threaded in nature. The i9-14900K's high boost clock of 6.00 GHz is particularly relevant here, as the game's main thread benefits from raw single-core speed. Benchmark scores reflect this strength: the CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2262.5 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2655. Multi-core performance is also strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39399.5 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 21697, but the game's engine does not scale perfectly across all 24 cores.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 79097 places it 0.3% behind the Intel Core i9-14900KF and 0.6% behind the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, while leading the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 by 1.7%. When paired with the RX 6700 XT, the CPU's high single-thread performance ensures that at lower resolutions like 1920x1080, the combo can reach 121 FPS at Low settings, indicating that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck in that scenario. However, as resolution increases to 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, and the CPU's advantage is less visible in the measured frame rates. The 36 MB of L3 cache and 32 threads provide ample headroom for background tasks and complex flight scenarios, but the data shows that frame rates at 4K Ultra drop to 40 FPS, which is a GPU-driven limitation rather than a CPU constraint.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT ranks 1929th out of 3714 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places the system in the 52nd percentile of all tested configurations, meaning roughly half of the tested combos perform better and half perform worse. The rank is notable because the CPU is a top-tier processor (95th percentile) while the GPU is a mid-range card (72nd percentile), so the combo's overall position reflects the GPU's influence on gaming performance.

Compared to the CPU's nearest rivals, the i9-14900K's average score of 79097 is nearly identical to the i9-14900KF's 79371 (0.3% delta), which suggests that the non-K variant's integrated graphics do not meaningfully impact gaming results. The AMD EPYC 7413 scores 80041, which is 1.2% higher, but that processor is a server part with different characteristics. On the GPU side, the RX 6700 XT's average score of 27425 is within 0.5% of the RTX 3090's 27565, indicating that in synthetic benchmarks, these cards are close, though real-world gaming can diverge significantly.

The combo's rank of 1929 suggests that in Microsoft Flight Simulator, this pairing is not optimal for high-end performance. The game's demanding rendering at higher settings and resolutions means the GPU's mid-range position drags the overall ranking down, despite the CPU's strength. For context, the combo's measured FPS at 1920x1080 Ultra is 67, which is playable but not exceptional, while at 4K Ultra it drops to 40 FPS. The rank reflects these limitations across the full range of tested settings and resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 121 at 1080p to 97 at 1440p, a reduction of 24 FPS (approximately 19.8%), and then to 72 at 4K, a further reduction of 25 FPS (approximately 25.8%). This scaling indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting component at Low settings, as the CPU's high single-thread performance can maintain high frame rates at lower pixel counts, but the GPU's fill rate and bandwidth cannot keep up as resolution grows.

At Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 94 at 1080p to 76 at 1440p (a 19.1% reduction), and then to 56 at 4K (a 26.3% reduction). The min FPS values at Medium settings also scale: from 80 at 1080p to 64 at 1440p to 47 at 4K. This shows that even at medium detail, the GPU becomes increasingly strained at higher resolutions, with frame time variability growing as well. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 71 at 1080p to 57 at 1440p (19.7% reduction) and to 42 at 4K (26.3% reduction), following a similar pattern.

At Ultra settings, the average FPS drops from 67 at 1080p to 54 at 1440p (19.4% reduction) and to 40 at 4K (25.9% reduction). The consistent percentage drops across all settings suggest that resolution scaling is primarily GPU-bound, as the relative performance loss from 1080p to 4K remains around 40-41% regardless of quality preset. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the percentage drops would be smaller at lower resolutions where the CPU has more headroom. Instead, the data indicates that the RX 6700 XT's memory bandwidth of 384.0 GB/s and FP32 throughput of 13.21 TFLOPS are the constraints, especially at 4K where pixel count quadruples compared to 1080p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080 resolution, the combo delivers the following average FPS across settings: Low achieves 121 FPS, Medium achieves 94 FPS with a min of 80 and max of 108, High achieves 71 FPS, and Ultra achieves 67 FPS. The gap between Medium and High is 23 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is only 4 FPS, suggesting diminishing returns at the top end of quality settings. The 121 FPS at Low indicates that the system can handle esports-level frame rates, but flight simulators typically prioritize visual fidelity over raw speed.

At 2560x1440 resolution, average FPS drops across all settings: Low achieves 97 FPS, Medium achieves 76 FPS with a min of 64 and max of 87, High achieves 57 FPS, and Ultra achieves 54 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra narrows to 3 FPS, while the gap from Medium to High is 19 FPS. At this resolution, the system remains playable at all settings, but Ultra dips below 60 FPS, which may be noticeable in a simulator where smooth camera movement is important.

At 3840x2160 resolution, average FPS is significantly lower: Low achieves 72 FPS, Medium achieves 56 FPS with a min of 47 and max of 64, High achieves 42 FPS, and Ultra achieves 40 FPS. The 4K Ultra result of 40 FPS is the lowest measured value across all configurations, and even Low settings only reach 72 FPS, which is below the 1080p Low result of 121 FPS by 49 FPS. The min FPS at 4K Medium is 47, indicating that frame drops can be substantial during complex scenes. Overall, the data shows that 4K gaming with this combo is only viable at Low or Medium settings, while 1440p offers a balanced experience across all presets.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and the user's preference for smoothness versus visual quality. At 1920x1080, Ultra settings deliver 67 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, making it the best choice for users who prioritize maximum detail. However, Medium settings at 94 FPS provide a significant 27 FPS improvement over Ultra while still offering decent visual quality, and the min FPS of 80 ensures consistent frame delivery. For users who want the highest frame rates, Low at 121 FPS is the clear winner, but the visual trade-off is substantial in a game that relies heavily on scenery detail.

At 2560x1440, Medium settings deliver 76 FPS with a min of 64, which is the sweet spot for a balanced experience. High settings drop to 57 FPS, which is below 60 and may introduce noticeable stutter during demanding scenes, while Ultra at 54 FPS is even lower. Low at 97 FPS is smooth but sacrifices too much visual fidelity for a simulator. Therefore, Medium is the recommended preset at 1440p, as it maintains playable frame rates while preserving enough detail for an immersive flight experience.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more constrained. Low settings achieve 72 FPS, which is the only preset that stays comfortably above 60 FPS. Medium settings drop to 56 FPS with a min of 47, which can cause noticeable frame hitches during complex terrain or weather rendering. High and Ultra settings at 42 and 40 FPS respectively are below the threshold for smooth play and should be avoided unless the user accepts significant compromises in frame pacing. For 4K users, Low settings are recommended for consistent performance, while Medium is a viable option for those who prioritize visual quality over frame rate stability. The data clearly shows that this combo is not suited for 4K Ultra gaming, and users should target 1080p or 1440p for the best balance of quality and performance.