Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator is a demanding title that stresses both the CPU and GPU heavily, and the pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 produces a specific set of trade-offs. The benchmark results show a system that can handle the simulator at playable frame rates, but only with careful attention to settings and resolution. The data indicates that the RTX 2060 is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the Core Ultra 5 225 provides sufficient headroom to keep the simulation's heavy single-threaded workloads from becoming a bottleneck at lower settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable pattern: performance degrades significantly as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 92 FPS, which is a very smooth experience for a flight simulator. Moving up to 1440p at Low settings drops the average to 74 FPS, and at 4K at Low settings, the average falls further to 55 FPS. This scaling shows that even at the lowest graphical preset, the GPU is being pushed harder as pixel count increases, but the frame rates remain respectable.

The trend becomes more pronounced at higher settings. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 54 at 1080p to 43 at 1440p, and finally to 32 at 4K. This represents a 41% drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings. The Ultra preset tells a similar story, with averages of 51 FPS at 1080p, 41 FPS at 1440p, and 30 FPS at 4K. The fact that the gap between 1080p and 1440p is consistently smaller than the gap between 1440p and 4K suggests that the GPU is running out of memory bandwidth and raw compute power as the resolution climbs, making 4K a target only for the lowest quality settings.

The scaling pattern indicates that the limiting component changes with resolution. At 1080p, the Core Ultra 5 225’s strong single-core performance appears to be keeping up with the RTX 2060, as the frame rates scale relatively well with settings. However, at 4K, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck. The difference between Low (55 FPS) and Ultra (30 FPS) at 4K is a 45% performance swing, which is substantial and shows that the RTX 2060’s 6 GB VRAM and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for the higher-fidelity textures and effects at that resolution. This is a classic case of a mid-range GPU being paired with a modern CPU, where the CPU can feed frames fast enough, but the GPU cannot render them quickly at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations for Microsoft Flight Simulator, this pairing sits in the lower-middle tier. The combo rank is 2344 out of 2996 tested combos, placing it in the 78th percentile from the bottom. This means that while it is not among the weakest systems, the majority of tested configurations deliver higher average frame rates in this specific game. The ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU, as the RTX 2060 is an older, end-of-life product that struggles with the simulator’s demanding rendering loads.

The CPU’s standing, however, is notably stronger. The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 has an average benchmark score of 36938, which places it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals in synthetic tests are the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (36945, 0% delta), the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (37018, -0.2% delta), and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (37093, -0.4% delta). This shows that the Core Ultra 5 225 is a competitive mid-range processor, delivering performance nearly identical to those alternatives. In contrast, the RTX 2060’s average benchmark score of 15290 places it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs, with its nearest rivals including the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 (15283, 0% delta) and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 (15171, 0.8% delta).

This discrepancy between CPU and GPU performance explains the overall combo ranking. The data suggests that the Core Ultra 5 225 has more performance headroom than the RTX 2060 can utilize in this game. If the GPU were upgraded, the rank would likely improve substantially, as the CPU would not be the limiting factor. For users building a system for Microsoft Flight Simulator, this combo is balanced more toward the CPU, which is beneficial for the simulation’s physics and scenery calculations, but the GPU holds back the overall experience at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is the definitive bottleneck in this configuration for Microsoft Flight Simulator. Its 6 GB of GDDR6 memory is a critical constraint, especially at 4K resolution where the High and Ultra settings demand more video memory than is available. The benchmark results show that at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 30, which is borderline unplayable for a smooth experience. This is not surprising given that the GPU’s memory bandwidth is 336.0 GB/s, which is modest by modern standards. The 192-bit memory bus and 14 Gbps effective memory clock are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming but struggle to maintain fluid frame rates at 4K.

Clock speeds also play a role in the performance profile. The GPU has a base clock of 1365 MHz and a boost clock of 1680 MHz. These clocks are relatively low compared to newer GPUs, but they are typical for the Turing architecture. The RTX 2060 also has 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, which are modest numbers that limit its fill rate and pixel throughput. The pixel rate is 80.64 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 201.6 GTexel/s, which are adequate for 1080p but insufficient for the higher pixel counts of 1440p and 4K.

The GPU’s performance in synthetic benchmarks further contextualizes its role. Its Passmark G3D score is 14111, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1242. These scores indicate that the GPU is a solid entry-level option for 1080p gaming, but it is not designed for high-refresh-rate 1440p or 4K gaming. The data shows that in Microsoft Flight Simulator, the GPU is the primary reason why the combo cannot maintain 60 FPS at 1440p with High settings, as the average there is only 43 FPS. For users with this GPU, lowering settings to Medium or Low is essential to achieve playable frame rates at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at how this combo performs across different resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the results are the most playable. With Low settings, the average FPS is 92, which is excellent. Medium settings yield an average of 71 FPS, with a minimum of 61 FPS and a maximum of 82 FPS, indicating a stable experience. High settings drop the average to 54 FPS, and Ultra settings bring it down to 51 FPS. These numbers suggest that 1080p is the sweet spot for this combo, with users able to choose between high frame rates at Low settings or a more visually rich experience at Medium and High settings while staying above 50 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance takes a noticeable hit. Low settings produce an average of 74 FPS, which is still smooth. Medium settings average 58 FPS, with a minimum of 49 FPS and a maximum of 66 FPS, which is acceptable for a flight simulator. High settings drop the average to 43 FPS, and Ultra settings bring it down to 41 FPS. The data shows that 1440p is playable, but users will need to stick to Low or Medium settings to maintain a consistent frame rate above 50 FPS. The jump from Medium to High at 1440p results in a 26% performance loss, which is significant.

At 3840x2160, the GPU struggles to keep up. Low settings yield an average of 55 FPS, which is surprising but indicates that the game is not entirely GPU-bound at the lowest preset. Medium settings drop the average to 42 FPS, with a minimum of 36 FPS and a maximum of 49 FPS, which is playable but not ideal. High settings average 32 FPS, and Ultra settings average 30 FPS, both of which are below the 60 FPS target and may feel stuttery. The data clearly shows that 4K is only viable with Low settings, and even then, the frame rate is not consistently above 60 FPS. The minimum FPS values for Medium settings at 4K (36 FPS) and 1440p (49 FPS) highlight the occasional dips that can occur during complex scenes.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 plays a supportive but crucial role in this combo. With 10 cores and 10 threads, it has a solid multi-threaded capability for handling the background simulation tasks, such as AI traffic and weather systems. The CPU’s base clock of 3.30 GHz and boost clock of 4.90 GHz are high enough to handle the game’s primary single-threaded rendering thread, which is often the bottleneck in flight simulators. The 20 MB of shared L3 cache also helps with data access, reducing latency for frequently used game assets.

The CPU’s synthetic benchmark scores confirm its strength. In Cinebench R23, it scores 25891 in multi-core and 3655 in single-core. This single-core score is particularly important for Microsoft Flight Simulator, which is known for heavy single-threaded usage. The Passmark single-thread score of 4412 further supports this, showing that the CPU can handle the game’s main thread without becoming a bottleneck at lower resolutions. The CPU’s percentile rank of 85 among all CPUs indicates that it is a strong performer, and its nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score are all within a 0.5% margin, showing that it is a well-rounded processor.

In this specific game, the CPU’s role becomes more evident at 1080p with Low settings, where the GPU is not the limiting factor. At 92 FPS, the CPU is likely doing the heavy lifting to maintain that frame rate. However, as resolution increases, the GPU takes over as the primary bottleneck, and the CPU’s performance becomes less critical. The data shows that the Core Ultra 5 225 is not holding back the RTX 2060 in this game, as the frame rates scale almost entirely with GPU load. For users who plan to upgrade the GPU in the future, this CPU provides a solid foundation, as it has the single-threaded performance to support a more powerful graphics card.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings for this combo to achieve a smooth 60 FPS experience?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 with Low settings is the only configuration that averages above 90 FPS (92 FPS). For a consistent 60+ FPS experience, 1080p with Medium settings (71 FPS average) or 1440p with Low settings (74 FPS average) are the best options, as they both average above 70 FPS.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: Yes, but only with significant compromises. At 4K, the average FPS ranges from 55 (Low settings) to 30 (Ultra settings). The Medium preset averages 42 FPS with a minimum of 36 FPS, which is playable but not smooth. For a better experience, 1440p is recommended over 4K.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck in this system for this game?

A: The GPU is the primary bottleneck at resolutions above 1080p. The RTX 2060’s 6 GB VRAM and limited bandwidth cause significant frame rate drops at 1440p and 4K. The CPU, with its strong single-core performance, is only a limiting factor when the GPU is not fully stressed, such as at 1080p with Low settings.

Q: How does the Core Ultra 5 225 compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Core Ultra 5 225 has an average benchmark score of 36938. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (36945, 0% delta), the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (37018, -0.2% delta), and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (37093, -0.4% delta). This shows it performs nearly identically to these processors.

Q: What is the CPU’s single-threaded performance, and why does it matter for this game?

A: The CPU scores 3655 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 4412 in Passmark single-thread. Microsoft Flight Simulator relies heavily on a single main thread for rendering, so a high single-core score ensures that the CPU does not become a bottleneck when the GPU is not stressed, such as at lower resolutions.

Q: Given the data, what is the most apparent weakness of this combo for this game?

A: The most apparent weakness is the GPU’s 6 GB VRAM and overall compute power, which limits the ability to use High or Ultra settings at 1440p and 4K. The data shows a steep performance drop at 4K, where even High settings only average 32 FPS, indicating that the GPU cannot handle the game’s higher fidelity modes at that resolution.