Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator is a notoriously demanding title, and the data for the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D provides a clear picture of how this combination handles the load. The measured frames per second reveal a system that is heavily influenced by the graphics card at higher resolutions, while the processor shows its capabilities at lower settings. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, contextualizes it against other tested configurations, and explores the specific roles of the CPU and GPU in this flight simulator.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a significant and predictable drop as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the "High" preset, the average frame rate falls from 149 FPS at 1080p to 120 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 88 FPS at 4K. This represents a 19% decrease from 1080p to 1440p and a further 27% decrease from 1440p to 4K. This scaling pattern suggests that the RTX 5090 D is still the primary limiting component even at 4K, as the frame rate remains well above playable thresholds.

The trend is even more pronounced at the "Low" preset, where the average FPS drops from 233 at 1080p to 205 at 1440p and then to 151 at 4K. The 4K result is a 35% reduction from the 1080p figure. This larger percentage drop at lower settings indicates that the CPU is less of a bottleneck in this scenario, allowing the GPU's workload to scale more directly with pixel count. The data implies that the Core Ultra 5 225 is capable of feeding the RTX 5090 D sufficient data at 1080p, but the GPU's rendering workload becomes the dominant factor as resolution climbs.

When examining the "Ultra" preset, the frame rates are the lowest of all settings, as expected. The average drops from 142 FPS at 1080p to 114 FPS at 1440p, and then to 84 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is a 41% drop from the 1080p Ultra score. This steep decline highlights the immense graphical pressure of the Ultra preset at high resolutions. The 84 FPS average at 4K Ultra is still a very strong result for a flight simulator, but the data shows that even this flagship GPU is not immune to the demanding nature of the game's highest settings.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K at all settings shows a consistent pattern of roughly a 25-30% performance hit. This consistency suggests that the game's engine is well-optimized for resolution scaling and that the primary bottleneck is the GPU's fill rate and shading power. The RTX 5090 D, with its massive memory bandwidth and compute resources, is the component being stressed most heavily in these scenarios. The CPU's influence on the frame rate becomes secondary at these high pixel counts.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the "Medium" preset offers the most balanced experience, particularly at higher resolutions. At 4K, it delivers an average of 118 FPS, which is significantly higher than the 88 FPS of the "High" preset and the 84 FPS of "Ultra". The jump from "Low" to "Medium" at 4K results in a 22% decrease in FPS (from 151 to 118), but the visual quality improvement is likely substantial. For users with a 4K display, "Medium" provides a smooth and visually rich experience without the performance hit of the higher presets.

At 1440p, the "High" preset is a compelling choice, delivering an average of 120 FPS. This is a 25% drop from the "Medium" preset's 159 FPS, but the increased visual fidelity is often worth the trade-off. The "Ultra" preset at 1440p drops to 114 FPS, which is a smaller margin from "High" than at other resolutions, suggesting that the CPU might start to play a more significant role here, limiting the gains from reducing graphical load. The data shows that "High" at 1440p is a sweet spot for balancing smoothness and detail.

For 1080p users, the "High" preset at 149 FPS is an excellent choice for high-refresh-rate monitors. The "Ultra" preset at 142 FPS is also viable, representing only a 5% performance hit from "High". The marginal difference between these two presets at 1080p indicates that the CPU is becoming a more significant bottleneck, as the GPU has spare capacity to render more detailed scenes. The "Low" preset at 233 FPS is only necessary for extreme refresh rates and does not represent a practical visual experience for most users.

The overall recommendation is to prioritize "Medium" or "High" presets. "Medium" is the safest for ensuring high frame rates at 4K, while "High" is the best balance for 1440p and 1080p. The "Ultra" preset, while playable, shows diminishing returns in average FPS, especially at 4K where the 84 FPS average might dip lower in complex scenery. The data suggests that the game is demanding enough that even a top-tier GPU like the RTX 5090 D benefits from a slight reduction in settings to maintain a large performance headroom.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable at 4K resolution?

A: The highest average FPS at 3840x2160 is achieved with the "Low" preset, which yields 151 FPS. The "Medium" preset follows at 118 FPS, while "High" and "Ultra" produce 88 FPS and 84 FPS, respectively.

Q: How does the "Ultra" preset performance at 1080p compare to the "Low" preset?

A: The "Ultra" preset at 1920x1080 delivers an average of 142 FPS, which is 91 FPS lower than the "Low" preset's 233 FPS. This represents a 39% performance decrease for the maximum visual quality.

Q: What is the best setting to use for a 1440p monitor to get a high frame rate?

A: The "Low" preset offers the highest average FPS at 2560x1440 with 205 FPS. However, for a better balance of quality and performance, the "Medium" preset at 159 FPS is a strong option.

Q: Is the RTX 5090 D consistently the bottleneck across all resolutions?

A: No. At 1080p, the frame rate differences between "High" (149 FPS) and "Ultra" (142 FPS) are small, suggesting the CPU is more of a limiting factor. At 4K, the larger drops in FPS when increasing settings indicate the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS recorded for the "Medium" preset?

A: For the "Medium" preset, the minimum FPS is 100 at 3840x2160, 136 at 2560x1440, and 168 at 1920x1080. The maximum FPS is 135, 183, and 227 for the same respective resolutions.

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

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D combination ranks 17th out of 2996 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the top 1% of all configurations.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D achieves a rank of 17 out of 2996 tested combinations in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places the setup in a very elite tier, well above the vast majority of systems that have been benchmarked. The top-1% ranking reflects the raw power of the RTX 5090 D, which is clearly a dominant force in this title. The data confirms that this is a high-end configuration capable of delivering excellent performance.

The rank of 17 is particularly impressive given the CPU choice. The Core Ultra 5 225 is a capable processor, but it is not the absolute highest-end model available. The fact that this combo still ranks so highly suggests that in Microsoft Flight Simulator, the GPU's performance is the primary driver for the overall score. The CPU, while not the top performer, is sufficient to keep up with the GPU's output, preventing it from being a major weak link in the chain.

This ranking also provides context for the FPS numbers. While the 4K "Ultra" average of 84 FPS might seem low compared to other games, in the context of this simulator and its immense complexity, it is a top-tier result. The data shows that this combo is designed to deliver a premium experience at all settings and resolutions, and its rank confirms its status as one of the most powerful configurations for this specific game. The data implies that users with this setup are near the pinnacle of what is achievable.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 features 10 cores and 10 threads, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. This architecture, based on the Arrow Lake design, provides a solid foundation for gaming. In Microsoft Flight Simulator, which is known for its complex simulation logic and AI traffic, the CPU's single-threaded performance is crucial. The benchmark data shows a single-core score of 3655 in Cinebench R23, which is a strong result and indicates the processor can handle the game's primary simulation thread effectively.

The multi-core performance is also relevant, as the game does utilize multiple threads for various tasks. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891 demonstrates that the Ultra 5 225 has substantial processing power for background tasks, allowing the main game thread to run without interference. The processor's 20 MB of shared L3 cache is also beneficial for keeping frequently accessed data close to the cores. The data suggests that the CPU is well-equipped to feed the GPU with draw calls and simulation state updates.

In the measured FPS, the CPU's role becomes evident at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the gap between "High" and "Ultra" presets is only 7 FPS (149 vs 142). This small difference suggests that the CPU is the limiting factor, as the GPU has enough headroom to render the more demanding "Ultra" settings without a proportional drop in frame rate. The CPU's performance percentile of 85 indicates it is better than most CPUs, but it is not the absolute top tier, which explains why it can become a constraint at lower resolutions where the GPU is less stressed.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the "Low" preset delivers the highest average FPS at 233. The "Medium" preset averages 198 FPS, with a minimum of 168 and a maximum of 227. "High" settings yield 149 FPS, and "Ultra" settings produce 142 FPS. These numbers show a clear progression, but the difference between "High" and "Ultra" is merely 7 FPS, highlighting the CPU's influence at this resolution. The data shows that for high-refresh-rate 1080p gaming, the "High" preset offers an excellent experience.

Moving to 2560x1440, the "Low" preset drops to an average of 205 FPS. The "Medium" preset averages 159 FPS, with a minimum of 136 and a maximum of 183. "High" settings yield 120 FPS, while "Ultra" settings produce 114 FPS. At this resolution, the gap between "High" and "Ultra" widens slightly to 6 FPS, but the overall trend is consistent. The 1440p "Medium" preset at 159 FPS appears to be a strong sweet spot for balancing performance and visual quality.

At 3840x2160, the "Low" preset averages 151 FPS. The "Medium" preset averages 118 FPS, with a minimum of 100 and a maximum of 135. "High" settings yield 88 FPS, and "Ultra" settings produce 84 FPS. The differences between presets are now much more pronounced, with a 30 FPS gap between "Low" and "Medium", and a 30 FPS gap between "Medium" and "High". This data confirms that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K, as the graphical load has a much larger impact on performance. The 4K "Ultra" setting, while the lowest at 84 FPS, still provides a playable and immersive experience.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a powerhouse, featuring 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a massive 1.79 TB/s of memory bandwidth. This immense bandwidth is crucial for a game like Microsoft Flight Simulator, which streams vast amounts of terrain and texture data. The GPU's 21760 shading units and 170 RT cores provide the raw compute power needed to render the complex scenery and lighting effects. The benchmark data, including a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 14326, confirms its top-tier performance.

The GPU's role is clearly visible in the resolution scaling. At 4K, the performance difference between presets is large, with a 67 FPS gap between "Low" (151 FPS) and "Ultra" (84 FPS). This demonstrates that the RTX 5090 D is being heavily utilized and is the limiting component. The 32 GB of VRAM ensures that even at 4K "Ultra" settings, the game will not run out of memory, preventing stuttering and texture pop-in. The GPU's percentile of 92 places it among the best available.

The data suggests that the RTX 5090 D is the star of this combination. Its performance is what allows the system to achieve such high frame rates at all resolutions. While the CPU can become a minor constraint at 1080p, the GPU's power ensures that the overall experience is dominated by its capabilities. The 1.79 TB/s memory bandwidth is a key specification, as it allows for rapid loading of the game's detailed environment. The RTX 5090 D is not just capable; it is the defining component of this build's performance profile in Microsoft Flight Simulator.