Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator is a demanding title, and the combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER produces a playable, but compromise-driven experience. The data shows that this pairing lands in the lower-middle tier of tested configurations, ranking 1697th out of 2996 combos, which places it in the 57th percentile. This is a system that can handle the sim, but users will need to make deliberate choices about visual fidelity versus frame rate, particularly at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark results indicate that the optimal experience for this hardware combo is found at 1080p with Medium settings. This configuration delivers an average of 86 FPS, with a minimum of 73 FPS and a maximum of 99 FPS. This is the only settings level at 1080p that provides both a high average frame rate and a documented minimum frame rate above 60 FPS, ensuring a consistently smooth experience during flight. While Low settings at 1080p achieves a higher average of 111 FPS, the visual quality trade-off is significant, and the Medium preset offers a far better balance of performance and visual fidelity.

At 1440p, the data suggests that Medium settings are the highest acceptable choice for a fluid experience. The average FPS drops to 70, but the minimum FPS recorded is 59, which is just shy of the 60 FPS target. For users with a 60Hz monitor, this is a viable option, but the 1080p Medium configuration provides more headroom. High settings at 1440p produce an average of 52 FPS, which may be acceptable for slower, scenic flights but will struggle during busy airport scenarios or when flying over dense terrain.

For 4K resolution, the situation is more constrained. The only setting that yields a playable frame rate is Low, which produces an average of 66 FPS. However, this requires a substantial reduction in visual quality. Medium settings at 4K drop the average to 51 FPS with a minimum of 44 FPS, which is likely to feel stuttery. High and Ultra settings at 4K, with averages of 39 and 37 FPS respectively, are not recommended for a playable experience.

The overall recommendation is clear: prioritize the 1080p Medium preset for the best balance of smoothness and graphical quality. If a higher resolution is a must, then 1440p Medium is the ceiling, and 4K should only be considered with Low settings. The data shows that the Ultra preset is not a practical option at any resolution for this combo, with frame rates ranging from 62 FPS at 1080p down to 37 FPS at 4K.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for a smooth experience?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 with Medium settings provides the most balanced experience, delivering an average FPS of 86 with a minimum of 73 FPS. This is the only configuration that offers both a high average and a minimum frame rate comfortably above 60 FPS.

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

A: At 4K, the playable options are limited. Low settings achieve an average of 66 FPS, while Medium settings drop to 51 FPS. High and Ultra settings are not viable, with averages of 39 and 37 FPS respectively, which are too low for a consistently smooth experience.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER perform at 1440p?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER can manage 1440p, but with limitations. Medium settings are the best option, averaging 70 FPS with a minimum of 59 FPS. High settings average 52 FPS, and Ultra averages 50 FPS, both of which may be too inconsistent for many users.

Q: Is the Ultra preset usable with this CPU and GPU combination?

A: The data indicates that the Ultra preset is not recommended. At 1080p, it averages 62 FPS, but this drops to 50 FPS at 1440p and 37 FPS at 4K. The performance cost of Ultra settings is too high for the visual benefit at most resolutions.

Q: How significant is the performance difference between Low and Medium settings?

A: At 1080p, the jump from Low to Medium results in a 25 FPS average decrease, from 111 FPS to 86 FPS. At 1440p, the difference is 19 FPS (89 to 70 FPS), and at 4K, it is 15 FPS (66 to 51 FPS). This performance cost is substantial, but the visual improvement is generally considered worthwhile.

Q: Does the system provide a stable frame rate at any setting?

A: The only settings that provide both a minimum and maximum FPS in the data are the Medium presets. At 1080p, the frame rate ranges from 73 to 99 FPS, and at 1440p, from 59 to 80 FPS. At 4K Medium, the range is 44 to 59 FPS. This data suggests that the Medium preset is the most stable, while other settings may have wider fluctuations.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER combination ranks 1697th out of 2996 tested combos for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places the system in the 57th percentile, meaning it outperforms a slight majority of other configurations but is outclassed by the top 43%. This rank indicates that while the system is capable of running the game, it is not a high-performance setup by modern standards.

The CPU itself is a strong performer in its own right, with an average benchmark score of 46062, placing it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375, which scores nearly identically at 46030 (a 0.1% difference), and the Intel Core i9-13900HX, which scores 46098 (a -0.1% difference). This puts the Ultra 5 235 in elite company for processing power, suggesting that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck in this game.

The GPU, however, is a different story. The RTX 2070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 20282, placing it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (scoring 20480, which is 1% higher) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (scoring 20534, which is 1.2% higher). The GPU's lower relative standing compared to the CPU explains why the combo's overall rank is not higher. In a demanding title like Microsoft Flight Simulator, the GPU is likely the limiting factor, holding back the system from achieving higher frame rates despite the capable CPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how the system scales across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are 111 FPS for Low, 86 FPS for Medium, 65 FPS for High, and 62 FPS for Ultra. The Medium setting also provides a minimum FPS of 73 and a maximum of 99, showing good stability.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops as expected. The average frame rates are 89 FPS for Low, 70 FPS for Medium, 52 FPS for High, and 50 FPS for Ultra. The Medium setting again shows the most stable frame times, with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 80 FPS.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the system is pushed to its limits. The average frame rates are 66 FPS for Low, 51 FPS for Medium, 39 FPS for High, and 37 FPS for Ultra. The Medium setting is the only one with documented minimum and maximum values, which are 44 and 59 FPS respectively. This data confirms that 4K gaming is only feasible with significant compromises to visual settings.

The delta between Low and Ultra settings is most pronounced at 1080p, where the average frame rate drops by 49 FPS (from 111 to 62). This gap narrows to 39 FPS at 1440p and 29 FPS at 4K, indicating that the GPU becomes more of a bottleneck as resolution increases, reducing the relative impact of in-game settings.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a clear and predictable pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. At Medium settings, which is the most complete dataset, the average FPS drops from 86 at 1080p to 70 at 1440p, a decrease of 18.6%. Moving from 1440p to 4K, the average drops further from 70 to 51 FPS, a decrease of 27.1%. The overall drop from 1080p Medium to 4K Medium is 35 FPS, or 40.7%.

This scaling pattern is informative about the system's bottleneck. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p (18.6%) is smaller than the drop from 1440p to 4K (27.1%). This suggests that at 1080p, the system is not entirely GPU-bound, as the CPU is able to keep up with the demands of the simulation. As resolution increases, the GPU's workload grows exponentially, and the RTX 2070 SUPER's limitations become more apparent.

The RTX 2070 SUPER has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. These specifications are adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the game's texture and geometry demands can strain the memory capacity and bandwidth. The data indicates that the GPU is the limiting component at higher resolutions, as the CPU's strong benchmark scores (89th percentile) suggest it has ample headroom to feed frames. The Intel Core Ultra 5 235, with its 14 cores and boost clock of 5.00 GHz, is more than capable for this simulation, but its potential is not fully realized at 4K due to the GPU's performance ceiling.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 plays a crucial, yet secondary role in this combo's performance. The CPU's benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14769 and a single-core score of 2085. It also boasts a Passmark multithread score of 37816 and a single-thread score of 4516. These figures place the CPU in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is a high-performing processor.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU is responsible for simulating physics, AI, and other game logic, which can be very demanding. The Core Ultra 5 235's 14 cores and 14 threads, combined with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, provide substantial processing power. The CPU's L3 cache is 24 MB (shared), which helps with data access speeds.

However, the benchmark results show that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this setup. The combo ranks 1697th out of 2996, which is a middling result. Since the CPU is in the top 11% of all processors, its performance is not the cause of the system's lower overall rank. Instead, the RTX 2070 SUPER, which is in the 65th percentile of GPUs, holds the system back.

The data suggests that the CPU has more to give. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 111 FPS, which is a high frame rate. If a more powerful GPU were paired with this CPU, the frame rates would likely be higher at all settings. The CPU's strong single-thread performance (2085 in Cinebench R23) is particularly important for flight simulators, which often rely heavily on a single primary thread. This means the Core Ultra 5 235 is well-suited for the game's CPU demands, but the overall experience is constrained by the GPU's rendering capabilities.