Microsoft Flight Simulator

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination delivers a playable, if not flawless, experience in Microsoft Flight Simulator, with performance heavily dictated by resolution and preset selection. The measured data shows a system that is well-balanced at 1080p but begins to struggle as pixel count increases, with the GPU emerging as the primary constraint at higher resolutions. This analysis breaks down the measured frames per second (FPS) across all tested settings to provide a clear picture of what this hardware pairing can achieve.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K reveals a significant performance cost, underscoring the GPU's pivotal role in this simulation. At 1080p with the High preset, the system produces an average of 70 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 drops this figure to 56 FPS, a reduction of 14 FPS. Scaling further to 3840x2160 yields an average of 42 FPS, representing a 28 FPS decline from the 1080p baseline. This trend indicates that the render resolution has a direct and substantial impact on frame rates, a hallmark of a GPU-bound workload in this title.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings presets. With the Low preset, the average frame rate falls from 119 FPS at 1080p to 96 FPS at 1440p and finally to 71 FPS at 4K. The Medium preset shows a similar trajectory, dropping from 93 FPS at 1080p to 75 FPS at 1440p and 55 FPS at 4K. Even the Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, sees averages of 66 FPS, 54 FPS, and 40 FPS across the three resolutions, respectively.

These numbers suggest that the performance headroom at 1080p is considerable, but it is quickly consumed as resolution increases. The data implies that at 4K, the GPU is operating near its limits, as even the lowest settings cannot push the average frame rate past 71 FPS. The consistent drop-off between each resolution step points to the RTX 4060's memory bandwidth and processing power as the limiting component, rather than the CPU. The 128-bit memory bus and 8 GB of VRAM are likely factors in this scaling behavior, as the demand for texture data and memory bandwidth grows exponentially with pixel count.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is the central component governing frame rates in these measurements, with its specifications directly correlating to the observed performance. The GPU operates with a base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost clock of 2460 MHz, providing the computational throughput for the simulation's rendering tasks. Its 3072 shading units are responsible for the bulk of the graphics processing, and the 96 texture mapping units and 48 render output units manage texture work and pixel output. The card's 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is a key indicator of its raw compute capability.

Memory configuration plays a critical role in flight simulation, where vast landscapes and detailed aircraft models demand significant data throughput. The RTX 4060 is equipped with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s. This is a moderate amount of memory and bandwidth for a modern title at higher resolutions. The measured FPS data suggests that this memory subsystem is a bottleneck at 4K, where the card produces 40 FPS on Ultra and only 42 FPS on High. In contrast, at 1080p, the card achieves 66 FPS on Ultra, indicating that the memory capacity and bandwidth are sufficient for lower pixel counts but are strained at higher ones.

The GPU's performance percentile of 61 among all GPUs, alongside an average benchmark score of 17639, places it as a mid-range part. Its nearest rivals in benchmark scores, such as the AMD Radeon 780M and AMD Radeon Pro 560, are within a 0.5% delta, indicating that the RTX 4060's performance level is well-established. In the context of this game, the GPU's VRAM capacity and clock speeds are the defining factors for playability, with the data showing that the card can handle 1080p and 1440p gaming comfortably, but requires setting reductions to maintain smooth performance at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS, the optimal balance between visual fidelity and performance for this combination is the Medium preset. This setting provides a substantial improvement in frame rate over High and Ultra while maintaining a smoother experience. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset achieves an average of 93 FPS, which is 23 FPS higher than High and 27 FPS higher than Ultra. At 2560x1440, Medium yields 75 FPS, a 19 FPS increase over High and a 21 FPS increase over Ultra. This makes Medium the only preset that consistently delivers frame rates above the 60 FPS threshold at 1440p.

For users prioritizing smoothness over visual fidelity, the Low preset offers the highest frame rates, with an average of 119 FPS at 1080p and 96 FPS at 1440p. However, the visual compromise may be significant for a game known for its scenery. The High and Ultra presets produce nearly identical average frame rates at each resolution, with High being only 4 FPS faster at 1080p and 2 FPS faster at 4K. This suggests that the Ultra preset's additional visual effects come at a high performance cost for a minimal gain in frame rate over High.

At 4K resolution, no preset achieves a 60 FPS average. The Low preset is the most playable, with an average of 71 FPS, while Medium falls to 55 FPS, and High and Ultra drop to 42 and 40 FPS, respectively. Therefore, for 4K gaming, the Low preset is the only viable option for a consistently smooth experience, while Medium may be acceptable for users who can tolerate occasional frame drops below 60 FPS. The data clearly shows that the Medium preset is the sweet spot for this hardware, offering the best combination of performance and visual quality across 1080p and 1440p.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo achieves at 1080p?

A: The highest average frame rate at 1920x1080 is 119 FPS, achieved with the Low preset. The Medium preset is the highest setting to break the 90 FPS mark, averaging 93 FPS.

Q: Can this system run the game at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: At 3840x2160, the only preset to average above 60 FPS is Low, with 71 FPS. The Medium preset averages 55 FPS, while High and Ultra average 42 and 40 FPS, respectively, which are below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay.

Q: How much of a performance difference is there between the High and Ultra presets?

A: The difference is minimal. At 1080p, the High preset averages 70 FPS compared to 66 FPS for Ultra. At 1440p, High averages 56 FPS and Ultra 54 FPS. At 4K, both are nearly identical, with High at 42 FPS and Ultra at 40 FPS.

Q: What is the frame rate range for the Medium preset at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the average frame rate is 75 FPS, with a minimum of 64 FPS and a maximum of 86 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to limit performance at 4K in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K. The frame rates drop significantly with increased resolution, and even the Low preset, which reduces CPU load, only achieves 71 FPS, suggesting the RTX 4060's processing and memory capabilities are the primary constraint.

Q: How does this GPU's benchmark score compare to its closest rivals?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 17639. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon HD 7790, scores 17666, a delta of -0.2%. Other close competitors include the AMD Radeon 780M with a score of 17588, which is 0.3% lower.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 plays a supporting role in these benchmark results, providing the processing power necessary to feed the GPU with data. This CPU features 14 cores and 14 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The processor's 24 MB of shared L3 cache is crucial for holding frequently accessed game data, while the dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth ensures the CPU can transfer data quickly. The CPU's performance percentile of 89 among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46062, indicates it is a high-performing processor.

In the context of Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU's single-threaded performance is often critical for the simulation's core logic and physics calculations. The Core Ultra 5 235's single-core benchmark scores, such as the 2085 in Cinebench R23, are strong indicators of its ability to handle these tasks. The multi-threaded performance, evidenced by a score of 14769 in the same test, ensures that background tasks and other processing demands do not interfere with the game's primary thread.

The measured FPS data suggests that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck in this configuration. The frame rates scale consistently with resolution changes, which is a characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. If the CPU were the limiting factor, one would expect similar frame rates across different resolutions, as the CPU's workload remains relatively constant. Instead, we see a clear drop in performance as resolution increases, confirming that the RTX 4060 is the component that needs to keep up with the game's demands. The CPU's robust specifications, including its 3 nm process node and Arrow Lake-S architecture, provide ample headroom for this game, ensuring that the GPU can operate to its fullest potential.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured data provides a detailed view of the system's performance across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are as follows: the Low preset averages 119 FPS, Medium averages 93 FPS with a minimum of 79 and maximum of 107, High averages 70 FPS, and Ultra averages 66 FPS. This shows a clear hierarchy of performance, with each higher preset demanding more from the GPU and yielding lower frame rates.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down as expected. The Low preset averages 96 FPS, Medium averages 75 FPS with a range of 64 to 86, High averages 56 FPS, and Ultra averages 54 FPS. The gap between the Medium and High presets widens at this resolution, with a 19 FPS difference, suggesting that High settings introduce effects that are particularly taxing on the GPU's resources.

At 3840x2160, the system's limitations become apparent. The Low preset is the only one to maintain an average above 60 FPS, hitting 71 FPS. The Medium preset averages 55 FPS, with a minimum of 47 and maximum of 64. The High and Ultra presets drop to 42 and 40 FPS, respectively. This data shows that 4K gaming with this combo requires significant setting compromises, with only the Low preset offering a consistently smooth experience. The Ultra settings at 4K produce an average of 40 FPS, which is only 2 FPS lower than High, indicating that the GPU has reached its performance ceiling regardless of the minor differences between these two high-end presets.

How This Combo Ranks

In the broader context of all tested hardware combinations, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 holds a specific position. The combo rank is 1564 out of 2996 total combinations, placing it in the middle of the pack. This rank indicates that while the system is capable of running the game, there are many other configurations that deliver higher frame rates.

The percentile ranking shows that this combo performs better than roughly half of all tested setups, but it is far from the top. This mid-pack ranking is consistent with the individual component performance. The CPU's percentile of 89 is high, but the GPU's percentile of 61 is more modest, and it is the GPU that largely dictates the game's performance. The combo's rank of 1564 out of 2996 suggests that there are over 1400 combinations that achieve better results, likely featuring more powerful GPUs.

The performance data supports this ranking. While the system can handle 1080p and 1440p gaming well, it struggles at 4K, which is a common challenge for mid-range GPUs. The measured FPS at 4K with Ultra settings is 40, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. This places the combo in a position where it is suitable for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1080p, but not for demanding 4K scenarios. The rank is a reflection of this balance, placing it as a versatile yet not top-tier option for this simulation.