Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator is a demanding title that stresses both CPU and GPU heavily, and the combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 produces a fascinating set of results. The data shows a system capable of high frame rates, yet the scaling patterns reveal a complex relationship between the processor, the graphics card, and the game's engine. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across resolutions and settings, examining where the bottlenecks lie and how this particular pairing ranks against the broader field of tested hardware.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K clearly illustrates the shifting balance of load between the CPU and GPU. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 233 FPS. This is the highest frame rate recorded in the entire dataset, indicating that at this resolution, the CPU is doing the heavy lifting to feed the frames, while the RTX 4090 is far from being the limiting factor. Moving to 1440p Low, the average drops to 188 FPS, a 19% reduction. At 4K Low, the average falls further to 138 FPS, another 27% drop. This steep decline as resolution increases is a classic sign that the GPU is beginning to take on more work, but the CPU is still keeping pace effectively.

The pattern becomes even more pronounced at higher settings. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 130 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 105 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it bottoms out at 77 FPS. The scaling here is more linear, with each resolution step costing roughly 25-30 FPS. This suggests that at Ultra settings, the game is becoming increasingly GPU-bound, as the visual complexity and pixel count demand more from the graphics card. The delta between 1080p and 4K at Ultra is 53 FPS, while at Low it is 95 FPS. This widening gap indicates that the RTX 4090 is being utilized more effectively at higher resolutions, but it also means the CPU's headroom is being consumed by the sheer amount of data being processed for the simulation.

The most telling data point is the 4K Medium result, which shows an average of 108 FPS with a minimum of 92 and a maximum of 124. This is identical to the 1440p High average of 110 FPS and only slightly lower than the 1080p High average of 136 FPS. This suggests that at 4K, even with Medium settings, the GPU is being pushed hard enough to bring performance closer to that of higher settings at lower resolutions. The fact that the 4K Low result (138 FPS) is nearly identical to the 1080p High result (136 FPS) reinforces the idea that the game's engine scales in a way that makes the GPU the primary constraint once you move past 1080p. The CPU is powerful enough to maintain high frame rates, but the RTX 4090's workload grows exponentially with resolution, which is the dominant factor in the observed FPS drops.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 holds the 67th rank out of 2996 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the top 2.2% of all configurations tested, which is an exceptional result for a pair of components. The rank indicates that this specific pairing is highly effective for this game, outperforming the vast majority of alternatives. The high rank is likely due to the RTX 4090's immense graphical power, paired with a CPU that offers strong single-threaded performance, which is critical for the simulation's core logic.

The CPU itself has an average benchmark score of 46062 and sits in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, with nearest rivals including the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 and the Intel Core i9-13900HX. The delta percentages are incredibly tight, with the Core Ultra 5 235 being just 0.1% ahead of the Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 and 0.1% behind the Core i9-13900HX. This indicates that the processor is performing right in line with other top-tier chips, providing the necessary compute headroom to support the RTX 4090. The GPU, meanwhile, scores in the 88th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 60347, and its nearest rivals are professional workstation cards like the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M, from which it is 2.5% ahead.

Given that the combo rank is 67th out of 2996, the data suggests that while the individual components are in the high-80th percentiles, their pairing is even more effective than the sum of their parts might suggest for this specific title. This is likely because Microsoft Flight Simulator is sensitive to both high-end GPU throughput and strong CPU performance for physics and scenery loading. The fact that this combo cracks the top 70 is a strong endorsement of its capability, making it a top-tier choice for users seeking high frame rates in this demanding simulation.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is a dominant force in this configuration, equipped with 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing a massive 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. The data shows that this memory capacity is more than sufficient, as the game's frame rates do not indicate any memory-related stuttering or capacity limits, even at 4K Ultra settings. The GPU's clock speeds are also notable, with a base clock of 2235 MHz and a boost clock of 2520 MHz. These high clocks, combined with the 16384 shading units, allow the card to process the complex geometry and textures of the flight simulator with ease.

The GPU's role becomes more critical as resolution and settings increase. At 1080p Low, the RTX 4090 is likely idling, as the CPU is the bottleneck, but the card still delivers 233 FPS. However, at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 77, showing that the GPU is now the primary limiting factor. The benchmark's average score of 60347 places it in the 88th percentile, and its nearest rival in terms of average score is the Intel Arc Pro A60, which it matches at a 0% delta. This is likely a statistical anomaly, as the RTX 4090 is a consumer gaming card with a much higher launch MSRP of 1,599 USD, while the Arc Pro A60 is a professional card.

The GPU's performance in this game is defined by its ability to maintain high frame rates at 4K. The data shows that at 4K Medium, it averages 108 FPS, which is highly playable. At 4K High, it averages 81 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it averages 77 FPS. This demonstrates that the RTX 4090 is capable of delivering a smooth experience at the highest resolution, albeit with some compromises in settings. The card's 24 GB of VRAM is a future-proofing advantage, ensuring that asset streaming in the simulator never becomes a constraint.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a granular look at performance across three resolutions and four settings levels. At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best results. With Low settings, the average FPS is 233, which is exceptionally high. Medium settings yield an average of 181 FPS, with a minimum of 154 and a maximum of 208. High settings drop the average to 136 FPS, and Ultra settings produce an average of 130 FPS. The tight gap between High and Ultra at 1080p (only 6 FPS) suggests that the CPU is starting to become a limiting factor, as the GPU has plenty of headroom to render more frames.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally. Low settings average 188 FPS, Medium settings average 146 FPS (with a minimum of 124 and maximum of 168), High settings average 110 FPS, and Ultra settings average 105 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra remains small at 5 FPS, indicating that the CPU is still a constraint at this resolution. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is significant, but the system remains highly playable across all settings.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 4090's workload becomes the dominant factor. Low settings average 138 FPS, Medium settings average 108 FPS (with a minimum of 92 and maximum of 124), High settings average 81 FPS, and Ultra settings average 77 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra narrows to just 4 FPS, and the overall frame rates are lower, confirming that the GPU is now the bottleneck. The 4K Medium result of 108 FPS is notable, as it matches the 1440p High result of 110 FPS, showing that the GPU can compensate for higher resolution with lower settings.

FAQ

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

A: For the highest frame rates, 1080p Low delivers an average of 233 FPS. For a balance of visual fidelity and performance, 1440p High averages 110 FPS, while 4K Medium averages 108 FPS and is a solid choice for high-resolution gaming.

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested configurations?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and RTX 4090 combination ranks 67th out of 2996 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the top 2.2% of all configurations.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck?

A: At 1080p and 1440p with Low settings, the CPU is the primary limiter. At 4K and with higher settings, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, as evidenced by the larger FPS drops at those resolutions.

Q: How much VRAM does the RTX 4090 have, and is it enough?

A: The RTX 4090 has 24 GB of GDDR6X memory. The data shows no performance dips or issues related to VRAM capacity, indicating it is more than sufficient for this game.

Q: What are the clock speeds of the RTX 4090?

A: The RTX 4090 has a base clock of 2235 MHz and a boost clock of 2520 MHz. These clocks contribute to its high performance in the benchmark results.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Core Ultra 5 235 has an average benchmark score of 46062, which is 0.1% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 and 0.1% behind the Intel Core i9-13900HX, showing it is a top-tier performer.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 plays a crucial role in this pairing, providing the foundational processing power for the simulation's complex calculations. It features 14 cores and 14 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. This configuration, based on the Arrow Lake architecture, is built on a 3 nm process node and supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus, offering 102.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The CPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks is strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14769 and a single-core score of 2085. Its average benchmark score of 46062 places it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs.

In the context of Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU's single-threaded performance is particularly important, as the game's core simulation loop is largely single-threaded. The boost clock of 5.00 GHz ensures that this loop is processed as quickly as possible. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system hits 233 FPS, which confirms the CPU's ability to feed frames to the GPU without becoming a bottleneck. However, as the resolution increases, the GPU takes over as the limiting factor, and the CPU's role becomes less critical in determining the final frame rate.

The CPU's 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache help reduce latency, which is beneficial for the game's data-heavy environment. The nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score are the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 and the Intel Core i9-13900HX, with delta percentages of 0.1% and -0.1%, respectively. This indicates that the Core Ultra 5 235 is perfectly competitive with other high-end chips, providing the necessary compute headroom to ensure the RTX 4090 is not starved of data. The CPU's 65W TDP is relatively modest for a desktop part, but its performance is anything but, making it an excellent partner for the flagship GPU in this demanding simulation.