Microsoft Flight Simulator

# Microsoft Flight Simulator with Intel Core Ultra 5 245 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combination delivers playable but constrained performance in Microsoft Flight Simulator, ranking 2344th out of 2996 tested combos. The data shows this pairing sits in the lower-middle tier of the database, with the CPU performing far above the GPU in raw compute capability — a mismatch that becomes increasingly evident as resolution rises. The RTX 2060, a Turing-era card with 6 GB of GDDR6 memory, consistently limits frame rates across all tested settings, while the 14-core Arrow Lake processor has ample headroom to feed it.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread desktop processor built on Arrow Lake-S architecture using TSMC's 3 nm process node. Its base clock of 3.50 GHz boosts to 5.10 GHz, and it carries 24 MB of shared L3 cache alongside per-core L2 and L1 allocations. This processor scores in the 90th percentile against all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 48995. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G at 49196 (-0.4%), the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 at 49228 (-0.5%), and the Intel Core i5-14600K at 48618 (+0.8%), indicating it trades blows with upper-mid-range chips from both camps.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU's role is substantial but secondary to the GPU at most settings. The game's simulation logic and world streaming benefit from strong single-thread performance, where the Ultra 5 245 delivers a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4648 and a PassMark single-thread score of 4394. Multi-threaded performance is also robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32924 and a PassMark multithread score of 38706, meaning the CPU can handle the game's background tasks without becoming a bottleneck at lower resolutions.

However, the measured FPS data reveals that the CPU is rarely the limiting factor in this pairing. At 1080p Low settings, the combo reaches 92 FPS average, which is the highest frame rate recorded in the entire dataset. If the CPU were severely constrained, we would expect to see diminishing returns even at low settings — but the 1080p Low result shows the processor can push the GPU to its limits. The 14 threads, combined with the 5.10 GHz boost clock, provide sufficient headroom for the game's physics and AI computations. The data suggests that at 1080p, the RTX 2060 is the primary constraint, as frame rates drop dramatically when settings increase, while the CPU maintains consistent throughput.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the best average frame rate this combo achieves in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 92 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is significantly ahead of the next best result, which is 74 FPS at 2560x1440 Low, showing that resolution scaling heavily impacts performance.

Q: How does the RTX 2060's performance compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 15290, placing it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are nearly identical in score: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 at 15283 (0% delta), the AMD Radeon 680M at 15270 (+0.1%), the RTX 3050 OEM at 15199 (+0.6%), and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 at 15171 (+0.8%). This means the RTX 2060 is statistically tied with these cards in raw compute.

Q: Does the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 outperform its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The Ultra 5 245's average benchmark score of 48995 is within 1% of all four nearest rivals. It trails the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G by 0.4% and the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 by 0.5%, but leads the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H by 0.6% and the Core i5-14600K by 0.8%. This places it in a tightly contested performance band.

Q: What is the lowest average frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest average FPS is 30 at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is only slightly below the 32 FPS average at 3840x2160 High, suggesting that Ultra settings impose a marginal additional cost at 4K resolution.

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

A: The combo ranks 2344th out of 2996 tested combos, placing it in the 22nd percentile of all configurations. This indicates that the majority of tested systems deliver better performance in Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Q: What is the CPU's single-thread and multi-thread performance profile?

A: The CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4648 and a multi-core score of 32924, giving a multi-to-single ratio of roughly 7.1x. PassMark results show 4394 for single-thread and 38706 for multithread, confirming strong scaling across its 14 cores.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 92 FPS at 1920x1080 to 74 FPS at 2560x1440, a 19.6% reduction, and then to 55 FPS at 3840x2160, a further 25.7% reduction. This steady decline with resolution indicates that the RTX 2060's rendering throughput — its 6.451 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 336.0 GB/s memory bandwidth — is the dominant constraint. The GPU's 6 GB of VRAM may also contribute to the scaling pattern, as higher resolutions require more texture memory.

At High settings, the drop is steeper: 54 FPS at 1080p drops to 43 FPS at 1440p (a 20.4% decline) and then to 32 FPS at 4K (a 25.6% decline from 1440p). This consistent ~20-26% drop per resolution step across both Low and High settings is characteristic of a GPU that is saturated at all resolutions. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the FPS to plateau or show smaller differences at higher resolutions, since the CPU workload is more resolution-independent.

The Medium settings data includes min and max FPS values, providing additional insight. At 1080p Medium, the average is 71 FPS with a range of 61-82 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 58 FPS (range 49-66), and at 4K Medium, it falls to 42 FPS (range 36-49). The min-to-max spread narrows slightly as resolution increases, from a 21 FPS range at 1080p to a 13 FPS range at 4K. This narrowing suggests that at 4K, the GPU is consistently near its limit, reducing variance in frame delivery.

Ultra settings show the most severe scaling: 51 FPS at 1080p, 41 FPS at 1440p, and 30 FPS at 4K. The 1080p Ultra result of 51 FPS is only slightly lower than the 1080p High result of 54 FPS, indicating that the jump from High to Ultra has a modest impact at 1080p. However, at 4K, Ultra drops to 30 FPS, which is below the 32 FPS High result — the Ultra preset's additional effects push the GPU past its comfortable envelope at this resolution.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This configuration ranks 2344th out of 2996 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the bottom 21.8% of all tested systems. This rank reflects the RTX 2060's position as a 58th-percentile GPU paired with a 90th-percentile CPU — the GPU drags the overall ranking down despite the CPU's strong standing.

The CPU's nearest rivals all have similar average scores, but the GPU's nearest rivals show a tight cluster: the GTX 580 (0% delta), Radeon 680M (+0.1%), RTX 3050 OEM (+0.6%), and RX 7600 (+0.8%) are all within 0.8% of the RTX 2060's average benchmark score. This means that swapping the RTX 2060 for any of these cards would likely yield nearly identical performance in this game, as they are all compute-equivalent within measurement noise.

The rank of 2344 suggests that most tested combos in the database use either more powerful GPUs, more powerful CPUs, or both. Given that the CPU ranks in the 90th percentile, the low combo rank must be attributed almost entirely to the GPU. This is consistent with the resolution scaling data, which shows the GPU as the primary bottleneck at all settings. To improve this combo's rank, upgrading the GPU would be the logical step, as the CPU has substantial headroom — evidenced by its ability to maintain high frame rates at 1080p Low without apparent CPU limiting.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 92 FPS average
• Medium: 71 FPS average (min 61, max 82)
• High: 54 FPS average
• Ultra: 51 FPS average

At 1080p, the combo delivers its best results. The jump from Low to Medium costs 21 FPS (a 22.8% drop), while Medium to High costs another 17 FPS (a 23.9% drop). High to Ultra is relatively gentle, costing only 3 FPS (a 5.6% drop). This pattern suggests that the Low preset leaves significant GPU headroom, while Medium and High progressively saturate the RTX 2060. Ultra's additional cost is minimal at 1080p, making it a viable choice for users who prioritize visual quality over maximum frame rates.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 74 FPS average
• Medium: 58 FPS average (min 49, max 66)
• High: 43 FPS average
• Ultra: 41 FPS average

At 1440p, the frame rates drop noticeably. Low loses 18 FPS compared to 1080p Low (a 19.6% decline), Medium loses 13 FPS (18.3% decline), and High loses 11 FPS (20.4% decline). Ultra loses 10 FPS (19.6% decline). The consistent ~19-20% drop across all settings at this resolution step confirms that the GPU is uniformly stressed. The Medium preset's min FPS of 49 is still above the 43 FPS High average, indicating that Medium is the better choice for smooth gameplay at 1440p.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 55 FPS average
• Medium: 42 FPS average (min 36, max 49)
• High: 32 FPS average
• Ultra: 30 FPS average

At 4K, the combo struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low drops 19 FPS from 1440p Low (a 25.7% decline), Medium drops 16 FPS (27.6% decline), High drops 11 FPS (25.6% decline), and Ultra drops 11 FPS (26.8% decline). The steeper percentage drops at 4K compared to 1080p-to-1440p transitions indicate that the GPU is being pushed beyond its comfortable operating range. The Ultra preset's 30 FPS average is marginally below the High preset's 32 FPS, showing that the extra effects cost a negligible 2 FPS but may not be worth the visual trade-off at this resolution.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The data supports a clear hierarchy of settings based on resolution targets. For 1080p, the Low preset's 92 FPS average is excellent for high-refresh-rate displays, but the Medium preset at 71 FPS (min 61, max 82) offers a better balance of smoothness and visual quality — the 61 FPS minimum ensures consistent frame delivery. High at 54 FPS is playable but leaves little margin for demanding scenes, while Ultra at 51 FPS is nearly identical to High and could be chosen for maximum visual fidelity without a significant frame rate penalty.

At 1440p, Medium is the standout choice. The 58 FPS average with a 49 FPS minimum provides a smooth experience that stays above the 30 FPS threshold for playability. Low at 74 FPS is even smoother but sacrifices visual fidelity, which may be worthwhile for competitive or fast-paced flying. High at 43 FPS and Ultra at 41 FPS are both below the 60 FPS target but remain playable; however, the Medium preset's higher minimum FPS (49 vs. the High preset's unspecified min) makes it the safer recommendation for consistent performance.

At 4K, no preset delivers ideal smoothness. Low at 55 FPS is the only preset that approaches playable territory, while Medium at 42 FPS (min 36) is borderline and High/Ultra at 32/30 FPS dip into stutter-prone territory. Given that the game is a flight simulator where precise control matters, the Medium preset at 4K offers the best compromise: its 36 FPS minimum is low but manageable, and the visual upgrade from Low is substantial. Users prioritizing frame rate over visuals should select Low, while those wanting the best balance should choose Medium — High and Ultra are not recommended at 4K due to their sub-35 FPS averages.

Overall, the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 + RTX 2060 combo is best suited for 1080p gaming with Medium or High settings, or 1440p with Medium settings. The CPU's strength ensures that any future GPU upgrade would be fully utilized, but with the RTX 2060, users should moderate their expectations for 4K performance.