Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator is a demanding title, and the combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER produces a wide spread of performance across its four presets and three resolutions. The measured data shows a system that is capable of smooth flight in lower settings but is pushed to its limits at 4K Ultra, where the average frame rate drops to 33 FPS. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS, the roles of the CPU and GPU, and provides clear settings recommendations based solely on the provided data.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is significant and clearly illustrates where the bottleneck lies in this system. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 101 FPS at 1920x1080 to 60 FPS at 3840x2160, a reduction of 41 FPS. This steep decline indicates that the rendering load is scaling heavily with pixel count, which is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario. The RTX 2060 SUPER, with its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, is working progressively harder as the resolution increases.

The trend continues across all presets, but the relative drop becomes less severe at higher visual quality settings. For example, at High settings, the average FPS goes from 59 at 1080p to 47 at 1440p and finally to 35 at 4K. While the 4K to 1080p gap is still 24 FPS, the percentage decrease from 1440p to 4K (12 FPS) is less dramatic than the drop from 1080p to 1440p (also 12 FPS). This suggests that at higher settings, the game's workload becomes more balanced, though the GPU remains the primary limiting factor, as evidenced by the sub-60 FPS averages at 4K across all presets.

The data for Medium settings provides the only min/max FPS figures in the entire dataset. At 1920x1080, the average is 78 FPS with a minimum of 67 and a maximum of 90. When moving to 2560x1440, the average drops to 63 FPS with a range of 54 to 73. At 4K, the average falls to 47 FPS with a range of 40 to 54. This shows that even in the most demanding scenario with available data, the frame time variance increases as resolution rises, indicating the GPU is struggling to maintain consistent output. The 4K results, which hover near or below 60 FPS, confirm that the RTX 2060 SUPER is the component that dictates the playable resolution ceiling for this title.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the central piece in determining the visual fidelity and frame rates in Microsoft Flight Simulator. Its benchmark scores and specifications paint a picture of a mid-range card from the Turing generation. The GPU's PassMark G3D score is 16462, and its average benchmark score is 18093, placing it in the 62nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile, which is 0.4% faster, and the AMD Radeon Pro 5700, also 0.5% faster. This places the RTX 2060 SUPER in a competitive, though not leading, position relative to its peers.

The card's memory configuration is critical for a game like Flight Simulator, which streams vast amounts of terrain and scenery data. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, the card has a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. This is a substantial amount of bandwidth, but the capacity is a potential concern at higher resolutions and settings. The measured FPS data shows that at 4K Ultra, the card can only manage an average of 33 FPS, suggesting that the 8 GB frame buffer may be a limiting factor when the game is loading high-resolution textures. The clock speeds of 1470 MHz base and 1650 MHz boost are standard for this class of card, and they contribute to the FP32 performance of 7.181 TFLOPS.

The GPU's role is further clarified by its performance at lower settings. At 1080p Low, the card delivers 101 FPS, which shows it has enough raw power to handle the game when the visual load is reduced. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a drop from 101 to 56 FPS. This 45 FPS difference is entirely attributable to the increased graphical workload placed on the GPU. The RTX 2060 SUPER's 2176 shading units and 64 ROPs are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming at medium to high settings, but the data shows it is not capable of maintaining high frame rates at 4K with advanced settings enabled.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this CPU and GPU combo in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: The highest average frame rate is 101 FPS, which is achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: Can this system handle 4K resolution in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: Yes, but with limitations. The data shows 4K is playable only at Low settings, with an average of 60 FPS. At Medium, High, and Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 47, 35, and 33 respectively, which may not be smooth enough for all users.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER compare to its nearest rival, the RTX 3060 Mobile?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 18093, which is 0.4% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile's score of 18159. This indicates they have nearly identical performance levels.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 2560x1440?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 81 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 45 FPS. This is a difference of 36 FPS, or a 44% reduction in average frame rate when moving from Low to Ultra settings.

Q: What is the CPU's average benchmark score and how does it compare to the AMD Ryzen 9 7900?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 has an average benchmark score of 48995. This is 0.5% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 7900's score of 49228, showing they perform at a very similar level in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: Which resolution and preset combination provides the best balance of visual quality and performance, based on the data?

A: The 2560x1440 Medium preset appears to be an optimal balance, with an average of 63 FPS and a minimum of 54 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS target but shows it can dip below. The 1920x1080 High preset also offers a good balance at 59 FPS average, but it is technically below a 60 FPS average.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is a complete breakdown of the measured average FPS for the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER combination in Microsoft Flight Simulator.

1920x1080:

• Low: The average frame rate is 101 FPS, making this the fastest configuration measured.
• Medium: The average frame rate is 78 FPS, with a minimum of 67 FPS and a maximum of 90 FPS.
• High: The average frame rate is 59 FPS, which is just below the common 60 FPS target.
• Ultra: The average frame rate is 56 FPS, showing a marginal 3 FPS drop from the High preset.

2560x1440:

• Low: The average frame rate is 81 FPS, a 20 FPS decrease from the 1080p Low result.
• Medium: The average frame rate is 63 FPS, with a minimum of 54 FPS and a maximum of 73 FPS.
• High: The average frame rate is 47 FPS, a 12 FPS drop from the 1080p High result.
• Ultra: The average frame rate is 45 FPS, making this preset and resolution combination a 4K-class experience.

3840x2160:

• Low: The average frame rate is 60 FPS, which is exactly on the target for many monitors.
• Medium: The average frame rate is 47 FPS, with a minimum of 40 FPS and a maximum of 54 FPS.
• High: The average frame rate is 35 FPS, a significant 12 FPS drop from the 1440p High setting.
• Ultra: The average frame rate is 33 FPS, the lowest result in the entire dataset.

The data shows a consistent performance hierarchy. Resolution scaling is the primary factor in frame rate reduction, with the 4K Ultra setting delivering only a third of the frame rate of the 1080p Low setting. The RTX 2060 SUPER's performance ceiling in this title appears to be at the 1440p resolution, where it can achieve playable frame rates on Medium and potentially High settings, depending on user preference for smoothness over visual fidelity.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 32924 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 4648 in single-core. Its average benchmark score is 48995, placing it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs. This high percentile indicates that the CPU is a powerful component that is unlikely to be the primary bottleneck in most gaming scenarios, including Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Looking at its nearest rivals, the CPU's performance is tightly clustered. It is 0.4% slower than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G and 0.5% slower than the AMD Ryzen 9 7900. It is 0.6% faster than the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H and 0.8% faster than the Intel Core i5-14600K. This data shows that the Ultra 5 245 is a very competitive mid-to-high-range processor, with performance that is essentially on par with the Ryzen 9 7900 in these aggregate benchmarks.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, which is known for being sensitive to single-core performance, the CPU's 5.10 GHz boost clock and strong single-core score of 4648 in Cinebench R23 are crucial. However, the measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor. For instance, at 1080p Low, the game runs at 101 FPS. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see similar FPS numbers regardless of resolution. Instead, the frame rates drop significantly as resolution increases (e.g., from 101 FPS at 1080p to 60 FPS at 4K Low), which is a definitive sign of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU is providing enough performance to feed the GPU, but the RTX 2060 SUPER cannot maintain higher frame rates as the pixel workload increases.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this hardware combination depend heavily on the user's target resolution and preference for smoothness versus visual quality.

For 1920x1080 users, the High preset is the recommended choice. It delivers an average of 59 FPS, which is very close to the 60 FPS target, and the drop to the Ultra preset only costs 3 FPS on average, from 59 to 56. This suggests that High offers excellent visual quality with a nearly ideal frame rate. The Medium preset is also a strong option, providing a comfortable 78 FPS average, but High offers a better balance for those with 60Hz monitors. The Low preset at 101 FPS is only for competitive or very high refresh rate scenarios, sacrificing too much visual fidelity for the extra frames.

For 2560x1440 users, the Medium preset is the best balance of performance and visual quality. It achieves an average of 63 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS target, and its minimum of 54 FPS is acceptable for a flight simulator where exact frame times are less critical than in fast-paced shooters. The High preset dips to an average of 47 FPS, which may be playable but will feel less smooth. Low is the only preset that provides a high frame rate (81 FPS), but it negates the point of a higher resolution. Ultra should be avoided at this resolution, as the 45 FPS average is too low for a consistent experience.

For 3840x2160 (4K) users, the data is clear: only the Low preset is recommended. It is the only preset to achieve a 60 FPS average. The Medium preset drops to 47 FPS, which is a playable but compromised experience. The High and Ultra presets, with averages of 35 and 33 FPS respectively, are not recommended for a smooth experience. This configuration is at the edge of its capabilities at 4K, and users should expect to make significant compromises in visual quality to maintain playable frame rates. The RTX 2060 SUPER's 8 GB of memory and overall performance level are simply not sufficient for high-fidelity 4K flight simulation with this CPU.