Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator is a demanding title, and the benchmark data for the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 reveals a complex interplay between resolution, graphical settings, and the components themselves. The measured frame rates show a system that is capable of delivering high performance but whose bottlenecks shift depending on the workload, making the choice of settings a crucial factor in the experience.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a clear and predictable pattern: frame rates decrease as resolution increases, but the rate of that decrease is not uniform across all settings. At the High preset, the transition from 1080p to 1440p results in a drop from 92 FPS to 74 FPS, a reduction of roughly 19.5%. Moving from 1440p to 4K at High settings brings the average down to 55 FPS, a further 25.6% decrease. This indicates that the GPU is becoming a more significant factor as pixel count rises, but the CPU is still holding its own at these settings.

The Low preset tells a different story. At 1080p, the system achieves a very high 158 FPS, but this drops to 127 FPS at 1440p and then to 94 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is approximately 40.5%, which is less severe than the drop seen at higher settings. This suggests that at Low settings, the system is less GPU-bound, and the scaling is more linear, pointing towards a CPU or other system limitation that becomes relatively more important at lower resolutions. The gap between 1080p Low (158 FPS) and 4K Low (94 FPS) highlights how much headroom the CPU has, as the GPU is not being pushed as hard.

The Medium preset shows a smoother progression, from 123 FPS at 1080p, to 99 FPS at 1440p, and down to 73 FPS at 4K. This represents a 40.6% drop from 1080p to 4K, which is similar to the Low preset's scaling. However, the absolute frame rates are lower, indicating the increased graphical load is being handled by the GPU. The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling, with a 52 FPS average at 4K being a significant 40.9% drop from the 88 FPS at 1080p. This data suggests that at 4K with Ultra settings, the RTX 3080 is heavily loaded and becomes the primary limiting factor, struggling to maintain high frame rates in this demanding flight simulator.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is the workhorse for this configuration, and its capabilities directly shape the results at higher resolutions and settings. With 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and a 320-bit memory bus providing 760.3 GB/s of bandwidth, the card has substantial resources for handling high-resolution textures and complex scenes. Its boost clock of 1710 MHz and 8704 shading units contribute to its raw processing power, which is evident in the 4K High result of 55 FPS and the 4K Ultra result of 52 FPS. These numbers indicate that the card is being pushed to its limits at this resolution, especially with the highest quality presets.

The GPU's role is also defined by its performance in synthetic benchmarks. Its Passmark G3D score is 25086, and its average benchmark score is 23172, placing it in the 68th percentile of all GPUs. Interestingly, its nearest rivals in this metric include the NVIDIA P106-100 and AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16, with deltaPct values of -0.3% and -0.3% respectively. This suggests that while the RTX 3080 is a powerful card, the benchmark data shows it is very closely matched with these other options in overall synthetic performance. However, the game-specific data shows a different picture, as the RTX 3080 is clearly capable of delivering playable frame rates at 4K with High settings, but its performance is heavily dependent on the preset. The low preset at 4K (94 FPS) versus the ultra preset at 4K (52 FPS) shows an 80% performance swing, which is a direct result of the GPU's workload.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 combination is ranked 786 out of 2996 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the top 26.2% of all tested systems, indicating that it is a high-performing pairing. This ranking confirms the strength of both components, as the combination of the CPU's strong single-core performance and the GPU's substantial rendering power allows it to outperform a majority of other systems tested in this game.

This rank is notable when considering the individual performance of the components. The CPU sits in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 68th percentile of all GPUs. The fact that the combo rank (786 out of 2996) is not as high as the CPU's percentile suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor in some scenarios, particularly at higher resolutions and settings. The data implies that while the CPU is a top-tier performer, the GPU holds the system back from achieving an even higher rank, as the game's performance is often bottlenecked by the graphics card in graphically intensive situations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the system shows its highest performance ceiling. With the Low preset, the average frame rate is 158 FPS, which is an excellent result for a simulator. The Medium preset achieves 123 FPS, with a minimum of 104 and a maximum of 141 FPS. The High preset drops to 92 FPS, and the Ultra preset brings the average down to 88 FPS. These numbers show a clear progression, with the system able to maintain over 90 FPS at all presets except Ultra, where it still remains above 85 FPS.

Moving to 1440p, the frame rates remain strong but begin to show the strain of increased pixel count. The Low preset still achieves a very high 127 FPS. The Medium preset averages 99 FPS, with a minimum of 84 and a maximum of 114 FPS. The High preset drops to 74 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 71 FPS. This shows that at 1440p, the system is still very capable, with even the Ultra preset staying above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

At 4K, the system's performance becomes more variable and dependent on settings. The Low preset manages a solid 94 FPS, showing that the GPU can handle the resolution when the visual load is low. The Medium preset averages 73 FPS, with a minimum of 62 and a maximum of 84 FPS, which is a playable range. However, the High and Ultra presets average 55 FPS and 52 FPS, respectively. These numbers indicate that at 4K with high visual quality, the system will struggle to maintain a smooth 60 FPS experience, and users will need to compromise on settings to achieve their target frame rate.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a critical component in this system, and its performance is what allows the high frame rates seen at lower resolutions. With 14 cores and 14 threads, a base clock of 3.50 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, this CPU is designed for high-performance desktop use. The lack of hyper-threading is notable, but the high core count and strong clock speeds compensate in many workloads. Its Cinebench R23 scores of 32924 for multi-core and 4648 for single-core are strong indicators of its capabilities, with the single-core performance being particularly important for games like Microsoft Flight Simulator that rely heavily on a single primary thread.

The CPU's benchmark performance places it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48995. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, which is only 0.4% slower, and the Intel Core i5-14600K, which is 0.8% faster. This shows that the Ultra 5 245 is squarely in the top tier of desktop processors. The data suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this system, as it maintains high frame rates even at 1080p Low where the load is likely to be CPU-bound. The high single-core score of 4648 in Cinebench R23 is likely a key reason why the system can achieve 158 FPS at 1080p Low, as the simulation and game logic are heavily dependent on single-core performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience depends heavily on the user's target resolution and preference for visual fidelity. For 4K users, the Medium preset appears to be the optimal choice. It provides an average of 73 FPS, with a minimum of 62 FPS, which is right at the edge of a smooth 60 FPS experience. The High and Ultra presets, at 55 and 52 FPS respectively, fall below this threshold and would likely result in noticeable stuttering. The Low preset, at 94 FPS, is smoother but sacrifices significant visual quality.

For 1440p, the High preset is a strong recommendation, delivering an average of 74 FPS while maintaining a high level of visual detail. The Ultra preset, at 71 FPS, is also viable, offering a slightly more demanding experience that stays above the 60 FPS target. For users who prefer the highest frame rates, the Medium preset at 99 FPS provides a very fluid experience. At 1080p, the system has ample headroom. The Ultra preset at 88 FPS provides the best visual experience while remaining highly playable. The High preset at 92 FPS is also an excellent choice, and for those with high refresh rate monitors, the Medium preset at 123 FPS offers a much smoother experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset to use at 4K resolution?

A: The data shows that the Medium preset is the best choice for 4K, as it achieves an average of 73 FPS and a minimum of 62 FPS, balancing visual quality and smoothness. The High and Ultra presets, at 55 and 52 FPS, respectively, fall below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the system perform at the 1080p resolution?

A: At 1080p, the system performs exceptionally well. The Low preset achieves 158 FPS, the Medium preset 123 FPS, the High preset 92 FPS, and the Ultra preset 88 FPS, making it capable of handling even the highest settings with ease.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this configuration?

A: The data suggests it depends on the settings. At 1080p Low, the CPU is likely the limiting factor, as the GPU has less work to do. However, at 4K with Ultra settings, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck, with the average frame rate dropping to 52 FPS.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking among tested systems?

A: This combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is ranked 786 out of 2996 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the top 26.2% of all tested systems.

Q: How does the GPU's synthetic benchmark score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 3080 has an average benchmark score of 23172. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA P106-100, has a score of 23249, which is only 0.3% higher, indicating very close performance in synthetic tests.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for the system at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: At 1440p with Medium settings, the system recorded a minimum FPS of 84 and a maximum of 114, with an average of 99 FPS.