Microsoft Flight Simulator

# Microsoft Flight Simulator — Intel Core Ultra 7 155H + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile

This benchmark analysis examines the measured performance of Microsoft Flight Simulator on a laptop pairing the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile. The data covers three resolutions and four graphical presets, providing a complete picture of how this combination handles one of the most demanding flight simulators currently available. The combo ranks 2976th out of 3714 tested configurations in this game, placing it in the lower half of all tested systems but with notable headroom at lower settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of resolution-dependent performance that is typical for a GPU-bound title. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 88 FPS, which drops to 71 FPS at 1440p and further to 52 FPS at 4K. This represents a 19% decrease from 1080p to 1440p and a 41% decrease from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is not perfectly linear, suggesting that the GPU begins to hit its limits as pixel count increases.

Moving to Medium settings, the frame rates are 68 FPS at 1080p, 55 FPS at 1440p, and 41 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 19% and 25% respectively. Interestingly, the drop from 1440p to 4K is smaller at Medium settings than at Low settings, which indicates that the CPU is becoming a more significant factor at lower graphical loads. The RTX 5050 Mobile's 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus appears sufficient for these settings, though the texture and geometry demands at 4K are clearly taxing the GPU.

High settings show a different scaling profile. The frame rates are 51 FPS at 1080p, 41 FPS at 1440p, and 31 FPS at 4K. This represents a 20% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 24% drop from 1440p to 4K. The more uniform scaling at High settings suggests a balanced load between CPU and GPU. At Ultra settings, the system produces 49 FPS at 1080p, 39 FPS at 1440p, and 29 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 20%, and from 1440p to 4K is 26%.

The limiting component shifts based on resolution and settings. At 1080p Low, the 88 FPS result suggests the CPU is the primary constraint, as the GPU has ample headroom. The Core Ultra 7 155H's 16 cores and 22 threads at boost clocks up to 4.80 GHz provide solid single-thread performance for flight simulation physics. However, as resolution increases to 4K, the GPU's 2560 shading units and 7.680 TFLOPS FP32 throughput become the bottleneck, particularly at Ultra settings where the system barely maintains 29 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for the optimal settings-to-performance balance. At 1080p, Medium settings deliver 68 FPS with a minimum of 58 FPS and maximum of 78 FPS, which is the best combination of visual fidelity and smooth gameplay for most users. The 58 FPS minimum ensures that the experience rarely dips below playable thresholds. High settings at 1080p produce 51 FPS, which is still playable, but the 17 FPS cost from Medium to High may not justify the visual improvement for all users.

At 1440p, Medium settings are again the recommended choice, producing 55 FPS with a minimum of 47 FPS and maximum of 63 FPS. The 47 FPS minimum is borderline for a flight simulator where smooth panning is important. Low settings at 1440p provide 71 FPS, which is significantly smoother, but the visual downgrade may be noticeable. High settings at 1440p produce 41 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a genre that benefits from high frame rates during complex maneuvers.

For 4K gaming, the data shows that Medium settings produce 41 FPS with a minimum of 35 FPS and maximum of 47 FPS. This is the highest preset that maintains an average above 40 FPS at this resolution. Low settings at 4K achieve 52 FPS, which is the only 4K configuration that approaches the 60 FPS threshold. High and Ultra settings at 4K produce 31 FPS and 29 FPS respectively, which are below the smoothness threshold for most players.

The best experience per the measured rows is Medium settings at 1080p or 1440p. The 1080p Medium configuration offers 68 FPS average with a tight 58-78 FPS range, indicating consistent frame pacing. At 1440p, Medium settings provide a similar experience at 55 FPS, sacrificing 13 FPS for the higher resolution. For users prioritizing visual detail, High settings at 1080p at 51 FPS is a viable alternative, but the data suggests that Medium provides the best balance of performance and visual quality across all resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU-GPU combo in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: Based on the measured data, 1080p with Medium settings delivers the highest average frame rate at 68 FPS with a minimum of 58 FPS. This configuration provides the most consistent experience, with 1440p Medium being a close alternative at 55 FPS for users who prioritize resolution over raw frame rate.

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

A: The data shows that 4K is possible but requires significant settings compromises. Low settings produce 52 FPS at 4K, while Medium settings produce 41 FPS with a 35 FPS minimum. High and Ultra settings at 4K produce 31 FPS and 29 FPS respectively, which are below the threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the RTX 5050 Mobile compare to other GPUs in the benchmark database?

A: The RTX 5050 Mobile has an average benchmark score of 43268, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB with a deltaPct of 0, and it performs within 0.1% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER.

Q: What is the CPU's performance relative to other processors?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H has an average benchmark score of 32697, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival is the Intel Core i5-14600T with a deltaPct of 0, and it performs within 0.1% of the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360.

Q: Is the 8 GB VRAM on the RTX 5050 Mobile sufficient for this game?

A: The measured results show that the 8 GB GDDR7 memory with 384.0 GB/s bandwidth handles all tested settings and resolutions. The GPU's 128-bit bus width is a limiting factor at higher resolutions, but the VRAM capacity itself does not appear to be a constraint based on the data.

Q: What frame rates can users expect at Ultra settings?

A: The data shows Ultra settings produce 49 FPS at 1080p, 39 FPS at 1440p, and 29 FPS at 4K. These are the lowest measured frame rates across all presets, and the 4K result falls below the 30 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for playable performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce 88 FPS average, which is the fastest measured result in the entire dataset. Medium settings produce 68 FPS with a minimum of 58 FPS and maximum of 78 FPS, providing a stable experience with a 20 FPS spread. High settings produce 51 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 49 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra at 1080p is only 2 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset's additional effects have diminishing returns at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops are consistent but manageable. Low settings produce 71 FPS, which is a 19% decrease from the 1080p Low result. Medium settings produce 55 FPS with a minimum of 47 FPS and maximum of 63 FPS, maintaining a 16 FPS spread. High settings produce 41 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 39 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra at 1440p is 2 FPS, identical to the 1080p gap, indicating that the Ultra preset's cost scales proportionally with resolution.

At 3840x2160, the system shows its limitations. Low settings produce 52 FPS, which is a 27% decrease from the 1440p Low result. Medium settings produce 41 FPS with a minimum of 35 FPS and maximum of 47 FPS, representing a 12 FPS spread. High settings produce 31 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 29 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra at 4K is 2 FPS, consistent with the other resolutions. The 4K Medium minimum of 35 FPS is notable, as it indicates that even the recommended 4K setting has occasional dips below the 40 FPS threshold.

The complete dataset shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p Low performance is the strongest, 4K Ultra is the weakest, and the scaling between these extremes is gradual. The Medium settings at each resolution provide the most complete data, with minimum and maximum FPS values that allow for a thorough analysis of frame time consistency.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile ranks 2976th out of 3714 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places the system in the 20th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning approximately 80% of tested combos perform better in this specific game. The rank reflects the mobile nature of both components, with the CPU's 28 W TDP and the GPU's 50 W TDP limiting sustained performance compared to desktop counterparts.

The CPU's benchmark percentile of 83rd versus its in-game rank suggests that the processor is not the primary bottleneck. The Core Ultra 7 155H's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-14600T with a deltaPct of 0, the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 with a deltaPct of 0.1, and the AMD Ryzen 5 7400F with a deltaPct of -0.2. These scores indicate that the CPU is competitive with mid-range desktop processors in synthetic benchmarks.

The GPU's percentile of 83rd is similarly strong in isolation, but the in-game rank reveals that the RTX 5050 Mobile's nearest rivals are all desktop-class GPUs. The NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB matches the RTX 5050 Mobile's average score with a deltaPct of 0, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is within 0.1%. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile is 0.9% faster. This suggests that the RTX 5050 Mobile's mobile form factor, with its 5 nm process and 50 W TDP, delivers desktop-class compute performance but may be limited by thermal and power constraints during extended gaming sessions.

The rank of 2976 out of 3714 in Microsoft Flight Simulator is notably worse than the individual component percentiles would suggest. This discrepancy is likely due to the game's demanding nature, which requires both strong single-thread CPU performance and sustained GPU throughput. The measured frame rates confirm that the system is playable at medium settings across all resolutions, but it lacks the headroom for high-refresh-rate gaming or maximum settings at 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H features 16 cores and 22 threads, combining performance and efficiency cores in a Meteor Lake architecture. The base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 4.80 GHz provide strong single-thread performance, which is critical for Microsoft Flight Simulator's physics and flight model calculations. The CPU's 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB L2 cache per core help reduce memory latency during complex simulation scenarios.

The CPU's synthetic benchmark results show balanced performance across workloads. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15028 and single-core score of 1743 indicate solid multi-threaded capability with competitive single-thread performance. The PassMark multithread score of 24873 and single-thread score of 3468 further confirm this balance. The data compression score of 277353 and floating-point math score of 63703 suggest that the CPU handles the mathematical calculations required by flight simulation efficiently.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU's role is evident in the 1080p Low setting performance of 88 FPS. At this resolution and settings level, the GPU has significant headroom, and the frame rate is likely limited by the CPU's ability to process game logic and render commands. The 16 cores and 22 threads allow for parallel processing of simulation systems, but the game's engine is not designed to fully utilize all cores, making the 4.80 GHz boost clock more important than raw core count.

The CPU's 28 W TDP and Intel BGA 2049 socket indicate a mobile-focused design that prioritizes power efficiency. The 7 nm process node from Intel and the Meteor Lake architecture with integrated Arc Xe-LPG 128EU graphics provide flexibility for the system, though the discrete RTX 5050 Mobile handles the majority of graphical work. The CPU's memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s via dual-channel DDR5 is sufficient for the game's data streaming requirements.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture using a 5 nm process from TSMC. The GB207 chip contains 2560 shading units, 80 texture mapping units, and 32 raster output units. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1020 MHz with a boost clock of 1500 MHz, delivering 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The 20 ray tracing cores and 80 tensor cores provide hardware acceleration for the game's lighting and DLSS features.

The 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is sufficient for all tested settings and resolutions, though the 128-bit bus width limits memory bandwidth compared to wider-bus desktop GPUs. The pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s are modest figures that explain the performance drop at 4K resolutions where fill rate demands increase significantly.

The GPU's synthetic benchmarks show an average score of 43268, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2365 and Geekbench OpenCL score of 84171 indicate strong compute performance. The nearest rival, the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB, matches the RTX 5050 Mobile's average score, while the RTX 4070 SUPER is within 0.1%. This suggests that the RTX 5050 Mobile's mobile form factor does not significantly compromise raw compute performance.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the GPU's role becomes dominant at higher resolutions and settings. The 4K Ultra result of 29 FPS demonstrates that the GPU is the limiting factor at maximum settings, as the 2560 shading units struggle with the pixel count. The 50 W TDP and IGP slot width indicate a power-efficient design, but this comes at the cost of sustained performance during demanding scenes. The 1500 MHz boost clock is relatively low compared to desktop GPUs, further limiting performance in GPU-bound scenarios.