Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator is a uniquely demanding title, and the data for the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER shows a system that is consistently bound by its graphics card, yet capable of delivering smooth frame rates at lower settings. The measured results place this combination at rank 2058 out of 2996 tested combos, indicating a mid-to-lower tier standing in the game's benchmark hierarchy. Across all tested resolutions, the pattern is clear: the RTX 2060 SUPER is the primary bottleneck, while the Core Ultra 7 265 provides ample processing headroom that never appears to limit performance in this flight simulator.

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

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This is a high-core-count desktop part designed for heavy multi-threaded workloads, and its benchmark scores reflect that positioning. In Cinebench R23, it scores 42,216 in multi-core and 5,960 in single-core, placing it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 64,640 puts it statistically on par with its nearest rivals: the AMD EPYC 4464P trails by just 0.3%, the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F leads by 0.3%, and the AMD EPYC 9124 sits 0.7% ahead.

For Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU's role is to handle the simulation's complex physics, flight models, and world-generation logic. The data from the measured FPS results indicates that the Core Ultra 7 265 is never the limiting factor in this pairing. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 101 FPS average, which is the highest result in the entire dataset. If the CPU were struggling, we would expect to see this frame rate cap out regardless of GPU load, but the substantial FPS drops when moving to higher settings and resolutions point directly to the GPU as the constraint.

The processor's 30 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth are more than sufficient for the game's data streaming needs. The PassMark multi-thread score of 49,682 and physics score of 2,923 further confirm that this CPU has the computational muscle to feed the GPU without stalling. Even at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS falls to 33, the frame time consistency is dictated by the graphics card's render throughput, not by CPU-bound simulation updates. The Core Ultra 7 265's 65W TDP and 3nm process node also suggest efficient sustained performance, though the benchmark data does not directly measure thermals or power draw in-game.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is a Turing-architecture GPU with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. It operates at a base clock of 1470 MHz and boosts to 1650 MHz, with a memory clock of 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). The card's 2,176 shading units and 64 ROPs produce a pixel rate of 105.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 224.4 GTexel/s, while its FP32 performance is rated at 7.181 TFLOPS. In the benchmark database, this GPU holds the 62nd percentile among all graphics cards, with an average score of 18,093. Its nearest rivals are exceedingly close: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile is 0.4% behind, the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 is 0.5% behind, and the AMD Radeon RX 460 is 1.5% behind.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the GPU is the dominant performance factor. The measured FPS data shows a clear scaling pattern that ties directly to this card's capabilities. At 1080p Low, the RTX 2060 SUPER pushes 101 FPS average, but this drops to 78 FPS at Medium, 59 FPS at High, and 56 FPS at Ultra. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is a critical consideration here; the game's high-resolution textures and detailed scenery can push memory usage close to this limit, particularly at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 33 FPS average suggests that the card is both fill-rate and memory-bandwidth constrained, as the 448.0 GB/s bandwidth becomes a limiting factor when rendering at 3840x2160 with maximum detail.

The RTX 2060 SUPER's 34 RT cores and 272 tensor cores are present, but the measured data does not indicate whether ray tracing or DLSS were enabled in the benchmark runs. Given the modest FPS figures, it is likely that these features were either disabled or not effective enough to overcome the card's inherent performance ceiling. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 16,462 and DirectX 12 score of 61 further illustrate that this is a mid-range card by modern standards, and the benchmark results in this game align with that classification—capable of playable frame rates at lower settings, but struggling to maintain high FPS at maximum quality.

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

The measured FPS data provides a textbook example of GPU-bound scaling in Microsoft Flight Simulator. Moving from 1080p to 1440p to 4K at the same settings shows consistent, predictable drops that point directly at the RTX 2060 SUPER as the limiting component. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 101 at 1080p to 81 at 1440p and then to 60 at 4K. This represents a 20% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a further 26% drop from 1440p to 4K. The pattern is similar at Medium settings: 78 FPS at 1080p, 63 FPS at 1440p, and 47 FPS at 4K—a 19% and 25% reduction respectively.

At High settings, the scaling is even more pronounced. The average FPS drops from 59 at 1080p to 47 at 1440p, then to 35 at 4K. This is a 20% drop to 1440p and a further 26% drop to 4K. At Ultra settings, the system records 56 FPS at 1080p, 45 FPS at 1440p, and 33 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops here are 20% and 27% respectively. The consistency of these drops—roughly 20% between 1080p and 1440p, and another 25-27% between 1440p and 4K—is a strong indicator that the GPU's rendering throughput is the sole bottleneck. If the CPU were limiting at lower resolutions, we would see a plateau at 1080p where FPS stops increasing despite lower GPU load, but that is not the case.

The fact that the 1080p Low result reaches 101 FPS while 4K Low only manages 60 FPS shows that the RTX 2060 SUPER is being pushed to its limits as pixel count increases. The 4K Ultra result of 33 FPS is barely above what many would consider playable, and it represents a 67% reduction from the 1080p Low figure. This scaling behavior confirms that the Core Ultra 7 265 has sufficient headroom to handle the simulation's CPU demands at all resolutions, while the GPU's 7.181 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are the gatekeepers of frame rate.

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

The complete dataset of measured FPS values for Microsoft Flight Simulator with the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is as follows. At 1920x1080, the system achieves 101 FPS average on Low settings, 78 FPS average on Medium (with a minimum of 67 and maximum of 90), 59 FPS average on High, and 56 FPS average on Ultra. At 2560x1440, the results are 81 FPS average on Low, 63 FPS average on Medium (with a minimum of 54 and maximum of 73), 47 FPS average on High, and 45 FPS average on Ultra. At 3840x2160, the system delivers 60 FPS average on Low, 47 FPS average on Medium (with a minimum of 40 and maximum of 54), 35 FPS average on High, and 33 FPS average on Ultra.

Several observations stand out from these numbers. First, the jump from Low to Medium settings costs roughly 23 FPS at 1080p, 18 FPS at 1440p, and 13 FPS at 4K. This suggests that Medium settings introduce a significant increase in GPU workload, likely from more detailed textures and lighting effects. Second, the gap between High and Ultra settings is remarkably small at every resolution: only 3 FPS at 1080p, 2 FPS at 1440p, and 2 FPS at 4K. This indicates that Ultra settings do not add much additional GPU strain over High in this title, making High an efficient choice for those wanting near-maximum quality without a substantial frame rate penalty.

Third, the Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values, providing insight into frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the range is 67 to 90 FPS, a spread of 23 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the range is 54 to 73 FPS, a spread of 19 FPS. At 4K Medium, the range is 40 to 54 FPS, a spread of 14 FPS. The narrowing range at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU becomes more consistently saturated, reducing the variance caused by CPU-side fluctuations. At 4K, the minimum of 40 FPS and maximum of 54 FPS show that the system can dip below the 47 FPS average, which may be noticeable during complex scenery loads.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 a bottleneck for the RTX 2060 SUPER in this game?

A: No. The measured FPS data shows that frame rates scale consistently with resolution and settings, dropping by roughly 20-27% between each resolution tier. This pattern indicates the GPU is the limiting component, while the CPU's 93rd percentile benchmark standing and high multi-core scores (42,216 in Cinebench R23) provide ample headroom.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve 60 FPS?

A: At 1080p Low, the system averages 101 FPS, and at 4K Low, it averages exactly 60 FPS. For a consistent 60 FPS experience, 4K Low is the only 4K setting that achieves this target, while 1080p Medium (78 FPS) and 1440p Low (81 FPS) offer higher frame rates with better visual quality.

Q: How much performance is lost when going from High to Ultra settings?

A: The difference is minimal. At 1080p, High averages 59 FPS and Ultra averages 56 FPS—a 3 FPS difference. At 1440p, the gap is 2 FPS (47 vs 45), and at 4K, the gap is also 2 FPS (35 vs 33). This suggests Ultra adds little visual benefit relative to its small performance cost.

Q: Does the RTX 2060 SUPER's 8 GB VRAM cause issues at 4K?

A: The data does not directly measure VRAM usage, but the 4K results—60 FPS on Low, 47 FPS on Medium, 35 FPS on High, and 33 FPS on Ultra—show that the card can run at 4K. The consistently lower FPS at higher settings indicates that GPU compute and bandwidth limitations, rather than memory capacity alone, are the primary constraints.

Q: How does this combo compare to similar GPUs in the database?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER's average benchmark score of 18,093 places it just 0.4% behind the RTX 3060 Mobile and 0.5% behind the Radeon Pro 5700, while the Radeon RX 460 is 1.5% behind this card. These scores reflect overall GPU compute, not specific game performance, but they suggest the 2060 SUPER is on par with these rivals.

Q: Is the CPU's single-core performance sufficient for the game's simulation logic?

A: Yes. The Core Ultra 7 265 scores 5,960 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 4,689 in PassMark single-thread tests. The 1080p Low result of 101 FPS demonstrates that the CPU can drive high frame rates without becoming a limiting factor, even in a simulation-heavy title like this.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal balance of visual quality and performance for this system depends on the user's resolution target. At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers 78 FPS average with a range of 67 to 90 FPS, offering a smooth experience with significantly better visuals than Low (101 FPS). High at 1080p drops to 59 FPS, which is still playable but begins to approach the threshold where frame drops become more noticeable. Ultra at 1080p yields 56 FPS, which is only marginally lower than High and provides the best visual fidelity for users willing to accept a frame rate in the mid-50s.

At 1440p, Medium is the clear recommendation, as it achieves 63 FPS average with a range of 54 to 73 FPS. This provides a good balance between detail and smoothness. Low at 1440p offers 81 FPS for users prioritizing frame rate, but the visual compromise may not be worth the 18 FPS gain over Medium. High at 1440p drops to 47 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target and may feel less fluid, while Ultra at 45 FPS is similar but with a negligible visual improvement.

At 4K, the choices are more constrained. Low settings produce exactly 60 FPS average, making it the only 4K preset that hits the standard 60 FPS target. Medium at 4K averages 47 FPS with a range of 40 to 54 FPS, which is playable but may have noticeable dips. High and Ultra at 4K, at 35 FPS and 33 FPS respectively, are likely too low for smooth gameplay and should be avoided. The data suggests that for the best overall experience, users should run 1440p Medium, which offers 63 FPS with good detail, or 1080p High at 59 FPS for a more visually rich experience that still maintains a reasonable frame rate.