Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator is an exceptionally demanding title, and the benchmark results for the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H paired with the AMD Radeon 890M illustrate a system that is heavily constrained by its integrated graphics. The data shows a component pairing where the CPU has significant headroom, but the GPU is consistently the limiting factor across all tested resolutions and settings. This analysis will walk through the measured FPS data to explain how this combination behaves, what it indicates about the underlying hardware, and what users can expect from this setup.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the lowest tested setting, the average frame rate drops from 50 FPS at 1080p to 40 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 30 FPS at 4K. This represents a 20% decrease from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 25% decrease from 1440p to 4K, culminating in a total 40% reduction in average FPS from the lowest to highest resolution at this setting.

The pattern becomes more pronounced at higher graphical presets. With High settings, the average FPS falls from 29 at 1080p to 23 at 1440p, then down to 17 at 4K. This is a steeper relative decline, with a 20.7% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 26.1% drop from 1440p to 4K, totaling a 41.4% reduction. The Medium preset shows a similar trend, going from 39 FPS at 1080p to 31 FPS at 1440p and 23 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset, while starting from a lower baseline, demonstrates the same scaling behavior: 28 FPS at 1080p, 22 FPS at 1440p, and 16 FPS at 4K.

This scaling behavior is a textbook indicator of a GPU-bound scenario. The consistent, proportional decrease in frame rates as pixel count increases suggests that the rendering pipeline is saturated. The AMD Radeon 890M's fill rate and shading capabilities are being exhausted at 1080p, and increasing the resolution only compounds the workload on the GPU. The CPU is not the bottleneck here; if it were, we would expect to see similar FPS numbers across different resolutions, as the CPU workload would remain constant. Instead, the data shows a near-linear relationship between resolution and performance, confirming that the integrated GPU's processing power is the primary constraint.

The most telling observation is that even at the lowest settings, the system cannot maintain a consistently smooth experience at higher resolutions. The 30 FPS average at 4K Low is below the threshold for comfortable playability in a flight simulator, which often requires smooth panning and instrument readability. The fact that the frame rate halves from 1080p Low to 4K High (50 FPS down to 17 FPS) shows that both resolution and graphical fidelity are costly for this IGP.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon 890M is an integrated graphics processor based on the RDNA 3.5 architecture, fabricated on a 4 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 400 MHz and a boost clock of 2900 MHz. The GPU has 1024 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 32 raster output pipelines. Its theoretical peak performance is listed as 5.939 TFLOPS for FP32 operations. The memory subsystem is entirely system-shared, meaning its bandwidth is dependent on the host system's memory configuration.

In the context of Microsoft Flight Simulator, these specifications translate to a GPU that is fundamentally limited. The benchmark results for the 890M place it in the 45th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 9210. Its nearest rivals in terms of average score include the AMD Radeon Vega 8 (9221, deltaPct -0.1), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 (9273, deltaPct -0.7), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465 (9294, deltaPct -0.9). These comparisons highlight that while the 890M is a modern integrated solution, its raw performance is comparable to older, discrete entry-level graphics cards. It is not a high-performance part.

The GPU's role as the limiting factor is undeniable when examining the measured FPS. The maximum average FPS recorded in any configuration was 50 FPS at 1080p Low. At the more demanding 4K resolution, the average FPS never exceeds 30, even on Low settings. The 16 average FPS at 4K Ultra is essentially unplayable, and even the 17 FPS at 4K High is a slideshow. This performance profile is consistent with a GPU that is being overwhelmed by the game's complex rendering demands, which include detailed terrain, dynamic lighting, and intricate aircraft models. The data shows that the GPU's compute and fill rate limits are reached quickly, preventing the system from leveraging the CPU's potential.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo can achieve in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: The highest average FPS recorded in the data is 50 FPS, which is achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Is Microsoft Flight Simulator playable at 4K resolution with this hardware?

A: The data indicates it is not. At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 16 on Ultra settings to 30 on Low settings, with the High preset yielding 17 FPS and Medium yielding 23 FPS. These frame rates are below what is generally considered smooth for this genre.

Q: How does the AMD Radeon 890M compare to its closest rivals in general benchmark scores?

A: The Radeon 890M has an average benchmark score of 9210. This is virtually identical to the AMD Radeon Vega 8, which scores 9221, and slightly below the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, which scores 9273. It is also marginally behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465, which scores 9294.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between Low and Ultra settings at 2560x1440?

A: At 2560x1440, the average FPS on Low settings is 40, while on Ultra settings it drops to 22. This represents a 45% decrease in performance when moving from the lowest to the highest preset.

Q: Does increasing the resolution from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 have a significant impact on performance?

A: Yes. For example, on High settings, the average FPS drops from 23 at 2560x1440 to 17 at 3840x2160, a 26.1% reduction. On Medium settings, it drops from 31 FPS to 23 FPS, a 25.8% reduction.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS recorded for the Medium preset?

A: The data includes min and max FPS for the Medium preset. At 1920x1080, the range is 33 to 44 FPS. At 2560x1440, it is 26 to 36 FPS. At 3840x2160, it is 20 to 26 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this hardware combination is found at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only configuration in the dataset that achieves an average FPS of 50, which is the closest to a consistently smooth frame rate. While 50 FPS is not ideal for all users, it is the most playable option available among the tested settings. The data shows that any increase in resolution or graphical fidelity comes with a significant sacrifice in frame rate.

For users who prioritize visual quality over frame rate, the Medium preset at 1920x1080 offers a compromise, with an average of 39 FPS and a min/max range of 33 to 44 FPS. This provides a more detailed visual experience while remaining somewhat playable. However, the High preset at 1920x1080 yields an average of 29 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 28 FPS. These are likely too low for a smooth simulation experience.

At higher resolutions, the data strongly advises against using any preset other than Low. At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 40 FPS, which is acceptable, but the Medium preset drops to 31 FPS and High/Ultra fall to 23 and 22 FPS respectively. At 3840x2160, no setting is recommended, as even the Low preset only manages an average of 30 FPS. The data suggests that users should stick to 1080p for any semblance of smooth gameplay, and should be prepared to lower settings to Low or Medium to maintain playable frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H and AMD Radeon 890M combination ranks 2829 out of 2996 tested combos for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the bottom 5.6% of all tested system configurations, indicating that it is a low-performing setup for this specific game. This low ranking is almost entirely attributable to the GPU, as the CPU is a high-end mobile processor. The data shows that the integrated graphics solution cannot keep up with the demands of the simulation.

This ranking is consistent with the performance metrics of the individual components. The Radeon 890M sits in the 45th percentile of all GPUs, which is below average. Its nearest rivals, such as the Radeon Vega 8 and GTX 960, are older or lower-tier parts. This positions the GPU as a bottleneck. The CPU, on the other hand, is powerful. The Core Ultra 9 185H is in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. This massive disparity in relative performance between the CPU and GPU ensures that the system will always be limited by the graphics processor in a graphically intensive game like Microsoft Flight Simulator. The ranking reflects the reality that this combo is not designed for high-end gaming at this title's settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact average FPS measurements for each resolution and settings combination.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 16 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | High | 17 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 23 | 20 | 26 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 30 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 22 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | High | 23 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 31 | 26 | 36 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 40 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 28 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | High | 29 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 39 | 33 | 44 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 50 | - | - |

The data clearly shows a performance hierarchy. At each resolution, Low settings provide the highest average FPS, followed by Medium, then High, and finally Ultra. The difference between Low and Ultra is substantial, representing a 44% drop at 1080p (50 to 28 FPS), a 45% drop at 1440p (40 to 22 FPS), and a 46.7% drop at 4K (30 to 16 FPS). This consistent percentage decrease indicates that the graphical presets scale the GPU workload in a predictable manner.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H is a high-end mobile processor from the Core Ultra Series 1, built on the Meteor Lake architecture using a 7 nm process. It features 16 cores and 22 threads, with a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. The CPU has a 24 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory. In general benchmark tests, it scores 17984.5 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1810.5 in single-core, and it sits in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score is 35670, which is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350 (35719, deltaPct -0.1) and the Intel Core 7 250H (35728, deltaPct -0.2).

Despite this processing power, the CPU's role in Microsoft Flight Simulator with this GPU is to feed data to the graphics processor. The benchmark results demonstrate that the CPU is not the limiting factor. The performance scaling with resolution and settings is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. If the CPU were the constraint, the frame rates would be more consistent across different resolutions, as the CPU's workload would be similar regardless of pixel count. Instead, we see a significant drop in FPS as resolution increases, indicating that the GPU is fully saturated and cannot render frames fast enough to utilize the CPU's full potential.

The CPU has the capability to handle the game's simulation and physics calculations, but its output is constrained by the Radeon 890M's ability to render the resulting frames. The data suggests that the Core Ultra 9 185H is a powerful partner that is being held back. In a system with a more capable discrete GPU, this CPU would likely deliver much higher frame rates. However, in this specific combo, the CPU's performance is effectively capped by the integrated graphics solution, making it an underutilized component in this gaming workload.