Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator is a uniquely demanding title, and the data for the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the Intel Arc B570 shows a configuration that is consistently bound by its graphics card. The measured frames per second across resolutions and settings tell a clear story of a system where visual fidelity comes at a high cost, and where the CPU's substantial capabilities are largely held in reserve. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS to understand the performance characteristics of this specific combination.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 has a profound impact on the Intel Arc B570, demonstrating a classic GPU-bound scenario. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 86 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same Low preset, the average drops to 69 FPS, a reduction of roughly 20%. The climb to 3840x2160 at Low yields only 51 FPS, representing a further 26% drop from the 1440p figure. This steep decline with each resolution increase is a hallmark of a graphics card that is being pushed to its limits, as the rendering workload scales with the pixel count.

The pattern is consistent across all settings, but the absolute frame rates become critically low at higher resolutions. At 3840x2160 with High settings, the average FPS is 30, which is right at the edge of playability for a flight simulator. The Ultra preset at the same resolution pushes the average down to 28 FPS. The data indicates that 4K gaming is only viable when the visual load is minimized. Conversely, the scaling from 1080p to 1440p is less severe, but still substantial, confirming that the GPU, not the CPU, is the limiting component at every step. The fact that the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has 24 cores and 24 threads is irrelevant here; the bottleneck is clearly the graphics pipeline.

The performance scaling suggests that users targeting higher refresh rates should remain at 1920x1080, while those prioritizing visual detail will face a compromise at 2560x1440 or 3840x2160. The difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1920x1080 is a 38 FPS gap (86 vs 48), highlighting the massive cost of the game's highest fidelity options. This is a GPU-limited scenario, and the resolution scaling data confirms that the Intel Arc B570's 10 GB of GDDR6 memory and 380.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for the demands of 4K rendering in this title.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is the decisive factor in this system's performance. Its specifications, including a base and boost clock of 2500 MHz, 2304 shading units, and a 160-bit memory bus, are the components that directly influence the measured frame rates. The GPU's 65th percentile ranking against all other GPUs in the database places it as a mid-range performer, which is consistent with the FPS numbers observed. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile with a 0.1% higher average score and the Intel Arc A750 with a 0.1% lower score, indicating it is in a tight performance tier.

The 10 GB VRAM capacity is a critical detail for a game like Microsoft Flight Simulator, which is known for streaming vast amounts of terrain and scenery data. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the GPU is tasked with rendering the highest-detail assets, and the 28 FPS average suggests it is overwhelmed. The drop from 40 FPS at Medium to 30 FPS at High at 4K shows a linear progression of performance loss as the GPU works harder. The data does not include min or max FPS for most settings, but the available data at Medium (min 34, max 46 at 4K) shows a consistent frame time, indicating the GPU is running at a steady load, not spiking.

The GPU's performance is the primary reason the system's overall combo rank is 2406 out of 2996 tested combos. While the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a top-tier processor, the Arc B570 holds the system back. Benchmarks like 3DMark Steel Nomad (2649) and Passmark G3D (14195) place it in a performance class that is simply not designed for maximum settings at high resolutions in demanding simulations. The data suggests that the Arc B570 is best utilized at 1920x1080 or 2560x1440 with medium settings, where it can provide a stable experience without being pushed to its breaking point.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a high-end processor, but its role in this specific configuration is largely to keep up with the GPU's output. With 24 cores and 24 threads, a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, and an L3 cache of 36 MB, it has immense compute power. Its 96th percentile ranking against all CPUs indicates it is in the top tier of processors. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 51731 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 7303 in single-core, showing its strength in both threaded and single-threaded workloads.

However, at the resolutions tested, the CPU is rarely the bottleneck. The frame rate scaling between resolutions is almost entirely dictated by the GPU. For example, at Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 67 at 1080p to 54 at 1440p and then to 40 at 4K. This pattern is consistent with a GPU-limited system. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rates would be more consistent across resolutions, as the CPU's workload does not scale with resolution in the same way. The CPU is providing data fast enough, but the GPU cannot render it quickly enough.

The data implies that the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has significant headroom in this pairing. Its nearest CPU rivals, including the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K with a 0.2% higher average score, show that it is performing as expected. The processor's high single-thread performance is beneficial for a simulation game like this, but the measured FPS suggests that even a less powerful CPU would produce similar results in this scenario. This is a clear case where the CPU's potential is not fully realized due to the GPU's limitations.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal balance between visual quality and performance for this combo is the Medium preset at 1920x1080 resolution. The data shows an average of 67 FPS at these settings, with a minimum of 57 and maximum of 77, providing a smooth and stable experience. This is a significant improvement over the High preset's 50 FPS at the same resolution, and it offers a better visual experience than the Low preset's 86 FPS, which likely sacrifices too much detail for a marginal gain in smoothness.

For users with 2560x1440 monitors, the Medium preset offers an average of 54 FPS, which is playable but not ideal. The Low preset at this resolution provides 69 FPS, which is the only way to get close to a high refresh rate experience. The High and Ultra presets at 1440p, with averages of 41 and 39 FPS respectively, are not recommended for a consistent experience, as they fall below the 60 FPS threshold. At 3840x2160, the data shows that only the Low preset (51 FPS) is viable, while Medium (40 FPS), High (30 FPS), and Ultra (28 FPS) all fall into a range that would be considered too low for a smooth simulation.

The data shows that the Ultra preset is the most demanding, and its performance cost is not justified by the visual gains. At 1080p, the drop from High to Ultra is only 2 FPS (50 to 48), which is a negligible difference for the maximum quality settings. This suggests that the High preset is a better choice than Ultra at 1080p, as it offers nearly identical performance with slightly lower settings. The recommendation is to prioritize a resolution of 1920x1080 and use the Medium or High preset based on the user's preference for visual fidelity versus frame rate stability.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested configurations, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the Intel Arc B570 ranks 2406 out of 2996 combos for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the bottom 20% of all tested systems, which is a poor result for a CPU that is in the 96th percentile overall. This ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU's mid-range performance, which severely limits the system's ability to run the game at high settings. The combo rank is not a reflection of the CPU's quality, but rather the overall system's gaming capability.

The rank indicates that most other tested pairings, which likely include more powerful graphics cards, achieve higher frame rates in this game. The data shows that the Arc B570 is a bottleneck, dragging down the performance of an otherwise top-tier CPU. The gap in performance between this combo and others is not due to a poor CPU-GPU pairing, but rather the inherent performance limits of the Arc B570. The high average benchmark scores of the CPU (84003) cannot compensate for the GPU's average score of 20556 in a gaming workload.

This ranking serves as a clear indicator that users should not pair a high-end CPU with a mid-range GPU if they intend to play demanding games at high settings. The system's performance is only as strong as its weakest link, and in this case, the GPU is the limiting factor. The data suggests that this combo is suited for entry-level 1080p gaming, but it will not provide a satisfactory experience at higher resolutions or with maximum quality settings. The overall rank reflects how GPU-bound this game is, even with a powerful processor.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combination can achieve in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 86 at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: Is this system capable of running the game at 4K resolution with the Ultra preset?

A: The data shows an average of 28 FPS at 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset, which is below the threshold for smooth, playable performance.

Q: Which component is the bottleneck for this configuration in this game?

A: The Intel Arc B570 GPU is the bottleneck. The frame rate drops significantly as resolution increases, which is a characteristic of GPU-limited performance, while the CPU has significant headroom.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus compare to its closest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K?

A: The average benchmark score for the Ultra 9 290K Plus is 84003, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K's score of 83807.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 2560x1440 with Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS recorded at 2560x1440 with Medium settings is 46, with an average of 54 and a maximum of 62.

Q: What is the overall rank of this combo among all tested combinations for this game?

A: The combo rank is 2406 out of 2996 tested combinations, placing it in the lower portion of the database.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table breaks down the measured average FPS for each resolution and settings preset.

1920x1080

• Ultra: 48 FPS
• High: 50 FPS
• Medium: 67 FPS (min 57, max 77)
• Low: 86 FPS

2560x1440

• Ultra: 39 FPS
• High: 41 FPS
• Medium: 54 FPS (min 46, max 62)
• Low: 69 FPS

3840x2160

• Ultra: 28 FPS
• High: 30 FPS
• Medium: 40 FPS (min 34, max 46)
• Low: 51 FPS

The data shows a clear and consistent decline in performance as both resolution and settings are increased. The Medium preset is the only one that provides min and max FPS data, indicating a stable frame time. The performance envelope of this combo is centered around 1080p gaming, with 1440p requiring a compromise on settings and 4K only being viable on the Low preset.