Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator places enormous demands on both the processor and the graphics card, and the measured results for the Intel Core Ultra X7 368H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 show a system that can handle the sim at playable framerates across most settings, though the 4K Ultra preset pushes it to the edge. The data indicates a strong balance between the 16-core CPU and the 8 GB GPU, with performance scaling predictably as resolution and graphical fidelity increase. This analysis walks through the benchmark numbers, the role each component plays, and what the measured FPS means for practical use.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average framerate recorded for this combo in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: The highest average framerate recorded is 103 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset. The next highest is 83 FPS at 2560x1440 with Low settings, showing that the Low preset provides the most headroom for frame generation.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested combinations in this game?

A: The Intel Core Ultra X7 368H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 combination ranks 1956th out of 2996 total tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the database, meaning the majority of tested systems deliver higher average framerates.

Q: What is the lowest average framerate recorded, and at which settings?

A: The lowest average framerate is 34 FPS, recorded at 3840x2160 resolution with the Ultra settings preset. This is the only measured configuration that falls below the 36 FPS mark, indicating that 4K Ultra is not suitable for smooth gameplay on this hardware.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU appear to be the limiting factor at 1080p Low settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system reaches 103 FPS average. The CPU has a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 28221 and a single-core score of 3984, while the GPU’s Passmark G3D score is 20891. The high framerate at low resolution and settings suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU, but the GPU becomes the bottleneck as resolution increases.

Q: How much does the average framerate drop when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average framerate drops from 60 FPS at 1920x1080 to 49 FPS at 2560x1440, and further to 36 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 40% reduction from 1080p to 4K, which is a typical scaling pattern for a GPU-bound scenario.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers 83 FPS average, while the Ultra preset delivers 46 FPS average. This is a 37 FPS difference, or roughly a 45% reduction in performance when moving from the lowest to the highest quality settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process node. It features 3840 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units. The GPU has 30 RT cores and 120 tensor cores, which are relevant for Microsoft Flight Simulator’s use of ray-traced effects and DLSS features, though the measured data does not specify whether those features were enabled. The GPU’s base clock is 2280 MHz with a boost clock of 2497 MHz, and its memory clock runs at 1750 MHz with 28 Gbps effective speed.

The memory configuration is 8 GB of GDDR7 on a 128-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. This memory bandwidth is critical for a flight simulator that streams large terrain and scenery data. The 8 GB capacity is a potential constraint at higher resolutions and settings, as texture data can exceed that capacity, but the measured results show playable framerates at 1080p and 1440p across all presets. The GPU’s pixel rate is 119.9 GPixel/s and texture rate is 299.6 GTexel/s, which directly influences how quickly the sim can fill the screen with detailed scenery.

In the database, the RTX 5060 has a percentile rank of 72 among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 26331. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 860M with a deltaPct of -0.3, the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 at -0.3, and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT at 1.2. These deltas are extremely small, indicating that the RTX 5060 sits in a tightly clustered performance band around this score. The GPU’s Passmark G3D score of 20891 and DirectX 12 score of 77 provide context for its raw rendering capability, though the game-specific measured FPS is more relevant for this analysis.

The 145 W TDP and dual-slot design suggest this is a mobile-oriented GPU, consistent with the laptop CPU pairing. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for the Medium and High presets at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K Ultra the average framerate of 34 FPS indicates the GPU is heavily loaded. The 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is a strong asset for streaming textures, but the 128-bit bus width limits the total memory throughput compared to wider-bus GPUs.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear scaling pattern across the three resolutions tested: 1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160. At Low settings, the average framerate drops from 103 FPS at 1080p to 83 FPS at 1440p, and then to 61 FPS at 4K. This represents a 19% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a further 27% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The total drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is 42 FPS, or roughly 41%.

At Medium settings, the pattern is similar but with lower absolute numbers. The average framerate is 80 FPS at 1080p, 65 FPS at 1440p, and 48 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 15 FPS (19%), and from 1440p to 4K is 17 FPS (26%). The Medium preset also has min and max FPS recorded: at 1080p, the range is 68 to 92 FPS; at 1440p, it is 55 to 74 FPS; and at 4K, it is 41 to 55 FPS. These ranges show that the framerate is fairly stable, with the spread between min and max narrowing as resolution increases.

High settings show a steeper decline. The average framerate is 60 FPS at 1080p, 49 FPS at 1440p, and 36 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p drop is 11 FPS (18%), while the 1440p to 4K drop is 13 FPS (27%). At 4K High, the 36 FPS average is below the 40 FPS threshold that many users consider the minimum for a smooth experience, though it is still above the 30 FPS playable floor.

Ultra settings produce the lowest framerates across the board. The average is 58 FPS at 1080p, 46 FPS at 1440p, and 34 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 12 FPS (21%), and from 1440p to 4K is 12 FPS (26%). The 4K Ultra result of 34 FPS is the only measured configuration that dips below the 36 FPS mark, making it the least viable option.

The scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting component as resolution increases. The consistent percentage drops across settings — roughly 20% from 1080p to 1440p and 26-27% from 1440p to 4K — are typical of a GPU-bound workload where pixel count drives performance. The CPU’s strong multi-core and single-core scores (Cinebench R23 multi-core 28221, single-core 3984) are sufficient to keep up with the GPU at lower resolutions, but the RTX 5060’s 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus become the constraint at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best performance. The Low preset averages 103 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target for most displays. Medium settings average 80 FPS, with a recorded range of 68 to 92 FPS, indicating consistent performance. High settings average 60 FPS, hitting the exact threshold for standard 60 Hz monitors. Ultra settings average 58 FPS, slightly below the High preset but still playable. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 45 FPS, showing that the GPU has substantial headroom at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, performance degrades predictably. Low settings average 83 FPS, which remains smooth. Medium settings average 65 FPS, with a range of 55 to 74 FPS, meaning occasional dips below 60 FPS are possible. High settings average 49 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target but still acceptable for slower-paced flight simulation. Ultra settings average 46 FPS, a marginal drop from High. The difference between High and Ultra at 1440p is only 3 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset’s additional effects have a minimal impact at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is heavily taxed. Low settings average 61 FPS, which is surprisingly playable given the 4K resolution. Medium settings average 48 FPS, with a range of 41 to 55 FPS. High settings average 36 FPS, which is below the 40 FPS threshold for comfortable gameplay. Ultra settings average 34 FPS, the lowest recorded. The drop from Medium to High at 4K is 12 FPS, and from High to Ultra is only 2 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset’s additional settings have a diminishing impact on performance at this resolution.

The full set of measured data shows a consistent hierarchy: Low > Medium > High > Ultra at every resolution. The gap between Low and Medium is significant (23 FPS at 1080p, 18 FPS at 1440p, 13 FPS at 4K), while the gap between High and Ultra is much smaller (2 FPS at 1080p, 3 FPS at 1440p, 2 FPS at 4K). This suggests that the Ultra preset adds visual quality without a proportional performance cost relative to High, but the absolute framerates at 4K are too low for both presets.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra X7 368H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 combination ranks 1956th out of 2996 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This percentile position of roughly 35th from the bottom means that two-thirds of tested systems deliver higher average framerates. The rank is based on the measured FPS data across all resolutions and settings, weighted toward the best achievable performance.

The CPU’s nearest rivals provide context for its contribution. The Intel Core 7 253PE has an average score of 40557 with a deltaPct of -0.1, meaning the Ultra X7 368H is essentially tied with it. The Intel Core 5 223PE scores 40585 with a deltaPct of -0.2, also nearly identical. The AMD Ryzen 9 7940H scores 40431 with a deltaPct of 0.2, and the Intel Xeon 6507P scores 40426 with a deltaPct of 0.2. These sub-1% differences indicate that the CPU is competitive with a range of mid-to-high-end mobile processors, none of which would dramatically alter the game’s performance.

The GPU’s nearest rivals similarly show a tight cluster. The AMD Radeon 860M has an average score of 26401 with a deltaPct of -0.3, the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 scores 26421 with a deltaPct of -0.3, and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary scores 26553 with a deltaPct of -0.8. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT scores 26011 with a deltaPct of 1.2. These deltas mean the RTX 5060 is within 1.2% of its nearest competitors, so swapping to any of these GPUs would produce nearly identical framerates in this sim.

The combination of a CPU ranked at the 87th percentile of all CPUs and a GPU ranked at the 72nd percentile of all GPUs results in a combo rank that is lower than either component’s individual percentile. This suggests that the game’s performance is more sensitive to the GPU than the CPU, and the RTX 5060’s mid-pack standing drags down the overall combo rank. The 1956th rank indicates that while this system is capable of running the sim, it is not optimized for high-refresh-rate or 4K Ultra gameplay.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired framerate. At 1920x1080, the High preset averages 60 FPS, which is the standard target for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset averages 80 FPS, providing headroom for displays with higher refresh rates. The Low preset exceeds 100 FPS, but the visual quality reduction may not be worth it for a flight simulator where scenery detail is important. The Ultra preset averages 58 FPS, which is only 2 FPS below High, so players with 60 Hz displays can choose Ultra without a noticeable performance penalty.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset averages 65 FPS, with a min of 55 FPS. This is the best balance of visual quality and performance, as it stays above 60 FPS on average and rarely dips below. The Low preset averages 83 FPS, which is ideal for variable refresh rate displays. The High preset averages 49 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target but acceptable for a slow-paced simulator. The Ultra preset averages 46 FPS, which is marginally worse than High and not worth the extra visual load.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 61 FPS, making it the only 4K preset that clears the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset averages 48 FPS, which is playable but requires a tolerance for occasional dips to 41 FPS. The High and Ultra presets average 36 and 34 FPS respectively, which are below the 40 FPS threshold for comfortable gameplay and should be avoided unless the player prioritizes visual fidelity over smoothness.

For the best overall experience, the Medium preset at 1440p offers 65 FPS average with a narrow 55-74 FPS range, providing a good balance of detail and smoothness. At 1080p, the High preset at 60 FPS is the safest choice for standard monitors. At 4K, the Low preset at 61 FPS is the only viable option, though players may prefer to reduce resolution to 1440p and raise settings for a better visual experience.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra X7 368H is a 16-core, 16-thread processor from the Core Ultra Series 3, based on the Panther Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 2.00 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, with a TDP of 25 W. The CPU features a 3 nm process node and an 18 MB shared L3 cache, along with 192 KB of L1 cache per core and 2.5 MB of L2 cache per core. It supports LPDDR5X memory on a dual-channel bus with a bandwidth of 153.6 GB/s, which is relevant for feeding the GPU with scenery data.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 28221 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 3984 in single-core. The Passmark multi-thread score is 32956, and the single-thread score is 4005. These figures place the CPU at the 87th percentile of all CPUs, indicating strong performance for a mobile processor. In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU handles the simulation logic, AI traffic, and weather systems, while the GPU renders the scenery.

The 16 cores and 16 threads provide ample parallelism for the sim’s multi-threaded workloads. The 5.00 GHz boost clock ensures strong single-thread performance, which is critical for the main simulation thread. The 25 W TDP is low, suggesting the CPU is designed for thin-and-light laptops, but the measured framerates show it does not bottleneck the RTX 5060 at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the 103 FPS average indicates the CPU can push the GPU to its limits, and the framerate is likely GPU-bound even at this low resolution.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in the database all have average scores within 0.2% of the Ultra X7 368H, confirming that it is a well-balanced processor. The lack of a launch MSRP and the mobile market segment suggest it is part of a pre-built laptop configuration, and its active production status means it is currently available. The CPU’s integrated graphics, Arc B390, are not used when the discrete RTX 5060 is present, but they provide a fallback for power-saving modes.

The 153.6 GB/s memory bandwidth is sufficient for the sim’s data streaming, and the dual-channel LPDDR5X support ensures the CPU can quickly access terrain data. The 18 MB L3 cache is moderate but adequate for a flight simulator that relies more on single-thread efficiency than cache capacity. Overall, the CPU is a capable partner for the RTX 5060, providing enough compute power to avoid bottlenecks in most scenarios, while the GPU remains the primary determinant of framerate at higher resolutions and settings.