Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator, released on 2020-08-17, is a flight simulation game. The benchmark dataset for this page covers a system using the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile, with measured average FPS at 1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160 across Low, Medium, High, and Ultra settings. The dataset also includes detailed CPU and GPU specification profiles, benchmark scores, percentile rankings, and nearest-rival comparisons.

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

The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H is a mobile processor from the Core Ultra Series 3, based on the Panther Lake architecture and built on a 3 nm process. It has 16 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. The L3 cache is 18 MB shared, and the processor supports LPDDR5X memory over a dual-channel bus with a bandwidth of 153.6 GB/s. This is a high-core-count part, though it does not use simultaneous multithreading, as the thread count equals the core count.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU posts a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 18911 and a single-core score of 2200.5. The PassMark multithread score is 36811, and the PassMark single-thread score is 4280. Its average benchmark score is 44466, placing it in the 88th percentile of all CPUs. The nearest rivals in the database are the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D, the Intel Core i9-13950HX, the AMD Ryzen AI Max 385, and the Intel Core i5-13600. The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H's average score is 0.2% lower than the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D's 44573, 0.3% higher than the Intel Core i9-13950HX's 44342, 0.4% higher than the AMD Ryzen AI Max 385's 44309, and 0.5% higher than the Intel Core i5-13600's 44240.

For a flight simulation, CPU performance is central to the frame rate because the game must process aircraft physics, avionics, and world scenery. The measured FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings is 106 average, which is the highest value in the dataset. That result indicates the processor can deliver high frame rates when the GPU is not heavily burdened. The 16-core design with a 5.10 GHz boost clock provides strong single-thread and multi-thread throughput, as shown by the Cinebench and PassMark results. The 88th percentile ranking suggests that this CPU is positioned well above the median of all tested processors, which aligns with the high FPS observed at lower resolution and settings.

The CPU's memory bandwidth of 153.6 GB/s and 18 MB L3 cache are also relevant to a simulation that streams large amounts of terrain data. While the dataset does not isolate CPU utilization, the fact that the Low preset at 1080p reaches 106 FPS—while the Ultra preset at the same resolution drops to 59 FPS—points to the GPU as the primary constraint at higher settings. The processor's strong single-core score of 4280 in PassMark and 2200.5 in Cinebench R23 suggests it can sustain the per-thread demands of flight-simulation logic.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD107 chip, produced on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It has 3072 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units. The base clock is 1545 MHz, and the boost clock is 1890 MHz. Memory is 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s and an effective memory speed of 16 Gbps. The GPU's TDP is 115 W, and it uses a PCIe 4.0 x8 interface.

In synthetic benchmarks, the GPU scores 17469 in PassMark G3D, 89420 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 89569 in Geekbench Vulkan. Its average benchmark score is 22729, placing it in the 67th percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rivals in the GPU list are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT, the Intel Arc B580, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile. The RTX 4060 Mobile's average score is 0.7% lower than the RTX 2080's 22895, 0.8% higher than the AMD RX 7700 XT's 22549, 1.3% lower than the Intel Arc B580's 23021, and 1.3% higher than the RTX 5060 Mobile's 22435.

The GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth are important for Microsoft Flight Simulator, which loads high-resolution textures and terrain data. At 4K with Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 35, which is the lowest value in the dataset. At 4K with Low settings, the average FPS rises to 63, indicating that the GPU's rendering load is heavily tied to settings. The 1545 MHz base and 1890 MHz boost clocks provide the compute throughput for the game's graphics pipeline. The 3072 shading units and 48 ROPs are modest for a mobile GPU, and the 67th percentile ranking places it slightly above the median GPU.

The measured FPS across all rows shows a consistent pattern: for each resolution, the Low preset gives the highest FPS, and the Ultra preset gives the lowest. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 47 FPS (106 to 59). At 1440p, the difference is 38 FPS (86 to 48). At 4K, the difference is 28 FPS (63 to 35). These gaps reflect the GPU's ability to scale with rendering complexity, with the 4K Ultra result of 35 FPS indicating a heavy load on the GPU.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded in the dataset?

A: The highest average FPS is 106, recorded at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H compare to the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D in average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H has an average benchmark score of 44466, which is 0.2% lower than the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D's 44573.

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

A: The average FPS is 67, with a minimum of 57 and a maximum of 77.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile is in the 67th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 22729.

Q: Which preset at 4K produces the highest average FPS?

A: The Low preset at 4K produces an average FPS of 63, which is the highest for that resolution.

Q: How many threads does the CPU have?

A: The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H has 16 threads, matching its 16 cores.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows provide a clear view of how the four presets affect performance. At 1080p, the Low preset averages 106 FPS, the Medium preset averages 83 FPS, the High preset averages 62 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 59 FPS. At 1440p, the Low preset averages 86 FPS, the Medium preset averages 67 FPS, the High preset averages 50 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 48 FPS. At 4K, the Low preset averages 63 FPS, the Medium preset averages 49 FPS, the High preset averages 37 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 35 FPS.

For a player who prioritizes the highest frame rate, the Low preset at 1080p is the only row exceeding 100 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p still delivers 83 FPS, which is substantially higher than the High preset's 62 FPS and the Ultra preset's 59 FPS. At 1440p, the Medium preset offers 67 FPS, which is higher than the High preset's 50 FPS and the Ultra preset's 48 FPS. At 4K, only the Low preset yields a value above 60 FPS, with 63 FPS; the Medium preset drops to 49 FPS, and the High and Ultra presets fall to 37 and 35 FPS respectively.

The dataset shows that the Medium preset is the highest setting that keeps the average FPS above 60 at 1080p and 1440p. At 4K, the Low preset is the only one that reaches a 63 FPS average. If a player wants to balance visual quality with frame rate, the Medium preset at 1440p is a strong candidate, since it maintains 67 FPS while providing better detail than the Low preset. For 4K, the Low preset is the only viable option for a smooth experience, as the Medium preset at 4K falls to 49 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile ranks 2268 out of 3714 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This rank places the system in the lower half of all tested combinations. The CPU is in the 88th percentile of all CPUs, and the GPU is in the 67th percentile of all GPUs, so both components are above average individually. However, the in-game rank is below the median, indicating that many other systems with different CPU-GPU pairings achieve higher average FPS in this specific title.

The rank of 2268 out of 3714 means that the combo performs better than 1446 other combos and worse than 2267 combos. The CPU's high percentile and the GPU's mid-high percentile suggest that the game's performance is not limited by a single component; instead, the combination of the two produces a result that is lower than would be expected from either component alone. This may be due to the CPU's 16 threads (without multithreading) or the GPU's 8 GB VRAM, but the dataset does not provide direct evidence. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (106) and 4K Ultra (35) show a wide performance envelope, but the combo's overall rank is still below average.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table lists all measured average FPS values, along with minimum and maximum FPS where available.

| Resolution | Settings | Average FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

|------------|----------|-------------|---------|---------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 37 | — | — |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 63 | — | — |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 49 | 42 | 57 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 35 | — | — |

| 2560x1440 | High | 50 | — | — |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 86 | — | — |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 67 | 57 | 77 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 48 | — | — |

| 1920x1080 | High | 62 | — | — |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 106 | — | — |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 83 | 70 | 95 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 59 | — | — |

The Medium preset is the only one that reports both minimum and maximum FPS values, with the 1080p row showing a 70 to 95 range, the 1440p row showing a 57 to 77 range, and the 4K row showing a 42 to 57 range. These ranges indicate some frame-time variability at the Medium setting, but the average values are consistent across resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a clear relationship between resolution and average FPS across all four presets. For the Low preset, the average FPS drops from 106 at 1080p to 86 at 1440p and 63 at 4K. For Medium, it drops from 83 to 67 to 49. For High, it drops from 62 to 50 to 37. For Ultra, it drops from 59 to 48 to 35. At every preset, the 1440p average is lower than the 1080p average, and the 4K average is lower than the 1440p average.

The drop from 1080p to 4K is most pronounced for the High and Ultra presets: High falls from 62 to 37, and Ultra falls from 59 to 35. The Low preset falls from 106 to 63, and Medium falls from 83 to 49. This pattern indicates that the GPU's rendering load scales with pixel count, and the higher presets place an even larger demand on the GPU. The fact that the Low preset at 4K still reaches 63 FPS suggests that the GPU is not the only limiting factor at lower settings; the CPU's performance is sufficient to push that frame rate, but the GPU struggles to maintain it at higher settings.

The resolution scaling also shows that the gap between Low and Ultra presets narrows as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low (106) and Ultra (59) is 47 FPS. At 1440p, the difference is 38 FPS (86 to 48). At 4K, the difference is 28 FPS (63 to 35). This trend suggests that at 4K, both the CPU and GPU are heavily loaded, and the preset choice has less impact on FPS than it does at 1080p. The data does not identify the limiting component directly, but the consistent drop across all presets indicates that resolution scaling is a primary factor in the system's performance.