Yes, they absolutely can. I had very similar specs when I started out. I have upgraded since, but only by a modest amount. If you don’t have everything whacked up to max, you can have a decent flying experience. I was pleasantly surprised that it performed as well as it did, better in fact than I got with FSX using hardware that exceeded its recommended specs back in the day.
This is why I have a low tolerance for people with far more capable hardware than I have screaming about how dreadful their experience is.