Fortnite

Fortnite on the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 presents a dataset that clearly delineates the shifting balance between CPU and GPU workload as resolution changes. The measured frames per second (FPS) reveal a system that is exceptionally strong at lower resolutions, but which begins to show the GPU's limitations as pixel count increases. The data shows a predictable pattern of scaling, yet the margins between settings presets offer specific insights into where the performance ceiling lies for this particular pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 demonstrates a steep performance curve that is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 318 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings, the average drops to 215 FPS, a reduction of approximately 32%. The jump to 3840x2160 Low yields 113 FPS, which is another 47% decline from the 1440p figure. This scaling pattern indicates that at 1080p, the CPU is likely the primary limiter, as the GPU has ample headroom to render frames quickly, but the processor cannot feed it enough data to push higher.

Under High settings, the resolution scaling tells a similar but slightly different story. The system produces 184 FPS at 1080p, 117 FPS at 1440p, and 62 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 36%, and from 1440p to 4K it is about 47%. The consistent ~47% drop between 1440p and 4K across both Low and High settings suggests that the RTX 4070's rendering pipeline is being saturated by the pixel count at 4K, independent of the complexity of the scene. The fact that the 1080p to 1440p drop is smaller than the 1440p to 4K drop reinforces that the GPU has more relative headroom at 1440p, but the 4K resolution demands a significant portion of its available throughput.

The Ultra preset exhibits the most dramatic scaling, falling from 122 FPS at 1080p to 77 FPS at 1440p and finally 41 FPS at 4K. The 1440p to 4K reduction here is also about 47%, matching the pattern. However, the absolute values are lower, indicating that the Ultra preset introduces effects that heavily tax the GPU's compute and memory subsystems. The median FPS figures available for Medium settings provide additional context: at 4K, the average is 80 FPS with a minimum of 68 and a maximum of 92, while at 1440p, the average is 151 FPS with a range of 129 to 174. This variance shows that even within a single preset, frame times are not perfectly stable, but the system maintains playable averages across the board.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 2 architecture, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its benchmark scores place it in the 84th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 34260. This places it in close competition with the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350, which scores 34222 (a delta of 0.1%), and the Intel Core i5-13450HX, which scores 34333 (a delta of -0.2%). For a game like Fortnite, which is known to be sensitive to single-thread performance, the processor's Geekbench single-core score of 1593 and Cinebench R15 single-core score of 204 are relevant data points.

In the context of this game's results, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p with Low settings, where the average FPS of 318 is the highest recorded in the dataset. This high figure suggests that the processor is capable of handling the game's logic and draw calls at a very rapid pace. However, the fact that it does not scale linearly with the GPU's capabilities in other scenarios suggests that the 3.60 GHz base clock, while respectable, may not be sufficient to fully unlock the RTX 4070's potential in highly CPU-bound situations. The processor's Passmark single-thread score of 2656 and multithread score of 22458 indicate a balanced performance profile.

The architecture's 32 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth are typical for its generation. The data shows that at higher resolutions, the CPU's influence wanes, as the difference between 1080p and 4K FPS is substantial. This is the expected behavior: the CPU prepares frames, and the GPU renders them. At 4K, the GPU's rendering time dominates, making the CPU's preparation time less of a bottleneck. The processor's 65-watt TDP and 7 nm process node are characteristics that define its efficiency, but the benchmark results in Fortnite are more directly tied to its clock speed and IPC (instructions per clock) rather than its power draw.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is a substantial piece of hardware, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process node. It features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. Its boost clock is 2475 MHz, and it contains 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. The GPU's benchmark performance places it in the 81st percentile among all GPUs, with an average score of 37648. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (37628, delta 0.1%) and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37507, delta 0.4%), showing that it sits in a competitive performance tier.

The GPU's role in this Fortnite dataset is clearly the dominant factor at higher resolutions. The 4K results, which range from 41 FPS on Ultra to 113 FPS on Low, demonstrate that the RTX 4070's 12 GB frame buffer and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for the game's demands, but the processing power is stretched by the sheer number of pixels. The card's FP32 performance of 29.15 TFLOPS and texture rate of 455.4 GTexel/s are theoretical figures, but the measured FPS suggests that Fortnite's rendering engine is able to effectively utilize this throughput, given the linear scaling pattern observed.

The memory configuration is particularly relevant. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 41, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay, indicating that the GPU's compute units are saturated. The fact that the 4K Medium preset maintains an average of 80 FPS, with a minimum of 68, suggests that the GPU can handle the resolution when graphical effects are moderated. The card's 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores are present, but the measured data does not isolate ray tracing or DLSS performance, so their impact on these specific results cannot be quantified. The 1920 MHz base clock and 2475 MHz boost clock define the operational envelope, and the results show that the GPU scales consistently with resolution changes, a hallmark of a well-balanced card that eventually hits its limits.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The dataset provides average FPS for all combinations of four resolutions and four settings presets, with minimum and maximum values only for Medium settings. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low averages 318 FPS, Medium averages 238 FPS (with a range of 202 to 274), High averages 184 FPS, and Ultra averages 122 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is nearly 200 FPS, which is a massive range that highlights the significant impact of graphical settings on the system's output. Even at the Ultra setting, the average of 122 FPS is well above the standard 60 FPS target, making 1080p an excellent resolution for this combo on any preset.

Moving to 2560x1440, the numbers show a clear step down. Low averages 215 FPS, Medium averages 151 FPS (with a range of 129 to 174), High averages 117 FPS, and Ultra averages 77 FPS. The Ultra result at 1440p is still playable, but it is approaching the point where frame drops might be noticeable on high-refresh-rate displays. The Medium preset's minimum of 129 FPS indicates that even in demanding scenes, the system does not fall below a smooth threshold. At this resolution, the GPU is doing more work, but the CPU is still able to keep up, as evidenced by the relatively small gap between Low and Medium when compared to the gap between Medium and Ultra.

The 3840x2160 resolution tells a more constrained story. Low averages 113 FPS, Medium averages 80 FPS (with a range of 68 to 92), High averages 62 FPS, and Ultra averages 41 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium is a 33 FPS reduction, while the jump from Medium to High is an 18 FPS reduction, and from High to Ultra is a 21 FPS reduction. The 41 FPS average on Ultra is the only result in the entire dataset that falls below the 60 FPS threshold, suggesting that this setting is too demanding for consistent play at 4K. The Medium preset's 68 FPS minimum is still acceptable, but the High preset's 62 FPS average is borderline. This breakdown shows that 4K is viable for this combo, but only with reduced settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination is ranked 1010 out of 3700 tested combos in Fortnite. This places it in the top 28% of all pairings in the database. Given the individual components' percentiles — the CPU at 84th and the GPU at 81st — the combo rank is slightly lower than either component's individual standing. This suggests that the pairing, while strong, may be slightly imbalanced for this specific game, or that other combos with newer CPUs or GPUs are able to extract more performance.

The rank of 1010 out of 3700 implies that there are 1009 combos that perform better, which is a substantial number. However, it also means that this combo outperforms 2690 other pairings. The data does not provide specific scores for the ranked combos, but the deltaPct values from the nearest rivals of each component offer a sense of the competitive landscape. The CPU's closest rival, the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350, is only 0.1% ahead in average benchmark score, while the GPU's closest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla P4, is 0.1% ahead. This indicates that the components are well-matched in their respective tiers.

The fact that the combo rank is lower than the component percentiles might be explained by the game's specific demands. Fortnite is a title that favors high single-thread CPU performance and high GPU throughput. The Ryzen 7 3700X's 3.60 GHz base clock, while adequate, may not be as high as newer processors in the database. Similarly, the RTX 4070's 12 GB VRAM is ample, but its 192-bit bus width may be a limiting factor in certain scenarios. The rank suggests that while this is a capable setup, there are many other combos that provide better frame rates in this title.

Settings Recommendations

Based solely on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the resolution and the target frame rate. For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset at 122 FPS is the recommended choice, as it provides the highest visual quality while still maintaining a frame rate that is well above the 60 FPS baseline and suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors. There is no reason to compromise on settings at this resolution, as even the most demanding preset yields a smooth experience.

For 2560x1440, the High preset at 117 FPS is the recommended choice. This preset provides a substantial visual upgrade over Medium (151 FPS) but maintains an average FPS that is nearly double the 60 FPS target. The Ultra preset at 77 FPS is also viable for players who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate, but the data shows that High offers a better balance, as the drop from High to Ultra (40 FPS) is significant. The Medium preset at 151 FPS is ideal for competitive play where higher frame rates are paramount, but for a general experience, High is the best compromise.

For 3840x2160, the Medium preset at 80 FPS is the recommended choice. This is the only 4K preset that provides an average FPS above 75 with a minimum of 68, ensuring a mostly smooth experience. The Low preset at 113 FPS is better for competitive play, but it sacrifices too much visual quality for a 4K experience. The High preset at 62 FPS is borderline, with an average that could dip below 60 in demanding scenes, and the Ultra preset at 41 FPS is not recommended for consistent gameplay. The data clearly indicates that Medium is the sweet spot for 4K on this hardware.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Fortnite?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 318, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: Is this combo capable of 4K gaming at 60 FPS?

A: Yes, but only with the Medium or Low settings presets. The Medium preset averages 80 FPS with a minimum of 68, while the Low preset averages 113 FPS. The High preset averages 62 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 41 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rival?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X has an average benchmark score of 34260, which is 0.1% higher than the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350's score of 34222, and 0.2% higher than the Intel Core i5-13450HX's score of 34333 (the latter is a negative delta).

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The minimum FPS recorded is 68, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with Medium settings. No minimum FPS data is available for other settings presets.

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

A: This combo is ranked 1010 out of 3700 tested combos in Fortnite, placing it in the top 28% of all pairings.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p and 4K on High settings?

A: On High settings, the average FPS drops from 184 at 1920x1080 to 62 at 3840x2160, a reduction of 122 FPS or approximately 66%.