Fortnite

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D paired with the Intel Arc B580 presents a highly specific configuration for Fortnite, a Battle Royale title released on 2017-07-24. The measured data for this combo covers four settings presets across three resolutions, offering a clear view of how the CPU and GPU interact under different loads. The CPU, with its 8 cores and 16 threads based on Zen 5 architecture, is a high-end desktop part, while the GPU, with 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, targets the mainstream segment. The benchmark results reveal a system that is heavily influenced by the graphics card at higher settings, but which can deliver very high frame rates when the load is shifted toward the processor.

FAQ

Q: What is the best frame rate this combo achieves in Fortnite?

A: The highest average FPS measured is 200, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is a substantial jump from the 141 FPS average at Medium settings at the same resolution, indicating that the low preset significantly reduces the GPU load, allowing the CPU to push more frames.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations for this game?

A: The combo ranks 2032 out of 2740 tested combos for Fortnite. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the database, suggesting that while it is capable of playable performance, many other hardware combinations achieve higher frame rates.

Q: What is the performance difference between 1080p and 4K at High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with High settings, the average FPS is 109. At 3840x2160 with High settings, the average FPS drops to 37. This represents a 66% reduction in frame rate, showing that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution increases.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the limiting factor at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is significant, with 127 FPS average on Low versus 46 FPS on Ultra. This large spread suggests the GPU is the limiting component at this resolution, as the CPU's performance headroom is not fully utilized when settings are maxed out.

Q: What are the minimum FPS figures for Medium settings?

A: For Medium settings, the measured minimum FPS values are 120 at 1920x1080, 76 at 2560x1440, and 40 at 3840x2160. These minimums provide insight into frame time consistency, with the 4K figure showing notable dips that could affect smoothness.

Q: How does the Arc B580's benchmark average compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Arc B580 has an average benchmark score of 23021. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, has an average score of 22895, which is 0.6% lower. The AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP is nearly identical at 23061, just 0.2% higher.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is the graphics solution in this combo, and its specifications directly explain the measured performance in Fortnite. The GPU features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s. Its base and boost clocks are both listed at 2670 MHz. The GPU has 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units. These specifications, combined with its 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, define its raw capacity for rendering frames.

In Fortnite, the data shows that the GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution and settings increase. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS is 200, which is a very high number. This suggests that at this setting, the GPU is not heavily taxed, and the frame rate is likely being pushed by the CPU's capabilities. However, when settings are raised to Ultra at the same resolution, the average FPS drops to 72. This indicates that the GPU's processing power becomes the limiting factor when more complex rendering effects are enabled.

The GPU's memory configuration also plays a part. The 12 GB VRAM capacity is ample for Fortnite, which is not an excessively demanding title in terms of memory usage. The 456.0 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient to feed the GPU's cores, but the performance drop from Low to Ultra settings suggests that the compute units, not the memory, are the primary constraint. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark score of 3068 places the GPU in a specific performance tier, and the PassMark G3D score of 15748 further quantifies its overall capability. The GPU's percentile ranking of 68 among all GPUs indicates it is above average, but not in the top tier, which aligns with the mid-range frame rates observed in Fortnite at higher settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings preset for this combo depends heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For competitive play where high frame rates are paramount, the Low preset at 1920x1080 yields an average of 200 FPS. This is the only tested configuration that reaches the 200 FPS mark, making it the clear choice for players who prioritize responsiveness and smoothness over visual fidelity. The Low preset at 2560x1440 also delivers a strong 127 FPS average, which is still very playable for most users.

For a balance between visual quality and performance, the Medium preset offers a compelling option. At 1920x1080, it delivers 141 FPS average with a minimum of 120 FPS, providing a consistent experience. At 2560x1440, the Medium preset achieves 89 FPS average with a minimum of 76 FPS, which is generally acceptable for a smoother visual experience. The data suggests that Medium is the highest preset that maintains a comfortable frame rate at 1440p.

The High preset is more demanding. At 1920x1080, it produces 109 FPS average, which is good, but at 2560x1440, it drops to 69 FPS. At 3840x2160, the High preset only achieves 37 FPS average, which is not ideal for a smooth experience. The Ultra preset is the most taxing, with 72 FPS at 1080p, 46 FPS at 1440p, and just 24 FPS at 4K. Given these numbers, the Ultra preset is only viable at 1080p, and even then, the frame rate is noticeably lower than High. The best experience per the measured data is either Low at 1080p for maximum FPS, or Medium at 1440p for a balance of visuals and playability.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 2032 out of 2740 tested combos for Fortnite places it in the 74th percentile of tested systems, meaning it performs better than about 26% of configurations in the database. This is a modest ranking, which is somewhat surprising given the CPU's high-end specifications. The Ryzen 7 9850X3D is a powerful processor, with a PassMark single-thread score of 4704 and a multi-thread score of 41318. However, the GPU's performance tier appears to be the limiting factor in this pairing.

The Arc B580's average benchmark score of 23021 is comparable to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, which has a score of 22895. In Fortnite, the combination of this GPU with the 9850X3D does not yield top-tier results, as evidenced by the rank. The CPU's high performance is not fully utilized at higher settings because the GPU cannot keep up. The data indicates that this combo is better suited for lower settings where the CPU can drive high frame rates, but it does not compete with systems that have more powerful GPUs in this game.

The rank suggests that many other combos, likely those with higher-end GPUs, achieve better average FPS in Fortnite. The CPU's strong benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22807, do not translate to a high ranking in this GPU-bound scenario. The limiting factor is clearly the graphics card, as the measured FPS at 4K Ultra is only 24, which indicates the GPU is overwhelmed. This combo ranks where it does because the GPU is the bottleneck at most settings, preventing the CPU from showcasing its full potential in this specific game.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear trend of decreasing performance as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 200 at 1080p to 127 at 1440p, a 36.5% decrease, and then to 67 at 4K, a 47.2% decrease from 1440p. This scaling indicates that the GPU is becoming more stressed with each pixel count increase, while the CPU's role diminishes. At Low settings, the CPU is likely the primary driver of frame rate at 1080p, but the GPU's limitations become apparent as resolution climbs.

The scaling is more dramatic at higher settings. For High settings, the average FPS goes from 109 at 1080p to 69 at 1440p, a 36.7% drop, and then to 37 at 4K, a 46.4% drop from 1440p. At Ultra settings, the average FPS falls from 72 at 1080p to 46 at 1440p, a 36.1% drop, and then to 24 at 4K, a 47.8% drop. This consistent pattern across settings suggests that the GPU is the limiting component at resolutions above 1080p, as the frame rate drops are proportional to the increase in pixel count.

The drop from 1080p to 4K at each setting is substantial, with the most extreme being a 66% reduction at High settings. This behavior points to the GPU being the primary bottleneck, as a CPU-bound scenario would show less variation between resolutions. The Arc B580's bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s and its 12 GB VRAM are not enough to maintain high frame rates at 4K, especially with higher settings. The data implies that for this combo, 1080p is the sweet spot for achieving high FPS, while 1440p is a compromise, and 4K is only playable at Low settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at performance across all tested resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 200 FPS, which is the highest recorded figure for this combo. The Medium preset at the same resolution yields 141 FPS average, with a minimum of 120 and a maximum of 162. The High preset drops to 109 FPS average, and the Ultra preset falls to 72 FPS average. These numbers show a clear progression, with each settings tier reducing performance by about 30-35%.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 127 FPS, which is a significant drop from the 1080p figure. The Medium preset achieves 89 FPS average, with a minimum of 76 and a maximum of 103. The High preset averages 69 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 46 FPS. The performance gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 81 FPS, indicating that the GPU's workload increases substantially with higher settings.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 67 FPS, which is the only playable option at this resolution. The Medium preset averages 47 FPS, with a minimum of 40 and a maximum of 54, showing noticeable frame drops. The High preset averages 37 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages just 24 FPS. These 4K figures are all below the 60 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for a smooth experience, making this resolution unsuitable for anything beyond Low settings with this hardware. Across all resolutions, the Medium preset is the only one with min and max FPS data, providing insight into consistency, with the 4K minimum of 40 FPS being particularly low.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D is a high-end desktop processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, based on the Zen 5 architecture. It has a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. The CPU features a large L3 cache of 96 MB shared, which is a key characteristic of the X3D series. Its PassMark single-thread score of 4704 and multi-thread score of 41318 demonstrate strong computational performance. The Cinebench R23 scores of 2228 for single-core and 22807 for multi-core further confirm its capabilities.

In Fortnite, the CPU's role is most evident at low resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS of 200 is likely near the CPU's maximum frame output for this game. The high boost clock of 5.60 GHz and the large cache help in scenarios where the CPU must quickly process game logic and draw calls. The CPU's 16 threads are more than sufficient for Fortnite, which is not a heavily multi-threaded game, so the single-thread performance is more critical.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 92 among all CPUs indicates it is in the top 8% of processors. However, its performance in this combo is limited by the GPU. At higher settings, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, and the CPU's potential is not fully realized. The data shows that the CPU can push high frame rates at Low settings, but the GPU cannot maintain those rates as settings increase. The 8 cores and 16 threads also contribute to a solid PassMark physics score of 4171, which can help with in-game physics calculations. Overall, the CPU is a strong component, but the measured results in Fortnite are constrained by the GPU, making the combo's performance more dependent on the graphics card than the processor.