Fortnite

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured frame rates for Fortnite with the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and Intel Arc B370 reveal a steep and consistent performance cliff as resolution climbs, a pattern that points squarely at the GPU as the primary constraint. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 104 FPS, which sounds playable until you consider the context: this is a 12-core, 24-thread flagship CPU paired with an integrated-class graphics solution. The data shows that dropping to 1440p Low costs 38 FPS, landing at 66 FPS, and then 4K Low collapses further to 35 FPS—a 66% reduction from the 1080p figure. That scaling is far too aggressive for a CPU-bound scenario; a processor-limited system would show much smaller deltas as resolution rises, since the CPU's work per frame stays roughly constant while the GPU's pixel workload multiplies.

Looking at the Medium preset, the pattern intensifies. At 1080p Medium, the average is 73 FPS, with a minimum of 62 and maximum of 84. Moving to 1440p Medium drops the average to 46 FPS (a 37% loss), and 4K Medium falls to 25 FPS, with min/max of 21 and 28. The gap between 1080p and 4K at Medium is 48 FPS, which is a 66% decrease. These are not the numbers of a balanced system; they are the signature of a GPU that is overwhelmed by pixel throughput demands. The Arc B370's 6.144 TFLOPS FP32 and 20 ROPs are simply inadequate for 4K rasterization in a modern Battle Royale title, regardless of how capable the Ryzen 9 9900X is.

The High and Ultra presets reinforce this interpretation. At 1080p High, the average is 57 FPS; at 1440p High, it drops to 36 FPS; at 4K High, it hits 19 FPS. Ultra is even more punishing: 37 FPS at 1080p, 24 FPS at 1440p, and 13 FPS at 4K. The fact that Ultra at 4K produces a single-digit-to-teen frame rate (13 FPS) is telling—this is not a playable configuration, and the data indicates the GPU is the bottleneck at every resolution above 1080p Low. The CPU's 3DMark scores (12,552 for 16 threads, 13,929 for max threads) suggest it has ample headroom; the GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1,184 places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, confirming its position as the limiting factor.

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

The Intel Arc B370 is a peculiar entry in this benchmark: it is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) built on the Xe3-LPG architecture, with a 3 nm process node from Intel. Its memory configuration is "System Shared" for size, type, bus width, and bandwidth is "System Dependent"—meaning it borrows from the system's DDR5 memory rather than having dedicated VRAM. This is a critical detail for Fortnite, a game that can be sensitive to memory bandwidth and capacity, especially at higher resolutions and texture settings. The shared memory setup means that at 4K Ultra, where the game may attempt to allocate substantial texture memory, the system must juggle both CPU and GPU memory demands over a dual-channel DDR5 bus rated at 89.6 GB/s for the CPU. That bandwidth is shared, and the results show the strain: 13 FPS at 4K Ultra.

Clock speeds for the Arc B370 are listed with a base of 300 MHz and a boost of 2400 MHz. The boost behavior is what matters for gaming, but even at 2.4 GHz, the GPU's raw throughput is limited. With 1280 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 20 ROPs, the pixel rate is 48.00 GPixel/s and texture rate is 96.00 GTexel/s. For comparison, the nearest rival in the GPU benchmark data is the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, which scores 1,186 in 3DMark Steel Nomad versus the Arc B370's 1,184—a delta of -0.2%. That places this Intel part in the same performance tier as a mobile GPU from over a decade ago, which explains why even 1080p Medium only yields 73 FPS. The 10 RT cores and DirectX 12 Ultimate support are irrelevant when the core rasterization throughput is this low.

Interestingly, the GPU's TDP is listed at just 25 W, which is exceptionally low for any graphics solution. This explains the "IGP" slot width and "None" power connectors—it's designed for portable devices, not desktop gaming. The display outputs are "Portable Device Dependent," and the bus interface is IGP, meaning it's not a discrete card but an integrated solution that happens to carry the Arc branding. For Fortnite, the data suggests that even at 1080p Low, the GPU is working near its limit, as evidenced by the 104 FPS ceiling. The CPU, by contrast, has a 120 W TDP and is a desktop-class part, so the imbalance is stark.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the database of tested combinations for Fortnite, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and Intel Arc B370 ranks 3,414 out of 3,700 combos. That places it in the bottom 8% of all tested systems, a position that aligns with the GPU's 5th percentile standing among all GPUs. The combo rank is a composite judgment, and the data shows that the CPU's strength does little to rescue the overall score. The Ryzen 9 9900X itself ranks in the 92nd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 57,498. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 9015 (average score 57,555, delta -0.1%), the AMD EPYC 7313 (57,399, delta +0.2%), the Intel Core i9-14900 (58,115, delta -1.1%), and the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M (58,323, delta -1.4%). So the CPU is competitive with server-class and high-end desktop parts.

Yet the combo rank tells a different story: 3,414th place means there are only 286 tested combos that perform worse. This is a case where the weakest link defines the system. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32,172 and single-core score of 2,253 are strong, but they don't translate to Fortnite frame rates because the GPU cannot keep up. The data implies that pairing a top-tier CPU with a bottom-tier GPU in this game yields a result that is only marginally better than the worst systems in the database. The delta between the CPU's percentile (92) and the combo's percentile (approximately 7.7%) is a 84.3 percentage-point gap, which quantifies how severely the GPU drags down the overall experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the best FPS this combo can achieve in Fortnite?

A: The highest measured average is 104 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. At Medium, the best is 73 FPS at the same resolution, and High drops to 57 FPS.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X the bottleneck in this system?

A: No. The data shows the CPU is in the 92nd percentile of all CPUs, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32,172. The GPU is in the 5th percentile, so the Arc B370 is the limiting component.

Q: How does this combo rank relative to other tested Fortnite systems?

A: It ranks 3,414 out of 3,700 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 8% of the database.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Fortnite?

A: Not at playable frame rates. The best 4K result is 35 FPS at Low settings; Medium yields 25 FPS, High yields 19 FPS, and Ultra yields 13 FPS.

Q: What is the memory configuration of the Intel Arc B370?

A: The GPU uses System Shared memory for size, type, and bus width, with bandwidth listed as System Dependent. It does not have dedicated VRAM.

Q: How does the Arc B370 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: Its 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1,184 is 0.2% lower than the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1,186) and 0.5% lower than the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1,190), placing it in the same performance tier as those older parts.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data for Fortnite with the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and Intel Arc B370 spans three resolutions and four settings presets, providing a full grid of 12 data points. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 104 FPS, which is the only result in the entire dataset that exceeds 100 FPS. Medium at 1080p yields 73 FPS average, with a minimum of 62 and maximum of 84. High at 1080p drops to 57 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 37 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 67 FPS, showing that the GPU's performance is highly sensitive to graphical fidelity.

Moving to 2560x1440, the numbers compress downward. Low produces 66 FPS average, Medium 46 FPS (min 39, max 53), High 36 FPS, and Ultra 24 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 42 FPS, a narrower range than at 1080p, which suggests that the GPU is becoming more uniformly constrained as resolution increases. At 3840x2160, the results are grim: Low 35 FPS, Medium 25 FPS (min 21, max 28), High 19 FPS, and Ultra 13 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra spread at 4K is just 22 FPS, indicating that the GPU is saturated regardless of settings.

The data also shows that the min/max values, where recorded, behave consistently. At 1080p Medium, the 62 FPS minimum and 84 FPS maximum create a 22 FPS variance, which is a 30% swing from the average. At 1440p Medium, the min is 39 and max is 53, a 14 FPS variance (30% of average). At 4K Medium, the min is 21 and max is 28, a 7 FPS variance (28% of average). This consistency in relative variance suggests that frame pacing is stable, but the absolute performance is too low for competitive play at higher resolutions.

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

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor from the 9000 series, built on the Zen 5 architecture (codename Granite Ridge) using a 4 nm process from TSMC. It has a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, with a 120 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB L1 per core, 1 MB L2 per core, and 64 MB of L3, totaling 16,630 million transistors across a dual-die design (2x 70.6 mm²). It supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus and 89.6 GB/s bandwidth, and it has 24 PCIe Gen 5 lanes. The CPU's release date is 2024-08-14, and its launch MSRP is $499.

In Fortnite, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, physics, and draw calls, but the measured results indicate that it is never the limiting factor. The 3DMark scores show strong multi-threading: 12,552 for 16 threads, 13,929 for max threads, and 9,114 for 8 threads. Single-thread performance is also solid at 1,286 in 3DMark and 2,253 in Cinebench R23 single-core. The PassMark multi-thread score of 54,643 and single-thread score of 4,672 further confirm that the CPU has ample headroom for any game workload.

The key insight is that Fortnite's frame rates are entirely GPU-bound with this pairing. If the CPU were the constraint, we would expect to see similar FPS across resolutions at the same settings—but the data shows a 66% drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings (104 to 35 FPS). This is a textbook GPU bottleneck signature. The CPU's 12 cores and 24 threads are overkill for a game like Fortnite, which is not heavily threaded, but the high boost clock of 5.60 GHz ensures that even lightly-threaded tasks are handled quickly. The CPU's 92nd percentile ranking among all CPUs is consistent with its benchmark scores, but the combo rank of 3,414 out of 3,700 demonstrates that CPU quality cannot compensate for GPU insufficiency.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the only configuration that approaches competitive playability is 1080p Low, which yields 104 FPS average. This is the sole preset where the system clears the 100 FPS threshold, and it is the recommended setting for any user who prioritizes frame rate over visual fidelity. The 104 FPS figure is still below what a high-refresh monitor (144Hz or higher) would ideally need, but it is the best this combo can achieve in Fortnite. The 1080p Medium preset, at 73 FPS, is a viable alternative if the user prefers slightly better visuals, but the 30% frame rate penalty is significant.

For users who insist on higher resolutions, the data strongly advises against it. At 1440p, even Low settings only produce 66 FPS, which is playable but not smooth for fast-paced Battle Royale gameplay. At 4K, no preset is acceptable: the best result is 35 FPS at Low, which is below the 40 FPS threshold generally considered the minimum for playable frame pacing. The Ultra preset is effectively unusable at any resolution above 1080p, with 37 FPS at 1080p, 24 FPS at 1440p, and 13 FPS at 4K.

Given the GPU's 5th percentile ranking and the system's 3,414th place out of 3,700 combos, the data suggests that this pairing is mismatched for Fortnite. The best experience, per the measured rows, is 1080p Low, with 1080p Medium as a secondary option for those who accept lower frame rates for better image quality. The 25 W TDP and System Shared memory of the Arc B370 mean that there is no headroom for overclocking or memory tuning, so users are locked into these results. The CPU's capabilities are wasted in this configuration, and the only path to better performance would be a different GPU—but that is outside the scope of this data.