Fortnite

The Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 delivers a highly capable Fortnite experience, with the data showing a clear emphasis on GPU-bound performance at higher resolutions. The combo ranks in the 70th percentile (471st of 1564 tested combos) in this game, indicating strong overall standing. The benchmark results reveal that while the 6-core CPU with a 4.30 GHz boost clock is sufficient for high frame rates, the RTX 3080's 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth become the primary drivers of performance as resolution and settings increase.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1080p gaming with this combo?

A: The data shows the Low preset achieves the highest average FPS at 302.9, but the Medium preset at 229 FPS offers a better balance of visual quality and performance. High follows at 178.9 FPS, while Ultra drops to 114.8 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 3080 compare to its closest rivals in raw benchmark scores?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 35787. It sits just 0.2% behind the AMD Radeon Pro Duo (35860) and 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon 880M (35646). It is also 0.9% behind the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE (36101) and 1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile (35435).

Q: What is the CPU's performance percentile among all tested processors?

A: The Intel Core i5-10400F ranks in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 14168. This places it slightly below the Intel Core i5-8500, which scores 14332 (a 1.1% difference).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck. At 4K Ultra, the combo averages only 37.4 FPS, which is a dramatic drop from the 4K Low score of 110.3 FPS. This massive performance hit with increased settings points to the graphics card struggling with the load.

Q: What is the expected FPS at 1440p with High settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the measured average FPS is 113.6. This is nearly identical to the 1080p Ultra score of 114.8 FPS, showing that the resolution increase to 1440p at High is not a significant burden.

Q: How much faster is the RTX 3080 than the i5-10400F's closest CPU rival in this game?

A: The comparison is between components, not direct rivals. The data does not provide a direct FPS comparison between the RTX 3080 and the CPU's rivals. The CPU's nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C, has a 0.8% higher average score, but this does not translate to a specific in-game FPS figure.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F provides the foundational processing power for Fortnite. With 6 cores and 12 threads, it is a modern desktop processor from the Comet Lake architecture. Its base clock of 2.90 GHz and boost clock of 4.30 GHz are the key figures for single-threaded performance, which is crucial for a game like Fortnite that relies heavily on a primary game thread. The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 and 256 KB of L2 per core, with a shared 12 MB L3 cache, helping to reduce memory latency for frequently accessed game data.

The benchmark data for this CPU shows it is a solid performer, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 10297 and a single-core score of 1453. This positions the i5-10400F in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs. In the context of Fortnite, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. At lower resolutions and settings, such as 1080p Low, the CPU is more likely to be a bottleneck, but the measured 302.9 FPS here shows it is more than adequate for high-refresh-rate gaming, even if it is not the absolute ceiling.

The data suggests the CPU is not the limiting factor in most scenarios. At 4K Ultra, the FPS falls to 37.4, which is a far more significant drop than what a CPU limitation would cause. The CPU's performance is consistent across the board, but the GPU's workload scales with resolution and settings, which is why we see the RTX 3080 as the primary performance driver in more demanding configurations.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on the best settings presets. For players targeting the highest possible frame rates at 1080p, the Low preset delivers an outstanding 302.9 FPS, which is ideal for competitive play where responsiveness trumps visual fidelity. However, the Medium preset, at 229 FPS, is arguably the sweet spot, offering a significant visual upgrade while still maintaining frame rates well above the 144 Hz threshold for most high-refresh monitors.

At 1440p, the story is similar. The Low preset achieves 208.2 FPS, which is excellent for esports. The Medium preset at 147.2 FPS is still very smooth and provides a better balance. The High preset at 113.6 FPS is a solid choice for a more immersive experience without sacrificing too much performance. The Ultra preset at 76.9 FPS is playable but begins to dip below the high-refresh-rate territory.

For 4K gaming, the data suggests a compromise is necessary. The High preset at 56.5 FPS is just above the 60 FPS console standard, but the Medium preset at 77.7 FPS is the best recommendation for a smoother 4K experience. The Low preset at 110.3 FPS is the only way to achieve a high refresh rate at 4K, but it severely compromises visual quality. The Ultra preset at 37.4 FPS should be avoided for playable frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 ranks 471st out of 1564 tested combos in Fortnite. This puts it in the top 30% of all configurations, indicating a strong performance tier. The ranking is determined by the measured FPS across all resolutions and settings, and it reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU.

The CPU itself sits in the 73rd percentile, and the GPU in the 80th percentile. The combo's rank of 471 is slightly lower than what the individual percentiles might suggest, which could indicate that the CPU is holding back the GPU in some scenarios, particularly at lower resolutions. However, the overall position is still very strong, and the data shows this combo is capable of handling Fortnite at high settings and high resolutions.

Compared to the nearest rival combos, the ranking is competitive. The CPU's closest rival, the AMD EPYC 7552, has a negligible 0.4% difference in average score. The GPU's closest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro Duo, is only 0.2% faster. These tiny deltas show that the combo is well-matched within its performance bracket, and its rank is a true reflection of its capabilities in this specific game.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is the dominant component in this pairing for Fortnite. Its architecture is Ampere, built on an 8 nm process, and it features a GA102 chip with 28,300 million transistors. The GPU has 8704 shading units, 272 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output units, which are the core building blocks for rendering the game's graphics. The boost clock of 1710 MHz is the key speed figure for sustained performance.

The RTX 3080's memory subsystem is a critical factor in Fortnite. It has 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 760.3 GB/s. This high bandwidth is essential for handling the large textures and draw distances in Fortnite, especially at higher resolutions. The GPU's raw compute power is substantial, with an FP32 performance of 29.77 TFLOPS, allowing it to process the complex shaders and effects in the game.

The GPU's benchmark scores reinforce its position. It sits in the 80th percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 35787. This places it slightly behind the AMD Radeon Pro Duo and AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE, but ahead of the AMD Radeon 880M and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile. In Fortnite, the GPU's role is to handle the rendering pipeline, and the measured FPS shows it is the primary factor in the performance differences between settings presets.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The data provides a complete picture of performance across four resolutions and four settings presets. At 1080p, the average FPS ranges from 302.9 on Low to 114.8 on Ultra. The Medium preset achieves 229 FPS, and High reaches 178.9 FPS. This shows a clear scaling pattern where each step up in settings reduces the frame rate significantly.

At 1440p, the FPS values are lower but still impressive. The Low preset hits 208.2 FPS, Medium achieves 147.2 FPS, High reaches 113.6 FPS, and Ultra dips to 76.9 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is noticeable but not drastic for the lower presets, indicating the GPU is still handling the load well.

At 4K, the performance curve steepens. The Low preset manages 110.3 FPS, which is playable, but Medium drops to 77.7 FPS. High falls to 56.5 FPS, and Ultra plunges to 37.4 FPS. These numbers show that 4K is a significant challenge for this combo, and the Ultra preset is not viable for a smooth experience. The data clearly shows the GPU's limitations as the resolution and settings increase.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the relationship between the CPU and GPU. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 302.9 FPS, but at 4K Low, it drops to 110.3 FPS. This is a 63.6% reduction in frame rate, which is a significant but expected drop given the four-fold increase in pixel count. The scaling is not linear, however, as the GPU becomes more strained at higher resolutions.

When comparing settings at different resolutions, the data shows the GPU is the limiting factor. For example, the 1080p Ultra score of 114.8 FPS is nearly identical to the 1440p High score of 113.6 FPS. This suggests that the GPU is saturated at these points, and the extra pixel load at 1440p is offset by the lower settings. This is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario, where the CPU has headroom to spare.

The most dramatic drop is seen at 4K Ultra, where the FPS falls to 37.4. This is a 87.7% reduction from the 1080p Low score, highlighting the immense pressure on the GPU. The CPU, with its 4.30 GHz boost clock, is not the bottleneck here; the RTX 3080 simply cannot maintain high frame rates with the most demanding settings at 4K. This analysis confirms that for this combo, the RTX 3080 is the primary performance arbiter in Fortnite.