Fortnite

Fortnite, a Battle Royale title released on 2017-07-24, presents a demanding real-time workload that scales significantly with both resolution and preset. This analysis examines the measured performance of the Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER across 1080p, 1440p, and 4K resolutions. The data indicates a configuration capable of high frame rates, though the balance between CPU and GPU load shifts dramatically depending on the settings selected.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, but the severity of this drop is heavily modulated by the chosen settings preset. At Low settings, the transition from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 sees average FPS fall from 302.9 to 260.9, a reduction of approximately 14%. Moving from 1440p to 3840x2160 at Low settings yields a more substantial drop to 144.0 average FPS, which is a 45% decrease from the 1440p result. This scaling suggests that at Low settings, the GPU is still the primary limiter, but the CPU is providing a high enough frame ceiling that the drop is not purely linear.

For High settings, the scaling is more aggressive. The average FPS at 1920x1080 is 235.6, which drops to 150.4 at 2560x1440 (a 36% reduction), and then further to 78.7 at 3840x2160 (a 48% reduction from 1440p). This steeper decline indicates that as the preset increases, the pixel throughput demand on the GPU becomes more dominant, overwhelming the CPU’s ability to feed frames at lower resolutions. The Ultra preset shows the most extreme resolution penalty, with average FPS falling from 152.4 at 1080p to 98.1 at 1440p (a 36% drop) and then to 54.1 at 4K (a 45% drop from 1440p).

The data indicates that the RTX 4080 SUPER is the scaling bottleneck at higher resolutions. The GPU’s memory bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s and 16 GB of GDDR6X memory are sufficient for the asset loads, but the raw compute demand of 4K at higher presets is the limiting factor. Conversely, at 1080p, the CPU’s capability becomes more relevant, as the frame rates are high enough that the 6-core, 12-thread processor’s performance ceiling can be approached.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Comet Lake architecture, clocked at a base of 2.90 GHz and a boost of 4.30 GHz. Its performance profile, as indicated by benchmarks, shows a multi-threaded score of 10297 in Cinebench R23 and a single-thread score of 1453. In the context of Fortnite, this processor provides a solid foundation for frame generation, but its role is not static across settings.

At 1080p with Low settings, the average FPS of 302.9 suggests the CPU is working near its limits to supply frames to the GPU. The jump to Medium settings at 1080p yields 266.5 FPS, and High settings yield 235.6 FPS. This reduction in FPS as settings increase is a classic sign of the CPU becoming less of a bottleneck, as the GPU takes on more work per frame. However, the CPU's performance is not fully negated; the 3dmark_16_threads score of 4748 and the passmark_multithread score of 12115 indicate a capable mid-range part that can handle high refresh rate gaming.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the i5-10400F sits in a tight cluster. Its average benchmark score of 14168 is 0.4% higher than the AMD EPYC 7552, and 0.8% lower than the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C. This indicates that the CPU is a balanced performer for its class, and in Fortnite, it does not appear to be a significant limiting factor at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing. Based on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process, it features 10240 shading units and a boost clock of 2550 MHz. Its memory subsystem is robust, with 16 GB of GDDR6X on a 256-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s. The GPU’s compute capabilities are substantial, with an FP32 throughput of 52.22 TFLOPS and a pixel rate of 285.6 GPixel/s.

The measured results show the GPU is the primary driver of performance differences across presets. At 4K, the GPU is the clear bottleneck. The average FPS drops from 144.0 at Low settings to 54.1 at Ultra settings, a 62% performance decrease. This shows that the RTX 4080 SUPER, while powerful, is not fully able to maintain high frame rates at 4K with maximum visual fidelity in this game. The GPU’s performance relative to its peers, with an average benchmark score of 53610, is 0.2% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT and 2.9% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti.

At 1080p, the GPU is often underutilized relative to the CPU’s output. For instance, at Low settings, the average FPS is 302.9, which is a high frame rate that many displays cannot even show. The GPU’s role becomes more critical as resolution increases, where its raw fill rate and bandwidth are taxed. The data shows that the RTX 4080 SUPER provides a very high frame rate ceiling, but the CPU can limit the experience at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo’s performance. At 3840x2160, the results are: Low settings produce an average of 144.0 FPS, Medium settings produce 99.6 FPS, High settings produce 78.7 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 54.1 FPS. These numbers show a clear step-down in performance as visual quality increases, with the most significant drop occurring between Low and Medium settings (a 31% reduction).

At 2560x1440, the performance is considerably higher. Low settings yield an average of 260.9 FPS, Medium settings yield 191.9 FPS, High settings yield 150.4 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 98.1 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 62%, which is similar to the scaling at 4K. The 1440p results are high enough for smooth competitive play, even at High settings.

At 1920x1080, the combo excels. Low settings produce an average of 302.9 FPS, Medium settings produce 266.5 FPS, High settings produce 235.6 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 152.4 FPS. The 1080p data shows that the CPU is more of a factor here, as the differences between presets are smaller in percentage terms than at higher resolutions. For example, the drop from Low to Medium is only 12%, compared to the 44% drop seen at 4K for the same preset change.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested configurations, this specific CPU-GPU combination achieves a rank of 195 out of 1564 combos for Fortnite. This places it in the top 12.5% of all tested systems, indicating a high-performance pairing. The rank reflects the balance between the i5-10400F’s 73rd percentile standing among all CPUs and the RTX 4080 SUPER’s 88th percentile among all GPUs.

The ranking suggests that while the GPU is a top-tier part, the CPU is a more mid-range component, which pulls the overall combo down from the absolute top spots. The data shows that the combo is strong enough for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K results are more modest. The rank of 195 out of 1564 is a strong result, indicating that this pairing is well-suited for Fortnite players who prioritize high frame rates over maximum resolution.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 3840x2160, the Low preset provides the best experience, with an average of 144.0 FPS. This is the only 4K preset that achieves a frame rate high enough for a smooth 144Hz experience. The Medium preset at 99.6 FPS is playable but may not be ideal for competitive play. The High and Ultra presets, at 78.7 and 54.1 FPS respectively, are better suited for slower-paced gameplay or screenshots.

For 2560x1440, the High preset is the recommended choice, delivering an average of 150.4 FPS. This provides a good balance between visual quality and performance, comfortably exceeding 144Hz. The Medium preset at 191.9 FPS offers an even smoother experience, while the Low preset at 260.9 FPS is optimal for maximum frame rates. The Ultra preset at 98.1 FPS is still playable but sacrifices the high refresh rate advantage.

For 1920x1080, the High preset is the best overall experience, with an average of 235.6 FPS. This provides excellent visual fidelity while maintaining frame rates well above 240Hz. The Medium preset at 266.5 FPS is also an excellent choice for competitive play, and the Low preset at 302.9 FPS maximizes performance. The Ultra preset at 152.4 FPS is the only one that dips below 200 FPS, but it still provides a very smooth experience. The data suggests that for most players, the High preset at 1080p or 1440p offers the best combination of image quality and speed.