Fortnite

The pairing of the Intel Core i5-11400F with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 represents a significant mismatch in raw compute capacity, yet the benchmark data shows this combination delivers highly playable results in Fortnite. The i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread Rocket Lake desktop processor with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, built on Intel’s 14 nm process with a 65 W TDP. It features 12 MB of shared L3 cache and supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. The RTX 4080, by contrast, is an Ada Lovelace flagship with 9728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, and 112 raster output units, paired with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus delivering 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU’s boost clock reaches 2505 MHz, and its FP32 compute throughput is 48.74 TFLOPS. The processor’s single-thread performance, as measured by its 3DMark single-thread score of 868 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2024, is modest relative to the GPU’s capabilities, meaning that at lower resolutions the CPU is likely to be the primary constraint. The data indicates that the i5-11400F’s multi-threaded potential, reflected in its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14340 and 3DMark max-threads score of 5652, is sufficient to feed the RTX 4080 at higher settings, but the balance shifts as resolution increases.

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

The Intel Core i5-11400F provides 6 physical cores and 12 threads via Hyper-Threading, a configuration that is adequate for Fortnite’s engine but not excessive. Its base clock of 2.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz determine how quickly it can process game logic and draw calls, which become critical at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the bottleneck. The benchmark scores show a clear hierarchy: the 3DMark 2-thread score of 1691 and 4-thread score of 3171 indicate that the processor’s response to lightly threaded workloads is solid, while the 8-thread score of 4691 and max-threads score of 5652 demonstrate scaling that plateaus quickly, a sign that Fortnite’s typical thread usage will not fully utilize all 12 threads. The Cinebench R15 single-core score of 204 and R20 single-core score of 850 are low compared to modern flagships, but they are sufficient for maintaining frame pacing in a competitive shooter. In the measured results, the CPU’s influence is most apparent at 1920x1080 with Low settings, where the average FPS reaches 357, a figure that suggests the processor is working near its limit to generate frames as fast as the GPU can render them. Conversely, at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 52, indicating that the GPU’s rasterization and shading workload dominates, and the CPU has ample headroom. The 14 nm process node and 276 mm² die size are older technologies, but the processor’s 71st percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17177, places it in the upper range of mid-tier desktop chips. Its nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 7H12, has an average score of 17120, a mere 0.3% difference, while the Intel Core i5-12450H scores 17239, just 0.4% higher, showing that the i5-11400F’s compute capability is competitive within its class. The 12 MB of L3 cache is shared across all cores, which helps with data reuse in game scenarios, but the lack of integrated graphics means the RTX 4080 is solely responsible for all display output.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Core i5-11400F and RTX 4080 achieves a combo rank of 346 out of 3700 tested configurations in Fortnite, placing it in the top 9.4% of all pairings. This rank reflects the balance between the CPU’s mid-tier processing power and the GPU’s high-end rendering capability, and the data shows that the combo outperforms the vast majority of alternatives despite the potential CPU bottleneck. The RTX 4080’s percentile ranking of 86th among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54247, is the primary driver of this high placement, while the CPU’s 71st percentile ranking provides sufficient support. The GPU’s nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, scores 54209, a negligible 0.1% lower, meaning the standard 4080 is essentially on par with its SUPER variant in synthetic tests. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828, which is 1.1% higher, and the Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698, 2.6% higher, though these differences are within the margin of error for real-world gaming. The combo’s rank of 346 suggests that while the RTX 4080 is capable of extreme frame rates, the i5-11400F’s processing limits prevent the pairing from reaching the top 300 positions, which are likely reserved for combinations with newer, higher-clock CPUs. In Fortnite specifically, the measured FPS data shows that the combo excels at 1440p and 1080p, where the CPU can keep up with the GPU’s output, but it falls behind in 4K Ultra scenarios where the GPU’s workload is immense. The rank also indicates that the combo is better than 3354 other tested combinations, meaning that users with this setup will experience performance that is superior to the majority of the database’s recorded results, even if it does not top the charts.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of scaling from 1080p to 4K, with the average frame rate dropping by roughly 55-60% across all settings when moving from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 357 at 1080p to 275 at 1440p (a 23% drop), and then to 145 at 4K (a 47% drop from 1440p). This steep decline at 4K indicates that the RTX 4080’s rendering workload becomes the dominant factor, as the GPU must process four times as many pixels as at 1080p. The CPU’s role in this scaling is evident in the Low settings data: at 1080p, the 357 FPS average is likely near the CPU’s maximum frame generation capability, as the GPU is underutilized at such low graphical demands. At 1440p Low, the 275 FPS average still exceeds what most displays can show, but the 4K Low average of 145 FPS shows that the GPU is now the bottleneck, as the processor can still theoretically output more frames if the GPU were faster. For Medium settings, the 1080p average of 304 FPS drops to 194 at 1440p and 102 at 4K, with the 4K result showing a minimum FPS of 87 and maximum of 118, indicating that the GPU’s memory bandwidth and shading units are being pushed hard. The High settings data shows a similar trend: 236 FPS at 1080p, 150 at 1440p, and 79 at 4K, with the 4K figure suggesting that the RTX 4080’s 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is sufficient for playable performance but not for high-refresh-rate gaming at this resolution. Ultra settings, which likely enable ray tracing or other intensive effects, produce the lowest averages: 156 FPS at 1080p, 99 at 1440p, and 52 at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 4K for Ultra is a 67% reduction, which is steeper than the 59% reduction seen in Low settings, confirming that the GPU becomes increasingly limited as visual fidelity rises. This data suggests that at 1080p and 1440p, the i5-11400F is the limiting component for Low and Medium settings, while the RTX 4080 becomes the limiting factor at 4K and at High/Ultra settings across all resolutions.

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

The benchmark results provide exact average FPS figures for twelve distinct configurations, spanning four settings levels and three resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low settings produce an average of 357 FPS, which is the highest recorded score in the dataset and indicates that the combo is capable of extreme frame rates when graphical demands are minimal. The Medium settings at 1080p yield an average of 304 FPS, with a minimum of 259 FPS and a maximum of 350 FPS, showing that the frame time consistency remains excellent even when some effects are enabled. High settings at 1080p reduce the average to 236 FPS, while Ultra settings drop the average to 156 FPS, a 34% reduction from High, which suggests that the Ultra preset includes features that heavily tax the GPU. At 2560x1440, the Low settings average 275 FPS, a 23% reduction from 1080p, and the Medium settings average 194 FPS with a minimum of 165 FPS and maximum of 223 FPS. The High settings at 1440p produce an average of 150 FPS, which is still well above the 144 Hz refresh rate that many monitors support, and the Ultra settings average 99 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for competitive play. At 3840x2160, the Low settings average 145 FPS, which is impressive for 4K but shows the impact of the GPU’s workload. The Medium settings at 4K average 102 FPS, with a minimum of 87 FPS and maximum of 118 FPS, providing a playable experience for most users. High settings at 4K drop the average to 79 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 52 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold that many consider the baseline for smooth gameplay. The data shows that the combo’s performance is best described as exceptional at 1080p and 1440p, with all settings except Ultra at 4K exceeding 60 FPS. The minimum FPS values are only recorded for Medium settings at each resolution, with the 1080p minimum of 259 FPS being particularly strong, indicating that the combo maintains high frame rates without significant stuttering.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 357, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the i5-11400F compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-11400F has an average benchmark score of 17177, which is 0.3% higher than the AMD EPYC 7H12 (17120) and 0.4% lower than the Intel Core i5-12450H (17239).

Q: Is the RTX 4080’s performance significantly different from the RTX 4080 SUPER?

A: No, the RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54247, while the RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54209, a difference of only 0.1% in favor of the standard 4080.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest average FPS is 52, recorded at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations in Fortnite?

A: The combo ranks 346th out of 3700 tested combinations, placing it in the top 9.4% of all recorded results.

Q: Does the combo maintain over 60 FPS at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, at 4K with Low, Medium, and High settings, the average FPS is 145, 102, and 79 respectively, all above 60 FPS. Ultra settings at 4K drop to 52 FPS, below the 60 FPS threshold.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the user’s resolution and refresh rate priorities. At 1920x1080, the Medium settings provide the best balance of visual quality and performance, with an average of 304 FPS and a minimum of 259 FPS, ensuring that even the most demanding scenes remain fluid. The High settings at 1080p, averaging 236 FPS, are also excellent for users who prefer enhanced visuals without sacrificing competitive frame rates. For 2560x1440, the High settings are recommended, as the average of 150 FPS exceeds the 144 Hz refresh rate of most gaming monitors, and the Medium settings, averaging 194 FPS, offer even more headroom for users with 165 Hz or 240 Hz displays. At 3840x2160, the Medium settings are the best choice, with an average of 102 FPS and a minimum of 87 FPS, providing a smooth experience for 4K gaming, while High settings at 79 FPS are acceptable for users who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate. The Low settings at any resolution are only recommended for users seeking maximum frame rates for competitive play, as the visual quality reduction is significant, but the 357 FPS average at 1080p Low demonstrates the combo’s ability to push extreme frame rates. The Ultra settings are not recommended for any resolution, as the 52 FPS average at 4K and 99 FPS at 1440p indicate that the preset’s graphical enhancements come at a steep performance cost, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay. The data shows that the combo is best utilized with Medium or High settings, depending on the resolution, to achieve the highest frame rates while maintaining a balance between visual fidelity and responsiveness.