Fortnite

The pairing of the Intel Core i5-12400 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 in Fortnite produces a dataset that clearly separates CPU-bound scenarios from GPU-bound ones. Across the twelve measured configurations, the average frame rates range from a demanding 57 FPS at 4K Ultra to a staggering 415.4 FPS at 1080p Low. This spread of results indicates a system where the limiting factor shifts dramatically depending on the resolution and quality settings selected, making it a prime example of how a high-end GPU can be held back by a mid-range processor in lighter workloads.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows that Fortnite scales with resolution in a way that is heavily dictated by the game’s settings preset. At the Low preset, the progression from 1080p to 4K reveals a significant drop: 415.4 FPS at 1920x1080 falls to 305.3 FPS at 2560x1440, and then plummets to 157.6 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 62% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K, suggesting that even at Low settings, the GPU is still doing substantial work at higher resolutions, though the absolute numbers remain high.

The scaling is less aggressive at the High preset. Here, 260.7 FPS at 1080p drops to 164.2 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 89.3 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is about 66%, which is larger than at Low settings, indicating that the increased graphical load at High settings places more stress on the RTX 4090. The Ultra preset tells a different story regarding the limiting component; it produces 172.3 FPS at 1080p, 106.9 FPS at 1440p, and only 57 FPS at 4K. The fact that 1080p Ultra yields less than half the frame rate of 1080p Low points to a scenario where the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at lower resolutions, but rather the intense graphical effects of the Ultra preset are consuming GPU resources.

The data indicates that at 1080p with Low and Medium settings, the frame rates are so high (415.4 and 335.2 FPS respectively) that the i5-12400 is almost certainly the limiting factor, as the RTX 4090 has headroom to render far more frames. Conversely, at 4K Ultra, the 57 FPS result shows a clear GPU limitation, as the processor’s workload does not scale as steeply with resolution. The medium preset shows a balanced scaling: 335.2 FPS at 1080p, 215.6 FPS at 1440p, and 114.1 FPS at 4K, which aligns with a more typical GPU-bound curve, though the high 1080p number still hints at CPU constraints.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Fortnite with this hardware combination for maximum frame rate?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 with Low settings yields the highest average frame rate at 415.4 FPS. However, for a more balanced visual experience, 2560x1440 with High settings still delivers a very playable 164.2 FPS.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-12400 bottlenecking the RTX 4090 in Fortnite?

A: Yes, at lower resolutions and settings. The benchmark results show 415.4 FPS at 1080p Low and 305.3 FPS at 1440p Low, which are extremely high values. Given that the RTX 4090 is capable of much higher output, these numbers suggest the CPU is the limiting factor in these specific scenarios.

Q: How does the i5-12400 compare to its nearest rivals in general benchmark scores?

A: The i5-12400 has an average benchmark score of 19850. This places it 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-9700 and 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i5-11600K, while being 0.2% behind the Intel Core i7-8700.

Q: What kind of frame rate can be expected at 4K with this setup?

A: At 3840x2160, the average frame rates vary significantly by settings. You can expect 157.6 FPS on Low, 114.1 FPS on Medium, 89.3 FPS on High, and 57 FPS on Ultra.

Q: Does the RTX 4090’s 24 GB of VRAM matter for Fortnite?

A: The 24 GB of GDDR6X memory provides a massive buffer. Fortnite is not a VRAM-heavy game at these settings, so the capacity is unlikely to be a limiting factor in the measured results, but it ensures no memory-related stuttering occurs.

Q: How does this specific combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination ranks 47th out of 1564 tested combos in Fortnite, placing it in the top 3% of all configurations.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications explain why it produces such high frame rates. The GPU operates with a base clock of 2235 MHz and a boost clock of 2520 MHz, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with 16,384 shading units. Its memory subsystem is substantial, featuring 24 GB of GDDR6X on a 384-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s. These specifications allow the GPU to handle the graphical load of Fortnite at any resolution without breaking a sweat, which is reflected in the frame rates.

The RTX 4090’s role becomes more defined at higher resolutions and settings. The benchmark results show that the GPU is the primary driver of performance at 4K Ultra, where it produces 57 FPS. This is a demanding scenario that requires significant compute and memory throughput, which the 4090 provides. The fact that it scores in the 91st percentile of all GPUs and has an average benchmark score of 66473 confirms its top-tier status. Its performance is 0.5% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla P40 and 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA Quadro P6000, though it trails the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 by 0.9%.

The GPU’s memory capacity and bandwidth are more than sufficient for Fortnite, as the game does not typically require more than a few gigabytes of VRAM. The 1.01 TB/s bandwidth allows for high texture throughput, which becomes relevant at the Ultra preset where texture detail and effects are maximized. The data shows that the GPU is not the bottleneck at 1080p Low, where the CPU limits performance, but at 4K Ultra, the GPU is fully utilized, and the frame rate drops to 57 FPS, aligning with the GPU’s raw compute limits for this workload.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear matrix of performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are 415.4 FPS on Low, 335.2 FPS on Medium, 260.7 FPS on High, and 172.3 FPS on Ultra. The jump from Low to Medium is a 19% reduction, while the move from High to Ultra is a 34% reduction, indicating that the Ultra preset has a significant performance cost.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates are 305.3 FPS on Low, 215.6 FPS on Medium, 164.2 FPS on High, and 106.9 FPS on Ultra. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows an average reduction of about 30% across all settings, which is consistent with the increase in pixel count. The Low preset retains a very high 305.3 FPS, while Ultra drops to just over 100 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the results are 157.6 FPS on Low, 114.1 FPS on Medium, 89.3 FPS on High, and 57 FPS on Ultra. The 4K resolution imposes a heavy load, with Ultra dipping to a level that is still playable but not ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The progression from Low to Ultra at 4K shows a 64% reduction in frame rate, highlighting the massive impact of the Ultra preset at this resolution. The data confirms that the combination is capable of high refresh rate gaming at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, only the Low and Medium presets break the 100 FPS barrier.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. It has an 18 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory. Its benchmark scores are respectable, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15935 and a single-core score of 2249. The processor’s average benchmark score is 19850, placing it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs.

In Fortnite, the CPU’s role is most evident at lower resolutions and settings. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the frame rate is 415.4 FPS, which is significantly higher than at 4K Ultra. This suggests that at 1080p, the GPU is not being fully utilized, and the CPU is the limiting factor. The i5-12400’s single-thread performance, as evidenced by its 3DMark single-thread score of 910, is strong, but it may not be sufficient to feed the RTX 4090 at extremely high frame rates.

The CPU’s 12 threads are beneficial for Fortnite, which can utilize multiple cores for game logic and rendering tasks. However, the benchmark results indicate that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 57 FPS, which is far below the CPU’s potential output, confirming that the GPU is the limiting component in that scenario. The i5-12400’s performance is comparable to its rivals, with its average score being only 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i7-9700 and 0.4% higher than the Intel Core i5-11600K, making it a balanced mid-range option that pairs well with a high-end GPU for most gaming scenarios, though it will cap performance in CPU-light, high-FPS situations.