Fortnite

Fortnite’s measured performance with the Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 presents a clear picture: this pairing is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, but at 1080p the CPU begins to assert its influence, creating a wide performance spread across settings. The data shows a top-tier combination that delivers exceptional frame rates, yet the specific bottlenecks shift depending on where you set the resolution and quality presets.

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

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Alder Lake-S architecture, running on the Intel Socket 1700 platform. It operates with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, which are modest figures compared to what the RTX 4090 demands. The CPU’s benchmark scores—such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 16518 and a single-core score of 2332—suggest it is a competent mid-range part, but its 77th percentile ranking versus all CPUs indicates it is not a flagship performer.

In Fortnite, the CPU’s role becomes most apparent at 1920x1080 resolution. Here, the Low preset delivers 415.6 FPS average, while the Ultra preset drops to 173.8 FPS. This 241.8 FPS gap is not purely a GPU limitation; at these high frame rates, the i5-12400F’s 6 cores must feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The data indicates that while the CPU can sustain very high frame rates, it is not the limiting factor at 4K, where even Low settings only reach 159.5 FPS. The processor’s 18 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache help maintain responsiveness, but the benchmark results suggest that the i5-12400F is more than sufficient for 1440p and 4K gaming with this GPU, yet it holds the system back from reaching the absolute peak FPS possible at 1080p.

Looking at nearest rivals, the i5-12400F’s average benchmark score of 19221 is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-8700K, which scores 19210 with a deltaPct of 0.1. This means the 12th-gen chip performs on par with a much older 8th-gen flagship, showing that its architecture is efficient but not class-leading. Against the AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS, which scores 19364, the i5-12400F trails by 0.7%, a negligible margin that would not produce a meaningful difference in Fortnite’s frame rates.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the dominant component in this setup, and its specifications make it a brute-force solution for Fortnite. It comes with 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock of 2520 MHz and base clock of 2235 MHz, combined with 16384 shading units, allow it to process massive amounts of graphical data. The GPU’s benchmark scores are extraordinary: a Passmark G3D score of 38194 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 270615 place it in the 91st percentile versus all GPUs.

In practice, the RTX 4090’s role is to obliterate frame rate barriers. At 2560x1440 with Low settings, the combination hits 301.4 FPS average, and at 1920x1080 with Low, it reaches 415.6 FPS. These numbers show that the GPU is rarely stressed by Fortnite’s engine, even at lower quality settings where the processor becomes the bottleneck. The 24 GB VRAM is overkill for Fortnite, which does not require massive memory pools, but it ensures headroom for future updates or higher-resolution textures. The GPU’s 450 W TDP and required 850 W PSU are not reflected in the FPS data, but they indicate the hardware’s power appetite, which is expected for a top-tier card.

The RTX 4090’s nearest rivals in the benchmark database are professional-grade cards like the NVIDIA Tesla T4, which scores 66733 with a deltaPct of -0.4%, and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 at 67097 with a deltaPct of -0.9%. This means the RTX 4090’s average score of 66473 is actually slightly lower than some workstation cards, but those cards are not designed for gaming. In Fortnite, the RTX 4090’s real-world performance is what matters, and the measured FPS confirms it is a top-tier gaming GPU that overwhelms the CPU at higher resolutions.

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

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimal settings. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset yields only 61.1 FPS average, which is below the 60 FPS threshold many players consider minimum for smooth gameplay. Dropping to High raises this to 89.5 FPS, while Medium hits 115.9 FPS, and Low jumps to 159.5 FPS. For 4K gaming, the Medium preset offers the best balance, as it provides over 100 FPS while retaining higher visual fidelity than Low. High is also viable at 89.5 FPS, but Medium’s 115.9 FPS gives more headroom for dips.

At 2560x1440, the situation improves dramatically. Ultra still holds at 108.7 FPS, which is playable, but High at 165 FPS and Medium at 216.8 FPS are superior options for competitive play. Low at 301.4 FPS is excessive for most monitors, which cap at 144Hz or 240Hz. The sweet spot is High, offering 165 FPS that matches high-refresh monitors without the visual downgrade of Low.

For 1920x1080, all presets are above 170 FPS, but the differences are stark. Ultra at 173.8 FPS is the lowest, while High at 258.8 FPS and Medium at 336.5 FPS are far better. Low at 415.6 FPS is only useful for players with 360Hz or 480Hz displays. The recommendation is to use High at 1080p, as it delivers 258.8 FPS, which is smooth and visually pleasing without sacrificing too much detail. Medium is a fallback if you want extra frame rate headroom, but High provides the best experience per the measured rows.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 44th out of 1564 tested combos in Fortnite. This is a strong showing, placing it in the top 3% of all configurations tested. The rank reflects the RTX 4090’s raw power, but it is not the number one combo, which suggests that other CPUs paired with the same GPU achieve slightly higher frame rates, particularly at lower resolutions where CPU speed matters more.

The rank of 44 indicates that the i5-12400F is a slight bottleneck in this pairing. Combos with higher-end CPUs, such as those with more cores or higher boost clocks, likely rank higher. However, for the vast majority of players, being in the 44th spot out of 1564 is an excellent result, meaning this system outpaces 97% of all tested configurations. The data does not specify which CPUs rank above, but the performance gap at 1080p Low (415.6 FPS) versus what a top-tier CPU might achieve suggests the i5-12400F holds back the GPU’s full potential in CPU-bound scenarios.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to hit 240 FPS?

A: At 2560x1440 with Low settings, the combo achieves 301.4 FPS average, which is above 240 FPS. At 1920x1080 with High settings, it hits 258.8 FPS, also above 240 FPS. For 4K, no preset reaches 240 FPS; the highest is Low at 159.5 FPS.

Q: How much faster is the RTX 4090 compared to its nearest rival in benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4090’s average benchmark score is 66473, which is 0.4% lower than the NVIDIA Tesla T4 (66733) and 0.5% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla P40 (66127). In gaming, the RTX 4090 is designed for consumer use, unlike these workstation cards.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at 1080p?

A: Yes, the data suggests this. At 1920x1080 Low, the FPS is 415.6, but at 2560x1440 Low, it drops to 301.4. The smaller resolution gap (1080p to 1440p) causes a 114.2 FPS drop, which indicates the CPU is limiting performance at 1080p, as the GPU should handle both resolutions easily.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested Fortnite configurations?

A: The combo ranks 44th out of 1564 tested combos, placing it in the top 3% of all systems tested for Fortnite.

Q: Is the Ultra preset playable at 4K?

A: No, the Ultra preset at 3840x2160 yields only 61.1 FPS average, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play. High preset at 89.5 FPS is the minimum recommended for 4K.

Q: How does the i5-12400F compare to the i7-8700K in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-12400F has an average benchmark score of 19221, while the i7-8700K scores 19210, a deltaPct of 0.1%. They are statistically identical in performance.

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

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across all combinations. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages 61.1 FPS, High averages 89.5 FPS, Medium averages 115.9 FPS, and Low averages 159.5 FPS. This shows a clear scaling pattern where lower settings yield higher frame rates, but even the lowest setting cannot exceed 160 FPS at 4K due to the resolution’s massive pixel count.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 108.7 FPS, High averages 165 FPS, Medium averages 216.8 FPS, and Low averages 301.4 FPS. The jump from 4K to 1440p nearly doubles the frame rate at every preset, with Medium going from 115.9 to 216.8 FPS, a 100.9 FPS increase.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 173.8 FPS, High averages 258.8 FPS, Medium averages 336.5 FPS, and Low averages 415.6 FPS. This is the only resolution where the CPU’s limitations become visible, as the differences between Medium and Low (80.9 FPS) are larger than at 1440p, where the gap is 84.6 FPS. The 1080p Low figure of 415.6 FPS is the highest measured in the entire dataset, showing the RTX 4090’s capability when the CPU can keep up.

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

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals the bottleneck dynamics of this combo. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 415.6 at 1920x1080, to 301.4 at 2560x1440, and finally to 159.5 at 3840x2160. This represents a 38% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 47% drop from 1440p to 4K. The severity of these drops indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the RTX 4090 must render more pixels, which reduces its frame output.

At Ultra settings, the scaling is even more pronounced: 173.8 FPS at 1080p, 108.7 FPS at 1440p, and 61.1 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p drop is 37%, while 1440p to 4K is 44%. This pattern shows that the RTX 4090 is heavily taxed by Ultra settings at 4K, but at 1080p Ultra, the CPU may also be limiting, as the frame rate of 173.8 FPS is not as high as the Low preset’s 415.6 FPS, which suggests the CPU cannot push more frames regardless of GPU headroom.

The data indicates that this combo is GPU-limited at 1440p and 4K, but CPU-limited at 1080p, particularly on lower presets. For players aiming for maximum frame rates at 1080p, a faster CPU would yield higher FPS, but for 1440p or 4K gameplay, the RTX 4090 is the dominant factor, and the i5-12400F is sufficient to avoid major bottlenecks.