Fortnite

Fortnite with the Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D produces a dataset that clearly delineates the workloads of the CPU and GPU. The measured frame rates across three resolutions and four quality presets show a system with immense graphical headroom, where the processor becomes the primary governor at lower resolutions and the graphics card takes over as the pixel count climbs. This analysis walks through the scaling behavior, the individual component roles, and the practical settings that yield the best experience.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 reveals how the performance bottleneck shifts. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 436 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same Low preset drops that figure to 332 FPS, a reduction of 104 FPS or roughly 24%. Pushing further to 3840x2160 at Low yields 175 FPS, which is 157 FPS lower than the 1440p result. This steep decline as resolution increases points to the GPU becoming the limiting factor, since the pixel output demand grows faster than the CPU’s ability to feed it.

For High settings, the pattern continues but with lower absolute numbers. The 1080p High average is 285 FPS, which falls to 181 FPS at 1440p and then to 96 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 104 FPS, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 85 FPS. This suggests that at High settings, the GPU is already working harder at 1080p, so the scaling penalty is more consistent across the resolution steps. The 4K High result of 96 FPS indicates that even with this top-tier GPU, the game’s visual load at that resolution is substantial.

The Medium preset shows the most complete data, with minimum and maximum frame rates recorded. At 1080p Medium, the average is 368 FPS with a minimum of 312 and a maximum of 423. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 234 FPS, with a minimum of 199 and a maximum of 269. At 4K Medium, the average is 123 FPS, with a minimum of 105 and a maximum of 142. The consistency of the minimum-to-maximum range, roughly 30% of the average in each case, suggests that frame pacing remains stable even as the resolution increases.

Ultra settings produce the lowest frame rates across the board, as expected. The 1080p Ultra average is 188 FPS, which is still high but notably less than the 436 FPS Low result at the same resolution. At 1440p Ultra, the average is 120 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 63 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only measured row that dips below 60 FPS, indicating that this combination, while powerful, cannot maintain a high refresh rate at maximum quality in 4K.

The scaling data suggests that the RTX 5090 D is the primary limiter at 4K, especially at higher settings. The CPU’s role becomes more apparent at 1080p Low, where the 436 FPS result is likely near the processor’s maximum frame generation capacity for this game. The fact that 1080p Medium (368 FPS) is not dramatically lower than 1080p Low (436 FPS) hints that the GPU is still capable of doing more work, but the CPU is approaching its ceiling.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. Its benchmark results show strong multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22604 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 11068. The single-thread performance, measured at 3191 in Cinebench R23 and 1996 in Geekbench, is more relevant for Fortnite, which is typically sensitive to per-core speed.

The data indicates that the CPU is not the bottleneck at high resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 63, which is likely limited by the GPU’s rendering workload rather than the CPU’s ability to submit draw calls. However, at 1080p Low, the 436 FPS average approaches the practical limit for many CPUs in competitive shooters. The fact that the 1080p Low result is 68 FPS higher than the 1080p High result (285 FPS) suggests that the CPU is capable of generating frames faster than the GPU can render them at Low settings, but the gap narrows as settings increase.

The processor’s 20 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support (DDR4 or DDR5) contribute to its ability to feed the GPU quickly. In the context of Fortnite, which often stresses the CPU during building and combat scenarios with many players, the 13400F’s 16 threads provide ample headroom. The benchmark data shows a PassMark multi-thread score of 25032 and a PassMark single-thread score of 3634, placing it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the 13400F is closely matched. The AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS has an average score of 25284, a 0% delta from the 13400F’s average of 25292. The Intel Core 5 120 and AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D are each 0.3% slower, while the AMD Ryzen 7 6800H is 0.4% faster. These negligible differences mean that for Fortnite, the 13400F’s performance is effectively on par with these alternatives, and any frame rate variance would likely come from other system components.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. Its boost clock is 2407 MHz, and it has 21760 shading units. The raw compute capabilities are substantial, with an FP32 throughput of 104.8 TFLOPS and a pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s. These specifications translate to a PassMark G3D score of 44065 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 376915.

The GPU’s role in Fortnite becomes clear when examining the resolution scaling. At 1080p Low, the GPU is underutilized, as evidenced by the 436 FPS average, which is likely constrained by the CPU. As the resolution increases to 1440p, the GPU begins to work harder, and the frame rate drops to 332 FPS at Low. At 4K Low, the average is 175 FPS, showing that even with a 512-bit memory bus and 32 GB of VRAM, the GPU is handling a massive pixel workload.

The VRAM capacity of 32 GB is far beyond what Fortnite requires, even at 4K Ultra with high-resolution textures. The measured data shows no signs of VRAM-related stuttering, as the minimum frame rates at 4K Medium are 105 FPS, which is 85% of the average. The GPU’s memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s ensures that texture streaming and asset loading do not become bottlenecks, even in busy battle royale scenarios.

In terms of benchmark positioning, the RTX 5090 D ranks in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 77712 is 1.1% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT, but 1.6% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT. The NVIDIA Tesla P100 variants are 2.1% and 2.4% slower, respectively. These comparisons indicate that the 5090 D is a top-tier GPU, but not the absolute fastest in the database, which aligns with its measured performance in Fortnite where it still hits high frame rates but not the absolute maximum.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks 31st out of 2740 tested combos in Fortnite. This places it in the top 1.1% of all configurations, which is consistent with the high frame rates measured. The rank reflects that this is a very potent pairing, but not the absolute best, as other combinations with faster CPUs or GPUs may achieve higher averages.

Given that the GPU is in the 92nd percentile and the CPU is in the 77th percentile, the combo’s rank of 31 suggests that the CPU is not holding the GPU back significantly, but there is room for improvement. If a faster processor were paired with the same GPU, the 1080p Low result might be higher than 436 FPS, potentially pushing the combo into the top 20. Conversely, at 4K Ultra, the 63 FPS average is likely GPU-bound, so a faster CPU would not improve that result.

The data shows that this combo is well-balanced for high refresh rate gaming at 1440p and 4K, but it is not optimized for the highest possible frame rates at 1080p. The rank of 31 out of 2740 is a strong endorsement of its overall capability, especially considering that Fortnite is a popular title with many possible system configurations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured frame rates are as follows: Low averages 436 FPS, Medium averages 368 FPS with a minimum of 312 and a maximum of 423, High averages 285 FPS, and Ultra averages 188 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a clear trade-off between visual quality and frame rate, with Ultra delivering 57% fewer frames than Low.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low at 332 FPS, Medium at 234 FPS with a minimum of 199 and a maximum of 269, High at 181 FPS, and Ultra at 120 FPS. The 1440p results are consistently about 68-76% of the 1080p results, indicating that the GPU is scaling predictably with pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low at 175 FPS, Medium at 123 FPS with a minimum of 105 and a maximum of 142, High at 96 FPS, and Ultra at 63 FPS. The 4K results show a more pronounced drop from 1440p, with the High and Ultra settings falling below 100 FPS and 70 FPS, respectively. The 4K Medium result of 123 FPS is the highest average at that resolution, suggesting that Medium is the sweet spot for 4K gaming with this combo.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo can achieve in Fortnite?

A: The highest measured average is 436 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra?

A: Yes, the 4K Ultra average is 63 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the CPU affect performance at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the 436 FPS average suggests the CPU is the limiting factor, as the GPU has more headroom at lower resolutions.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at any setting?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 105 FPS at 3840x2160 with Medium settings.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: It ranks 31st out of 2740 combos tested in Fortnite.

Q: Is there a big difference between Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: Yes, the difference is 53 FPS, with Medium at 234 FPS and High at 181 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience per the measured rows, the Medium preset offers the most balanced performance across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the average is 368 FPS, which is high enough for any competitive display, and the minimum of 312 FPS ensures smooth gameplay even in intense moments. At 1440p Medium, the average of 234 FPS remains above 200 FPS, providing a strong experience for high refresh rate monitors. At 4K Medium, the average of 123 FPS is the best result at that resolution, and the minimum of 105 FPS keeps the frame rate above the 100 FPS mark.

High settings are a reasonable choice for those who prioritize visual fidelity, but the frame rate penalties are significant. At 4K High, the average drops to 96 FPS, which is still playable but below the Medium preset’s performance. Ultra settings are not recommended for 4K, as the 63 FPS average is close to the lower bound of smoothness, and at 1080p, the 188 FPS average is lower than what many competitive players would prefer.

For players with a 144Hz monitor, the Medium preset at 1440p is the sweet spot, offering a 234 FPS average with a 199 FPS minimum. For 4K displays, Medium is the only preset that consistently stays above 100 FPS, making it the clear recommendation. Low settings are only advisable for those seeking maximum frame rates at 1080p, where the 436 FPS average provides a significant competitive advantage. The data indicates that the optimal configuration balances the GPU’s raw power with the CPU’s limits, and Medium achieves that balance at every resolution tested.