Fortnite

The Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 580 combination delivers measured Fortnite performance across three resolutions and four presets. The data shows a mid-range pairing that remains playable at 1080p but falls off sharply at higher resolutions. The combo ranks 1434 out of 1564 tested configurations, placing it in the lower portion of the database, consistent with the individual mid-range standings of both components.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS values reveal a clear pattern: performance degrades substantially as resolution increases, and the drop is consistent across all four presets. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 62.4 FPS at 1920x1080 to 37.4 FPS at 2560x1440, and then to 19 FPS at 3840x2160. The same trend appears at Low settings, where 108.7 FPS at 1080p drops to 72.9 FPS at 1440p and 35.1 FPS at 4K. Medium settings show 76.3 FPS at 1080p, 49.9 FPS at 1440p, and 28.6 FPS at 4K. Ultra settings are the most demanding, with 42.7 FPS at 1080p, 24 FPS at 1440p, and 15.5 FPS at 4K.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is steep, but the drop from 1440p to 4K is even more pronounced. For example, at High settings, the 1440p result is 37.4 FPS, while the 4K result is 19 FPS—a reduction of more than half. This pattern indicates that the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the 108.7 FPS result suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU adequately at lower resolutions, but as pixel count increases, the GPU's rendering throughput becomes the bottleneck. The fact that even Low settings at 4K only reach 35.1 FPS reinforces this conclusion; the RX 580 simply does not have enough raw performance to maintain playable frame rates at 4K, regardless of preset.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. It features 9 MB of shared L3 cache, dual-channel DDR4 memory support, and a memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 7969, and its single-core score is 1125, placing it at the 50th percentile among all CPUs. The average benchmark score is 2305, with nearest rivals including the Intel Core i3-10305 (2300, delta 0.2%) and the Intel Core i3-1125G4 (2299, delta 0.2%). These numbers indicate a solid mid-range part that is neither a performance leader nor a weak link.

In Fortnite, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p Low, where the frame rate reaches 108.7 FPS. This is a high value, suggesting that the i5-9400's single-thread performance, as reflected in its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1125, is sufficient to keep up with the game's logic at lower resolutions. The 6 threads may limit performance in heavily threaded scenes, but the measured data does not show a CPU bottleneck at 1080p; the frame rate is more than double the 4K result. At higher resolutions, the CPU's influence diminishes because the GPU becomes the limiting factor. The 42.7 GB/s memory bandwidth and dual-channel support are typical for the platform, and the 9 MB L3 cache provides adequate data locality for the game's assets. Overall, the CPU is a capable partner for the RX 580, but it does not boost the combo beyond its mid-range classification.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580 is built on the Polaris 20 chip with GCN 4.0 architecture, featuring 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. It has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s. The base clock is 1257 MHz, with a boost clock of 1340 MHz, and the memory runs at 2000 MHz (8 Gbps effective). The GPU's passmark G3D score is 8813, and its average benchmark score is 13559, placing it at the 53rd percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 (13564, delta 0%) and the GTX 950 (13549, delta 0.1%). The launch MSRP was 229 USD.

The GPU's performance in Fortnite is directly tied to resolution. At 1080p, the RX 580 delivers playable frame rates across all presets, with Low at 108.7 FPS, Medium at 76.3 FPS, High at 62.4 FPS, and Ultra at 42.7 FPS. At 1440p, only Low reaches above 60 FPS (72.9 FPS), while Medium, High, and Ultra fall to 49.9, 37.4, and 24 FPS respectively. At 4K, the GPU is clearly overwhelmed: even Low settings only achieve 35.1 FPS, and Ultra drops to 15.5 FPS. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for the game's textures, but the 256 GB/s bandwidth appears to be a limiting factor at high resolutions, as the frame rate drops disproportionately when pixel count increases. The GPU's mid-range standing, reflected in its 53rd percentile, aligns with these results—it can handle 1080p gaming comfortably but struggles beyond that.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the i5-9400 and RX 580 ranks 1434 out of 1564 tested combos in Fortnite. This places it in the lower 8% of the database, meaning 1433 configurations perform better. The individual percentiles of the CPU (50th) and GPU (53rd) are both near the median, yet the combo's rank is significantly lower. This discrepancy suggests that Fortnite is particularly demanding on this pairing, or that the game favors other hardware combinations. The CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core i3-10305, has an average score of 2300, just 0.2% lower than the i5-9400's 2305. The GPU's nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570, has an average score of 13564, essentially identical to the RX 580's 13559. These close margins indicate that the combo is comparable to other mid-range systems, but the rank shows that many such systems achieve better Fortnite performance.

The low rank is not surprising given the measured FPS. At 1080p, the combo can reach 108.7 FPS on Low, but that is the only preset that exceeds 100 FPS. At 1440p, the best result is 72.9 FPS on Low, and at 4K, no preset reaches 60 FPS. The combination of a 6-core CPU and a mid-range GPU is common, but the data shows that this specific pairing does not excel in Fortnite. The rank of 1434 out of 1564 is a clear indicator that users seeking higher frame rates would need to consider more powerful components.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and frame rate. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers playable performance across all presets. Low settings yield 108.7 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold, while Medium provides 76.3 FPS and High offers 62.4 FPS. Ultra drops to 42.7 FPS, which is below 60 FPS and may feel less smooth. For a balance between visual quality and frame rate, Medium or High are the best choices at 1080p, with Medium offering a higher margin above 60 FPS and High providing better graphics. Low is also viable for competitive play where frame rate is prioritized.

At 2560x1440, the situation changes. Only Low settings achieve a frame rate above 60 FPS, with 72.9 FPS. Medium falls to 49.9 FPS, High to 37.4 FPS, and Ultra to 24 FPS. Therefore, for 1440p gaming, Low is the only preset that maintains a playable frame rate. Users who prefer higher visual fidelity would need to accept lower frame rates, but the data suggests that 1440p is not a comfortable resolution for this combo.

At 3840x2160, no preset reaches 60 FPS. The highest result is 35.1 FPS on Low, followed by 28.6 FPS on Medium, 19 FPS on High, and 15.5 FPS on Ultra. These values are all below the threshold for smooth gameplay, so 4K is not recommended for this combination. The best experience, per the measured rows, is achieved at 1080p with Medium or High settings, where the frame rate remains above 60 FPS while retaining reasonable visual quality. For users who prioritize frame rate over visuals, 1080p Low offers the highest headroom, and 1440p Low is the only viable option at that resolution.