Fortnite

Fortnite with an Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 7700 presents a balanced 1080p and 1440p setup, but the data shows that hitting high refresh rates at 4K is out of reach. The measured results are consistent across the board: the Intel Core i5-9400 provides a solid six-core foundation, while the Radeon RX 7700 delivers the bulk of the graphical horsepower. This pairing lands in the 43rd percentile of all tested combos, confirming that it is a mid-pack performer rather than a top-tier rig.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data clearly indicates that the Low preset is the only settings tier that consistently delivers a high-refresh-rate experience at both 1080p and 1440p. At 1080p, Low settings produce an average of 260 FPS, which is a substantial leap over the Medium preset’s 183 FPS and more than double the High preset’s 142 FPS. For competitive play, where input latency and frame consistency matter more than visual fidelity, Low is the clear choice. At 1440p, Low still manages an excellent 165 FPS average, keeping the system well within the range of 144Hz monitors.

If you prefer a balance between visuals and performance, the Medium preset is the most practical option. At 1080p, it holds an average of 183 FPS with a minimum of 155 FPS, ensuring that even the busiest build fights stay smooth. At 1440p, Medium averages 116 FPS with a minimum of 99 FPS, which is acceptable for a 100-120Hz display. The High preset is usable at 1080p (142 FPS average) and 1440p (90 FPS average), but it demands a compromise on refresh rate. The Ultra preset is not recommended for any resolution: it drops to 94 FPS at 1080p, 60 FPS at 1440p, and just 31 FPS at 4K, making it a visual showcase rather than a playable setting for this combo.

For 4K gaming, the data is unequivocal: only the Low preset (87 FPS average) provides a playable frame rate. Medium at 4K drops to 61 FPS, and High falls to 48 FPS, which is marginal for a fast-paced battle royale. The recommendation is to stick with Low for 4K if you must use that resolution, but the sweet spot for this hardware is clearly 1080p or 1440p with Medium or High settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread processor from the Coffee Lake Refresh generation, running on the Intel Socket 1151 platform. With a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz, it is a modestly clocked chip that relies on its six physical cores rather than hyper-threading. The CPU’s benchmark scores reflect its mid-range standing: it reaches a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 6629 and a single-core score of 935, placing it in the 47th percentile of all CPUs.

In Fortnite, the CPU’s role is secondary to the GPU at higher resolutions, but it still matters at 1080p. The data shows that the combo achieves 260 FPS at 1080p Low, which suggests the i5-9400 is capable of feeding the Radeon RX 7700 enough data to maintain high frame rates. However, the lack of threads could become a bottleneck in scenarios with many players or complex building mechanics, though the measured results do not indicate a severe limitation at this settings tier. The CPU’s 9 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support (42.7 GB/s bandwidth) are adequate for this workload.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the i5-9400 is right in the pack. It scores within 0.4% of the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 and within 0.3% of the Intel Core i7-10710U. It is slightly behind the Intel Core i3-10305 by 0.4%. This means the CPU is not holding back the GPU in a meaningful way; the bottleneck is almost certainly the GPU when settings are raised, as evidenced by the steep FPS drop from Low to Ultra at all resolutions.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Fortnite at 144Hz on a 1440p monitor?

A: Yes, but only on the Low preset. The measured average at 2560x1440 with Low settings is 165 FPS. On Medium, the average drops to 116 FPS, which is below a strict 144Hz target but still smooth on a 120Hz display.

Q: What is the best preset for competitive play?

A: The Low preset is the best for competitive play. It delivers the highest average frame rates at all resolutions: 260 FPS at 1080p, 165 FPS at 1440p, and 87 FPS at 4K. The higher presets significantly reduce frame rates, which can hurt responsiveness.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-9400 a bottleneck for the Radeon RX 7700?

A: The data does not show a severe CPU bottleneck at 1080p Low, where the combo reaches 260 FPS. However, the CPU is a mid-range part (47th percentile) and its six threads may limit performance in CPU-heavy scenarios. The GPU is the primary limiter when settings are increased, as frame rates scale down dramatically from Low to Ultra.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its direct competitors?

A: The i5-9400 is essentially tied with its nearest rivals. It is 0.2% slower than the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, 0.3% faster than the Intel Core i7-10710U, and 0.4% faster than the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500. It trails the Intel Core i3-10305 by 0.4%.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 4K with this combo?

A: Only the Low preset is playable at 4K, with an average of 87 FPS. Medium drops to 61 FPS, High to 48 FPS, and Ultra to 31 FPS. For a stable experience at 4K, stick to Low settings.

Q: Is the Ultra preset usable at any resolution?

A: The Ultra preset is only viable at 1080p, where it averages 94 FPS. At 1440p it drops to 60 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 31 FPS. For a 60 FPS experience at 1440p, Ultra is acceptable, but at 1080p, it is better suited for slower-paced games.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 7700 combination ranks 1186th out of 2740 tested combos in Fortnite, placing it in the 43rd percentile of all systems. This is a solid mid-table result, indicating that the pairing is capable but not exceptional. The ranking suggests that roughly 43% of tested systems perform worse, while 57% perform better, which is expected given the CPU’s 47th percentile standing and the GPU’s 58th percentile standing.

The combo’s performance is heavily influenced by the GPU’s strength at lower resolutions. The Radeon RX 7700, with its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 256-bit bus, provides a 624.1 GB/s bandwidth, which is ample for Fortnite. However, the CPU’s modest single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 935) prevents the system from climbing higher in the rankings. The data shows that this is a well-matched pair for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but it does not have the overhead to push into the top quartile of all combos.

In terms of competitive positioning, this combo sits in the same league as systems with slightly different hardware. The GPU is within 1.7% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti in average benchmark score, and within 1% of the AMD Radeon RX 9060. This means the frame rates measured here are representative of what a mid-range GPU paired with a six-core CPU can achieve in Fortnite.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the combo averages 260 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 165 FPS, a 36.5% reduction. At 4K Low, the average is 87 FPS, which is 66.5% lower than the 1080p result. This steep decline indicates that the Radeon RX 7700 is the limiting component at higher resolutions, as the CPU’s workload does not scale with resolution in the same way.

The scaling is even more pronounced at higher settings. For the Medium preset, the FPS drops from 183 at 1080p to 116 at 1440p (a 36.6% reduction) and then to 61 at 4K (a 66.7% reduction from 1080p). This consistent percentage drop across settings confirms that the GPU is the primary constraint. The CPU’s role is to maintain a baseline frame rate, which it does effectively, but it cannot compensate for the GPU’s inability to render at 4K with high detail.

At 1080p, the CPU is more likely to be a factor. The jump from Low (260 FPS) to Medium (183 FPS) is a 29.6% drop, which is larger than the typical GPU-bound scaling at this resolution. This suggests that the i5-9400’s six threads are nearing their limit at very high frame rates, though it still delivers excellent performance. Overall, the data points to a system that is well-optimized for 1080p and 1440p, with 4K being a stretch goal that requires Low settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best performance. The Low preset averages 260 FPS, which is the highest score in the entire dataset. Medium averages 183 FPS, with a minimum of 155 FPS and a maximum of 210 FPS, providing a stable high-refresh experience. High averages 142 FPS, which is still suitable for a 144Hz monitor. Ultra averages 94 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for competitive play.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates drop noticeably but remain respectable. Low averages 165 FPS, which is excellent for 1440p. Medium averages 116 FPS, with a minimum of 99 FPS and a maximum of 134 FPS, making it a viable option for 120Hz displays. High averages 90 FPS, which is smooth for most players. Ultra averages 60 FPS, which is the minimum for a standard 60Hz monitor.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain high frame rates. Low averages 87 FPS, which is acceptable for a 4K display. Medium averages 61 FPS, with a minimum of 52 FPS and a maximum of 71 FPS, providing a playable but not consistently smooth experience. High averages 48 FPS, which is below the ideal threshold for a fast-paced game. Ultra averages 31 FPS, which is not recommended for any serious play.

The data shows that the Medium preset at 1080p is the most balanced option, offering 183 FPS average with a minimum of 155 FPS, ensuring no significant dips during intense moments. For 1440p, the Low preset is the best for high refresh rates, while Medium provides a solid middle ground. The GPU’s 16 GB of VRAM is not a limiting factor at any resolution, as Fortnite is not a VRAM-intensive title, but the GPU’s raw compute (25.18 TFLOPS) is what drives the performance differences between settings.