Fortnite

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate for this combo at 1920x1080 with High settings?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER combination delivers an average of 122.8 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings, placing it well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its nearest rival, the RTX 4060 Mobile?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 22206, which is 2.3% lower than the RTX 4060 Mobile's score of 22729. This places the desktop card in a competitive position against a newer mobile part.

Q: What is the best preset for competitive play at 2560x1440?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset produces 142.9 FPS, which is the highest average among all settings at that resolution. The Medium preset drops to 103.1 FPS, while High delivers 77.8 FPS and Ultra falls to 55.2 FPS.

Q: Does this CPU bottleneck the GPU at 1920x1080?

A: The i5-9400 has 6 cores and 6 threads with a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo reaches 229.2 FPS, indicating the CPU can keep pace with the GPU at lower resolutions where frame rates are highest.

Q: How many total combos are ranked for Fortnite, and where does this one land?

A: This combo ranks 926th out of 1564 tested combinations, placing it in the upper-middle portion of all tested systems for Fortnite performance.

Q: What is the performance difference between Ultra and Low settings at 3840x2160?

A: At 4K, the Low preset yields 78 FPS, while Ultra drops to 26.2 FPS. This represents a substantial gap that makes Ultra impractical for competitive play at this resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a Coffee Lake Refresh desktop processor with 6 physical cores and 6 threads. Its base clock of 2.90 GHz can boost up to 4.10 GHz, which provides adequate single-thread performance for Fortnite's game logic and physics. The CPU's 9 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 42.7 GB/s bandwidth help feed the GPU with draw calls and game state data.

Benchmark results show the i5-9400 achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 7969 and a single-core score of 1125. Its average benchmark score of 2305 places it at the 50th percentile among all CPUs tested. The nearest rival, the Intel Core i3-10305, scores 2300, a mere 0.2% difference, indicating the i5-9400 sits in a crowded performance tier. The Intel Xeon E-2134 trails by 0.4% with a score of 2295, while the Intel Core i7-8809G is 0.6% ahead at 2319.

In Fortnite, the CPU's role becomes most apparent at lower resolutions where the GPU can render frames quickly. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 229.2 FPS, a figure that suggests the six-core processor can maintain high frame pacing without becoming a limiting factor. However, at 3840x2160, the CPU's influence diminishes as the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck. The fact that frame rates scale consistently from 78 FPS at 4K Low to 229.2 FPS at 1080p Low indicates the CPU can handle the game's demands across a wide range of settings.

The i5-9400's 6-thread configuration is sufficient for Fortnite's workload, which does not heavily utilize more than a few cores. The processor's 14 nm process node and 65 W TDP reflect its older architecture, yet the benchmark data shows it remains competitive with newer parts like the i3-1125G4, which scores 2299 (0.2% lower). For this game, the CPU delivers consistent performance without the need for overclocking, as the multiplier is locked.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is a Turing-architecture graphics card built on a 12 nm process at TSMC. It features 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units. The GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory operates across a 256-bit bus, yielding 448.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. Core clocks are rated at 1605 MHz base and 1770 MHz boost, while the memory runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective).

This card's benchmark results are solid across multiple test suites. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 1651. PassMark G3D shows 18169, while Geekbench OpenCL reaches 98316 and Vulkan hits 94918. The GPU's average benchmark score of 22206 places it at the 65th percentile among all GPUs. Comparing to its nearest rivals, the RTX 2070 SUPER is 0.5% behind the NVIDIA RTX A400 (22307) and 0.9% ahead of the GeForce GTX TITAN Z (22006). The RTX 4060 Mobile leads by 2.3% at 22729, while the AMD Radeon RX 5700 trails by 2.5% at 21670.

In Fortnite, the GPU's capabilities are clearly reflected in the measured frame rates. At 1920x1080, the card delivers 229.2 FPS on Low settings, 162.5 FPS on Medium, 122.8 FPS on High, and 81.6 FPS on Ultra. Stepping up to 2560x1440, performance scales to 142.9 FPS on Low and 77.8 FPS on High. At 3840x2160, the GPU handles Low settings at 78 FPS but drops to 40.8 FPS on High and 26.2 FPS on Ultra.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for Fortnite's texture requirements even at 4K Ultra, though the compute workload at that resolution overwhelms the GPU's 9.062 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The card's 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores provide ray tracing and DLSS support, though the measured data does not include those features. The 215 W TDP and dual-slot design make it a substantial card, with a suggested PSU rating of 550 W.

How This Combo Ranks

For Fortnite, this Intel Core i5-9400 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER combination ranks 926th out of 1564 tested combos. This places the system in the upper-middle tier of all configurations tested, roughly in the 59th percentile of combinations. The rank reflects a balanced pairing where neither component severely bottlenecks the other.

The data shows this combo performs best at 1920x1080, where it achieves playable frame rates even on Ultra settings (81.6 FPS). At 2560x1440, the system remains competitive for high-refresh monitors on Low (142.9 FPS) and Medium (103.1 FPS) presets. The 4K results are more modest, with only the Low preset (78 FPS) approaching the 60 FPS threshold.

Relative to other combos, this system's position at 926th out of 1564 suggests there is a significant number of faster configurations, likely featuring newer CPUs and GPUs. However, the combo's measured results indicate it can handle Fortnite's competitive settings well. The CPU's 50th percentile ranking and the GPU's 65th percentile ranking align with the overall combo position, confirming that this is a mid-to-upper-tier pairing.

The delta between the CPU and GPU percentiles (15 points) suggests the GPU is the stronger component in this pairing. This is consistent with the frame rate scaling: at 1080p Low, the system hits 229.2 FPS, which is likely CPU-limited but still high enough for competitive play. At higher resolutions and settings, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, as seen in the steep drop to 26.2 FPS at 4K Ultra.

Settings Recommendations

The measured frame rates provide clear guidance for optimal settings at each resolution. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 122.8 FPS, which exceeds the requirements for most high-refresh monitors. For esports-focused players, the Low preset at 229.2 FPS offers the highest frame rate and lowest input latency, making it the best choice for competitive Fortnite. Medium at 162.5 FPS provides a balance between visual quality and performance, while Ultra at 81.6 FPS remains playable but trades away significant frame rate headroom.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset at 103.1 FPS is the recommended choice for those with 144 Hz monitors, as it stays above 100 FPS while offering better visuals than Low. The Low preset at 142.9 FPS is optimal for maximum competitive advantage, while High at 77.8 FPS and Ultra at 55.2 FPS are better suited for gamers who prioritize image quality over smoothness. The Ultra preset's 55.2 FPS is just below the 60 FPS threshold, making it borderline for those sensitive to frame pacing.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset at 78 FPS is the only setting that provides a consistently smooth experience. Medium at 54.6 FPS is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action, while High at 40.8 FPS and Ultra at 26.2 FPS are too demanding for this GPU to maintain fluid gameplay. Players with 4K displays should stick to Low or Medium settings, or consider lowering the resolution to 2560x1440 for better performance.

The data indicates that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming. At 1080p, even Ultra settings remain above 80 FPS, providing a comfortable margin. At 1440p, Medium offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. For players who prioritize competitive advantage, the Low preset at both 1080p and 1440p delivers the highest frame rates, with 229.2 FPS and 142.9 FPS respectively, ensuring minimal input lag and maximum responsiveness.