Fortnite

Fortnite with the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 combo ranks 1640th out of 2740 tested combinations in this database. That places this pairing in the 60th percentile of all tested systems, meaning roughly 40% of configurations deliver higher frame rates in Fortnite. The ranking reflects a mid-pack standing; the CPU holds a 47th percentile rank among all processors, while the GPU sits higher at the 66th percentile among all graphics cards. This imbalance suggests the processor is the more limiting factor in this pairing, a pattern that becomes evident when examining the measured FPS data across resolutions and settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame value of 1640 out of 2740 places this system in the upper-middle tier of tested configurations. It is not a top-tier performer, but it is far from the bottom of the pack. The CPU's percentileVsAllCpus of 47 indicates that the Intel Core i5-9400 performs near the median of all processors tested, while the GPU's percentileVsAllGpus of 66 shows the RTX 5050 outperforms two-thirds of all graphics cards. This disparity is critical: the GPU has more headroom than the CPU can consistently feed, particularly at lower resolutions where frame rates are highest.

Benchmark scores reinforce this view. The CPU's average benchmark score is 2254, with nearest rivals including the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 at 2259 (0.2% faster), the Intel Core i7-10710U at 2248 (0.3% slower), the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 at 2246 (0.4% slower), and the Intel Core i3-10305 at 2264 (0.4% faster). These deltaPct values are all within a fraction of a percent, meaning the i5-9400 is essentially tied with those processors in synthetic workloads. The GPU's average benchmark score is 21035, with its nearest rival being the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL at 21153 (0.6% faster), followed by the AMD Radeon HD 8970M at 21237 (1% faster), the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT at 20713 (1.6% slower), and the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile at 21379 (1.6% faster). Again, the deltas are small, but the GPU's raw score advantage over the CPU is substantial.

In Fortnite specifically, the combo's rank suggests that while the RTX 5050 can push high frame rates, the i5-9400's six cores and six threads without hyper-threading may bottleneck the system when frame rates approach 200 FPS or higher. The measured data supports this: at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 217 FPS, but at 4K Ultra it drops to 26 FPS. The scaling between these extremes is not linear, and the CPU's role becomes more pronounced at lower resolutions where the GPU is less stressed.

FAQ

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

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 217, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. The next highest is 153 FPS at 1080p Medium, followed by 138 FPS at 1440p Low.

Q: How does this combo perform at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the combo delivers 73 FPS on Low settings, 51 FPS on Medium, 40 FPS on High, and 26 FPS on Ultra. Only the Low and Medium settings provide playable frame rates above 30 FPS at this resolution.

Q: Which component is more likely to bottleneck performance?

A: The CPU. Its 47th percentile rank among all processors is lower than the GPU's 66th percentile rank. Additionally, the CPU has 6 cores and 6 threads with a boost clock of 4.10 GHz, which is modest by current standards, while the GPU has 2560 shading units and a boost clock of 2572 MHz.

Q: Is the RTX 5050's 8 GB VRAM sufficient for Fortnite?

A: Based on the measured data, yes. The game runs at all tested settings and resolutions without indication of VRAM limitations. The 8 GB GDDR6 memory with 320.0 GB/s bandwidth is adequate for this title, as frame rates scale consistently with resolution changes.

Q: What is the difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings yield 138 FPS while Ultra yields 50 FPS, a difference of 88 FPS. Medium settings produce 97 FPS and High produces 76 FPS, showing a clear stepwise progression as graphical fidelity increases.

Q: How does the combo's rank compare to its component benchmarks?

A: The combo ranks 1640th out of 2740 (top 40%), which is between the CPU's 47th percentile and the GPU's 66th percentile. This suggests the pairing performs slightly better than the CPU alone would indicate but not as well as the GPU's potential suggests, consistent with a CPU-limited scenario.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows how the system scales across three resolutions: 1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160. At Low settings, the frame rates are 217, 138, and 73 FPS respectively. This represents a 36% drop from 1080p to 1440p and another 47% drop from 1440p to 4K. At Medium settings, the numbers are 153, 97, and 51 FPS, with drops of 37% and 47%. At High settings, the figures are 119, 76, and 40 FPS, showing drops of 36% and 47%. At Ultra settings, the values are 78, 50, and 26 FPS, with drops of 36% and 48%.

The consistency of these percentage drops across all settings is notable. Regardless of whether the game runs at Low or Ultra, moving from 1080p to 1440p reduces performance by roughly 36-37%, and moving from 1440p to 4K reduces it by another 47-48%. This pattern indicates that the GPU is the primary scaling factor across resolutions. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the drops would be less severe at lower settings where frame rates are highest, because the CPU would cap performance. Instead, the proportional scaling suggests the RTX 5050's rendering load is the dominant constraint.

However, the absolute frame rates tell a different story about the limiting component. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 217 FPS. This is a high frame rate, but the CPU's modest single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 935) may be approaching its limit. At 1080p Ultra, the frame rate drops to 78 FPS, which is a 64% reduction from Low. This large drop indicates the GPU is heavily stressed by Ultra settings. The combination of high frame rates at Low settings and steep drops at higher settings suggests a system where the GPU can handle moderate loads but the CPU becomes a constraint when the GPU is underutilized.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which preset offers the best experience. At 1080p, Medium settings deliver 153 FPS with a minimum of 130 FPS and a maximum of 176 FPS. This is a substantial improvement over High settings at 119 FPS, and it maintains a frame rate well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. Low settings at 1080p reach 217 FPS, but the visual quality reduction may not be worth the extra 64 FPS for most players. Ultra at 1080p drops to 78 FPS, which is playable but represents a significant visual cost for only a moderate frame rate gain over Medium.

At 1440p, Medium settings produce 97 FPS with a minimum of 83 FPS and a maximum of 112 FPS. This is the sweet spot for this resolution, as it stays above 60 FPS consistently while offering better visual fidelity than Low. High settings at 1440p yield 76 FPS, which is still playable, but the 21 FPS drop from Medium may not justify the visual upgrade. Ultra at 1440p falls to 50 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold and not recommended for competitive play.

At 4K, only Low settings at 73 FPS provide a comfortable experience. Medium at 51 FPS is borderline, with a minimum of 44 FPS that could cause noticeable stuttering. High at 40 FPS and Ultra at 26 FPS are too low for smooth gameplay. For 4K, the recommendation is Low settings if frame rate is the priority, or Medium if the player accepts occasional drops below 50 FPS.

Overall, Medium settings provide the best balance of performance and visual quality across all resolutions. The measured minimum FPS values for Medium (130 at 1080p, 83 at 1440p, 44 at 4K) show that this preset maintains playable frame rates even in demanding scenes, unlike High or Ultra where no minimum FPS data is available, suggesting more variability.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best performance. Low settings average 217 FPS. Medium settings average 153 FPS, with a minimum of 130 FPS and a maximum of 176 FPS. High settings average 119 FPS. Ultra settings average 78 FPS. The range from Low to Ultra spans 139 FPS, showing the significant impact of graphical presets at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, performance decreases across the board. Low settings average 138 FPS. Medium settings average 97 FPS, with a minimum of 83 FPS and a maximum of 112 FPS. High settings average 76 FPS. Ultra settings average 50 FPS. The range from Low to Ultra is 88 FPS, narrower than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU becomes more of a limiting factor as resolution increases.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles at higher settings. Low settings average 73 FPS. Medium settings average 51 FPS, with a minimum of 44 FPS and a maximum of 59 FPS. High settings average 40 FPS. Ultra settings average 26 FPS. The range from Low to Ultra is 47 FPS, the smallest of all resolutions. This compression suggests the GPU's rendering capacity is the primary constraint at 4K, with even Low settings pushing the RTX 5050 to its limits.

The Medium settings rows are the only ones that include minimum and maximum FPS values across all resolutions. This data shows that at 1080p, the frame rate fluctuates between 130 and 176 FPS, a 46 FPS spread. At 1440p, the spread is 29 FPS (83 to 112). At 4K, the spread is 15 FPS (44 to 59). The decreasing variance at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is more consistently loaded, reducing frame time spikes.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture, built on a 14 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. The cache configuration includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 256 KB of L2 per core, and 9 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support is DDR4 with a dual-channel bus and 42.7 GB/s bandwidth. The CPU's TDP is 65 W.

Benchmark results show the CPU's capabilities. In Cinebench R23, it scores 6629 in multi-core and 935 in single-core. In Geekbench, it scores 5141 in multi-core and 1389 in single-core. These scores place the CPU at the 47th percentile of all processors. Its nearest rivals are all within 0.4% of its average score of 2254, indicating that the i5-9400 is a solid but unremarkable performer in synthetic tests.

In Fortnite, the CPU's role is most evident at lower resolutions and settings where frame rates are high. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 217 FPS. This high frame rate requires the CPU to process game logic and draw calls quickly. The i5-9400's 6 threads must handle this workload, and its boost clock of 4.10 GHz provides the single-thread performance needed for Fortnite's main thread. However, the lack of hyper-threading means the CPU cannot handle as many concurrent tasks as a 12-thread processor, which could cause frame rate dips in busy scenes with many players or structures.

The CPU's memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s is modest, and its PCIe Gen 3 interface with 16 lanes may limit data transfer to the GPU. However, these factors are unlikely to be the primary bottleneck in Fortnite, as the game is not memory-bandwidth intensive. The more likely constraint is the CPU's raw processing power, particularly its single-thread performance, which is below the 50th percentile of all CPUs.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture and the GB207 chip, built on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It has 2560 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, along with 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores. The GPU's base clock is 2317 MHz with a boost clock of 2572 MHz. Memory is 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, providing 320.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's TDP is 130 W, and it uses a single 8-pin power connector with a suggested PSU of 300 W.

The GPU's benchmark scores are strong. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 2502. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 90334, and in Vulkan, 89381. The Passmark G3D score is 17326, with a GPU compute score of 9184. These scores place the GPU at the 66th percentile of all graphics cards. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL at 21153 (0.6% faster) and the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT at 20713 (1.6% slower), showing that the RTX 5050 sits in a competitive mid-range tier.

In Fortnite, the GPU's role is dominant at higher resolutions and settings. At 4K Ultra, the system drops to 26 FPS, a 88% reduction from 1080p Low's 217 FPS. This steep decline indicates that the RTX 5050's rendering capabilities, particularly its 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus, are stressed at high resolutions. The 320.0 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for 1440p gameplay, as shown by 97 FPS at Medium settings, but at 4K, the memory bandwidth and shading units become bottlenecks.

The GPU's 13.17 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is adequate for Fortnite's visual demands, but the 32 ROPs limit pixel throughput, which is why the pixel rate is 82.30 GPixel/s. This becomes a constraint at 4K, where the number of pixels to render quadruples compared to 1080p. The RTX 5050's performance at 4K Low (73 FPS) shows it can handle the resolution, but only with reduced graphical fidelity. For players prioritizing frame rate, the GPU is capable of delivering high FPS at 1080p and 1440p, but it is not a 4K powerhouse.