Fortnite

# Fortnite with Intel Core i7-13700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 produces a substantial spread of frame rates across Fortnite’s resolution and quality settings, ranging from a 58 FPS average at 4K Ultra to a 478 FPS average at 1080p Low. This combination ranks 103rd out of 3,700 tested combos in Fortnite, placing it in the top 2.8% of all configurations. The data reveals a system that is heavily GPU-limited at higher resolutions and settings, while the CPU’s 16 cores and 24 threads become increasingly relevant as resolution drops and frame rates climb toward the 400–500 FPS range.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of diminishing returns as resolution increases, with the most dramatic drop occurring between 1080p and 4K at every settings level. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 261 FPS at 1920x1080 to 166 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 95 FPS, and then further down to 88 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 66% decrease from 1080p to 4K at High settings, indicating that the RTX 4090’s rendering workload scales steeply with pixel count.

The Low settings data reveals an even more pronounced scaling curve, which is counterintuitive at first glance. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 478 FPS average, but this drops to 304 FPS at 1440p and 160 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is 36%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 47%. This non-linear behavior suggests that at 1080p Low, the frame rate is approaching a ceiling imposed by the CPU or other system components, whereas at higher resolutions, the GPU becomes the sole limiting factor.

Medium settings provide the midpoint data with min and max FPS values recorded, offering insight into frame pacing. At 1920x1080 Medium, the average is 337 FPS with a range from 286 to 387 FPS, while at 2560x1440 Medium, the average drops to 214 FPS with a 182–246 FPS range, and at 3840x2160 Medium, it falls to 113 FPS with a 96–130 FPS range. The min-to-max spread narrows proportionally as resolution increases, suggesting more consistent frame delivery at lower frame rates.

Ultra settings produce the lowest frame rates across all resolutions, with 172 FPS at 1080p, 110 FPS at 1440p, and just 58 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is particularly telling — it is the only measured configuration that falls below 60 FPS average, indicating that even the flagship RTX 4090 cannot maintain smooth gameplay at maximum quality at 4K in Fortnite. The scaling from 1440p Ultra to 4K Ultra shows a 47% reduction, mirroring the Low settings pattern and reinforcing that resolution is the dominant factor in this game’s performance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K brings 16 cores and 24 threads to this configuration, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its benchmark results show strong multi-threaded performance, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 30,745 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 19,429. In synthetic single-thread tests, it scores 1,136 in 3DMark single-thread and 2,116 in Cinebench R23 single-core, indicating that both single-thread and multi-thread workloads are well served.

The CPU’s role in Fortnite becomes evident when examining the frame rate gaps between settings at the same resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low (478 FPS) and High (261 FPS) is 217 FPS, a 45% reduction, while at 4K, the same settings comparison shows a drop from 160 FPS to 88 FPS, a 45% reduction as well. This consistent percentage gap suggests that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at either resolution, but rather the GPU’s quality-setting workload scales similarly across resolutions.

However, the absolute frame rates at 1080p Low (478 FPS) and 1080p Medium (337 FPS) indicate that the CPU must be capable of feeding the GPU with draw calls and physics data at very high rates. The i7-13700K’s 3DMark 16-thread score of 10,717 and max-thread score of 12,412 demonstrate substantial multi-threading headroom, which is likely why this combo ranks in the top percentile of all tested configurations. The PassMark multi-thread score of 45,887 further corroborates the CPU’s ability to sustain high frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios.

The nearest rival CPUs in the benchmark database show the i7-13700K’s competitive position: it trails the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 by 0.2% and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 by 0.3%, while leading the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX and Intel Xeon w3-2535 by 0.5% each. These sub-1% deltas indicate that the i7-13700K is effectively tied with its closest competitors in average benchmark score, meaning the CPU choice is unlikely to be the deciding factor in Fortnite performance at most settings.

FAQ

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

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 478 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is followed by 337 FPS at 1080p Medium and 304 FPS at 1440p Low.

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K with maximum settings?

A: No. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 58 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold. The closest 4K options are Medium at 113 FPS and High at 88 FPS, both of which exceed 60 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i7-13700K has an average benchmark score of 46,881, which is 0.2% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 (46,971) and 0.3% lower than the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 (47,022). It is 0.5% higher than both the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX (46,654) and the Intel Xeon w3-2535 (46,653).

Q: What is the frame time consistency like at Medium settings?

A: At Medium settings, the min-max FPS ranges are recorded for all three resolutions. At 1080p, the range is 286–387 FPS (a 101 FPS spread), at 1440p it is 182–246 FPS (a 64 FPS spread), and at 4K it is 96–130 FPS (a 34 FPS spread). The narrower spread at higher resolutions indicates more consistent frame pacing.

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

A: This combo ranks 103rd out of 3,700 tested combinations, placing it in the top 2.8% of all systems tested for Fortnite performance.

Q: Does the GPU outperform or underperform its nearest rivals in synthetic tests?

A: The RTX 4090 has an average benchmark score of 60,347. It matches the Intel Arc Pro A60 (60,326, 0% delta), trails the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (61,896) by 2.5%, and leads the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (60,140) by 0.3% and the AMD Radeon PRO V710 (58,657) by 2.9%.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for selecting settings based on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p displays, all settings options exceed 170 FPS, meaning players can choose Ultra for maximum visual quality at 172 FPS or prioritize competitive frame rates with Low at 478 FPS. The Medium setting at 337 FPS offers the best balance between visual fidelity and high refresh rate support, as it maintains frame rates well above 240 Hz while providing better quality than Low.

At 1440p, the High setting delivers 166 FPS, which is sufficient for most high-refresh-rate monitors, while Medium provides 214 FPS for those with 240 Hz displays. The Ultra setting at 110 FPS remains playable but does not fully utilize high-refresh-rate panels. For competitive play, Low at 304 FPS is the strongest option, though the visual quality trade-off is significant.

At 4K, the recommendations shift dramatically. Ultra settings at 58 FPS are not recommended for smooth gameplay, as the average falls below the 60 FPS standard. High settings at 88 FPS provide a playable experience with good visual quality, while Medium at 113 FPS is the best option for smoother motion. Low at 160 FPS is the only 4K setting that approaches high-refresh-rate territory, but it sacrifices most graphical enhancements.

The Medium settings across all resolutions show the most balanced performance profile, with recorded min and max FPS values indicating stable frame delivery. At 1080p Medium, the 286–387 FPS range suggests that even in demanding scenes, the frame rate rarely drops below 286 FPS, making this the safest choice for consistent competitive performance.

How This Combo Ranks

This Intel Core i7-13700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination holds the 103rd position out of 3,700 tested combos in Fortnite, which translates to being in the top 2.8% of all configurations in the database. This ranking places it well ahead of the vast majority of systems, reflecting the strength of both components in this specific game.

The ranking is particularly notable given the CPU’s position relative to its nearest rivals. The i7-13700K’s average benchmark score of 46,881 is essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 (46,971, -0.2% delta) and AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 (47,022, -0.3% delta), yet the combo still achieves a top-103 finish. This suggests that Fortnite’s performance is not solely determined by raw CPU compute power, but also by the RTX 4090’s ability to sustain high frame rates.

The GPU’s own benchmark standing shows an average score of 60,347, which is nearly identical to the Intel Arc Pro A60 (60,326) and 0.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (60,140). The RTX 4090 trails the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M by 2.5% but leads the AMD Radeon PRO V710 by 2.9% in average benchmark scores. While these rival GPUs may have comparable synthetic scores, the RTX 4090’s real-world Fortnite performance, as evidenced by the measured FPS data, demonstrates that synthetic benchmarks do not fully capture in-game capabilities.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average frame rates are 261 FPS for High, 478 FPS for Low, 337 FPS for Medium, and 172 FPS for Ultra. The Medium setting includes min and max values of 286 FPS and 387 FPS respectively, providing the only full range data at this resolution. The spread between Low and Ultra is 306 FPS, with Low being 2.8 times faster than Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 166 FPS for High, 304 FPS for Low, 214 FPS for Medium, and 110 FPS for Ultra. The Medium setting shows a min of 182 FPS and a max of 246 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 194 FPS, with Low being 2.8 times faster than Ultra, matching the 1080p ratio.

At 3840x2160, the averages drop to 88 FPS for High, 160 FPS for Low, 113 FPS for Medium, and 58 FPS for Ultra. The Medium setting records a min of 96 FPS and a max of 130 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra gap is 102 FPS, with Low being 2.8 times faster than Ultra, maintaining the consistent 2.8x ratio across all resolutions.

The resolution scaling at each settings level shows the following patterns: for High, 1080p to 1440p drops 36% (261 to 166 FPS), and 1440p to 4K drops 47% (166 to 88 FPS). For Low, the drops are 36% (478 to 304) and 47% (304 to 160). For Medium, the drops are 36% (337 to 214) and 47% (214 to 113). For Ultra, the drops are 36% (172 to 110) and 47% (110 to 58). These consistent percentages across all settings indicate that resolution scaling is uniform regardless of quality level.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC, housing 76,300 million transistors on a 609 mm² die. Its 24 GB of GDDR6X memory across a 384-bit bus provides 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth, with memory clocked at 1,313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). The GPU’s 16,384 shading units, 512 texture mapping units, and 176 raster output pipelines deliver a pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 1,290.2 GTexel/s.

The GPU’s base clock is 2,235 MHz with a boost clock of 2,520 MHz, and its FP32 performance is rated at 82.58 TFLOPS. It includes 128 ray tracing cores and 512 tensor cores, supporting DirectX 12 Ultimate with feature level 12_2, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 APIs. The card has a TDP of 450 W and requires a single 16-pin power connector with a suggested 850 W power supply.

In Fortnite, the GPU’s role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution and settings rise. At 4K Ultra, the 58 FPS average indicates that the RTX 4090 is fully saturated, as even the powerful i7-13700K cannot compensate for the GPU’s rendering workload. The 2.8x performance ratio between Low and Ultra settings at every resolution confirms that the GPU’s quality settings have a multiplicative effect on frame rate, regardless of pixel count.

The RTX 4090’s benchmark results show a PassMark G3D score of 38,194 and a PassMark GPU Compute score of 26,613, with Vulkan and OpenCL scores of 271,631 and 255,416 respectively in Geekbench. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 9,223 places it in the top tier of GPUs. The GPU ranks in the 88th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 60,347, which is effectively tied with the Intel Arc Pro A60 (60,326, 0% delta) and slightly ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (60,140, +0.3%). The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M leads by 2.5% with a score of 61,896, while the AMD Radeon PRO V710 trails by 2.9% at 58,657.