Fortnite

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D delivers a top-tier Fortnite experience, ranking 16th out of 2,740 tested combos. This places the configuration in the top 0.6% of all tested hardware pairings for the game, indicating exceptional performance headroom. The data reveals a system that is heavily GPU-bound at 4K, but transitions to a more balanced profile at lower resolutions where the CPU's strong multi-core performance becomes increasingly relevant.

FAQ

Q: What is the combination's overall rank in Fortnite?

A: The combo ranks 16th out of 2,740 tested combinations, placing it in the top percentile of all systems benchmarked for this game.

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

A: The Core i7-13700K has an average benchmark score of 46,881, which is 0.2% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 and 0.3% behind the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375. It is 0.5% ahead of both the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX and the Intel Xeon w3-2535.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all tested graphics cards?

A: The RTX 5090 D sits in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 77,712.

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate recorded in the measured data?

A: The highest average FPS is 519, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: At which resolution and settings does the combo achieve a 60+ FPS average?

A: Every tested configuration exceeds 60 FPS on average. The lowest average is 63 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Q: What is the boost clock of the Intel Core i7-13700K?

A: The processor has a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz across its 16 cores.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. Its configuration includes a 30 MB shared L3 cache and a base clock of 3.40 GHz that can boost up to 5.40 GHz. In synthetic testing, the chip demonstrates strong scaling, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 30,745 and a single-core score of 2,116. This multi-threaded capability is evident in the Passmark multithread score of 45,887, which highlights the CPU's ability to handle the background tasks and physics calculations that Fortnite requires.

The CPU's performance percentile of 89 against all CPUs indicates it is a high-end part, though the benchmark data shows it is closely matched with several rivals. The nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, scores nearly identically with a delta of -0.2%, suggesting that CPU-bound scenarios in Fortnite will see performance parity with that chip. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 10,717 further confirms the processor's strong throughput in multi-threaded workloads.

In the context of Fortnite, the impact of this CPU is most visible when frame rates are high and the resolution is low. At 1920x1080, the system achieves 519 FPS on Low settings, a figure that relies on the CPU's ability to feed frames to the GPU quickly. The single-thread performance, evidenced by a Geekbench single-core score of 2,529, is also critical for the game's primary game thread. The data suggests that this CPU is not a limiting factor at 1080p, as the frame rates scale dramatically with resolution changes, indicating the GPU becomes the bottleneck as pixel count increases.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a massive GPU, built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture and the 5 nm process at TSMC. It features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. The chip contains 21,760 shading units and 170 RT cores, with a boost clock of 2407 MHz. Its compute capabilities are substantial, with an FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS. The GPU's average benchmark score of 77,712 places it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, although its nearest rivals in the database are mobile and data center parts, such as the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT with a delta of -1.6%.

The GPU's role in Fortnite is dominant, particularly at higher resolutions. The 32 GB VRAM buffer is far beyond what Fortnite requires, ensuring that texture memory is never a constraint. The memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s is a key asset for high-resolution rendering, allowing the GPU to maintain high fill rates. The pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s are indicative of the raw throughput available for rendering the game's environments.

The benchmark results show that the GPU is the primary scaling factor. At 4K, the average frame rates range from 63 FPS on Ultra to 175 FPS on Low, demonstrating that the GPU's workload is the limiting factor. The system's performance at 1440p and 1080p shows that the GPU still has headroom, but the frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K is not linear, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario. The RTX 5090 D is clearly a top-tier part, but its performance in this game is tempered by the engine's demands at high resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Core i7-13700K and RTX 5090 D achieves a rank of 16 out of 2,740 tested combos in Fortnite. This places the system in the top 0.6% of all configurations, highlighting its status as a high-end pairing. The rank indicates that while it is not the absolute fastest configuration tested, it outperforms the overwhelming majority of systems, including those with presumably similar or higher-end components.

This rank is a function of both components. The CPU's 89th percentile ranking and the GPU's 92nd percentile ranking combine to create a system that is well-balanced for this game. The data shows that the combo is more than capable of delivering playable frame rates at all tested settings and resolutions. The gap between this combo and the top-ranked systems is not detailed in the data, but the rank suggests it is competitive with the best available hardware.

The significance of the 16th rank is that it confirms the system is not bottlenecked by a single component. If the CPU were significantly weaker, the rank would likely be lower due to frame rate dips in CPU-intensive scenes. Conversely, if the GPU were the weak link, the rank would suffer at higher resolutions. The data indicates that this pairing is synergistic for Fortnite, providing a high level of performance across the board.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU dominance as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the system produces an average of 519 FPS on Low settings, which drops to 332 FPS at 2560x1440 and 175 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 66% drop in frame rate from 1080p to 4K on Low settings, a significant reduction that points to the GPU's rendering workload as the primary constraint.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings. For High settings, the average FPS drops from 285 at 1080p to 181 at 1440p and 96 at 4K. This is a 66% reduction from 1080p to 4K, mirroring the Low settings trend. The Medium settings show a similar trajectory, with 368 FPS at 1080p, 234 FPS at 1440p, and 123 FPS at 4K. The Ultra settings follow the same pattern, with 188 FPS at 1080p, 120 FPS at 1440p, and 63 FPS at 4K.

The consistent percentage drops across settings indicate that the GPU is the limiting factor at all resolutions. The frame rate is inversely proportional to the resolution, which is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rates would plateau at lower resolutions, but the data shows they continue to rise significantly as resolution decreases. This suggests that the Core i7-13700K is sufficiently fast to avoid becoming a limiting factor, allowing the RTX 5090 D's performance to be the sole determinant of frame rate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers an average of 519 FPS on Low settings, 368 FPS on Medium, 285 FPS on High, and 188 FPS on Ultra. The Medium settings provide a minimum average of 312 FPS and a maximum of 423 FPS, indicating a very smooth experience. The Low and High settings have no min/max data, but the averages show a wide performance envelope.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average frame rates are 332 FPS on Low, 234 FPS on Medium, 181 FPS on High, and 120 FPS on Ultra. The Medium settings at this resolution show a minimum of 199 FPS and a maximum of 269 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is consistent, with a roughly 36% reduction in average FPS across all settings.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops to an average of 175 FPS on Low, 123 FPS on Medium, 96 FPS on High, and 63 FPS on Ultra. The Medium settings at 4K show a minimum of 105 FPS and a maximum of 142 FPS. The 4K results are the most demanding, with the Ultra preset barely maintaining a 60 FPS average. The data shows a clear linear progression of performance based on resolution and settings, with the system able to handle any configuration tested.

Settings Recommendations

For competitive play, the Low settings at 1920x1080 provide the highest average frame rate at 519 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Low preset at 2560x1440 still offers a very high 332 FPS average, making it a strong choice for users who want a higher resolution without sacrificing significant performance. The data shows that Low settings are the best option for maximizing frame rate, regardless of resolution.

For a balance of visual quality and performance, the High settings at 2560x1440 offer an average of 181 FPS, which is smooth and visually more detailed than Low. The Medium settings at 1440p provide a middle ground with 234 FPS average and a minimum of 199 FPS, ensuring a consistent experience. At 4K, the High settings at 96 FPS average is the best option for quality, as the Ultra preset drops to 63 FPS, which may be too low for fast-paced gameplay.

The Ultra preset at 1080p delivers 188 FPS, which is still very playable and offers the best visual fidelity. However, the data suggests that for most users, the High settings at 1440p provide the best overall experience, balancing the visual improvements with a frame rate that exceeds 180 FPS. For 4K users, the High preset is recommended over Ultra to maintain a frame rate above 90 FPS, as the difference in visual quality is often less noticeable than the drop in smoothness from 96 FPS to 63 FPS.