Fortnite

Fortnite, a Battle Royale title released in 2017, presents a demanding workload that scales significantly with both resolution and graphical presets. This analysis examines the measured performance of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090, using data from 12 distinct benchmark configurations. The combination ranks 63rd out of 2,740 tested combos, placing it in the top 2.3% of all configurations tested for this game. The data reveals a system capable of extreme frame rates, but one where the choice of settings and resolution drastically alters the experience, from a competitive 489 FPS at 1080p Low to a more visually demanding 59 FPS at 4K Ultra.

Settings Recommendations

The optimal preset depends entirely on the user's target resolution and performance priorities. Benchmark results indicate that the "Low" preset delivers the highest average frame rates across all resolutions, but it does so by compromising visual fidelity. For the smoothest competitive experience, the Low preset at 1080p yields an average of 489 FPS, while at 1440p it still produces a very high 311 FPS, and even at 4K it maintains a playable 164 FPS.

For users with high-refresh-rate monitors at 1440p, the "Medium" preset presents a strong balance. At this resolution, it averages 219 FPS, with a minimum of 186 FPS and a maximum of 252 FPS. This performance is sufficient to take advantage of 144Hz to 240Hz displays while providing better visual quality than the Low preset. The High preset at 1440p also remains viable, offering 170 FPS, but it does not provide the same headroom above typical refresh rates.

At 4K, the data shows that the "High" preset is the most sensible choice for a quality experience, producing an average of 90 FPS. This is well within the range of standard 60Hz monitors and some 120Hz displays. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 59 FPS, which is still technically playable but offers diminishing returns relative to the significant performance cost. The Medium preset at 4K, averaging 116 FPS, is also a compelling option for those who want higher frame rates over the High preset's visual enhancements.

The Ultra preset appears to be a significant performance multiplier. At 1080p, it produces 176 FPS, which is nearly half the frame rate of the Low preset and significantly lower than the High preset's 267 FPS. Given the high performance of this hardware, the Ultra preset seems to be intended for maximum visual quality, but the data suggests that the High preset provides a better balance of image quality and performance for most users, particularly at higher resolutions where the GPU is already under heavy load.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the dominant component in this configuration, featuring 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. Its architecture, Blackwell 2.0, operates with a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz. These specifications are central to the frame rates observed, as Fortnite's rendering load scales heavily with resolution and settings.

The GPU's memory capacity is not a limiting factor in this game, as the 32 GB frame buffer is far beyond the requirements of any of the tested settings. The performance differences between presets at a given resolution are more attributable to the GPU's raw compute power, shading units (21,760), and texture rate (1,636.8 GTexel/s), which are taxed more heavily by higher visual fidelity settings.

The data shows a clear correlation between GPU load and frame rate. When moving from Low to Ultra settings, the average FPS decreases substantially, indicating that the RTX 5090 is being pushed harder. The GPU's 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is a key metric here, as it directly impacts the pixel and texture processing required by higher settings. The boost clock of 2407 MHz is the sustained speed under load, and its ability to maintain this speed is crucial for consistent performance, as seen in the Medium preset's relatively stable frame times.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial at every preset, highlighting the GPU's role as the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. At the Low preset, the average FPS falls from 489 at 1080p to 311 at 1440p (a 36% drop), and then to 164 at 4K (a 47% drop from 1440p). This scaling indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor, as the CPU's workload does not increase with resolution in the same way.

The pattern is similar but more pronounced at higher settings. With the High preset, the average FPS drops from 267 at 1080p to 170 at 1440p (a 36% drop), and then to 90 at 4K (a 47% drop from 1440p). This consistent scaling factor suggests that the RTX 5090's performance is the primary constraint. The Ultra preset shows the most severe scaling, dropping from 176 at 1080p to 112 at 1440p (a 36% drop), and then to 59 at 4K (a 47% drop from 1440p).

These results indicate that while the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is capable of feeding the GPU at lower resolutions, the RTX 5090's rendering capabilities become the main limiting factor as pixel count increases. The consistent percentage drops across presets suggest that the CPU has enough headroom to handle the instruction load at all tested resolutions, and the FPS is being dictated by the GPU's fill rate and compute performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achieved by this combo?

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 489, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming smoothly?

A: Yes, at 4K with the High preset, the average FPS is 90, which is suitable for a 60Hz or lower 120Hz display. The Low preset at 4K produces 164 FPS, and Medium yields 116 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 59 FPS.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 170 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 112 FPS. This represents a 34% reduction in average FPS when switching from High to Ultra.

Q: Is the frame rate consistent, or does it fluctuate?

A: The data includes min/max FPS for the Medium preset. At 1080p, it ranges from 293 to 396 FPS (average 345). At 1440p, it ranges from 186 to 252 FPS (average 219). At 4K, it ranges from 98 to 133 FPS (average 116). This data indicates some variance but no severe stuttering.

Q: What is the slowest performance recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest average FPS recorded is 59, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with the Ultra settings preset.

Q: How does the GPU's memory bandwidth affect performance?

A: The RTX 5090 has a memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s, which is more than sufficient for Fortnite at all tested settings, as the game does not appear to be memory-bandwidth limited in these benchmarks.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. While the GPU is the primary driver of frame rates in most scenarios, the CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions and settings where the frame rate is higher.

At 1080p with the Low preset, the system achieves 489 FPS. This high frame rate places a significant burden on the CPU to process game logic and draw calls. The Core Ultra 5 245's performance in single-threaded tasks, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4,648, is likely a key factor in maintaining these high frame rates. Its multi-core capabilities, shown by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32,924, also help with background tasks and game engine threads.

The CPU's performance relative to its rivals suggests it is well-positioned. Its average benchmark score of 48,995 is within 0.4% of the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G and 0.5% of the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, and it is 0.6% ahead of the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H and 0.8% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14600K. This indicates that the CPU is not a weak link in the system when compared to its direct competitors.

The data suggests that the CPU is less of a bottleneck at 4K, as the frame rates are lower and the GPU has more time to render each frame. However, at 1080p, the CPU's ability to handle the high instruction throughput is critical to achieving the 489 FPS figure. The processor's 24 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support contribute to its ability to feed data to the GPU efficiently.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact average FPS (and min/max where available) for each tested configuration. The data is organized by resolution and then by settings preset.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 489 | - | - |

| | Medium | 345 | 293 | 396 |

| | High | 267 | - | - |

| | Ultra | 176 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 311 | - | - |

| | Medium | 219 | 186 | 252 |

| | High | 170 | - | - |

| | Ultra | 112 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 164 | - | - |

| | Medium | 116 | 98 | 133 |

| | High | 90 | - | - |

| | Ultra | 59 | - | - |

The data reveals a consistent hierarchy. At each resolution, the Low preset offers the highest frame rate, followed by Medium, then High, and finally Ultra. The performance gap between Low and Medium is significant, often around 30%, while the gap between High and Ultra is also large, typically over 30%. The Medium preset is the only one with min/max data, showing a variance of about 30% between its lowest and highest frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested hardware combinations for Fortnite, this specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 achieves a rank of 63 out of 2,740 tested combos. This places the system in the top 2.3% of all configurations, indicating that it is a top-tier performer for this game.

This high ranking is expected given the individual components. The RTX 5090's percentile rank against all GPUs is 92, and the Core Ultra 5 245's percentile rank against all CPUs is 90. The combination of a top-tier GPU with a very capable CPU results in a system that is well-suited to maximize Fortnite's frame rates.

The ranking reflects the system's ability to handle both the high resolution and high preset settings, as well as its exceptional performance at competitive settings. The 4K High preset result of 90 FPS is a strong indicator of its overall capability, and the 1080p Low result of 489 FPS demonstrates its ability to push frame rates to the limit for esports-style play. This combo is a high-end solution that provides a wide range of performance options.