Fortnite

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is a flagship combination built to obliterate frame rate targets. In Fortnite, this pairing produces results that range from exceptionally high refresh rate dominance at 1080p to merely playable, but visually rich, performance at 4K. The data shows a system that is unequivocally GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s substantial single-thread might becomes the critical enabler for triple-digit frame rates at lower resolutions. This analysis breaks down how each component contributes to the measured results, how the combo ranks against 2,739 others, and what settings provide the best experience.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture. It operates on a 3 nm process node from TSMC and features a base clock of 3.70 GHz, which can boost up to 5.80 GHz. This high boost clock is the primary driver of its single-thread performance, which is crucial for a game like Fortnite that relies heavily on a few fast cores for game logic and physics. The CPU’s benchmark results support this: it scores 7,303 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 4,823 in Passmark single-thread. These scores place it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is among the top tier for the kind of raw single-core speed that dictates high-FPS gaming.

In multi-threaded workloads, the 24 cores provide immense parallel capability, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51,731 and a Passmark multithread score of 60,860. However, for Fortnite’s measured FPS, this multi-core headroom is less of a constraint than the single-core speed. The data implies that the CPU is not the limiting factor in most scenarios tested. For instance, at 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 478 FPS. Such a high frame rate requires the CPU to feed the GPU with draw calls and game state updates at an extremely rapid pace, a task that the 5.80 GHz boost clock is well-equipped to handle. The 36 MB of shared L3 cache also helps by keeping frequently accessed game data close to the cores, reducing latency.

Comparing it to its nearest rivals, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K has an average benchmark score of 83,807, which is 0.2% lower than the 290K Plus’s score of 84,003. This is a negligible difference, suggesting that in real-world gaming, the two would perform nearly identically. Further down the list, the AMD EPYC 4584PX scores 83,090 (1.1% lower), and the AMD EPYC 9135 scores 82,980 (1.2% lower). While these are server-class chips, the data shows the 290K Plus holds a slight edge in average synthetic benchmarks. The only rival with a higher score is the AMD EPYC 7F72 at 85,072, which is 1.3% higher than the 290K Plus. This reinforces that the 290K Plus is at the very top of the consumer performance stack, with its advantage over the 285K being mostly nominal.

The CPU’s role in the measured Fortnite results becomes clearer when examining the frame rate scaling. At 4K, the average FPS for High settings is 88. When the resolution drops to 1440p, the same settings produce 166 FPS, and at 1080p, it jumps to 261 FPS. This massive scaling with resolution indicates that the CPU is capable of far more work than the GPU can handle at 4K. The 478 FPS result at 1080p Low confirms the CPU’s ability to push extreme frame rates when the GPU load is minimal, making it an ideal choice for competitive players using high-refresh-rate 1080p monitors.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the flagship of the GeForce 40-series, built on the AD102 chip and Ada Lovelace architecture. It features 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing a massive 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. This VRAM capacity and bandwidth are far beyond the requirements of Fortnite, even at 4K Ultra settings, ensuring that texture streaming and asset loading are never bottlenecks. The GPU’s core clocks are 2235 MHz base and 2520 MHz boost, which, combined with 16,384 shading units, deliver an FP32 performance of 82.58 TFLOPS. This raw compute power is what drives the high frame rates at high resolutions.

The RTX 4090’s benchmark scores reflect its dominance. It scores 38,194 in Passmark G3D and 9,223 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. Its average benchmark score is 60,347, placing it in the 88th percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rivals in the database are interesting, as they are mostly workstation or prosumer cards. The Intel Arc Pro A60 has a nearly identical average score of 60,326 (0% delta), and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 scores 60,140 (0.3% lower). These scores are likely skewed by the specific benchmark suite, but they show that the RTX 4090’s average performance is comparable to these professional cards in synthetic tests, though its gaming performance is typically far superior due to driver optimizations and specific features.

In Fortnite, the GPU’s role is the primary limiter at higher resolutions. The data shows a clear trend: as resolution increases, frame rates drop significantly, indicating the GPU is struggling to maintain the same level of output. At 1080p, the GPU can render frames at an average of 478 FPS on Low settings, but at 4K, that number falls to 160 FPS on the same settings. This is a 66% reduction in frame rate, demonstrating that the 4K resolution demands significantly more from the GPU’s pixel and texture processing capabilities. The RTX 4090’s 176 ROPs and 1,290.2 GTexel/s texture rate are being tasked heavily, and while it still produces excellent numbers, the physical limits of rendering over 8 million pixels are evident.

The 24 GB of VRAM is another key factor. Fortnite is not a VRAM-heavy game, so the capacity is not a limiting factor here. However, the high bandwidth ensures that the GPU can quickly access textures and geometry, which helps maintain stable frame times, especially in busy scenes with many builds and effects. The data shows that at 4K Medium, the minimum FPS is 96, which is a 15% drop from the average of 113. This stability is good, but it shows that even the RTX 4090 can experience dips in demanding scenarios at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 achieves a rank of 91 out of 2,740 tested combos in Fortnite. This places it in the top 3.3% of all systems tested in this database, which is a strong result, but it is not the absolute top. The fact that it is not ranked #1 suggests that there are a few other CPU-GPU pairings that produce higher average frame rates in this specific game. This could be due to CPUs with even higher single-core performance or specific platform advantages, but based on the data provided, we cannot identify which combos are ahead.

The rank of 91 reflects the raw power of both components, but it also highlights the diminishing returns of pairing a top-tier GPU with a top-tier CPU. The system is so powerful that the game becomes the bottleneck, and the differences between the very best CPUs become negligible. For context, the CPU’s nearest rival, the 285K, is only 0.2% slower on average, which would likely result in a very similar combo rank. The data suggests that this combo is at the very edge of what is possible, and the 91st rank out of 2,740 is a reflection of the fact that the top 90 combos are likely just as powerful, with differences in the single-digit FPS range.

This ranking also indicates that for a user spending the money on an RTX 4090, the choice of CPU has little impact on the overall rank, as long as it’s a high-end model. The 290K Plus provides the necessary single-thread speed to avoid bottlenecking the GPU, but a slightly slower CPU would not drop the rank significantly. The data shows that this combo is a top-tier performer, and the rank reflects its position among a very select group of systems that can push Fortnite to its limits.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Fortnite, and at what settings?

A: The highest average FPS measured is 478, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This underscores the CPU’s high boost clock and the GPU’s ability to render frames quickly when not constrained by high-resolution textures.

Q: How does the 290K Plus compare to its closest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K?

A: The 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84,003, which is 0.2% higher than the 285K’s score of 83,807. This difference is minor, indicating that in gaming, the two CPUs would perform almost identically, with the 290K Plus holding a slight synthetic edge.

Q: Is the RTX 4090’s 24 GB of VRAM necessary for Fortnite?

A: Based on the measured data, the 24 GB of VRAM is not a limiting factor. Fortnite’s texture requirements are well within this capacity, even at 4K Ultra settings. The high memory bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s is more impactful for ensuring smooth texture streaming and preventing stutters.

Q: What is the combo’s rank compared to other tested systems?

A: This combo ranks 91st out of 2,740 tested combos in Fortnite. This places it in the top 3.3% of all systems, indicating it is a top-tier performer, though a few other pairings achieve higher average frame rates.

Q: Why does the average FPS drop so significantly from 1080p to 4K?

A: The drop is due to the GPU becoming the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The data shows 478 FPS at 1080p Low versus 160 FPS at 4K Low, a 66% decrease. The GPU is forced to render four times the pixels, which limits its output despite its immense compute power.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the minimum FPS recorded is 182, while the average is 214. This indicates that the system maintains a high level of performance with relatively small frame time spikes, making it a stable experience.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data across resolutions provides a clear picture of system balance. At Low settings, the average frame rate scales from 478 FPS at 1080p, to 304 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 160 FPS at 4K. This represents a 66% performance reduction when moving from 1080p to 4K. This massive drop is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU is capable of producing frame data much faster than the GPU can render it at 4K, so the GPU becomes the limiting component.

At High settings, the scaling is similar: 261 FPS at 1080p, 166 FPS at 1440p, and 88 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K here is about 66% as well. This consistency across settings further confirms that the resolution is the primary driver of performance changes, not the CPU. The CPU’s workload remains relatively constant while the GPU’s workload increases exponentially with pixel count.

The data for Medium settings includes minimum FPS values, which offer more insight. At 1080p Medium, the average is 337 FPS with a minimum of 286 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average is 214 FPS with a minimum of 182 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 113 FPS with a minimum of 96 FPS. The consistency of the minimum FPS being roughly 15-20% lower than the average across all resolutions suggests that the system is stable and not experiencing severe frame time spikes, which is a sign of a well-matched CPU-GPU pair, even when the GPU is the bottleneck.

This scaling behavior indicates that if a user wants to maximize frame rates, they should play at 1080p or 1440p. At 4K, the system is still powerful enough for a high-refresh-rate 4K monitor (the 160 FPS at Low settings is excellent), but the Ultra settings at 4K (58 FPS average) will push the system to its limits. The data clearly shows that the RTX 4090 is the component that determines the frame rate ceiling at higher resolutions, while the 290K Plus provides the headroom to ensure the GPU is never waiting on the CPU.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured rows provide a clear path to the best experience depending on the user’s priority: maximum frame rate or maximum visual fidelity. For competitive play where frame rate is king, the Low preset at 1080p is the standout choice. It delivers an average of 478 FPS, which is far beyond the refresh rate of any monitor. At 1440p Low, the system still produces 304 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors (e.g., 240Hz or 360Hz). These settings minimize visual effects to reduce GPU load and maximize the CPU’s ability to drive high frame rates.

For users with a 1440p high-refresh-rate monitor who want a balance between visuals and speed, the High preset at 1440p is a strong recommendation. The data shows an average of 166 FPS, which is suitable for a 1440p 165Hz monitor. The visual quality is significantly better than Low, and the frame rate is still high enough for smooth, responsive gameplay. The Medium preset at 1440p offers a middle ground with 214 FPS average, but the jump to High is only a 22% reduction in FPS (from 214 to 166) for a notable increase in visual fidelity, making High a better choice for most users.

At 4K, the trade-offs are more pronounced. The Ultra preset produces an average of 58 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. The High preset at 4K produces 88 FPS, which is a significant improvement and is suitable for a 4K 120Hz TV or monitor, though it may not fully saturate the refresh rate. The Medium preset at 4K yields 113 FPS, which is a good target for 4K 120Hz panels, offering a solid balance of visual quality and smoothness. Given these options, the Medium preset at 4K appears to be the best overall experience for 4K users, as it provides a high frame rate while still retaining a good level of graphical detail. The Low preset at 4K (160 FPS) is available for those who want maximum smoothness and are willing to sacrifice visual quality, but it is not recommended for a game like Fortnite where building and seeing enemies clearly is important. Ultimately, the data suggests that 1440p High is the sweet spot for this combo, offering a high frame rate and good visuals without the steep performance cost of 4K.