Fortnite isn’t exactly hard to run. After all, the game was made to cater to a huge audience, which means it has to be accessible.
This means its graphics are toned down compared to Warzone, Apex Legends, and a few other games. If you want to get the most out of your Fortnite experience, though, having a great graphics card is important.
Here are my top GPU picks for Fortnite, ranked according to performance:
1. GeForce RTX 3090 Ti
SPECIFICATIONS
GPU Model | GeForce RTX 3090 Ti |
Memory (VRAM) | 24 GB |
Memory Speed | 1560 MHz |
Memory Type | GDDR6X |
Fans | 3 |
Interface | PCIe 4.0×16 |
Display Ports | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a |
Dimensions | 13.2″ x 2.4″ x 5.5″ |
WHERE TO BUY
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- Best GPU on the market
- DLSS works with Fortnite and makes 4k feasible
- Can run Fortnite on any settings in any resolution
- Step up from the RTX 3090
- 24 GB of VRAM
CONS
- Very expensive and overkill for Fortnite if not gaming in 4k
- Large so requires a big case
- Power hungry and requires the power supply to match (sometimes 1000w)
I really can’t overstate how powerful this GPU is. This will be able to run Fortnite on any settings you can imagine.
It’s extremely hard for modern GPUs to run games in 4k on max settings and still break 60 FPS. This GPU can do that, no problem.
Granted, you won’t break 100 FPS very often, so if you’re gaming on 144 Hz you’ll have to lower your settings a bit (for 4k).
Newer NVIDIA cards, like this one, do come with DLSS, which you can turn on in Fortnite. This will make it much easier to play the game in 4k and still break 120 FPS.
So, even in 4k this card can be an absolute monster.
Most people don’t game in 4k, though, which means this card will be absolute overkill for the average gamer. There are two big issues with this card for the average Fortnite player.
First of all, it is extremely expensive so you have to be willing to give up an arm and a leg for it. Second of all, if you want to install it you better have a beast of a PC already.
This card takes up a lot of space and uses a lot of power, so if you want to be safe you better have a 1000w PSU.
NVIDIA suggests 850w, but let’s be honest you should have some wiggle room here. I’d rather have too much power than not enough.
In the end, this is the strongest and best GPU on the market for Fortnite. Just because it is the best on the market, doesn’t mean it’s the best for you or your personal gaming habits, though.
You can spend $1,000 less and get a GPU that will do everything you need. If you want to go all out, though, this is the card you want.
2. GeForce RTX 3080 Ti
SPECIFICATIONS
GPU Model | GeForce RTX 3080 Ti |
Memory (VRAM) | 12 GB |
Memory Speed | 1900 MHz |
Memory Type | GDDR6X |
Fans | 3 |
Interface | PCIe 4.0×16 |
Display Ports | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a |
Dimensions | 11″ x 4.4″ x 1.6″ |
WHERE TO BUY
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- Runs quiet
- Almost as good as the RTX 3090 (none-Ti)
- DLSS improves Fortnite performance immensely
- Can easily run Fortnite on any settings in 1080p and 1440p
- 4k gaming is acceptable (60 FPS on max settings, 300 FPS on Low in Fortnite)
CONS
- Costs much more than the non-Ti version
- Needs 750w or more Power Supply
It’s hard not to fill this list with every version of the RTX 30xx card. They’re just extremely good cards for high performance gaming. DLSS makes it so easy to play Fortnite in higher resolutions.
Let’s talk about 4k again, really fast. This card won’t handle 4k quite as well as the 3090 Ti, but it will still handle it.
Play Fortnite in 4k on max settings and you’ll see about 60 FPS, which is a huge improvement over the non-Ti version of this card. Play on low settings or with DLSS turned on and your FPS will skyrocket.
If you plan to play on 1080p or 1440p then you’ll absolutely love this card. You won’t be able to blow through 140 FPS on max settings in 1440p, but you’ll be sitting right on the edge.
If you use DLSS, then your frames will be even better. This is important if you have a 144 Hz monitor so that you can have the smoothest experience possible.
As blasphemous as it may sound, if you want even better frames, you can always turn your graphics to medium or low. This will net you well over 400 FPS in Fortnite on these resolutions.
Overall, this is an expensive GPU but not nearly as costly as the 3090 Ti. This will blow Fortnite out of the water if you game in 1080 or 1440p.
It’s still probably overkill for most gamers, but if you want to get a high-end card without dropping the cash for a 3090 Ti, then this is the card you want.
3. GeForce RTX 3080
SPECIFICATIONS
GPU Model | GeForce RTX 3080 |
Memory (VRAM) | 10 GB |
Memory Speed | 1900 MHz |
Memory Type | GDDR6X |
Fans | 2 |
Interface | PCIe 4.0×16 |
Display Ports | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a |
Dimensions | 14.9″ x 9.3″ x 4.3″ |
WHERE TO BUY
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- Excellent 1080p and 1440p performance in Fortnite
- 4k gaming is no problem, even on max settings
- DLSS is available and compatible with Fortnite
- Similar performance to 6800 XT while having NVIDIA features
CONS
- Still expensive
- Power hungry
- Can get loud under load
This price point is the mid-high-end of GPUs. The RTX 3080 Ti costs a lot and the 3090 Ti is the pinnacle of pricing. This is far from cheap, but still under a grand.
Because of this, I’m putting it up against the RTX 3070 and the 6800 XT. Those two are great cards and the 6800 XT actually might outperform this for a cheaper price.
However, Fortnite notoriously has trouble with AMD cards. On top of this, DLSS makes gaming in higher resolutions very easy. That’s why I’ve chosen the 3080 over the 6800 XT.
If you plan on gaming in 1080p or 1440p, this card is pretty much flawless. If it’s in your price range, I say go for it. This will do everything you want it to do and more.
If you want to game in 4k and the 3080 Ti is out of your budget, then the 3080 has your back. If the 3080 is out of your budget, the 3070 (coming up next) has your back.
At that point, though, you may consider the 6800 XT, if you’re willing to do some research and mess around with your settings so it can run Fortnite without issue.
4. GeForce RTX 3070
SPECIFICATIONS
GPU Model | GeForce RTX 3070 |
Memory (VRAM) | 8 GB |
Memory Speed | 1755 MHz |
Memory Type | GDDR6X |
Fans | 2 |
Interface | PCIe 4.0×16 |
Display Ports | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a |
Dimensions | 9.1″ x 2″ x 4.9″ |
WHERE TO BUY
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- Can run Fortnite in 4k on low (160 FPS) and high (60 FPS)
- Flawless 1080p gaming and decent 1440p gaming
- NVIDIA features like DLSS and ray tracing work with Fortnite
- Runs quiet and cool
CONS
- Needs 12-pin connector
- Little power hungry (750w recommended)
- Complicated overclocking
If you’re a price-conscious Fortnite player, then this card may be the perfect choice for you. It can do everything that the RTX 3080, 3090, etc can just to a lesser extent.
If you play in 1080p, then you’ll get over 140 FPS on any settings. This is important if you have a 144 Hz monitor.
If you play in 1440p or 4k, though, you’ll need to turn your settings down a little bit to clear the 140 mark.
There really aren’t a lot of downsides to this card. It has a decent price point and is probably the cheapest card on the market that can handle 1440p and 1080p on pretty much any settings.
It also comes with RTX ray tracing and DLSS which is always a nice bonus.
This may still be out of some peoples’ budget and if that’s the case for you, I’d recommend going down to an RTX 2060.
You may have to turn your graphics down to High instead of Epic, but you’ll be able to pump out 140+ FPS fairly easily for a fraction of the cost.
5. Radeon RX 6800 XT
SPECIFICATIONS
GPU Model | AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT |
Memory (VRAM) | 16 GB |
Memory Speed | 1600 MHz |
Memory Type | GDDR6 |
Fans | 3 |
Interface | PCIe 4.0×16 |
Display Ports | 1x HDMI 2.1, 2x DisplayPort 1.4a, 1x USB Type-C |
Dimensions | 10.5″ x 9.5″ x 3.5″ |
WHERE TO BUY
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- Can game in 4k in Fortnite (250+ FPS on low, 60+ FPS on high)
- Keeps up with RTX 3090 Ti and 3080 Ti for half the price
- 16 GB of VRAM
- Best price for performance ratio
CONS
- Fortnite needs to be played in DX11
- Fortnite notoriously has issues with AMD cards
- No DLSS or other features
- Runs hot and loud
- Still needs 750w or more power supply
The only reason that this card isn’t number one or number two on this list is because of how many problems Fortnite seems to have with it.
Many people have complained about stuttering and poor performance in Fortnite with this card, but flawless performance in other games.
That’s why, if you plan on only playing Fortnite, I recommend picking up some kind of NVIDIA card. If you plan on playing other games, though, then this card is amazing.
I have no idea how AMD was able to make this card so cheap while still providing 16 GB of VRAM and amazing 4k performance.
If you don’t play in 4k, this card just gets even better. It’s just overall a beast. Like the RTX cards, it may be a bit overkill for Fortnite (while simultaneously having issues with Fortnite), but it will get the job done.
Setting up your game to use DX11 instead of DX12 seems to fix most issues with Fortnite, which is an annoyance but fine if price is on your mind.
No other card will give you this kind of performance for this price.
6. Radeon RX 6700 XT
SPECIFICATIONS
GPU Model | Radeon RX 6700 XT |
Memory (VRAM) | 12 GB |
Memory Speed | 2424 MHz |
Memory Type | GDDR6 |
Fans | 2 |
Interface | PCIe 4.0×16 |
Display Ports | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a |
Dimensions | 9.7″ x 2″ x 5.2″ |
WHERE TO BUY
View On AmazonPROS
- 12 GB of VRAM
- Relatively cheap for its performance
- Can hit over 140 FPS in 1080p on any settings in Fortnite
- Not good for 4k gaming
CONS
- Can’t clear 140 FPS on max settings in 1440p
- No NVIDIA features like DLSS
This card isn’t too shabby. Of course it’s not as strong as the 3080, 3080 Ti, etc but it’s also a fraction of the price. If you game in 1080p, then this card will suit your needs.
You can play on any graphics settings and still reach 140 FPS, which is important for high refresh rate monitors. I do like the NVIDIA RTX 3070 more, but this is quite a bit cheaper and can still do what it needs to do.
If you play in 1440p, then this card starts to fall off a little bit. You won’t be able to play on max settings and get an infinite amount of frames.
If you don’t mind turning your settings down, though, then this will be no problem. Fortnite has also notoriously had issues with AMD cards.
While this seems to have been fixed, it’s still something to keep in mind because other games may also have similar issues.
Overall this is a great card for 1080p gaming, and will run Fortnite very well for fairly cheap (as far as GPUs go).
7. Radeon RX 6600 XT
SPECIFICATIONS
GPU Model | Radeon RX 6600 XT |
Memory (VRAM) | 8 GB |
Memory Speed | 16 GHz |
Memory Type | GDDR6 |
Fans | 2 |
Interface | PCIe 4.0×16 |
Display Ports | 1x HDMI 2.1, 2x DisplayPort 1.4a |
Dimensions | 9.5″ x 5.16″ x 1.61″ |
WHERE TO BUY
View On AmazonPROS
- Very budget friendly for the performance
- On low and medium settings can hit 140 FPS on any resolution
- Overall great 1080p performance and decent 1440p performance
CONS
- Can’t reach 140 FPS with maxed out settings on any resolution in Fortnite
- No DLSS
When you’re looking at thousand dollar GPUs all day, you can easily become desensitized to quality GPUs. Sure, this thing can’t keep up with a 3090 Ti and isn’t in the top performing cards.
However, it’s still a great card and will be perfectly fine for most gamers. Maxing out your settings is always fun, and you can do that with this card as long as you don’t mind 60-100 FPS instead of 120+ FPS.
Unless you have a 144 Hz monitor, you won’t be able to see the difference between 60 and 140 FPS anyways.
So, overall this is a great card. Fortnite can run on low settings with cards much worse than this, so if this is out of your budget there’s still hope.
However, I imagine this card will fit very smoothly into most peoples’ budgets. If you play in 1440p and absolutely need your settings maxed out, then you’ll need to pay more. Otherwise, this card will be perfect.
What Makes A GPU Good For Fortnite?
A GPU is good for Fortnite if it can output 60-140 FPS on your preferred settings. This usually requires 6 GB of VRAM, but it may require more if you want to play on max settings. Fortnite is not extremely demanding graphically when on low, but it quickly becomes more demanding when you raise its settings.
There’s not much to account for when looking at a GPU for Fortnite. It doesn’t have to be very fancy or have RGB or anything like that, it just needs to pump out the frames.
This is especially important on high refresh rate monitors. You pretty much want your frames to outpace the refresh rate of your monitor.
If you have a 144 Hz monitor, you want to hit 140 FPS to get the most out of it. In competitive shooters, like Fortnite, this becomes even more important.
So, you want a GPU that can hit these frames, which means you want a GPU with a lot of VRAM and a fast clock speed.
The brand of GPU also makes a pretty big difference in Fortnite as it has had a lot of trouble in the past with AMD GPUs. This seems to have been fixed by driver updates, but it is still important to know.
NVIDIA cards are guaranteed to run Fortnite and come with extra features like DLSS that improve performance even more. AMD cards are still top-quality and plenty of them can run Fortnite flawlessly.
Is GPU Important For Fortnite
Your GPU is important for playing Fortnite. While Fortnite is more CPU intensive than GPU intensive, its graphics are still quite demanding. This is especially true if you plan on playing in higher resolutions or on higher graphics settings. GPUs like the NVIDIA RTX 2060 are recommended for Fortnite.
The GPU you use will be important for pretty much any 3D game you play. Fortnite is no exception.
You can get away with using low-end GPUs and even integrated graphics, but your experience will not be great.
In games like Fortnite, you want as many frames as you can get. It’s a shooter, which means you’ll be swiping your mouse, swinging around, and making quick flicks constantly.
Frame drops and lag can mean the difference between winning and losing a fight. Since your FPS matters this much, having a good GPU that can reach 60+ FPS is absolutely important for Fortnite.
Is Fortnite More GPU Or CPU Intensive?
Fortnite is more CPU intensive. It’s common for games marketed towards large audiences, like Fortnite, to be more CPU intensive because most people do not have dedicated GPUs but do have decent CPUs. Your GPU is still important for playing Fortnite, though, so an NVIDIA RTX 2060 or better is recommended.
I keep reiterating the point because many people believe Fortnite is a lot easier to run than it really is. Sure, if you have a gaming PC then you shouldn’t have much of an issue running Fortnite.
However, it’s just too demanding for most, if not all integrated graphics. Running Fortnite on the lowest settings is fairly easy. The Nintendo Switch can do it, after all.
However, the Switch is locked to 30 FPS, which just isn’t great for a shooter. So, you should aim to have both, a decent CPU (Ryzen 5 3600 or better) and GPU (NVIDIA RTX 2060 or better).
Fortnite GPU Requirements
Fortnite requires an Intel HD 4000 or better in order to run. The minimum amount of VRAM your GPU can have is 4 GB. However, it’s recommended to have an Nvidia GTX 960 or better. On low settings, an Nvidia GTX 960 will reach over 140 FPS, which is important for high refresh rate monitors and in first person shooters.
You can find Fortnite’s minimum specs listed on Epic Games’ website. However, their minimum specs are a bit optimistic. I
f you have ever tried to play Fortnite or any other competitive shooter on 30 FPS or with frame drops, then you know that you don’t want to play on the minimum requirements.
If you don’t mind playing on low settings, the NVIDIA GTX 960 will be perfect. It can hit 140 FPS easily. If you want to play on higher settings, you can still hit 60+ FPS which is fine.
If you don’t mind spending a bit more, though, then the NVIDIA RTX 2060 is one of the best, budget-friendly options for Fortnite.
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Eric streams 3 days a week on Twitch and uploads weekly to Youtube under the moniker, StreamersPlaybook. He loves gaming, PCs, and anything else related to tech. He’s the founder of the website StreamersPlaybook and loves helping people answer their streaming, gaming, and PC questions.