Best GPU For Fortnite: Ultimate Graphics Card Guide

Fortnite completely took the world by storm in late 2017 and made a cultural impression that nobody knew was possible from a video game.

With professional athletes doing Fortnite dances after scoring touchdowns or goals and Ninja playing duos with Drake, Fortnite became more than just a game.

However, as a die-hard Fortnite player, you understand the importance of a smooth and consistent gameplay experience.

Quick Buying Tips

If you’re looking for maximum frames (FPS) without any latency whatsoever, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070, and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti are your best options. However, keep in mind that these GPUs are expensive but offer the best gaming experience. You might also be interested to know what is the perfect PSU for the NVIDIA RTX 3080. You might also want to read this article where we compared the RTX 3060 vs RTX 2070.

If you’re looking for more budget-friendly options, the AMD RX 580 and Nvidia GTX 1060 are your best choices. These two graphics cards offer the best bang for your buck because of their high performance capabilities at cheaper price points.

So, today I’ll dive deep on:

• The best GPUs for Fortnite depending on your budget
• How to choose the best graphics card for you
• What monitor and resolution you should play on
• How to optimize your in-game Fortnite settings
• Where to purchase a GPU during the shortage
• And much more

Let’s jump in.

What Is The Best GPU For Fortnite

In a perfect world, everyone would be able to afford a RTX 3090, which is the most expensive and best performing GPU right now.

However, not everyone can afford and get their hands on one.

So, the best GPU for Fortnite depends on your budget and how much you want to invest into your gaming experience.

If you’re a serious gamer and are looking to compete against pros in Fortnite Cash Cups and Tournaments, then I highly recommend buying a high budget GPU. Check this article if you want to know the best GPUs under $1000.

Even if you’re a casual gamer but want the smoothest experience and can afford it, a high budget GPU is your best option.

However, there are also low budget GPUs (see here for the best budget GPU under $150) for Fortnite that offer a similar performance at optimized settings.

I’ll go over how to boost your FPS and optimize your Fortnite settings later on, but for now let’s talk about which GPU you should purchase.

By the way, if you are thinking of uninstalling steam for some reason, you can check this article here to know what will happen to your saves.

High Budget GPUs for Fortnite

Fortnite isn’t a game that requires a $5,000 PC build to run smoothly. In fact, many players have modest setups and simply turn all of their in-game graphics settings to low.

However, if you’re serious about competing and hate getting stutters in those crowded late-game end zones, a high budget GPU is a necessity. Also, make sure that you know what is a good idle GPU temperature.

Low Budget GPUs for Fortnite

A low budget GPU is perfect for gamers who want to compete, but can’t shell out top-dollar for a higher budget GPU. With the right in-game settings, you can run the game with a smooth and latency-free experience.

However, your graphics won’t look as nice and you won’t be able to use a 4K gaming monitor.

We also have here other recommendations of GPU for 1440p 144hz Gaming.

How To Choose The Right Graphics Card

It is 100% worth it to spend some extra money and get a 30-series graphics card for any PC build. As a gamer, your GPU is the most important component of your computer which means you should invest the most into it.

The 3060 Ti is the minimum GPU that serious gamers should buy for an unrivaled gaming experience. If you can afford a 3070 or 3080, those are completely worth it as well (here are our best CPUs for the RTX 3080).

If you get an Nvidia graphics card, you should get a G-sync monitor with at least 144hz. It stops things like screen tearing and makes the game smoother

If your goal is to compete against the pros, you’ll need to get the same equipment as them to keep the playing field level.

However, you can definitely make the lower budget GPUs work if you choose the right in-game settings. Your gameplay won’t feel as smooth, but you can certainly eliminate stuttering and lag.

You might also be interested to know if you can use an Nvidia graphics card with an AMD processor.

Best Monitor & Resolution For Fortnite

Monitor Recommendation

If you’ve never used a 144hz refresh rate monitor before, now’s the time to do it. Refresh rate is how many times per second your display panel updates the image. It allows games to run smoother with less stuttering and latency.

When I switched from 75hz to 144hz, the difference was astounding. 75hz when gaming feels like I’m watching a PowerPoint presentation when compared to 144hz.

In fact, less than 1% of professional gamers use 60hz and 75hz refresh rate monitors. That should tell you all you need to know about the importance of refresh rate.

Luckily, 144hz gaming monitors are extremely affordable and you can easily find one on Amazon or Best Buy for around $200.

There are also 165hz, 200hz, 240hz, and 360hz monitors available which offer even faster refresh rates.

I recommend you start with a 144hz monitor or 240hz monitor if your budget allows it. Most professional gamers play on 240hz monitors.

Note*

If you do purchase a 144hz or 240hz monitor, you’ll need to go to the ‘Advanced display settings’ on your computer and select the desired refresh rate.

Resolution Recommendation

Most pro Fortnite players play on 1920×1080 resolution with a 1080p 240hz monitor. Although most of these players have high budget GPUs, they prioritize refresh rate and FPS over graphic detail.

Even so, most Fortnite pros have their graphics settings set to low just so they can maximize FPS and reduce any chance of stutters and lag.

However, if your budget allows it and you have a high budget GPU, a 1440p 144hz/240hz monitor still performs extremely well. You’ll also notice improved graphic detail and quality.

Remember, pro players always prioritize FPS and performance over graphic details.

For this reason, here are the CPUs I recommend:

• AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
• Intel Core i9-10900K
• Intel Core i9-10850K
• AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
• Intel Core i7-10700K
• AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
• Intel Core i9-9900K

Furthermore, I recommend any of these CPUs for all of the GPUs in the high budget category.

Best Fortnite Settings For Smooth Gameplay

If you’re looking to optimize performance at the sacrifice of graphic quality, it’s best to mimic exactly what the pros are doing.

Bugha, the Fortnite World Cup winner and one of the best Fortnite players of all time, has all of his settings set to low.

Despite having a RTX 3090 which is the best graphics card in the world, he still opts to prioritize performance.

He plays on a 1920×1080 1080p 240hz monitor and has his frame rate limit set to 240 FPS.

Here’s what his settings look like:

• Brightness – 100%
• Interface Contrast – 1x
• Color Blind Mode & Strength – Protanope 10
• View Distance – Near
• Shadows – Off
• Anti-Aliasing – Off
• Textures – Low
• Effects – Low
• Post Processing – Low
• VSync – Off
• Motion Blur – Off
• Allow Multithreaded Rendering – On
• Rendering Mode – Performance

The majority of pro Fortnite players have the exact same settings and I’ve never seen a Fortnite pro play on high or ultra-high settings.

Pro players choose to play on low settings for one specific reason – no latency, stuttering, or freezing.

If you’ve ever watched a pro Fortnite tournament, you probably noticed that there’s usually 30 or more players still alive for the final endgame circle.

When this happens, the GPU is extremely overwhelmed with all the information it has to process with 30+ players moving and building at the same time.

If he were to turn his graphics to high settings, he would start freezing and stuttering which is a guaranteed death sentence in professional lobbies.

For this reason, I recommend you turn all of your settings on low too if you’re serious about competing against the best.

How Do I Get A GPU During The Graphics Card Shortage?

With the crypto mining frenzy and people stuck at home because of the pandemic, demand for video cards is significantly higher than supply. For this reason, you’ll find that these video cards are now being sold at significantly higher prices than the MSRP value.

It’s important that you aren’t misled and purchase an overpriced GPU. I recommend that you purchase a GPU at the same or similar price to the MSRP.

The MSRP stands for manufacturer suggested retail price and is the price it was sold at upon release date.

Similar to PS5’s, these newer generation graphics cards sell out instantly and then go on Ebay for double or more what they’re worth.

It can be extremely frustrating as a consumer if you’re unable to find the GPU you want at the price you planned on paying.

So, here are some tips on how you can finally get your hands on a new GPU:

Discord and Telegram Groups

Discord and Telegram are both communication services that allow large groups of people to come together and chat.

Members of the online community have set up specific channels with bots that send an alert as soon as a GPU is back in stock.

If you browse around on Google, you’ll find dozens of these group chats that have bots sending out constant alerts.

The only downside to this method is that there will be hundreds of other users looking to buy the same GPU as you. So, you’ll need to actively be online and ready to checkout.

Inventory Tracking Services

There are services such as distill.io and camelcamelcamel that offer instant alerts when a GPU is back in stock.

Once you create a free account, you can choose which products you want alerts for and the method you want to be contacted.

Keep in mind, you’re still competing with thousands of other people who have the same alerts and want a new GPU just as much as you.

Local Retailers

If you have a Best Buy, NewEgg, or any other electronics retailer near your home, there’s a chance you can get your hands on a new GPU. I recommend either walking in or calling the retail location and asking when they’ll have the GPU you want in stock.

It’s best that you ask as politely as possible as there are probably dozens of other people calling and asking the same thing.

If you’re lucky, the caller will let you know when the unit is going to be restocked and what time they recommend you getting to the store.

Prebuilt Computers

If you’re looking to build a completely new computer from scratch, buying a prebuilt gaming PC is your best option. Prebuilt computers with high-budget GPUs are much more available than stand-alone GPUs. Furthermore, you won’t have to go through the process of ordering every individual part, making sure everything is compatible, and assembling it yourself.