Best GPU For Fortnite: Ultimate Graphics Card Guide

Mehak Sohail | Last Updated On July 20th, 2022

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 GPU Recommendations for Fortnite: Ultimate Graphics Card Guide

Award Model Price
High Budget GPUs for Fortnite GeForce RTX 3080 Check Price Read Customer Reviews
High Budget GPUs for Fortnite GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Check Price Read Customer Reviews
High Budget GPUs for Fortnite GeForce RTX 3070 Check Price Read Customer Reviews
High Budget GPUs for Fortnite GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Check Price Read Customer Reviews
High Budget GPUs for Fortnite GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Check Price Read Customer Reviews
Low Budget GPUs for Fortnite GeForce GTX 1060 Check Price Read Customer Reviews
Low Budget GPUs for Fortnite AMD RX 580 Check Price Read Customer Reviews

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:

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

Best GPU For Fortnite: Ultimate Graphics Card Guide Reviews

High Level Summary

The RTX 3080 is the ultimate modern-day graphics card built to play at high settings for any and all games. If budget is not one of your concerns, this is the graphics card to pick up and play Fortnite on.

Review

According to a Fortnite benchmarking test run by GPUCheck, the RTX 3080 delivers 247 FPS at Ultra Quality settings using a 1920×1080 resolution. It’s only beaten by the RTX 3090 and RTX 3080 Ti, which are the only two GPUs that offer better performance than the 3080. In my opinion, the 3090 and 3080 Ti offer insignificant performance enhancements over the 3080 and aren’t worth the price tag.

In summary, the RTX 3080 is an incredibly fast and advanced GPU that is well worth the upgrade if your budget allows it.

What We Like
Design - The RTX 3080 offers a sleek, clean, and modern design. Furthermore, it comes with pre-built LEDs that make the “GEFORCE RTX” shine white when it’s in use.
Fans - The RTX 3080 comes with two pre-built fans that help moderate the GPUs temperature. What’s interesting is that the fans don’t turn on until the GPU reaches a certain temperature. Then, they produce an ultra-quiet sound when they are spinning.
4K Gaming - If you own a 4K gaming monitor, this is definitely the video card you want to use. Compared to 1080p or 1440p monitors, the RTX 3080 has a significant FPS performance difference when compared to other GPUs.
Know Before Buying
Build Size - The RTX 3080 is larger than previous generation Nvidia GPUs with a length of 285mm. This is important to know for gamers who are going to add this GPU to their already built setup or users looking to build a new computer based on the RTX 3080.
Power Requirements - With a GPU this powerful, you will also need an equally powerful PSU, or power supply unit. Nvidia recommends using a 750W or higher PSU for the RTX 3080.
CPU Requirements - If you have an older processor, or CPU, it’s possible you experience CPU bottleneck and game engine limitations. A CPU bottleneck occurs when your CPU is incapable of keeping up with your GPU. This causes lower FPS, slowdowns, and stutters.
Check Latest Price

(MSRP $599)

High Level Summary

The RTX 3070 Ti is the second best GPU for Fortnite players. This graphics card was launched to fill the gap between the RTX 3070 and RTX 3080, which is exactly what it does.

Compared to the 3070, the 3070 Ti added:

  • 6,144 CUDA cores compared to the 5,888 on the RTX 3070
  • 19 Gb/ps GDDR6X memory compared to the 14 Gb/ps GDDR6 memory on the RTX 3070

These two features mean that this GPU offers an increased performance across all games and settings.

Review

This video card is perfect for gamers who want something more advanced than the standard 3070, but can’t dish out the investment for the 3080. However, I highly recommend dishing out the extra money for the 3080 if your budget allows it. The 3080 offers a 10-15% performance enhancement depending on your settings and resolution.

Furthermore, the 3070 Ti thrives in 1440p gaming environments. 4K gaming is definitely possible with the RTX 3070 Ti, but it far outperforms previous generation GPUs at 1440p.

What We Like
Design - The 3070 Ti is smaller than the 3080 at just 267mm in length. For this reason, the 3070 Ti is more adaptable in terms of the case you want to use it within.
Know Before Buying
Price To Performance - The RTX 3070 Ti is around 20% more expensive than the RTX 3070 but only offers around 10% better performance in most benchmarking tests. Since this is the case, it’s up to you to decide if the price point justifies the performance.
Power Requirements - Just like the RTX 3080, Nvidia recommends at least a 750W power supply unit.
Check Latest Price

(MSRP $499)

High Level Summary

The GeForce RTX 3070 is the perfect graphics card for serious gamers who want to invest in their PC, but have budget restrictions. It offers the best value to performance out of all the GPUs listed in the high budget category.

Review

In most 1080p benchmarking tests, the RTX 3070 is only ~25% slower than the RTX 3080 but around 40% less expensive.

The main reason for this is that the 3070 doesn’t offer the new GDDR6X RAM like the 3070 Ti and 3080. However, most competitive gamers will probably play on 1080p 144hz/240hz monitors, which is where this GPU thrives. For CPU recommendations for RTX 3070, check this article.

What We Like
Power Consumption - The 3070 has a total graphics power (TGP) rating of 220W, which is 100W less than the RTX 3080. For this reason, Nvidia recommends a PSU of at least 650W or more.
Design - The RTX 3070 is even smaller than the 3070 Ti at a length of 242mm. Furthermore, it’s extremely quiet while in use and also very powerful for its size.
Know Before Buying
Intro To 4K Gaming - The RTX 3070 was the first graphics card that offered a playable 4K gaming experience at a reasonable price point. However, I still recommend a 3070 Ti or 3080 if you’re exclusively gaming on a 4K monitor.
Check Latest Price

(MSRP $399)

High Level Summary

The RTX 3060 Ti is the next best graphics card for Fortnite. This GPU is most similar to the RTX 3070, but offers a bit less performance. Although both of these GPUs offer the same 8GB of GDDR6 RAM, the 3060 Ti delivers 4864 CUDA cores compared to the 5,888 cores from its older brother.

Graphics settings like shadows, textures, and lighting are most affected by the CUDA core count, so in theory, the 3060 Ti will perform about 17% worse than the 3070. Know about processor count here.

However, this doesn’t mean that the 3060 Ti isn’t powerful and more than enough to play Fortnite competitively.

Review

Depending on your monitor and resolution, the RTX 3060 Ti offers a worthy gaming experience for serious gamers. With a standard 1080p monitor, you won’t experience any stuttering or lag caused by this GPU.

If the RTX 3070 is just out of your reach budget wise, you shouldn’t feel bad at all about getting the 3060 Ti.

What We Like
Insane Value - At a launch price of $399, the RTX 3060 Ti is the most affordable GPU on the high-budget list. This is the minimum graphics card I recommend if you’re serious about competing in Fortnite Tournaments.
Know Before Buying
4K Limitations - The 3060 Ti is more than enough for gamers who play on 1080p or 1440p. However, if you’re using a 4K monitor, your performance will be limited and I recommend opting for a more expensive GPU.
Check Latest Price

(MSRP $1199)

High Level Summary

The RTX 2080 Ti launched in 2018 and completely surpassed any and all previous GPUs. At a ridiculously MSRP of $1199, the 2080 Ti offers 11GB GDDR6 RAM and 4,352 CUDA cores.

The 2080 Ti has a near identical performance to the RTX 3070 despite being released two years earlier.

Furthermore, the 2080 Ti performs slightly better than the 3060 Ti.

Review

The RTX 2080 Ti shines brightest while using a 1440p monitor with a 144hz refresh rate. Although released in 2018, it’s still one of the best performing GPUs on the market.

This GPU is definitely future proof and you won’t have to upgrade your video card for a few years.

What We Like
Memory - The 2080 Ti offers 11GB GDDR6 RAM compared to the 8GB offered from the 3060 Ti and 3070.
Know Before Buying
Price Point - Since the 2080 Ti was released in 2018, most manufacturers aren’t producing this GPU anymore. For this reason, prices you find online will be extremely high. The 30-series GPUs were created to lower the price of GPUs while offering better performance. For this reason, I highly recommend opting for a cheaper 3060 Ti or 3070 if you can find one.
Check Latest Price

(MSRP $250)

High Level Summary

Luckily for you, Fortnite is not a game that requires incredibly taxing graphics. At low settings, most graphics cards are at least playable.

However, the GTX 1060 offers more than just a playable experience. You will be able to get 60+ FPS using a 1440p monitor at high settings. Furthermore, you can increase performance and FPS by up to 200% if you use the lowest settings. Although your game won’t look as beautiful, your performance will be stable.

Review

This is the ultimate graphics card for budget gamers. Being able to clock more than 200 FPS at low settings, this is just enough performance to play Fortnite at a high level.

I recommend getting the 6GB GDDR5 RAM version rather than the less powerful 3GB GDDR5 RAM version of the 1060.

What We Like
Price-to-Performance - With an MSRP of $250, this is an extremely affordable and capable video card. It performs brilliantly at 1080p and good enough at 1440p.
Know Before Buying
Power Requirements - Since the 1060 is an older generation model, it only requires a 400W power supply unit.
Check Latest Price

(MSRP $229)

High Level Summary

The AMD RX 580 performs nearly identically to the GTX 1060. For this reason, I recommend getting whichever one you can find for a cheaper price.

The only notable difference between the two GPUs is that the RX 580 requires at least a 500W power supply unit. This means that the RX 580 draws more power and runs slightly louder than the 1060.

Review

The AMD RX 580 is another budget-friendly GPU that boasts fantastic performance for its price point.

In benchmarking tests against the GTX 1060, both video cards have similar performance for most games.

What We Like
AMD Counterpart - AMD and Nvidia are the only two major companies that produce GPUs. This is due to the cost and research needed to actually develop GPUs. Although Nvidia GPUs are significantly more popular, AMD graphics cards often offer similar performance as we can see here.
Know Before Buying
Memory - The RX 580 is offered with either 8GB RAM or 4 GB RAM. I recommend opting for the 8GB version as the price is only slightly higher for the better performance.
Check Latest Price

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.

Conclusion

High Budget GPUs for Fortnite
High Budget GPUs for Fortnite
High Budget GPUs for Fortnite

I hope this guide was helpful for you in determining which GPU is best for Fortnite. As a standard recommendation, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 offers the best value for its price point.

However, any of the GPUs in the high budget category are perfect for gamers who want to take their skill to the next level.

Sure, it’s possible to improve using older generation GPUs, but your rate of improvement will be limited.

Also, be sure to budget out your PC build in a balanced way. You don’t want to bottleneck your GPU by using a subpar CPU.

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