Fortnite is one of those rare games that has become a cultural phenomenon, and while the absolutely unprecedented heights of the game’s popularity might be in the past, it’s still without a shadow of a doubt, one of the most popular games on the planet. Millions of gamers hop on that bus every single week to try and get the coveted Victory Royale so if you want to best all those rivals, you’ll want to make sure you’re a tad bit better than them.
You can have all the skills in the world but if your gear doesn’t allow you to execute those skills to their fullest potential you’ll inevitably run into a couple of barriers along the way. In order to hop onto those barriers, it’s crucial that you’ve got a good gaming PC that can run Fortnite without any hiccups. If we look at our analyzed professionals, for example, we can see that 99% are using a system (plus a monitor of course) that’s capable of running and displaying at least 144 frames per second. The advantages of running a game such as Fortnite at higher framerates have been known for a long time, so if you’re even a little bit serious about the game, we absolutely recommend aiming for the highest FPS possible.
That’s where we come in. We’re well aware of the fact that it can be difficult to see the forest for the trees if you’re trying to build your own PC, doubly so if you’ve got a certain budget to stick to. We’ve been taking a look at the game’s requirements and what’s out there at this point in time and have come up with this list. We’ve got three builds: one ‘all out’ 240Hz build, one 144Hz build, and then one budget build so that you can get a great idea of what you need to build your own system. If you’re not much of a builder we also offer three prebuilt systems to match our configurations.
Fortnite System Requirements
| Minimum Requirements | Recommended Specs | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating System | Windows 10/11 64-bit | Windows 10/11 64-bit or Mac OS Mojave 10.14.6 |
| Processor | Core i3-3225 3.3 GHz | Core i5-7300U 3.5 GHz, AMD Ryzen 3 3300U, or equivalent |
| GPU | Intel HD 4000 on PC; AMD Radeon Vega 8 | Nvidia GTX 960, AMD R9 280, or equivalent DX11 GPU |
| Memory | 8 GB RAM | 16 GB RAM or higher |
| Storage | 30 GB available hard drive space | 30 GB available hard drive space |
If we take a gander at the official system requirements for the game, we can see that Fortnite isn’t an insanely difficult game to run. It’s indeed quite easy to get the game to run at over 60 frames per second, and 144 frames per second isn’t the most difficult either (relative to some of the other games that we analyze) but getting a consistent 240+ frames per second will require a bit of an investment on the hardware front.
It’s important to realize that the recommended specs for most games aren’t exactly made with high framerates in mind. Sure, for single-player AAA games, you’re good with a steady 60 FPS but for a competitive shooter, you really want to be above 144 frames per second at the very least. In fact, over half of our analyzed Fortnite professionals use a 240Hz setup, making that the de facto standard refresh rate for this game in professional circles.
It is important to note that there are diminishing returns with framerates, though. Going from a 60Hz monitor to a 144Hz monitor is an absolutely massive step, but going from a 144 to 240Hz isn’t as huge of a difference, so while we definitely recommend going for 240Hz+ (the difference is still there) if your budget can swing it, there’s nothing wrong with opting for a lower tier.
The Guide
We’ve created three different systems for this guide. A top tier system, a mid tier price/performance system, and a budget system. We would recommend you to build your own PC (since that’s a lot cheaper usually, and it also allows you to choose top quality components all throughout the build) but if you’re not interested in that we’ve also listed three prebuilt systems for you to consider.
Top Tier System
Getting a consistent 240/360 frames per second is no easy feat on any modern 3D game so what we’re looking for here is consistent performance and also a bit of future-proofing. With this build, you’re guaranteed to run the game at 240+ frames per second (provided you drop some of the extremely heavy video settings, otherwise it’s pretty much impossible to reach these frames) and it will also allow you to run pretty much all of the newest games at high settings without any trouble at all.
If you don’t want any of that you can save a bit of money by dropping the GPU and CPU a tier, and of course, you can also go for non-RGB RAM and a 500GB SSD so there are savings to be made here but the system below is one that will ensure that you’re gaming without any worries for years to come so if you’ve got the budget it pays off to think about the future a bit.
If you’re not someone who wants to game with your graphics at high and you can stomach lowering a couple of ingame settings here and there you can definitely look towards our second build though, which will also ensure 240+ frames per second if you drop a couple of settings.
Performance System
If you don’t have a (nearly) unlimited budget or you’re not someone who wants the latest and greatest, it’s perfectly acceptable to go for a lower-tier system. We say ‘lower tier’ but that almost sounds as if this system makes a lot of compromises and that’s really not the case. This PC will run the game at 144+ frames per second with absolute ease and will also reach 240+ frames per second without much trouble if you drop a couple of settings.
This is a fantastic PC to build if you’re not interested in running the newest games at the absolute highest settings (though it will run those games without any issues if you don’t go for max settings) and you just want a reliable system that delivers the goods without going for anything too flashy or necessarily going for the latest and greatest in PC components.
If you’re not a fan of the Ryzen platform you can just swap out the CPU and motherboard to an Intel build but be aware of the fact that you’ll pay a bit more for the Intel option.
Cooler
Stock Cooler
Budget System
Fortnite can get pretty hectic during intense fights, and since that’s where you need the frames the most it’s never a good idea to completely cheap out on your build. Still, if you’re a budget-oriented gamer or your target FPS is on the lower side, you can definitely play the game at competitive framerates. This budget-friendly build is very reliable, ensuring that your frames won’t take a nosedive once you get into a battle with one or multiple other players while lots of things are happening on the screen.
This system obviously isn’t the most powerful PC you can build but it’s a great system for people who want to play a bunch of (competitive) shooters at higher framerates without sacrificing performance, and you can play newer and more graphically intense releases if you’re willing to drop some ingame settings with this PC.
When it comes to budget-friendly components, AMD is the answer to your prayers. Even their latest CPUs and GPUs are priced fairly and won’t break the bank. To save up on a few bucks,, we’ve gone with a Ryzen CPU and Nvidia’s GTX 1660 Super to make up for a combination that’s very friendly on the wallet, but you can always upgrade these components if you have a bit more cash to spare.
Cooler
Stock Cooler
Prebuilt PCs for Fortnite
Some people prefer to buy a prebuilt system for several reasons: it’s a lot more convenient (no need to worry about individual parts not working, for example) and it’s relatively stress-free for those people who have never built a computer themselves. Whatever the reason may be: we’ve listed up three alternatives for people who are not so keen on building their system.
iBUYPOWER Gaming PC
To match our custom top tier build, we’re going with the iBUYPOWER Gaming PC that rocks an Intel i7-13700KF processor at its heart. Backed by an Nvidia RTX 4080 and 32GB of RAM, this pre-built PC ensures a stable 240+ frames per second without breaking a sweat in Fortnite.
SkyTech Azure Ryzen 5 5600X
If you’re not too keen on breaking the bank for a gaming PC, this mid tier build might be it for you. Powered by a Ryzen 5 5600X chip and backed by an RTX 3070, expect a stable 144+ FPS on high settings on 1080p, and 1440p isn’t much of an ask from this PC. Overall, this is a great prebuilt that offers great value for your money.
SkyTech Azure i5 11400F
For less than a thousand bucks, you can’t really go wrong with this pick. While this budget-friendly PC is aimed towards offering a faultless experience at 1080p resolutions, you can expect good frame rates on 1440p displays as well, as long as you don’t mind lowering some ingame settings. If you’re on a budget, this one is an exciting option.
Best PC for Fortnite – Conclusion
Fortnite is a bit of a weird game in the sense that it’s easy to get high framerates when nothing is going on but once you encounter hostiles things can get hectic extremely fast, and you really don’t want your frames to take a dip when you’re in a frantic building battle with another player. For that reason, we don’t recommend going for the absolute budget tiers of components if you’re competitive-minded.
Luckily, getting to 144 frames per second isn’t that difficult in Fortnite, so getting yourself a system that reaches those competitive minimum framerate standards isn’t all that expensive all things considered. I’s when you want to get a reliable 240+ frames per second experience that the really expensive components start to show up.
Hopefully, this guide helps you decide on what kind of system you want to build, but if you’ve got any questions you can always reach out to us on Twitter or Discord.
