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The Best Tips To Make Fortnite Run Better On PC

A quick step-by-step guide on how to get the most FPS out of your PC

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Epic Games’ Fortnite is by far one of the most popular battle royale games out there. Thanks to its addictive game style and arcade aesthetic, Fortnite has become a huge hit amongst younger and older audiences alike – with a huge competitive esports scene that rivals the likes of CS:GO and DOTA 2 to boot.

For budding gamers who want to get a piece of the increasingly lucrative esport+s pie, getting Fortnite running at optimal levels is absolutely essential. This is a game where every frame counts. Boosting your FPS in Fortnite could literally be the difference between winning and losing.

For that reason, we’ve decided to create this tips guide on how to make Fortnite run better on PC. We will cover the quickest, easiest, and most effective ways of boosting your in-game FPS to help take your play to the next level.

So, all being said, let’s waste no further time and get straight into it!

How To Make Fortnite Run Better: In Short

This is the condensed version of this article. Below are the tips which will help improve your in-game FPS. Each tip will be explored in more detail further down the list, giving simple step-by-step instructions on how to carry out that adjustment.

  • Adjust In-game Settings
  • Change Windows Settings
  • Updated Drivers
  • Check For CPU/RAM Demanding Applications
  • Clean Your System
  • Upgrade Hardware

Fundamentally, these are the quickest and best ways of making Fortnite run better. However, if none of these work, maybe it’s time to upgrade your hardware. We’ve compiled some data on different GPUs and what FPS they should provide over different graphics settings. That way you can select the best fit for your specific needs.

Fortnite PC Requirements

Before we get into the smaller adjustments you can make to increase in-game performance, let’s first take a quick look at the physical requirements you need to run this game.

They are as follows:

Fortnite: Minimum Requirements

  • CPU: Core i3 2.4GHz
  • RAM: 4GB RAM
  • HDD: 16GB Free Space
  • GPU: Intel HD 4000 (integrated graphics)
  • OS: Windows 7, 8, or Windows 10 64-bit
  • DirectX: Version 11 or better

Fortnite: Recommended Requirements

  • CPU: Core i5 2.8GHz
  • RAM: 8GB RAM
  • HDD: 16GB Free Space
  • GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 / AMD Radeon HD 7870 or equivalent video card with dedicated memory of 2GB or higher VRAM.
  • OS: Windows 7, 8.1, or Windows 10 64-bit
  • DirectX: Version 11 or better

As you can see, Fortnite isn’t the most demanding game out there. It has been well optimized to run on lesser PCs, meaning getting the extra FPS required shouldn’t be too hard. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the first tip.

Method #1: Adjust In-game Settings

The first and most effective way of getting better FPS in Fortnite comes by changing the in-game settings. This can mean anything from lowering the textures to simply changing the resolution. We recommend starting off with the absolute lowest settings the game has to offer, then working your way up until your system starts to lag.

Start by loading Fortnite and clicking on the burger menu in the top right corner

fortnite burger menu

Inside the main menu, you will see a “Settings” tab, select it to open up the graphics settings

FortniteClient Win64 Shipping 2020 03 02 16 08 36 580

Inside you will have an array of graphical options to change. As mentioned above, we recommend starting from the lowest and working your way up. See image below:

1080p LOW and EPIC Settings

If you want to learn about graphical settings and how they affect your in-game performance, why not check out these comprehensive guides

Method #2: Change Windows Settings

For people who are already operating on the lowest settings, try adjusting these Windows settings to help boost in-game performance.

Tip 1: Activate Game Mode

This one is pretty straight forward, simply type “Game Mode” into Windows search at the bottom left of your desktop:

game mode 11

 

Select “Game Mode Settings” from the popup menu:

Game modes 2

You will now see a button to activate Game Mode. Select “On” and your Windows will optimize itself for gaming performance.

Game Mode 3

Tip 2: Alter Power Settings

You can do further tweaks to your Windows by changing the power settings to high performance.

Start by typing “Power Settings” into the Windows search bar:

Power setting 1

Then select “Power & Sleep Settings” from the popup menu:

Power setting 2

Underneath “Related Settings“, select “Additional Power Settings“:

Power settings

Inside this tab, you will see a number of different plans that have unique characteristics. For gaming, we recommend selecting the “High Performance” plan:

Power settings 2

Tip 3: Update Drivers

For the longest time, I thought updating drivers was a complete waste of time – a theory that has been proven incorrect countless times over since.

Luckily, updating your system drivers is a pretty simple task. And even though it won’t necessarily boost your in-game FPS much (if at all), it could have a major impact on how smoothly it runs.

One of the easiest ways of updating your drivers is by installing a useful tool called Driver Easy. This will scan your system and recognize the components it comes equipped with. After this, it will automatically scan the web to find the most up-to-date drivers.

Start by downloading and installing Driver Easy

Once installed, run the drive application and click the “Scan Now” button

Drivers 1

Driver Easy will now scan your computer for all outdated and available drivers

driver 2

Once the scan is complete, Driver Easy will display all available driver updates. Simply select the drivers you wish to update and Driver Easy does the rest

Driver 3

BE AWARE: Unfortunately, you are limited to ten drive updates using the free version of this app. However, for the purpose of this tutorial, you may only have to use this feature once anyway. If you want to upgrade to the Driver Easy Pro, however, it’s relatively straight forward to do.

Tip 4: Check for CPU/RAM demanding applications

A lot of modern games now depend more heavily on the GPU over the CPU. Having said that, gaming is still heavily impacted by background applications that sap your CPU and RAM whilst you’re gaming. Especially if you’re running on an old CPU that has not been designed with hyperthreaded technology.

Once again though, the process of shutting down these applications is very quick and easy.

Open up Task Manager. You can do this by entering “taskmgr” into the Run dialog box, or via “ctrl+alt+del

taskmgr 1

Inside Task Manager, select the “Processes” tab. Inside you will be able to see every running application on your system. Next to each application, you’ll be able to see how much of your CPU, RAM, Disk, and Network it is using. Find the most demanding apps and simply end them by right-clicking the app, and selecting “End Task” from the pop-up menu

taskmgr 3

taskmgr 4

Tip 5: Upgrade Your Hardware

If all of the above has zero effect on your in-game FPS, the next logical step is to simply upgrade your PC. Luckily, you can buy a completely new PC for $300-$500 that will be more than powerful enough to run Fortnite.

If buying a new computer is too expensive, start by upgrading your graphics card to something a little more powerful. An RX 550 (a relatively cheap GPU) should get you a comfortable 70-90 FPS in low settings. Having said that, the upgrade that showcases the best value for money would be to upgrade your CPU to a Ryzen APU. Obviously this won’t work for everyone, as they may not be equipped for an AMD build.

Below we’ve compiled some Fornite FPS data using different GPUs from different price points:

Final Thoughts

So, there you have it, our comprehensive guide on how to make Fornite run better on PC. It’s worth mentioning that a lot of these methods will also work with laptop users as well. Console users, however, will not find any help in this thread.

If you’ve had success making Fortnite run better with a method we’ve not showcased, why not help out the Community by leaving a comment below!

Monitor & PC Product Specialist AT WEPC

Charlie Noon

Summary Charlie has been with WePC for nearly 5 years now, becoming a senior tech writer in 2021. He started off writing monitor and TV reviews, but quickly moved into a more affiliate-based role. After finishing College, Charlie pursued his joy of PC gaming by building several PCs for his favourite game, Counter-Strike. To this day, Charlie continues to enjoy gaming and PC building inside and outside of the office. Experience Charlie started his career with BGFG after a long 5-year stint traveling Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. While he could have pursued a further career in the building trade, he decided to delve into the world of PC gaming and journalism. Being a keen gamer and PC builder, it was easy to transition between the two industries. After showcasing a real joy for both writing and PC building, he was moved into a more senior position, which he continues to hold to this day. Education Charlie completed his A levels at Culcheth College. After, he took a 5-year break to travel and work overseas. Interests Aside from building PCs and getting beat by Russian teens on CS:GO, Charlie's other interests include travelling, socializing with friends, and cooking. He also spends too much time buying and selling products - his latest project is Pokemon cards. Gaming Setup CPU - AMD 7800X3D Motherboard - X670 Gaming Plus RAM - Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB 5200MHz GPU - ASUS ROG Strix RX 7700XT PSU - Thermaltake 750W 80+ Gold Case - Corsair Carbide (275R) A decent upgrade over previous machines, and one that is, let's be honest, wasted on me as the majority of my time is spent editing content and playing CS2 Favorite Games CS2 PUBG Rising Storm Beyond The Wire