What install options should I use?
Fortnite should be installed on an SSD. Any SSD will do, including external SSDs over at least USB 3.0.
When installing Fortnite, check the Install Options button, and make sure Pre-download Streamed Assets is checked. (This will increase the download size.)
What graphical mode should I use?
If you have an older CPU (pre-12th gen Intel Core, pre 5000 series AMD Ryzen), or a quad core CPU or less, use Performance mode to sacrifice graphics beyond the low quality preset in other modes to eke out extra CPU time.
If you have a newer CPU (not any of the above), but an older GPU (pre RTX and is not a GTX 16 series for NVIDIA, or pre RX 5000 series for AMD, use DirectX 11.
If you have both a new CPU and a new GPU, use DirectX 12.
Should I use upscaling technology (NVIDIA DLSS, Intel XeSS, Epic TSR?)
To maximize frame rates and minimize latency while still keeping good visual readability, it is strongly recommended to use an upscaling technology instead of just basic resizing of the rendered frame. Using basic upscaling instead of a temporal upscaler will look less sharp and clear.
Start with the Performance or equivalent preset for the upscalers (50% input res). This should work well for fast-paced modes such as Battle Royale.
What graphics preset should I use?
For maximum possible FPS for your system, use Performance mode and set all settings to the lowest possible. Do note that your game will have most graphical features disabled, and look very bad. This should only be used for competitive modes on systems that do not have a lot of processing power.
For a good compromise between FPS and visuals, use DirectX 12 in Medium graphics. This turns on most critical graphics features and the game will look great while still having respectable frame rates, as it retains the game's visual look.
The GPU load of **DX12 Medium + DLSS Performance **is slightly slower than Performance mode + 100% scaling.
The DX12 High and above setting will enable several "heavy" effects such as Lumen and Nanite. Please note that these effects are designed for fast GPUs such as the GeForce RTX 2080 or AMD RX 5700. Slower GPUs may find the performance in Battle Royale be unacceptable.
Does the game have shader compilation stutter?
Fortnite will pre-compile shaders if in DirectX 12 mode.
In other modes, you may encounter some stutters as you see objects and visual effects for the first time. Play several matches to minimize this effect. Note that your shader cache will be reset with a graphics driver update.
Does the game have traversal stutter?
Yes. This is normal for Unreal Engine 5 games with an open world to explore.
This can be minimized with a good CPU, memory (RAM) speed and dual channel, and storage speed. On more capable systems, stutters should be fairly rare and limited to open world streaming.
Frame time spikes can be further minimized with a frame rate limit, but make sure you're OK with the smoothness you are able to obtain.
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