Epic Games is DEAD WRONG! Here's the specs you should run to play Fortnite

What specs do I need to run Fortnite?

We’re flooded with emails every single day from folks asking what specs they should run to play Fortnite.

In this post we’re going to answer this question.

We’re going to share what we believe are the requirements you should be shopping for in a gaming PC that’s perfect for running Fortnite.

Our answer might shock you a little. That’s because we believe the specs Fortnite’s creator, Epic Games, hands out are, well, a little bit blah.

Yup. We think Epic Games is wrong. And we’re going to share WHY.

First up, you can breathe a sigh of relief…

We’re not about to try and convince you to spend thousands
of bucks on a high-end gaming PC just to play Fortnite

Look, if you're Bill Gates and you've got billions stashed in your bank account, you’re not going to think twice about dropping five grand or more on a top-spec gaming PC, right?

But you and me?

We don't have mountains cash to splash on a new gaming PC (well, I sure don’t anyway!)

Good news is, you don’t need to spend a fortune.

Fortnite is not a resource heavy game.

You don't need a top-end graphics card (like the ASUS NVIDIA ROG Matrix that’ll set you back $3,000)...

You don't need the latest 9th generation Intel CPU. Likewise, you don't need crazy amounts of RAM or storage.

Sooooo, my friend, put your wallet back in your pocket. Call your bank and tell them you don’t need to re-mortgage your house.

Again, you don’t need to spend a fortune here.

No way!

Despite what some folks might tell you, you don’t need to fork thousands for an awesome gaming PC that’ll run Fortnite and any other Battle Royale-style game you’d like to play.

We’ll get to our recommended specs in a minute. First…

A little history on Fortnite…

You’d have to be living under rock to not know what Fortnite is.

My four-year-old daughter knows what Fortnite is.

Seriously.

It’s the game that has pretty much taken the world by storm.

That’s no exaggeration, either.

The free-to-play online game has quickly gained momentum to become the most popular battle royale style game in the world.

Since it first blasted onto the scene in 2017, it’s grown to more than 250 million users worldwide. That’s the population of Indonesia!

Fortnite is well and truly a pop culture phenomenon. I mean, it has spurred folks to kick off their shoes and do Fortnite dances. Like these…

 

Yeah…don’t do that (embarrassing).

Its explosive popularity is driven – in part – because you don’t need a PC stuffed full of high-end PC components to run Fortnite.

The game pretty much takes the building element of Minecraft and mashes it with the first-person-shooter (FPS) style of Left 4 Dead to create a truly unique game where you can create ramps, walls, and platforms in an effort to out-maneuver your opponents.

So, that’s a brief history check.

Question is (and what this entire post is really all about)…

What specs do we recommend you
should run to play Fortnite on your PC?

Migrate over to the Epic Games/Fortnite website and you’ll find the bare minimum specs you’ll need to play Fortnite

Here they are for your viewing please...

• CPU: Intel Core i3 2.4 Ghz
• RAM: 4 GB
• GPU: Intel HD 4000

Sheesh!

At first, it looks kinda like you can run Fortnite on just about ANY PC. I mean and i3 processor, 4GB RAM and an old-school Intel HD graphics card?

I feel like I’ve been transported back to 2007.

Lol.

Look, the recommended requirements to play Fortnite are basic – REAL basic. No question about it.

But it’s kind of like buying a Ferrari with an engine pulled from a Hyundai Getz.

Sure, it looks the goods.

But it’s slower than a snail with a brick taped to its shell. That’s sloooowwww.

Likewise, while these specs might (just) scrape through for playing Fortnite, there’s no doubt that gameplay WILL be effected.

So, if you want a heap of screen-tearing and lag. By all means, go with Epic Games specs.

We recommend you don’t.

In other words...

Epic Games is WRONG…

Dead wrong!

While Fortnite isn’t among the heavy-hitters when it comes to PC requirements (not even close)…

…given the online, battle royale nature of the game – where you’re playing with others online, you’ll need a fair whack of memory to deal with any slowdown or stuttering issues.

A very basic PC or laptop won’t cut it.

Sure, you could run Fortnite without all the sweet graphics and effects. You could simply push all the visual settings down to the lowest setting…

…but where’s the fun in that, right?

That’s why we say Epic Games is wrong. You need a better spec’d gaming PC than what those blokes are dishing out.

That’s our opinion, anyway.

Look, if all you want to do is run the game, a basic computer can do it.

However, if you want to unlock those high frame rates and play Fortnite like it’s supposed to be played…you’ll need a few upgraded pieces of hardware to make it possible.

Here's what we recommend to our customers who come to us to build a Fortnite gaming PC.

• CPU: Intel i5 9400 2.9 Ghz/ AMD Ryzen 5 2600
• RAM: 8 GB
• GPU: NVIDIA GTX 1650 or 1660

Now, you might be saying...

‘Woah, those specs are waaaaayyyy higher than
what Epic Games recommends to play Fortnite’

And you'd be right.

There's a reason for that.

You're forking out good money for a gaming PC. The way we see it, you want to future proof your investment by paying for a gaming PC that’ll not only hand you an awesome Fortnite gaming experience…

…but a gaming PC that’ll handle other gaming titles that’ll you naturally gravitate toward when you get a taste for something outside the Fortnite-sphere.

You want a gaming PC that’ll do the job now (handle those Fortnite duties) AND cover your growing gaming needs down the track.

You don’t want to be handing over cash for a basic gaming PC now, only to realise you need to fork out even more cash down the road to upgrade…

…or worse, some time down the track realise you can’t upgrade your basic PC and you need to build another gaming PC.

If money ain’t a problem it’s no issue.

But if you’re on a budget, it’s best you invest in a good gaming PC now. Rather than try and muck around with it at a later point.

Make sense?

Good.

So, let's look at those essential bits and pieces we recommend you add to your rig, in a little more detail.

First up, let’s look closer at our recommended CPU’s…

Intel Core i5 9400F

Intel’s Core i5-9400F is one of the most affordable gaming processors it’s released in years.

It ups the ante of traditional Core i5 chips with six cores, and though it doesn’t have hyperthreading, six threads are plenty to work with especially when it can hit 4.1 GHz with Intel Max Turbo.

If you’re an Intel hater, you can always opt for our recommended budget AMD processor…

AMD Ryzen 5 2600

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 is one of the best CPUs around today. It offers a high core-count and solid gaming performance. It’ll well and truly handle whatever you can throw at it. Speed-wise, the Ryzen 5 2600 starts out with a 3.4GHz base and 3.9GHz boost.

Moving on, let’s look at memory.

We’re fans of the Patriot Viper Steel range of memory modules. They perform well, are fairly priced and they look, well, sick, Especially, if you can show off your PC internals with a clear, glass case.

Remember, we recommend you stock 8GB RAM.

Finally, when it comes to core components for your Fortnite gaming PC there’s your graphics card.

Our recommendation?

An NVIDIA branded GTX 1650 or 1660.

You might shudder at the thought of a 1650. On launch it was considered a little too pricey for what it was – a half decent, mid-ish range graphics card.

We tend to agree. At $200 (approx.) it was on the pricey end of the spectrum for sure. But prices have come down a little now and it’s more than capable of handling all your Fortnite activities.

The GTX 1660 and GTX 1650 are up to 70% faster than the previous generation 1060.

Again, we know these specs are well and truly above what Epic Games recommends.

But as we’ve laid out, you don’t want to waste coin on a low-spec gaming PC that you’ll need to upgrade down the track.

Ultimately, this is about…

Future proofing your gaming PC investment

You don’t want to run the minimum, Epic Games promoted specs for that very reason – there’s no point. You’ll be stuck with a gaming PC that can only just run Fortnite.

Why do that when you can spend $1,300 to $1,500 and have us build a sweet budget gaming PC for you.

If you’d like to know more about out budget gaming PC range open up the chat function on the bottom right of screen. Or shoot us a quick email info@gamergeardirect.com.au