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Best Fortnite settings for the NVIDIA GTX 980 Ti (2026)

On a NVIDIA GTX 980 Ti (paired with a balanced Intel Core i5-13500H (laptop)-class CPU), Fortnite runs at roughly 72 FPS at 1080p with our optimized settings — up from about 72FPS with everything maxed. Here's the configuration and what each setting costs.

The NVIDIA GTX 980 Ti is a mainstream 1080p graphics card with 6GB of VRAM, and Fortnite is a demanding, graphically heavy game. Paired with the Intel Core i5-13500H (laptop), it runs well at 1080p — about 72 FPS with FrameCoach's optimized settings. That already clears a smooth frame rate on High, so our tuning keeps the visuals as high as possible instead of chasing extra frames.

Across resolutions you can expect around 72 FPS at 1080p and 67 FPS at 1440p, dropping to roughly 63 FPS at 4K. Fortnite offers ray tracing, but the NVIDIA GTX 980 Ti isn't built for it, so we leave it off. The biggest free win is FSR upscaling — set it to Quality for a large FPS boost at little visual cost.

ResolutionAll-High FPSOptimized FPS
1080p7272
1440p4367
4K2563
💡 Fortnite: Turn off Lumen/Nanite (the "Epic" lighting) for a big FPS jump on weaker GPUs.
Recommended settings
Upscaling — FSROff
Fortnite supports DLSS (RTX), FSR, XeSS and Epic’s own TSR. A big, easy FPS boost — and it pairs well with the DirectX 12 renderer.
Hardware Ray Tracing (Lumen)Offsaves FPS
Hardware-accelerated Lumen lighting/reflections. Pretty, but heavy and pointless competitively — keep it Off for high FPS.
TexturesEpic-1% FPS
Surface sharpness — cheap on FPS if it fits your VRAM. High is fine on 8GB cards; Epic for 12GB+.
Global Illumination (Lumen)Highbaseline
Software Lumen bounce lighting — the heaviest non-RT setting in Fortnite. Competitive players set this Off (Performance mode) for a massive FPS jump.
ShadowsHighbaseline
Shadow detail and range. Turning shadows Off is a classic competitive FPS boost (and arguably makes enemies easier to spot).
Reflections (Lumen)Highbaseline
Reflections on water and shiny surfaces. Moderately heavy and rarely missed in a fast-paced match.
Nanite Virtualized GeometryOnbaseline
Epic’s high-detail geometry system. On weaker GPUs, turning it Off (Performance mode) gains real frames at the cost of some environment detail.
EffectsHighbaseline
Explosions, storm and weapon effects. Lowering smooths out the chaotic late-game circles.
View DistanceFarbaseline
How far detail renders. Keep this at least Far/Epic competitively — you want to see distant players and builds.
FoliageHighbaseline
Grass, trees and bushes. Lower foliage gains FPS and can reduce spots for enemies to hide.
Post ProcessingHighbaseline
Bloom, depth of field and ambient occlusion bundled together. Low is a common competitive choice for clarity and frames.
Anisotropic Filtering16xbaseline
Sharpens ground textures at a distance — essentially free, leave it maxed.
Virtual Shadow MapsOnbaseline
High-detail UE5 shadows. Turning it Off (alongside Lumen) is part of the competitive Performance setup.
Motion BlurOffbaseline
Camera blur during fast movement. Most competitive players keep it Off for clarity.

⚡ Fine-tune this for your exact CPU & target FPS →

🎯 Can the NVIDIA GTX 980 Ti run Fortnite? See the verdict →

Fortnite on other GPUs
Other games on the NVIDIA GTX 980 Ti
Frequently asked

What FPS does the NVIDIA GTX 980 Ti get in Fortnite?

With FrameCoach's optimized balanced settings, the NVIDIA GTX 980 Ti averages around 72 FPS at 1080p in Fortnite — up from about 72 FPS with everything on High.

Can the NVIDIA GTX 980 Ti run Fortnite at 1440p?

At 1440p with optimized settings, the NVIDIA GTX 980 Ti averages roughly 67 FPS in Fortnite — a smooth experience.

What are the best Fortnite settings for the NVIDIA GTX 980 Ti?

Use a balanced preset, keep ray tracing off for maximum FPS, and ease the heaviest options like Global Illumination (Lumen) and Shadows down a notch. The full per-setting breakdown is above.

FPS figures are estimates from a generalized model (hardware tier × game load × per-setting weights), not live benchmarks — real performance varies by scene, drivers and game version.