How To Build a Cheap 144 FPS Fortnite PC in 2022

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Today we are talking about what hardware you are going to need to play Fortnite with steady 144+ FPS at 1080p resolution in Performance mode.

This article explains how to assemble a cheap but future proof Fortnite gaming PC.

Although cheap, we want our system to be versatile, expandable, and have upgrade potential, rather than just consist of the cheapest parts possible.

If at some point you are dissatisfied with performance you can make an upgrade and play heavier games.

OK, time to check our build.  At the end you will find a summary table with all the parts and current prices.

GPU that will run Fortnite at 144 FPS 1080p

The graphics card is the heart of any gaming PCs. When it comes to 144 FPS Fortnite in Performance mode, and as-cheap-as-possible, we narrowed down our choice to two entry level video cards – GeForce GTX 1650 and RX 570.

The GTX 1650 is easy to find as a brand new model, but costs more (about $250), while on the other hand RX 570 4GB is older, cheaper (around $150), but must be sourced as a secondhand option.

In terms of performance, the RX 570 is slightly better, but since the GTX 1650 is the newer model and it is easier to find with a proper warranty, we went with it.

Both models have a hardware encoder, so streaming is possible. But if we had to choose between NVENC and VCE, we’d definitely go with NVIDIA’s solution.

CPU for Fortnite at 144 FPS 1080p

For our 144 FPS Fortnite build we need a CPU with relatively high frequency  and future expandability.

That’s why we went with something recent  – Intel’s newest CPU architecture, Alder Lake.

We chose Alder Lake because of the performance improvement from the previous generation and the rich CPU line-up. If you get a decent motherboard now, you can upgrade to a high-end gaming PC easily.

Currently, the entry-level gaming CPU class is ruled by Core i3-12100F. With 4 cores and 8 threads, good performance, and decent price of around $130, it is one of the most popular budget gaming processors on the market.

But this time around we chose something else. Because it’s a bare minimum Fortnite 144 FPS  build, we went with something even cheaper – the Pentium Gold G7400.

When paired with the GTX 1650, Pentium Gold G7400 will deliver 144 FPS in the Fortnite Performance model with no problem. This is a 2 core 4 thread CPU with a frequency of 3.7 GHz, 6 MB L3 Cache and MSRP price of  $64.

It is interesting to note that when compared to Core i3-12100F with the same video card (GTX 1650), the G7400 will deliver very similar frame rates.

The Pentium Gold G7400 is really the bare minimum for our use case. But if you have another $70 to speed go with the Core i3-12100F, it’s a very good processor and will play even the most  modern AAA titles.

Motherboard suitable for Fortnite at 144 FPS 1080p

Now that we have the CPU it is time for the motherboard.

If you are  going for a super cheap build the obvious choice for a motherboard is something based on the H610 chipset. However, since we want something expandable, our choice went with the B660 chipset and MSI PRO B660M-A DDR4 motherboard.

It’s well built and supports 12th Gen Intel Core, Pentium Gold and Celeron processors on LGA 1700 socket with DDR4 Memory of up to 4800+(OC) MHz.

This model has a good heatsink  layout, available on the the VRM and the M.2 slot.

Memory for Fortnite at 144 FPS 1080p

The motherboard supports DDR4, and we went with the most sane choices of all the 3200 MHz DDR4 memory.

Since 16GB is enough for Fortnite, we chose Team T-FORCE’s VULCAN Z 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory, which is reasonably priced as a 16GB kit (2x8GB). The RAM performs well with the system and has a simple heat spreader.

The storage

We decided our storage to be NVMe SSD. It has become a de facto standard for OS and  gaming.

Games are much bigger now, so we need to have at least 500GB for our OS and gaming library.

Our choice  went with Western Digital Blue SN550. Although in the budget price bracket, this model shows good scores in game related benchmarks.

The power supply

Our power supply is Thermaltake Toughpower GX1 600 W 80+ Gold. Cheap but very well built PSU with quality parts.

Although this PSU delivers more power than our build needs, we chose it because it’s future  proof.

With this unit you will have no problem running something like RTX 3060 if you decide you  need an upgrade at some point in the future.

The case

Finally we need a case. Most cheap models are microATX cases, but to be able to expand later we chose Cougar MX330 ATX Mid Tower Case.

The model supports GPUs of up to 13.8 inches (350mm) and max CPU cooler height  of   155mm / 6.1 (in). It can be equipped with a 240mm water-cooled solution at the front.

The horizontal graphics card slots are compatible with RTX 3090/3080/3070.

You also get the ability to install up to two 2.5″ SSD and 3.5″ HDDs (for a maximum of four storage devices) to satisfy your storage needs.

The case supports a 240mm front radiator and five fans making it ready even for high-end PC builds.

Our final build

This is our final build. The prices found here are the one listed at the time of publshing the article.