How to Make Fortnite Work Better on an Old Computer
With over 350 million players, Fortnite is one of the largest gaming franchises, and this success owes much to its availability. The game is free to download and play on any major console, many smartphones, all Windows PCs and Macs ( with big caveats ). Even weaker computers with outdated hardware can run Fortnite in a playable state, but Epic has just added new graphics options that should help even a potato PC achieve reliable performance.
Performance mode
Fortnite ‘s new “Performance” rendering mode optimizes game graphics settings for higher frame rates. The game won’t look as detailed, but if your computer is already struggling to launch it, raising the frame rate will make playing Fortnite that much more enjoyable.
Here are some examples of the acceleration that older PCs can experience in performance mode, according to Epic:
Fortnite will automatically recommend using Performance Mode if it notices your PC’s components are low, but players can also enable or disable the new mode in the Game Settings menu under Video> Advanced Graphics> Rendering Mode .
Remove Fortnite HD Textures in Epic Games App.
Another issue older Fortnite PCs face is the large size to install. An epic reduced disk space requirement per computer, from 90GBs to 31.71GBs, but players can now choose to remove Fortnite hi -res textures from the install folder in the Games epic app.
While this will further reduce the visual quality, it will result in a much smaller installation size.
As you can see in the screenshot, disabling HD Textures lowers Fortnite’s required disk space from 31.71 GB to 16.81 GB. That’s almost half the size of the current install and a small fraction of the previous 90GB PC game requirements. This leaves you with more hard drive space and also shortens the installation time of the game and possibly shortens the download times.
You can uninstall Fortnite HD Textures in the Epic Games app on PC:
- Click on the “Library” tab .
- Click the three-dot button next to Fortnite and select Options.
- On the options screen, uncheck the box next to High Resolution Textures.
- Click Apply and wait while the application updates the installation folder.
You can reinstall the textures at any time by re-checking the High Resolution Textures option.
Other ways to improve Fortnite on older PCs
Playing in improved performance mode and removing Fortnite HD textures will make Fortnite perform better, but the best way to improve game performance is to invest in some hardware upgrades.
However, these updates don’t have to come in the form of expensive new GPUs or full-featured gaming devices; even small improvements can make a difference.
Epic recommends users with older hardware upgrade their RAM to at least 6GB (8GB is better) and install the game on an internal SSD if their PC or laptop supports it. These are comparatively minimal upgrades that could help Fortnite look – and perform – a little better.
[ Engadget ]