The Best GPUs to Pair with an i5-8400

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The i5-8400 is a great CPU, particularly for gaming. If you’re looking for the best GPU to pair with an i5-8400, you’ve come to the right place! In this guide, I first want to run through some things you need to consider before deciding on a GPU, the I have a list of various GPUs that are all great choices for an i5-8400, depending on your situation.

Overall, our recommendation for most people is the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 which will make for a balanced pairing with the i5-8400. The best GPU for you will depend on other factors too so make sure to read on.

Things to Consider

• Your monitors resolution – Higher resolutions put more workload on the GPU. So if you have a 1440p or 4K monitor, you will want a more powerful GPU than if you have a 1080p monitor in order to not bottleneck your CPU. If you have a 4K monitor and you purchase a weak GPU, you might find your i5-8400 is capable of achieving a lot more FPS, but is being held back by the GPU.
• Your monitors refresh rate – Ideally, you want a CPU and GPU combo that maximises FPS. However, if you only have a 60hz monitor (and you don’t plan on upgrading any time soon), then a high-end graphics card that is capable of a 100 FPS+ will be wasted on your monitor because it will only be able to display 60 FPS. If you really don’t want to upgrade your monitor to a higher refresh rate, get yourself a lower-end GPU that is capable of a steady 60 FPS (but you will probably be wasting your CPUs full potential). Personally, because the i5-8400 is a powerful CPU and I wouldn’t want to waste it’s potential, I would get a higher-end card and look into upgrading to a monitor with a higher refresh rate.
• G-Sync and FreeSync – Nvidia’s G-Sync and AMD’s FreeSync technologies sync the graphics card to the monitors refresh rate. This gives a much smoother gaming experience. It functions in a similar way to v-sync but without the input lag. G-Sync only works with Nvidia cards and FreeSync only works with AMD cards, so if your monitor has FreeSync, get and AMD card, and if your monitor has G-Sync, get an Nvidia card.
• Which games you play – Some games are more CPU intensive and others are more GPU intensive. If you will be playing games that are more CPU intensive (most commonly e-sports games like CSGO), you might not need a particularly powerful GPU, but if you will be playing GPU intensive games, you will want to invest in a card with a bit more power. You can check out Game Debate to get an idea of how different games perform on different hardware. I also like to head over to YouTube to get an idea of what the performance will be like. Search for a game you play, followed by the resolution, your CPU, and the GPU you are interested in. e.g. “Battlefield V 1440p i5-8400 RTX 2060”. Then you might want to compare that to a GTX 1080 for example, and see if the extra performance is worth it.

Best GPUs for an i5-8400

Now you know what to keep in mind when choosing a graphics card, let’s look at some GPUs that go nicely with an i5-8400 for various situations. I have listed them in order of performance, with the less powerful, budget-friendly cards first.

1. Nvidia Geforce GTX 1660 Ti

$323.10 – Buy on Amazon

• Low-end GPU for an i5-8400
• Great for e-sports gaming at 1080p
• G-Sync compatible

The GTX 1660 Ti is the weakest GPU I would recommend for an i5-8400. It’s ideal if you will be playing games that aren’t graphically demanding (like CS:GO) on a 1080p monitor. If you have a higher resolution monitor or want to play more demanding games, I would avoid the 1060 and look at a more powerful card to get the most out of your CPU. The GTX 1660 Ti is G-Sync compatible. If you have a FreeSync monitor, check out the next card in our list, the AMD Radeon RX 580.

2. AMD Radeon RX 580

$248.33 – Buy on Amazon

• Low-end GPU for an i5-8400
• Great for e-sports gaming at 1080p
• FreeSync compatible

The RX 580 performs similarly to the GTX 1660 Ti, but since it is AMD, it is compatible with FreeSync. A great card for e-sports or low-demand games at 1080p, but not for anything more.

3. Nvidia Geforce RTX 2060 (Best for Most People)

$314.10 – Buy on Amazon

• Mid-range GPU for an i5-8400
• Great for gaming on a 1080p 144hz monitor or 1440p 60hz monitor.
• G-Sync compatible

The RTX 2060 is a great choice to pair with an i5-8400 for gaming on a 1080p 144hz monitor or a 1440p 60hz monitor. At 1080p, most games should run well above 60 FPS, and often above 100 FPS with this combo. At 1440p, you should still be getting above 60 FPS most of the time, but if you have a 1440p 144hz monitor, I would recommend a more powerful card. The RTX 2060 is just about OK for 4K gaming, but you will most likely see drops below 60 FPS. The RTX 2060 is G-Sync compatible. If you have a FreeSync monitor, check out the next card in our list, the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56.

4. AMD Radeon RX Vega 56

$1,586.68 – Buy on Amazon

• Mid-range GPU for an i5-8400
• Great for gaming on a 1080p 144hz monitor or 1440p 60hz monitor.
• FreeSync compatible

The Vega 56 performs similarly to the RTX 2060, but since it is AMD, it is compatible with FreeSync. A great card for gaming on a 1080p 144hz monitor or 1440p 60hz monitor. However, for a 1440p 144hz monitor, or a 4K monitor, I would recommend a more powerful card.

5. Nvidia Geforce RTX 2070

$599.99 – Buy on Amazon

• High-end GPU for an i5-8400
• Great for gaming on a 1440p 144hz monitor.
• G-Sync compatible

An RTX 2070 is the ideal card to pair with an i5-8400 if you have a 1440p 144hz monitor. Most of the time, you should be getting more than 60 FPS, and often more than 100 FPS at 1440p. The RTX 2070 will also give you more frames than an RTX 2060 on a 1080p monitor, but most of the time, the difference won’t be as noticeable as it is with higher resolutions. For gaming in 4K, this RTX 2070 is a great option, but you will still likely have to turn some settings down to achieve a steady 60 FPS in many games. The RTX 2070 is G-Sync compatible. If you have a FreeSync monitor, check out the next card in our list, the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64.

6. AMD Radeon RX Vega 64

$200.00 – Buy on Amazon

• High-end GPU for an i5-8400
• Great for gaming on a 1440p 144hz monitor.
• FreeSync compatible

The RX Vega 64 performs similarly to the GTX 1080, but since it is AMD, it is compatible with FreeSync. Great for gaming on a 1440p 144hz monitor, reasonable for 4K, but potentially overkill for 1080p gaming (you will get more FPS at 1080p, it just want be as noticeable as with higher resolutions).

7. Nvidia Geforce RTX 2080

$593.11 – Buy on Amazon

• High-end GPU for an i5-8400
• Great for 1440p and 4K gaming.
• G-Sync compatible

Finally, we have the RTX 2080. I wouldn’t recommend this card for 1080p gaming with an i5-8400 because it will be overkill. However, for 1440p and 4K gaming, the RTX 2080 is a great match. Whether or not the extra cost is worth it is up to you. I would check out some YouTube videos of the i5-8400 paired with an RTX 2080 specifically running the games you play. One thing to consider is that the RTX 2080 will help to future-proof your PC and should enable you to play the latest releases for quite a few years to come.

Last update on 2022-09-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API