Best GPU for the Core i5-8400

At 1440p, the fastest current card the Core i5-8400 keeps busy is the Radeon RX 6600 XT: the processor limits it in 25% of 55 popular games (estimated). The Radeon RX 6700 XT is the slowest current card that reaches 60 fps at 1440p high in 80% of them.

Which graphics card should I pair with the Core i5-8400?

Resolution	Enough for 60 fps	Fastest good match	CPU-limited games	Best NVIDIA	Best AMD	Best Intel
1080p high	Radeon RX 6600	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	25%	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon RX 9050 4GB	Arc A380
1440p high	Radeon RX 6700 XT	Radeon RX 6600 XT	25%	GeForce RTX 3060 12GB	Radeon RX 6600 XT	Arc A750
4K high	Radeon RX 6950 XT	GeForce RTX 3080 12GB	25%	GeForce RTX 3080 12GB	Radeon RX 6800	Arc B580

Enough for 60 fps: the slowest (usually cheapest) current desktop card that reaches 60 fps at high in 80% of the games. Fastest good match: the fastest card the Core i5-8400 limits in no more than 25% of the games. Faster cards still gain FPS, but in more games the processor sets the ceiling.

Estimated FPS with the Core i5-8400 (high preset)

1080p1440p4K

1080p, high preset, estimated. “CPU” marks games where the processor sets the limit.
Game	Radeon RX 6600	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB
Counter-Strike 2	201CPU	201CPU
Dota 2	268CPU	268CPU
PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS	106	85
WARDOGS	41	33
Apex Legends™	115	93
Valheim	99	79

1440p, high preset, estimated. “CPU” marks games where the processor sets the limit.
Game	Radeon RX 6700 XT	Radeon RX 6600 XT
Counter-Strike 2	201CPU	201CPU
Dota 2	268CPU	268CPU
PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS	108	86
WARDOGS	42	33
Apex Legends™	117	93
Valheim	100	80

4K, high preset, estimated. “CPU” marks games where the processor sets the limit.
Game	Radeon RX 6950 XT	GeForce RTX 3080 12GB
Counter-Strike 2	201CPU	201CPU
Dota 2	268CPU	268CPU
PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS	107	87
WARDOGS	41	34
Apex Legends™	116	95
Valheim	99	81

Every current graphics card with the Core i5-8400

Share of 55 popular games where the Core i5-8400 limits FPS, and median estimated FPS at high. Estimated.
Graphics card	CPU-limited 1080p	1440p	4K	Median FPS 1440p	Build
GeForce RTX 5090	100%	98%	96%	99	Build with it →
GeForce RTX 4090	98%	98%	84%	99	Build with it →
GeForce RTX 5080	98%	98%	76%	99	Build with it →
Radeon RX 7900 XTX	98%	96%	73%	99	Build with it →
GeForce RTX 4080 Super	98%	96%	71%	99	Build with it →
GeForce RTX 4080	98%	96%	64%	99	Build with it →
Radeon RX 9070 XT	98%	96%	60%	99	Build with it →
GeForce RTX 5070 Ti	98%	96%	58%	99	Build with it →
Radeon RX 7900 XT	98%	96%	47%	99	Build with it →
Radeon RX 9070	98%	93%	44%	99	Build with it →
GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super	98%	91%	42%	97	Build with it →
Radeon RX 6950 XT	98%	87%	38%	96	Build with it →
Radeon RX 9070 GRE	98%	87%	36%	96	Build with it →
GeForce RTX 4070 Ti	98%	87%	36%	96	Build with it →
GeForce RTX 3090 Ti	98%	85%	36%	96	Build with it →
Radeon RX 7900 GRE	98%	85%	33%	96	Build with it →
Radeon RX 6900 XT	98%	84%	33%	96	Build with it →
GeForce RTX 5070	96%	84%	29%	96	Build with it →
GeForce RTX 4070 Super	96%	84%	29%	96	Build with it →
GeForce RTX 3090	96%	84%	29%	96	Build with it →
Radeon RX 6800 XT	96%	84%	29%	96	Build with it →
Radeon RX 7800 XT	96%	84%	29%	96	Build with it →
GeForce RTX 3080 Ti	96%	82%	27%	95	Build with it →
GeForce RTX 3080 12GB	96%	76%	25%	90	Build with it →
GeForce RTX 4070	96%	75%	24%	90	Build with it →
GeForce RTX 3080 10GB	96%	73%	22%	90	Build with it →
Radeon RX 6800	95%	73%	22%	90	Build with it →
GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB	93%	71%	22%	90	Build with it →
Radeon RX 7700 XT	91%	69%	22%	90	Build with it →
GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8GB	91%	64%	22%	90	Build with it →
Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB	89%	60%	22%	86	Build with it →
Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB	87%	51%	22%	84	Build with it →
GeForce RTX 5060	85%	47%	16%	81	Build with it →
GeForce RTX 3070 Ti	85%	47%	16%	81	Build with it →
Radeon RX 6750 XT	84%	44%	16%	78	Build with it →
GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16GB	84%	44%	16%	78	Build with it →
GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8GB	84%	44%	16%	78	Build with it →
GeForce RTX 3070	84%	42%	16%	78	Build with it →
Radeon RX 9060	84%	40%	16%	78	Build with it →
Radeon RX 6700 XT	84%	38%	15%	78	Build with it →
Arc B580	76%	36%	15%	78	Build with it →
Radeon RX 7600 XT	76%	33%	15%	78	Build with it →
GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	76%	33%	15%	78	Build with it →
Radeon RX 6700	73%	29%	15%	78	Build with it →
GeForce RTX 5050	73%	29%	15%	78	Build with it →
GeForce RTX 4060	73%	29%	15%	78	Build with it →
Radeon RX 7600	71%	29%	15%	78	Build with it →
Arc A770 16GB	64%	27%	15%	77	Build with it →
Arc B570	64%	27%	15%	77	Build with it →
Radeon RX 6650 XT	64%	27%	15%	76	Build with it →
Arc A770 8GB	62%	27%	13%	75	Build with it →
Radeon RX 6600 XT	51%	25%	13%	72	Build with it →
Arc A750	47%	22%	13%	70	Build with it →
GeForce RTX 3060 12GB	44%	22%	13%	68	Build with it →
Radeon RX 6600	38%	22%	11%	67	Build with it →
GeForce RTX 2060 12GB	36%	16%	11%	67	Build with it →
Arc A580	36%	16%	11%	67	Build with it →
GeForce RTX 3060 8GB	33%	16%	11%	66	Build with it →
Radeon RX 9050 8GB	33%	16%	11%	66	Build with it →
Radeon RX 5600 XT	31%	16%	11%	65	Build with it →
GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	25%	15%	5%	55	Build with it →
Radeon RX 9050 4GB	22%	15%	5%	54	Build with it →
GeForce RTX 3050 6GB	16%	11%	2%	44	Build with it →
Radeon RX 6500 XT	13%	5%	2%	35	Build with it →
Radeon RX 6400	11%	4%	0%	30	Build with it →
Arc A380	11%	4%	0%	30	Build with it →
GeForce GTX 1630	2%	0%	0%	18	Build with it →

Estimated FPS from our model (v0), based on the game's published requirements and relative GPU/CPU performance. Not measured. Real results vary with drivers, patches, and scenes. Values above 300 fps show as 300+.

Current cards: desktop GPUs released since 2020. Values above 300 fps are shown as 300+. How we estimate FPS. Check any other pairing in the bottleneck calculator.