5 best GPUs to pair with Intel Core i5 12400 and i5 12400F
The Intel Core i5 12400 and the Core i5 12400F are among the most popular Team Blue processors out there. The budget i5 processors have a ton of pros. They pack superior single-core performance, are especially easy to cool, and can handle most creative workloads like 3D modeling and multitasking alongside gaming. Moreover, the chips have been massively discounted following the Raptor Lake launch, making them even more lucrative.
Choosing the best graphics card for the Core i5 12400 can be quite difficult. There are hundreds of options in the market. Many of them might bottleneck the system, which will simply waste the money that could rather have been put on more storage, system memory, or a motherboard with extra features.
Keeping these conditions in mind, we have compiled a list of the best GPUs for the budget six-core Alder Lake CPUs from Team Blue. We have included something from everyone, starting from cash-strapped budget gamers to builders who are ready to dump thousands of dollars on their setup.
The Intel Core i5 12400 is powerful enough for most graphics cards
5) AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT ($279)
The Radeon RX 6650 XT climbed to the top of our recommendation charts for budget gamers thanks to its insane value for money. It is faster than the RTX 3060 from Nvidia while costing way less than the Geforce GPU. AMD built the card as a direct competitor to the RTX 3060 Ti, which is a $410 video card.
When paired with the Core i5 12400 or the 12400F, gamers can get solid performance at 1080p and 1440p resolutions. The card can also handle a few well-optimized games like Forza Horizon 5 at up to 4K without running into performance hiccups.
| RX 6650 XT | |
| GPU Name | Navi 23 |
| Memory | 8 GB GDDR6 128-bit |
| Base clock | 2,055 MHz |
| Base clock | 2,635 MHz |
The RX 6650 XT starts from $279 on Newegg, which makes it cheaper than the way less powerful RTX 3050. Thus, it is our top recommendation for budget gamers.
4) Nvidia Geforce RTX 3060 Ti ($389)
The Geforce RTX 3060 Ti is Nvidia's premium 1080p gaming card. It was launched in late 2020 as an RTX 2080 Super killer. Nvidia is yet to launch an Ada Lovelace-based 60-class GPU. Thus, the 3060 Ti continues to be our top recommendation for gamers who want performance on a budget.
| RTX 3060 Ti | |
| GPU name | GA104 |
| Memory | 8 GB GDDR6 256-bit |
| Base clock | 1,410 MHz |
| Boost clock | 1,665 MHz |
The GPU makes up for an all-rounder system with the Core i5 12400, with zero bottlenecks that might stop the processor from reaching its full potential. Currently, this 60-class GPU sells for about $389 on Newegg, with high-end triple-fan variants going up to $439.
3) AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT ($499)
The Intel Core i5 12400 and 12400F chips bring solid single-core performance to the table. This makes it a solid contender for some high-end GPUs from the last gen. At the top of this list is the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, which is not the fastest but among the best value-for-money GPUs currently available.
The card can handle almost every video game at 1440p and 4K without performance hiccups. AMD has bundled 16 GB of VRAM with the GPU. It packs enough graphics horsepower to last gamers for the upcoming two years.
| RX 6800 XT | |
| GPU Name | Navi 23 |
| Shading unit count | 4608 |
| Memory | 16 GB GDDR6 256-bit |
| Base clock | 1,825 MHz |
| Boost clock | 2,250 MHz |
The graphics card is currently selling for just $499 on Newegg, which makes it as expensive as an RTX 3070, a much slower Nvidia card. Thus, gamers who want to build a gaming rig for about $1,000 should consider this GPU.
2) Nvidia Geforce RTX 4070 ($599)
The Geforce RTX 4070 was launched as a mid-range alternative to the costly RTX 4080 and 4090 cards. It brings improved technologies — faster CUDA and RT cores, DLSS frame generation, and a power-efficient design to a budget-focused audience.
The 4070 is faster than almost any $600 card available in the market. It beats the RTX 3080 10 GB and goes neck to neck with it in video games while consuming less power and costing less.
| Nvidia Geforce RTX 4070 | |
| GPU Name | AD104 |
| Shading unit count | 5,888 |
| Memory | 12 GB GDDR6X 192-bit |
| Base clock | 1,920 MHz |
| Boost clock | 2,475 MHz |
The Intel Core i5 12400 won't bottleneck this 40-series GPU from Team Green. The graphics card was launched for $599. Multiple models are available for the launch MSRP, ranking it among the best sub-$1,000 cards in the market.
1) Nvidia Geforce RTX 4080 ($1,199)
The RTX 4080 is among the fastest cards money can buy. It is crazy expensive and can handle all games at the highest settings at 4K without framerate drops. The GPU knocks the last-gen RTX 3090 Ti out of the question thanks to the improved Ada Lovelace architecture.
| Nvidia RTX 4080 | |
| GPU name | GA104 |
| CUDA core count | 9,728 |
| Base clock | 2,205 MHz |
| Boost clock | 2,505 MHz |
| VRAM | 16 GB GDDR6X |
Currently, the RTX 4080 starts from its launch MSRP of $1,199. Some high-end models can go above $1,300. It is worth noting that the card can be a bit too much for the Core i5 12400, and gamers might be leaving some performance on the table.
As such, we recommend you get at least a B660 motherboard if you have plans to install some of the best cards on the market. This will allow you to upgrade to a higher-end Core i5 13600K or the 12700 sometime down the line.
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