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, wasting the money that could have been put on more storage, system memory, or a motherboard with extra features.

With 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 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 AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT reference card (Image via AMD)

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.

Pros

The RX 6650 XT is powerful enough to handle all of the latest AAA games.
It is quite affordable at just $279.

Cons

The graphics card doesn't have the best ray tracing performance.
FSR 3 loses to Nvidia's DLSS 3 in terms of FPS gains and picture quality.

4) Nvidia Geforce RTX 4060 Ti ($389)

The Geforce RTX 4060 Ti is Nvidia's premium 1080p gaming card. Although it is marginally faster than the last-gen 3060 Ti, support for better ray tracing, DLSS with frame generation, and improved efficiency makes it a recommendation. The GPU is available in two variants: the $399 8 GB option and the $499 16 GB card. You can choose based on your budget.

	RTX 4060 Ti
GPU name	AD106
Memory	8 GB GDDR6 128-bit
Base clock	2,310 MHz
Boost clock	2,535 MHz

The GPU makes up for an all-rounder system with the Core i5 12400, with near-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.

Pros

The RTX 4060 Ti is a superb performer at 1080p and 1440p.
You get support for DLSS 3 with frame generation with it.

Cons

The graphics card isn't particularly value-for-money at $400.

3) AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT ($549)

The Intel Core i5 12400 and 12400F chips bring solid single-core performance to the table. This makes it a solid contender for some higher-tier GPUs that target 1440p and 4K gaming. A notable recommendation can be the AMD Radeon RX 7800 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 few years.

	RX 7800 XT
GPU Name	Navi 32
Shading unit count	3,840
Memory	16 GB GDDR6 256-bit
Base clock	1,295 MHz
Boost clock	2,124 MHz

The graphics card is selling for just $499 on Newegg, making it as expensive as an RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB, a much slower Nvidia card. Thus, gamers who want to build a gaming rig for about $1,000 should consider this GPU.

Pros

The RX 7800 XT is a capable video card for 1440p and 4K gaming.
The graphics card bundles 16 GB of VRAM which will last you for the foreseeable future.

Cons

Ray tracing performance of the 7800 XT, particularly at higher resolutions, isn't as good as Nvidia.

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.

Pros

The RTX 4070 is very capable at 1440p and 4K resolutions.
The graphics card bundles 12 GB of VRAM.

Cons

The GPU can be quite expensive at $600. Cheaper GPUs like the RX 7800 XT can beat it at this price.

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 beefy B660 motherboard for the Core i5 12400 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.

Pros

The RTX 4080 is stupidly powerful at 4K resolutions.
You get 16 GB of VRAM with the card.
The GPU bundles support for DLSS 3.

Cons

At $1,200, the 4080 can be prohibitively expensive.

The Core i5 12400 and 12400F can be paired with any of the graphics cards above. It forms a well-balanced system with any of them. Although some cards like the 4080 push their limits, they leave some room for future upgrades.