Best GPU under $400 2024 – our top graphics cards under 400

With prices high all around, you still can get a decent graphics card under $400

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If you’re looking for the best GPU under $400 then we have you covered with a range of possible options for you to look at. Our experienced deal team has tons of knowledge when it comes to the latest graphics card hardware, allowing us to confidently choose the market’s best options in this price range. As the pricing is ever increasing on hardware, you might have a strict budget to adhere to. So looking at the best GPU under $400 might be the best option for you.

At WePC, we make it a priority to keep our buying guides current with the latest products, ensuring you receive the most up-to-date recommendations. Below, we’ve picked out our top three choices for those who need a quick buy. For a deeper dive into the market, check out our individual reviews below covering all the products, along with the informational sections further down the page explaining the various features you need to look out for. Our top selection features the RTX 4060 Ti, RX 7600 XT, and RTX 3060 Ti.

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Best GPU under $400 in 2024

Right at the top of the selection is the RTX 4060 Ti, although a more controversial release from Nvidia it does bring all the latest features and benefits in a lower tier and price of graphics card. The Ada series GPUs bring frame generation innovation to the table allowing you to enjoy DLSS 3 and much more refined upscaling tech in it, a key to pushing your card’s performance even higher.

The GPU features the AD106-350 variant built with TSMCs 5nm process. Released in May of 2023, it provides one of two options in the 60 Ti family, since the 8GB variant is the one to have a launch price under $400, as 16GB would cost you $100 more. But it still brings a strong choice of the card as it holds up well with what might be a limited GDDR6 capacity. That is with a 128-bit bus and only has a 288GB/s bandwidth. But also features 4,352 CUDA cores, 34 RT Cores, along with a 160W TBP.

We put the card through its paces in our 4060 Ti testing where we found it to reach strong performance at 1080p of course, but still offering up a 1440p contender even for AAA games. Although lowering the settings a notch will give you a better framerate to enjoy in those titles. Plus it has the rendering performance and ray tracing prowess, Nvidia still holds a stronghold in graphics cards even if the value may not quite be there.

From AMD Radeon, the RX 7600 XT is our recommendation for a GPU under $400. It provides a good tier pick for those after a more entry-level card from Team Red and provides a strong value in what it has to offer compared to what Nvidia has to offer. Although it doesn’t quite reach the same level as the 4060 Ti it still has its own place in the lineup.

We put the card through its paces in our RX 7600 XT review and found it has a great strong performance in 1080p whilst also a light 1440p choice but not quite as effective as the 4060 Ti. It’s still a strong contender for any upgrades to desktops that gamers are looking for on a budget that has the support of drivers as well.

The graphics card comes with the Navi 33 XT processor on the RDNA 3 architecture. It does come with 16GB of GDDR6 VRAM that features a 128-bit bus along with a memory clock of 18 Gbps and totals a memory bandwidth of 288GB/s. You can expect a clock rate of 1,980MHz and a game clock of 2,470MHz, with a boost of up to 2,755MHz on its 2,048 stream processors. All with a 190W power rating.

At the top of the spot, is the ASUS ROG Strix RTX 3060 Ti, which is one of the most popular cards of the generation. Combining both performance and price it is a good choice for those that don’t need the highest resolutions like 4k but can settle for 1080p or some 1440p.

The card is made up of the GA104-200 GPU processor. With a build on Samsung’s 8nm process, it has a die size of 392mm². And with a transistor count of 17.8 billion has a density of 44.4M/mm². It fits 4,864 CUDA cores, 80 ROPs, 152 TMUs, 38 SMs, and 38 RT cores.

Along with that, it has 8GB of GDDR6 memory, Clocked at 14Gbps along with a 256-bit bus, which gives it a bandwidth of 448 GB/s. Giving it the potential to work at 1440p resolution. All of it is packed into a 240W TDP, as the custom card is overclocked to a faster rate. With a 1,890 MHz boost clock capability, it stands out from the rest of the offerings with a higher framerate.

The MSI RX 6750 XT combines a smaller size alongside a quality cooling system to result in an excellent overall GPU for under $400. Additionally, the AMD GPU also offers great build quality and styling – meaning this card should stand the test of time. The GPU is designed with a clean brushed backplate that offers additional reinforcement to the GPU makeup. It features an over two-slot heatsink and a large thermal mass for excellent temperature control. Two Torx 3.0 fans help to further reduce the temps when the GPU is at maximum load.

Despite this GPU not being overclocked, it still offers great performance when compared to some of the other GPUs in the sub-$ $400 category. It features a 2150 MHz base clock, 2495 MHz game clock, and 2600 MHz boost clock – with the potential for small overclocks if you want to push it further. Since it did launch with a higher price it has benefitted from time and goes for a lot lower these days.

As we found in our RX 6750 XT review the Navi 22 KXT GPU brings a strong framerate at 1080p and 1440p, but it can even get a 4K performance with the right settings changes. Especially as it came out as a more high-end pick out of the lot even if it might be on the older RDNA 2 choice of architecture.

From AMD’s side, you can get the refreshed option in RDNA 2, with the MSI RX 6650 XT Mech 2X OC. Although a bit less capable with what it can achieve over the Nvidia card, it is a powerful 1080p card mostly, that can benefit from the Radeon features such as upscaling to push it beyond what it can do.

The card features the Navi 23 KXT processor on it, made with TSMCs 7nm process size, it features 11.06 billion transistors on its 237mm² die. This gives it a density of 46.7M/mm² and in that, you will find 2,048 shading units, along with 128 TMUs, 64 ROPs, 32 compute units, and 32 RT cores.

This is also supported by 8GB of GDDR6 memory, which is clocked at 17.5 Gbps. With a 128-bit memory bus giving it 280.3 GB/s bandwidth the limited VRAM limits its resolution potential and so the card struggles at 1440p or higher. But it does have a higher clock, with a 2,447 MHz game, and a 2,669 MHz boost clock.

At this price point, you can also get the best Intel Arc GPU available, with the ARC A770 a great lower-end gaming card. Capable of pushing 2k graphics, although initially, the drivers were under scrutiny and were struggling, it has been improving over time.

The first generation of cards is based on the Alchemist’s architecture With the ACM-G10 GPU variant on it, made with TSMCs 6nm process, it has a die size of 406mm². Which fits in it 21.7 billion transistors, giving it a density of 53.4M/mm². Which fits in it 4,096 shading units, 256 TMUs, 128 ROPs, 512 Execution Units, 512 Tensor cores, and 32 RT cores.

It also comes with 16GB of GDDR6 memory. Clocked in at 16Gbps across a 256-bit bus, it gives a bandwidth of 512 GB/s. Which gives it the power for 1440p gaming. Especially with a TDP of 225W, it isn’t too power-hungry. The performance does hold up now though as Gamers Nexus reviews there is still a strong pick of them even if it might be a bit more hit-and-miss, it does come with a strong budget choice.

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How we test and choose the best GPU under $400

When it comes to picking out the best graphics cards, we have an extensive process. As explained fully in our how we test GPUs page, we want to make sure the card we recommend is what you expect from them.

For testing cards, we them through their paces. With benchmarks across the board, we can see how well the card performs under duress, seeing if it lives up to how well it should. This is especially helpful when custom cards are involved and we see if they are worth it. Checking the quality of the build and cooling to make sure they are effective. We also look at reviews to see if they hold up when we can’t be as hands-on as we like.

Best GPU under $400 buying guide

As you look to acquire a cheaper GPU there are a few things to consider. There are a variety of cards to choose from and so we see what you should look out for.

Resolution

When it comes to using your graphics cards, they’re going to have different power levels. As such you need to keep in mind what resolution your displays are so you can enjoy your display at its best. For a GPU under $400, you’re likely going to have to stick to the lower areas. Most will be capable of 1080p, but some might push 1440p too so that might be worth considering when looking around.

Architecture

When deciding on the lower-end cards then there can be a variety of generations you’re looking at. Unless you’re only looking at the latest generation then there are some things to be wary of. As there are plenty of cards to pick from with all the years of innovation, it’s best to consider something more modern. This is because that will offer great optimization and the best performance for what it offers.

It also gives you access to the most recent and useful features that are unlocked with those builds. Especially with any upscaling technology that can improve performance without having to pay more for it.

Upscaling

Now one advantage of some of the architectures is the other features they offer. The main three manufacturers all have their own version of some AI upscaling technology. These allow the card to render the game at a lower resolution and then upscale it with some post-processing to your display to make it look close to how it should. Using fewer resources you can get a better experience, although you do compromise on the quality of the game so it has some drawbacks to it.

As well, some of the offerings have to be implemented, DLSS, FSR, and XeSS all have to be added to the game and be supported by the cards from Nvidia, AMD, and Intel. Only AMD’s RSR is capable of running on anything. As this works on the driver level, it can apply to any application that runs below your native resolution.

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Is a 240Hz monitor a good choice for a GPU under $400?

Choosing the right gaming monitor for your GPU is hugely important when it comes to creating the perfect gaming setup. It’s even more important when you choose a GPU under $400 as you are limited to the performance it can produce.

Luckily, if you’re a gamer looking to play esports titles – such as CS:GO and LOL – you’ll be able to reach 240 frames per second when running at 1080p. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said when playing games in higher resolutions such as 1440p and 4K. If you’re looking to produce high frame rates, then why not check out our best GPU under $500 and best GPU under $600 guides, which feature some of the best budget graphics cards on the market for gamers?

Is a 400 dollar GPU good?

Even though it might still be a hard limit, there are some great graphics cards to be found for under $400. We have the RTX 4060 Ti 8GB that brings you to the Ada generation for cheap as you can get the great features inside of it. But you can also get older hardware for less, such as the RX 6750 XT which benefits from being surpassed and gets discounts over time. If you don’t need much more than 1440p and it achieves the performance you need, then a $400 GPU can be good.

What is the best GPU under $400?

For a range of best GPUs under $400, then we have the RTX 4060 Ti 8GB with an MSRP of $400. But there are also AMD also has the RX 7600 XT that brings a lower price but a solid performance as well. Otherwise, you may look towards the RTX 3060 Ti, RX 6750 XT, or even Intel Arc A770 as good contenders for picking the best GPU under $400 for your needs.

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Final Word

Although the choices might be limited, if you’re in the market for the best GPU under 400, there are still some good options out there. It does limit your capabilities but there are also enhancements to help that. And we can expect possible additions to the lineup with the Ada or RDNA 3 cards in time.