Introduction
PC gaming is still as popular as ever, even with the nightmare pricing during the crypto craze and the pandemic. Thankfully, we are seeing the prices come down to normal retail values. The $400 price tag is considered the sweet spot for a graphics card. It’s not going to run every title at 4K and 60 FPS, but it will get the job done at lower resolutions. Half a decade ago $400 would net you a pretty powerful card, often a model below flagship. These days, the $400 mark is reserved for a solid mid-range card that’ll be a beast at 1080p, with respectable 1440p performance.
If you are seeking a reliable graphics card that is capable of running the latest video games, your $400 will net you a pretty sweet deal. This price is great if you are building a rig for Esports titles like CS: GO, Valorant, DOTA, and even Tekken. These cards will perform well at 1080p, delivering high framerates for your favourite multiplayer titles. Pair them with a high refresh rate monitor and you’ll have a silky smooth experience.
Suggested Article: Best AMD GPUs to Buy in 2023
Our Recommendations
1. AMD Radeon RX 6750XT
👑 The best budget graphics card under $400.
Introduction
The AMD Radeon RX 6750XT is a 1440p beast, more so at its current price. Whilst the card originally launched at a higher price of $549, current price cuts leave it available for a little over $300. Yes, this graphics card isn’t the latest from AMD, but it’s still one of the best performers that gives plenty of bang for your buck. The 6750 XT has seen several price cuts to remain competitive which boosted it up on our list. AMD’s software devs have also optimised the drivers to improve performance overall, further cementing the AMD Radeon RX 6750XT as a budget to the mid-range king.
In our testing, we found the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT trading blows with the NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti, a card that is notably more expensive. Generally, the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT is around $50-80 cheaper than its NVIDIA counterpart. In terms of performance, the RX 6750 XT is great at 1440p gaming, providing plenty of frames. It can handle modern titles and provide at least 60 FPS across the board at 1440p. It’s also a powerhouse at 1080p offering high frame rates in Esports titles. If you have a high refresh rate monitor the RX 6750 XT is well suited to provide a competitive gaming experience.
Key Specs
| Key Specs | AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT |
|---|---|
| Base Clock (GHz) | 2.15 |
| Boost Clock (GHz) | 2.6 |
| Memory Size | 12 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 |
| AMD Architecture | RDNA 2 |
| AMD Super Resolution | Yes |
| AMD Radeon Software | Yes |
| PCI Express Gen 4 | Yes |
| Graphics Card Power (W) | 250 |
| Required/Recommended System Power (W) | 650 |
Things We Like
1440p champ: The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT is amazing for 1440p gaming, easily running most titles at a stable framerate. We’ve only seen frame drops on notoriously unoptimized PC ports at this resolution.
Triple fans: Most AMD Radeon RX 6750XT versions come with a triple fan cooler. This lets the card run at lower temperatures while gaming and minimising the chance of thermal throttling. Remember, you’ll still need to pair the card with a well-ventilated case.
Things We Don’t Like
Marginally better than the RX 6700: The performance of the XT variant doesn’t see a significant jump over the normal AMD Radeon RX 6700. It’s a performance gain of around 8%, while the price is approximately 15% higher.
FSR isn’t as good as DLSS: Like running your games at a higher resolution? FSR might help with that. However, this AMD technology is not as great as its NVIDIA counterpart, DLSS. FSR does the job but you could see some latency or degraded fidelity.
Summary
The AMD Radeon RX 6750XT is an excellent 1440p graphics card. With the price consistently going down, it’s a much better deal than it was at launch. The card hits the sweet spot between affordability and performance, especially if you are looking to play the latest video games.
Features: 4/5
Design: 3.8/5
Performance: 4.2/5
Value for Money: 4.3/5
Pros
- Great 1440p gaming performance
- 12 GB RAM is nice to have
- Can run slightly older titles at 4K
Cons
- Slightly better than RX 6700
- FSR leaves a lot to be desired
Where to Buy
Buy the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT on:
2. AMD Radeon RX 7600
👑 The best next-gen GPU under $400.
Introduction
The AMD Radeon RX 7600 is a newer offering from AMD and one that had somewhat of a mixed reception at launch. But, at a competitive price point, we believe it to be one of the better next-gen options within this budget. This card belongs to the newest line-up in AMD’s arsenal, and managed to impress us with its performance in our review. It becomes even more enticing when we compare it with what NVIDIA has on offer. It is this high pricing from NVIDIA that gives AMD another recommendation in our line-up, especially for those looking at next-gen features and the newest GPU architectures.
In terms of performance, the AMD Radeon RX 7600 is a wonder at 1080p gaming. It smashed any title we threw at it with ease. This GPU is also surprisingly capable of running games at the 1440p resolution. Throw in FSR and you are looking at stable frame rates even when jumping up to higher resolutions, such as 1440p. There are some disadvantages of the RX 7600, namely the lower VRAM capacity. The 8GB of total VRAM might work for now, but fast forward a year or two and it will begin to show it’s age. Even today, running demanding titles with all the bells and whistles at 1440p may prove challenging.
Key Specs
| Key Specs | AMD Radeon RX 7600 |
|---|---|
| Base Clock (GHz) | 1.72 |
| Boost Clock (GHz) | 2.65 |
| Memory Size | 8GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 |
| AMD Architecture | RDNA 3 |
| AMD Super Resolution | Yes |
| AMD Radeon Software | Yes |
| PCI Express Gen 4 | Yes |
| Graphics Card Power (W) | 165 |
| Required/Recommended System Power (W) | 550 |
Things We Like
Solid 1440p performance: The Radeon RX 7600 is capable of running modern games at a resolution of 1440p with ease. You may need to turn down some of the VRAM heavy settings, but generally, it will provide a solid experience. Step down to 1080p and you have a proper beast on your hands.
Modern features: The graphics card is from the latest Radeon 7000 line-up, offering a strong set of next-gen features. If you’re looking for a modern option, the Radeon RX 7600 won’t disappoint.
Things We Don’t Like
Low 8GB VRAM: New, and modern titles require more than 8GB of VRAM to run smoothly at high visual fidelity settings. While sufficient for now, 8GB VRAM is only going to limit the performance down the road.
Compromised quality at 1440p: The card can run most games at 1440p but it would be unrealistic to expect high framerates at this resolution. Expect to select lower-quality graphical settings to have a stable 60 FPS experience.
Summary
The AMD Radeon RX 7600 is a great option for 1080p gaming allowing you to crank most graphical settings to the max. It is also good at 1440p games albeit at lower frame rates. The 8GB of VRAM hampers its potential, but for current games, especially Esports titles, it’s more than enough.
Features: 4.5/5
Design: 4.2/5
Performance: 4.4/5
Value for Money: 4.5/5
Pros
- Awesome performance at 1080p games.
- Great for Esports titles.
- Has all the modern features.
Cons
- 8GB VRAM is on the lower side.
- Lower frames at 1440p resolution.
Where to Buy
Buy the AMD Radeon RX 7600 on:
3. Intel ARC A750
👑 The best wildcard graphics card under $400.
Introduction
The Intel ARC A770 had a lot riding on its sleek-looking design, especially after the disappointing launch of its younger sibling, the A380. Thankfully, the ARC A770 had a better time gaining traction. Intel promised plenty of updates and they delivered them with surprising frequency. Most updates also brought better performance and changed how the card ran older games. We’ve seen better performance on older DX9 titles with the latest update. It still has some teething issues but Intel has been pretty consistent with the updates so far.
Speaking of performance, the Intel ARC A770 gives direct competition to NVIDIA RTX 3060 and AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT. In most games, the Intel flagship beats out those cards, especially at a 1080p resolution. It almost catches up to RTX 3060Ti in many titles, even with all bells and whistles enabled. The card is great for 1080p gaming, but can also deliver solid 1440p performance, but at a noticeably lower framerate. Apart from gaming features, the Intel ARC A770 is also the only card offering AV1 and VP9 hardware accelerated video encoding. So if you are interested in productivity without spending more than $350, it’s the best card on the market.
Key Specs
| Key Specs | Intel ARC A770 |
|---|---|
| Base Clock (GHz) | 2.1 |
| Boost Clock (GHz) | 2.4 |
| Memory Size | 16GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 |
| Intel Architecture | Xe HPG |
| Ray Tracing | Yes |
| Variable Rate Shading | Yes |
| PCI Express Gen 4 | Yes |
| Graphics Card Power (W) | 225 |
| Required/Recommended System Power (W) | 550 |
Things We Like
16GB VRAM is plenty: The 16GB variant of Intel Arc A770 is well below the $400 mark. Extra VRAM will help run games at a higher resolution and stable frame rate, making it perfect for more modern titles.
Great video encoding capabilities: The GPU is great at video encoding, tackling H.264, H.265 HEVC, AV1, and VP9 encoding/decoding. The Intel Arc A770 doubles as a productivity tool available at a competitive price.
Things We Don’t Like
Driver issues: While Intel is delivering great driver updates, there’s still work to be done. Things will improve over time as Intel streamlines its driver development, but as of now, they are a little behind the competition.
Uses more power: If you are power conscious, the Intel Arc A770 uses more power than its direct competitors. It consumes 60-80 W more than other GPUs in the same category.
Summary
The Intel ARC A770 is a concrete mid-range option for gamers looking wanting stable 1080p gaming performance. While the drivers have some issues, the overall experience is positive. Combine that with the great video encoding features and you have a pretty nice package. 16GB of VRAM, a sophisticated design, and a good price-to-performance ratio make it a compelling option.
Features: 3.5/5
Design: 4/5
Performance: 3.6/5
Value for Money: 3.9/5
Pros
- Great value for money.
- 16GB of VRAM is good to have.
- Superb video encoding hardware.
Cons
- Drivers have a few kinks to iron out.
- Consumes more power than equivalent cards.
Where to Buy
Buy the Intel ARC A770 on:
4. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060
👑 The best GPU for Ray-Tracing under $400.
Introduction
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is the card that should have been a good budget offering from Team Green. Unfortunately, it’s outperformed by the competition in both performance and price. If you are a staunch NVIDIA support, the RTX 4060 is the only option under $400. The biggest advantage of this graphics card is the inclusion of DLSS 3.0, a feature that works well even on arguably low-powered hardware. There’s a decent upgrade over the 1000 and 2000 series of GPUs but doesn’t offer much when upgrading from the RTX 3000 line of GPUs.
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is priced closer to the $300 mark though, and can be bought easily as there are no stocking issues. This card also has excellent power efficiency, and doesn’t run particularly hot. Combine that with DLSS 3.0 with Frame Generation, and you might have a good reason to upgrade. The smaller size and low power draw make the RTX 4060 an ideal GPU for compact builds that don’t require extraordinary cooling. The 1080p performance is good, but don’t expect the card to run modern games at 1440p, at least at stable frame rates.
Key Specs
| Key Specs | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 |
|---|---|
| Base Clock (GHz) | 1.83 |
| Boost Clock (GHz) | 2.53 |
| Memory Size | 8GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 |
| NVIDIA Architecture | Lovelace |
| NVIDIA DLSS | Yes |
| NVIDIA Frame Gen | Yes |
| NVIDIA Reflex | Yes |
| PCI Express Gen 4 | Yes |
| Graphics Card Power (W) | 115 |
| Required/Recommended System Power (W) | 550 |
Things We Like
DLSS 3.0: Having access to the latest version of NVIDIA’s stellar DLSS is a huge positive. Getting an instant frame rate boost on modern games is always great. DLSS 3.0 uses AI to upscale the image in real time, and as a result, your GPU doesn’t have to work as hard to produce higher frames.
Low power requirement: The performance per watt is phenomenal on this GPU. The lower power consumption of 115W during gaming and just 7W while idling makes it a perfect choice for air-cooled compact gaming PCs.
Things We Don’t Like
Performs like an RTX XX50 card: The overall performance is what we would expect from an RTX 4050. It’s a little disappointing to see NVIDIA charge a 4060-level price for a card that has lower performance.
8GB VRAM: While 8GB of VRAM is good enough for now, running future titles even at 1080p could prove challenging for the RTX 4060, making it a touch decision for consumers looking to play modern triple A games.
Summary
NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 4060 is a great option for those looking to play current-generation games at 1080p, with some wiggle room for 1440p. This card is cheaper, but its biggest downfall is the inherent lack of hardware to be able to cope with modern titles that may require better performance later down the line.
Features: 3/5
Design: 3.5/5
Performance: 2.5/5
Value for Money: 2/5
Pros
- DLSS with frame generation.
- Good performance per watt.
- Low power consumption.
Cons
- Out-performed easily by the competition.
- Just 8GB of VRAM.
Where to Buy
Buy the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 on:
Features to Look for in a GPU
When purchasing a GPU there are a number of features that you should always consider before purchasing.
VRAM – The more the better. Anything less than 8GB is a no-go in our books.
Enough power for your preferred resolution – You can’t run modern video games at a 4K resolution without a significantly powerful GPU. Consider getting a graphics card with enough horsepower to have a stable gaming experience.
Power for preferred refresh rate – Similarly, running games at a higher refresh rate also needs more juice in the GPU’s tank. If competitive frame rates are a must, you’ll need a beefy card to run games at triple-digit frames.
Variable Refresh Rate: Modern GPUs come with VRR technology that syncs the frame rate to the refresh rate of your compatible monitor or display. AMD has FreeSync while NVIDIA has G-Sync. You’ll need a display with support for the right tech to reap the benefits, though!
DLSS or FSR: NVIDIA uses DLSS and AMD has FSR. Both are AI image upscaling technologies that let you run games at a higher resolution without hurting the frame rate.
AMD vs Intel vs NVIDIA
This is a tough choice, as all three have their advantages and disadvantages. However, for the sub $400 price mark, AMD is the clear winner. They have some well-performing GPUs at this price point that easily beat out the competition.
In the context of this specific article, consumers purchasing an AMD card will receive a better overall experience in games. These cards are strong performers and come in at a more than reasonable price point considering the performance metrics. Intel ARC users get more benefits on the productivity side. The new ARC cards are very capable in terms of video encoding, allowing users to render out content at a higher quality in comparison to what you would get with other graphics cards.
And finally, with NVIDIA , Team Green holds the cards when it comes to the pillar gaming technologies – upscaling and Ray-Tracing. DLSS 3.0 has come along a significant way, allowing consumers to enjoy higher resolutions without the caveat of performance loss. And in terms of Ray-Tracing, NVIDIA’s GPUs generally will perform better when Ray-Tracing is enabled, furthering the minimal loss of performance when this intensive setting is turned on.
Why You Can Trust Us
Whenever a new component, or product arrives in the GeekaWhat office, our team of PC hardware experts won’t hesitate to test and evaluate it straight away. After putting it through the wringer with a number of gaming and productivity benchmarks, the results that we get afterwards are used to devise an extensive overview that we can then use to compare to the rest of the market when it comes to quality, performance, and value for money. If you’re interested in learning more about our editorial team and promise, head to the About Us section on our website.
How We Tested the Best Graphics Cards Under $400
In order to test and evaluate the best GPUs under $400, there are a number of factors that we take into account, these are:
- Performance
- GPU Length
- Thermals
- Aesthetic
- Value for Money
Conclusion
Best GPU Under $400: AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT
Concluding this roundup, we’ve selected the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT for its great price-to-performance ratio. It’s a little older, but will serve you well for at least a couple of years. The high VRAM coupled with generally good performance, results in a stable 1440p experience. If you are in the market for a mid-range GPU and don’t want to break the bank, the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT is a good option to consider.
Read our full read our AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT coverage, or Buy the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT on Amazon
Frequently Asked Questions
Is $400 Enough to Spend on a Graphics Card?
Unless you want to game at 4K resolution, or need Ray Tracing enabled, $400 is more than enough for a good-quality GPU. The $400 will go a long way if you game at 1080p or even 1440p.
What GPU is Best for 1440p Gaming on a Budget?
The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT will run most titles at 1440p with ease. Some highly demanding games may require you to drop a couple of graphical settings, but overall if a game is well optimised, the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT can handle it.
How Much VRAM Do I Need in 2023?
More is better, as a general rule of thumb. 12GB or 16GB are ideal for gaming at 1440p and beyond, while 8GB is sufficient for 1080p gaming but provides little futureproofing.
Should you Overclock your GPU?
Generally speaking, only overclock your GPU when it’s at the end of its life. Overclocking these days only nets around a 5-10% increase in performance, which may not be worth the hassle. When your GPU struggles to run titles even at bare minimum, perhaps overclocking it might help.
