Best GPU for i7 8700 (2026)

What the i7-8700 can still do

The Core i7-8700 is a 6-core / 12-thread Coffee Lake chip from 2017. On a decent B360/Z370 board with 16GB DDR4, it still holds 60-120 fps in most modern games if you pair it sensibly. It boosts to 4.3 GHz all-core, but it lives on PCIe 3.0, it usually lacks Resizable BAR support, and its single-thread speed is about 25-30% behind a modern i5-12400F or Ryzen 5 5600.

That sets a clear ceiling. At 1080p, the 8700 will bottleneck anything faster than about an RTX 3060 Ti / RX 6700 in CPU-heavy games like Warzone, Battlefield 2042, Starfield cities, and MS Flight Simulator. At 1440p, the GPU does more of the work, so you can go a little higher without waste. There is no point buying an RTX 4070 or RX 7800 XT for this CPU unless you plan to carry the card over to a full platform upgrade next year.

The sweet spot in 2026 is 1080p ultra to 1440p medium-high at 60-100 fps, with 8GB VRAM minimum and 12GB preferred. The used market also makes sense here, because the 8700 itself is now a $70-90 used CPU. Spending $500+ on a new GPU to match it rarely pencils out.

What to avoid with this CPU

First, do not buy a 6GB or 4GB card new in 2026. A GTX 1650, RX 6400, or RTX 3050 6GB will technically work, but you will hit VRAM stutter in Hogwarts Legacy, Diablo IV, and even Call of Duty with high textures. Windows plus Discord plus a modern game already pushes past 6GB at 1080p.

Second, be careful with PCIe 3.0 x8 cards. The RX 6500 XT, RX 6400, and to a lesser degree the RTX 4060 and RX 7600, use only 8 PCIe lanes. On your Z370/B360 board they run at PCIe 3.0 x8, not 4.0 x8. In testing that costs 3-8% on an RTX 4060/RX 7600, and 15-25% on a 6500 XT because that card also has only 4GB VRAM and no hardware encoding. If your board only has PCIe 3.0, favor cards with a full x16 interface like the RTX 3060 12GB.

Third, check power. Most prebuilt Dell/HP/Lenovo systems that shipped with an i7-8700 have a 300-400W PSU with no 8-pin PCIe cable. A 120W GTX 1660 Super might run on a SATA adapter, but an RTX 3060 Ti or RX 6700 that wants 200W and a proper 8-pin will shut that system down or melt adapters. If you cannot upgrade the PSU, stay under 130W.

Best picks for the i7-8700

1. Best all-round balance: RTX 3060 12GB

This is still the safest match for an 8700. The 12GB VRAM buffer means you do not have to fight texture settings, the x16 bus means no PCIe 3.0 penalty, and DLSS gives you a path to 1440p. Expect 75-100 fps at 1080p ultra in most AAA games, 60-75 fps at 1440p with DLSS Quality. Power draw is 170W, so you need a real 500W+ PSU and a single 8-pin.

Failure mode: it is slower in raw raster than an RX 6600 XT or 6700, and used mining models are common. If you buy used, avoid cards with replaced fans, missing backplate screws, or a BIOS that shows 0 RPM at idle in GPU-Z. New, check current pricing on an RTX 3060 12GB before you pay a premium — if it costs more than $300, get an RTX 4060 instead.

Who it suits: owners with a Z370 board, 16GB RAM, and a 550W PSU who want to keep this PC for 2-3 more years without tweaking.

2. Best budget buy: RX 6600 / RX 6600 XT 8GB

If you play at 1080p 60-75Hz, the cheaper option is fine. The RX 6600 uses only 132W, runs cool in dual-fan models, and beats the RTX 3050 in most games without ray tracing. The XT version is about 12-15% faster and worth $20-30 more, but not $80 more.

Trade-off: 8GB VRAM is now the minimum, FSR 2/3 is not as clean as DLSS, and ray tracing is essentially unusable. On PCIe 3.0 you lose 2-4%, negligible. Drivers are solid now, but you still want to do a clean install with DDU if you are coming from NVIDIA.

You will often find the best used value by searching for a Radeon RX 6600 from a gaming rig rather than a mining farm. Who it suits: 1080p esports and single-player gamers, and weak-PSU prebuilts that can handle one 8-pin.

3. Best new efficiency pick: RTX 4060 8GB

The RTX 4060 is about 15-20% faster than the 3060 at 1080p, uses only 115W, and adds DLSS 3 Frame Generation. For an 8700 system with a 450W PSU, that low power draw matters. It runs quiet and most models need only one 8-pin.

The catch is the PCIe 4.0 x8 interface and 8GB VRAM on a 128-bit bus. On your PCIe 3.0 board you lose a few percent, and at 1440p ultra textures you can hit VRAM limits a year sooner than with a 12GB 3060. Do not buy it for 1440p ultra future-proofing. Buy it for cool, quiet 1080p ultra at high refresh where the 8700 is the limit anyway.

Who it suits: someone who wants new with warranty, low heat in a small case, and plays competitive games like Valorant, Apex, and Fortnite where Frame Generation and low latency help.

4. Best for 1440p if you will upgrade the CPU later: RX 6700 / 6700 XT 12GB

This is the ceiling I would put on an 8700. The 12GB RX 6700 and 12GB 6700 XT handle 1440p high at 70-90 fps and do not suffer on PCIe 3.0 because they use x16. In our experience, the 8700 will hold them back by 10-20% at 1080p in CPU-bound scenes — you will see 100% CPU and 75% GPU in Warzone Rebirth — but at 1440p they stay well utilized.

Failure modes: 185-230W power draw, some XFX/Sapphire models are 2.5 slots thick and will not fit in Dell OptiPlex-style cases, and used models may have dried thermal pads causing 100C+ hotspot temps. Check hotspot, not just edge temp, in HWiNFO. If you only have a 400W OEM PSU, skip this tier.

Browse listings for a RX 6700 XT 12GB only if your PSU is 550W or better and you plan to move to a newer CPU within a year. Otherwise the 3060 12GB is the smarter stop.

Quick comparison

*Averages from AAA mix (Cyberpunk, RDR2, Horizon Forbidden West, Warzone) without ray tracing. Your i7-8700 will cap esports titles at 150-240 fps regardless of card.

PSU, RAM, and BIOS checklist

Do this before you order. Open the side panel and read the PSU label. If it says 500W or more with a native 6+2-pin PCIe cable, you can run any pick above. If it has no PCIe cable, limit yourself to a GTX 1650 GDDR6 or RX 6400 — both are compromises — or budget $60-80 for a quality 550W unit plus adapter for your OEM motherboard.

RAM matters almost as much as the GPU here. The 8700 with single-channel 8GB DDR4 will stutter even with a good card. You want 2x8GB DDR4-2666 or faster in dual channel. It is a $25 used upgrade that often adds more 1% lows than jumping from a 6600 to a 3060.

Finally, update your motherboard BIOS and enable Above 4G Decoding if present, set Windows power to High Performance, and use DDU when switching between AMD and NVIDIA. If you buy Intel Arc A580/A750 as a wildcard, you must have Resizable BAR — most 8700 boards do not — so expect 10-20% lower performance and occasional stutter. For this platform, a used GTX 1660 Super for under $110 is still a sane stopgap, but do not pay $150+ when an RX 6600 is faster and supports newer features.

FAQ

Will an RTX 4060 bottleneck on an i7-8700?

Yes, in CPU-heavy 1080p games. Expect 10-15% lower max fps than with a modern CPU in Warzone, Fortnite late-game, and simulators. At 1440p or with capped 75-144Hz monitors, you rarely notice it because the GPU is the limit.

Is 8GB VRAM enough for this system?

For 1080p, yes for now if you avoid ultra textures + ray tracing together. For 1440p or keeping the card 3+ years, 12GB like on the RTX 3060 12GB or RX 6700 is noticeably more comfortable and avoids texture pop-in and stutter.

Can I run these cards on PCIe 3.0?

Yes. All modern cards are backward compatible. Only x8 cards lose a little speed — 3-5% for RTX 4060/RX 7600, much more for RX 6500 XT/RX 6400, which is why we do not recommend those two for an 8700 board.

Should I buy used?

Often yes for this CPU. A used RX 6600 XT, RTX 2070 Super, or RTX 3060 12GB at $130-190 is a better match than a new $330 card. Ask for gaming use proof, test FurMark + a game, and check hotspot temps under 95C and no artifacting.