I'm building my first full PC and want a graphics card mainly for 3D modeling, Blender, and game development with engines such as Unity or Unreal Engine. My budget is around $400 USD or less, although I'm buying in Egypt and local prices may differ. I've heard AMD can offer good value, while NVIDIA may have better software support. Is Intel Arc worth considering too, and how much VRAM should I aim for?
4 Answers
The RTX 4070 Ti Super is capable, but it usually costs well above a $400 budget, especially locally. At this price, look for a used NVIDIA RTX card or compare a newer 16GB AMD card if the price is reasonable. NVIDIA is generally the safer choice if you expect to use CUDA or GPU rendering in Blender.
Other possibilities include an RTX 5060 Ti or a 16GB Radeon RX 9060 XT. Compare local prices carefully, and don’t focus only on the VRAM number: drivers, rendering support, power supply requirements, and cooling matter too.
Intel’s Arc B580 is worth checking because its 12GB of VRAM and roughly $300 US price make it attractive for the money. It can work well for modeling and game development, but verify that the applications and render engines you plan to use support Intel GPUs properly. Regional pricing and availability may make an AMD or used NVIDIA card the better deal.
For Blender and game engines, prioritize VRAM and software compatibility rather than just clock speed. A used RTX 3080-class card can still perform well, but check its condition, power requirements, and warranty. More VRAM is especially helpful with detailed scenes and large textures.
I’ll check used prices in Egypt since the newer NVIDIA cards are probably outside my budget.