Best Graphics Card Under $100 (2023) | Top 10 Budget GPUs
In the current technological climate, as prices fall and spec standards rise, having a powerful graphics card is an integral part of working as a digital creative. This can be especially hard to find if you’re on a tight budget. Luckily, we’re here to help you find the best graphics card under $100 to suit your work demands.
In this article, we’re going to look at this year’s best graphics cards for under 100 dollars. We’ve reviewed different cards from different manufacturers, with varying specs and abilities, in order to best showcase what GPUs under $100 have to offer. Let’s boot up and get those fans spinning!
Tip: For best performance, we recommend coupling these GPUs with some of the best RAM for gaming.
[Table of Contents]TLDR
The Best Budget Graphics Card
The best budget graphics card under 100 dollars is the ASUS GeForce GT 730 2GB for its overall performance compared to other graphics cards. It provides incredible value for money and supports 4K resolution for an optimal gaming experience.
Other contenders for this title include:
The Best GPU Under 100 Dollars for Animation
The VisionTek Radeon 5450 2GB is our top pick for the best GPU under $100 for animation. While a $100 graphics card won’t superbly enhance your animation rig, this baby beast can help while you save up for a better card.
If you have a less powerful or outdated video card, upgrading to this little guy will boost performance. Provided, of course, you have the necessary 8–16GB RAM, a decent processor, and an SSD.
Other notable graphics cards include:
- ZOTAC GeForce GT 730 Zone Edition
- Asus NVIDIA GeForce GT 710
- KAER GeForce GT 730
- Diamond AMD Radeon HD 5450
The Best Graphics Card Under 100 Dollars for A Gaming PC
The Gigabyte GeForce GT 730 is our favorite gaming graphics card under 100 dollars. This is our top choice as it comes with some great features designed for gaming.
These include a full 4K/ 60Hz Quad HD Resolution, one-click overclocking, as well as low power consumption. They’re also quite customizable through Gigabyte’s advanced software.
Some other notable GPUs include:
The Best GPU Under 100 Dollars to run in CrossFire/ SLI
Diamond’s AMD Radeon HD 5450 is your best bet if you’re looking for a graphics card under $100 that you can easily run in CrossFire/ SLI.
This AMD model supports Crossfire and allows you to run two graphics cards linked as one enhanced GPU. Later, we discuss its pros and cons in more detail.
Best Graphics Cards Under $100 Comparison Table
This table compares the best $100 graphics cards. Read on for more in-depth reviews and a buyers guide to help you decide.
| Name | Best For | Image | Budget | Overall | Check Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASUS GeForce GT 730 2GB | Gaming |  |
$$ | 9/10 | Click to Buy |
| MSI GeForce GT 730 | Gaming | 
|
$ | 8.2/10 | Click to Buy |
| GeForce GT 730 4GB | Animation | 
|
$$ | 8.2/10 | Click to Buy |
| ZOTAC GeForce GT 730 | Animation |  |
$$$ | 8.6/10 | Click to Buy |
| Asus GeForce GT 710 1GB | Animation | 
|
$$$ | 9/10 | Click to Buy |
| VisionTek Radeon 5450 2GB | Animation | 
|
$ | 8.6/10 | Click to Buy |
| Diamond Multimedia AMD Radeon | Animation | 
|
$ | 8.6/10 | Click to Buy |
| EVGA GeForce GT 730 2GB | Gaming | 
|
$ | 8.8/10 | Click to Buy |
| GIGABYTE GeForce GT 730 2GB | Gaming | 
|
$ | 8.8/10 | Click to Buy |
| MAXSUN GEFORCE GT 710 2GB | Gaming | 
|
$ | 8.4/10 | Click to Buy |
Graphics Cards Under $100 Reviews
We tested our favorite 10 graphics cards under $100. Each contains a pros and cons table and important features, making it easy for you to evaluate them quickly.
ASUS GeForce GT 730 2GB Review
- Chipset brand: NVIDIA
- Graphics coprocessor: NVIDIA GeForce GT 730
- RAM: 2048MB GDDR5
- resolution: 3840 x 2160
- Memory clock speed: 902 MHz
ASUS’ GeForce GT 730 2GB is an affordable mid-range graphics card. It’s an economical daily driver that supports a 3840 x 2160 display, which is quite a feat for such an affordable card. A few years ago, it would’ve cost you four times as much.
We really liked its sleek, compact design and think it’s great for stealth constructions or a homemade Steam Machine. We found its GPU Tweak II easy for beginners and advanced for seasoned overclockers, reaching 927 MHz.
With 2GB DDR5 RAM, a 64-bit interface, and a 902 MHz clock speed, we found it perfect for design work, basic animation, and playing games at a decent quality level during our testing.
Sure, you won’t hit 60fps with the latest games on high settings. But you can still boost your rig with enough RAM, an SSD, and a good CPU. It’s a straightforward, sturdy, well-rounded card that won’t disappoint you.
This makes it a contender for the best 2GB graphics card.
MSI Gaming GeForce GT 730 2GB Review
- Chipset brand: NVIDIA
- Graphics coprocessor: NVIDIA GeForce GT 730
- RAM: 2048MB DDR3 SDRAM
- Max resolution: 2560 x 1600
- Memory clock speed: 700 MHz
MSI’s Gaming GeForce GT 730 2GB is a steal. It’s a powerhouse for such a small card, and cheaper than other 3D vision-ready cards.
The GT 730’s modest size masks its good features. Because of this, it’s our favorite GPU under $100 for gaming.
We could easily use the Afterburner Overclocking utility. It has 1440p resolution, 2GB DDR3 RAM, and a whole host of possibilities in terms of tweaking and optimization. Plus, it also supports DirectX 12.
This is a low-power card (running more than efficiently on a 300-350W power supply). We appreciated its low-profile design as it saved us space within any casing.
It’s a great purchase if you’re looking to buy your first graphics card to have a better experience clicking heads. However, we found it expectedly unsuitable for demanding, high-end games. It’s better suited for older games.
KAER GeForce GT 730 4GB Review
- Chipset brand: NVIDIA
- Graphics coprocessor: NVIDIA GeForce GT 730
- RAM: 4GB DDR3 SDRAM
- Max resolution: 2048 X 1536
- Memory clock speed: 700 MHz
KAER’s GeForce GT 730 is one of our top budget GPUs under $100 for animation since it maximizes its 4GB RAM and has a good CPU.
We liked its aluminum heat heatsink-dominated design. Plus, it comes with a high-rotation, silent cooling fan, so you may not need to get additional cooling for this baby beast.
The GT 730 4GB’s strong features make up for its older RAM compared to newer cards. It supports full 2K HD resolution, is double-display capable, has stable-power consumption, and has a minimal profile (you can easily run it on a 300W power supply).
We found this 4GB card’s memory and CPU slower than a 2GB GDDR5 card, for example. So, we must add that its performance is becoming dated.
If you don’t have a graphics card or are utilizing one with lesser performance and handling, it’s a no-brainer to upgrade to this little fighter.
ZOTAC GeForce GT 730 Zone Edition Review
- Chipset brand: NVIDIA
- Graphics coprocessor: NVIDIA GeForce
- RAM: 4GB DDR3 SDRAM
- Max resolution: 7680 X 4320
- Memory clock speed: 902 MHz
ZOTAC’s GeForce GT 730 Zone Edition is a great card, and while it’s towards the upper end of the price scale, you won’t find a better 4GB card at this price.
It has fast memory, a reasonable clock, NVIDIA support, and 64-bit memory width.
The card clocks in with 4GB of high-speed RAM, 902 MHz base clock speed, 1600 MHz effective memory clock speed. VGA, HDMI, and DVI connectors allowed us to have a two- or three-monitor arrangement, offering us great flexibility.
We particularly liked its DVI (digital visual interface) port, which gave us brighter, cleaner visuals on our multimedia centers.
This isn’t the best card for graphic-intensive 4K games, but it’s perfect for casual gamers and entry-level animators.
Instead of gaming, we used it mostly for editing and rendering videos, which it handled well with the help of a good CPU. It also ran quietly, which we loved.
Overall, we found this card a basic, reasonably-priced option. It’s also a bit of a do-it-all. You can use it to play games, for animation, to edit films, or to slightly increase your desktop’s speed.
ASUS NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 1GB Review
- Chipset brand: NVIDIA
- Graphics coprocessor: NVIDIA GeForce GT 710
- RAM: 1GB GDDR5
- Max resolution: 2560 x 1600
- Memory clock speed: 5012 MHz
ASUS’ NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 card isn’t remarkable, but that doesn’t mean it’s not any good. It’s basic yet powerful for its size and supports modern gaming and animation.
It’s not the most powerful card under $100, but it’s one of the most reliable and a great quality model at that.
The graphics card has 1GB high-speed DDR5 RAM and 2K DirectX 12 compatibility. It has a PCI-e 2.0 connector, a low profile form factor (which we love), and a fast 5012MHz memory clock speed.
We were able to support up to three monitors and could even support 4K resolution at 30Hz on its DVI port. When prompted, download NVIDIA’s control app. It allowed us to change the settings of the graphics driver to our liking.
This gave us better control over our graphics and resolution settings and enabled easier troubleshooting during testing.
The NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 is a simple, straightforward card with superb build quality, making it perfect if you desire a basic, solid upgrade with no frills and great build quality. We had enough performance for daily and basic creative tasks, and believe you will too.
VisionTek Radeon 5450 2GB Review
- Chipset brand: AMD
- Graphics coprocessor: AMD Radeon
- RAM: 2GB DDR3 SDRAM
- Max resolution: 2560 x 1600
- Memory clock speed: 667MHz
Buying a graphics card from a relatively new or unknown manufacturer can always be a bit daunting, especially with the graphics card market being dominated by a few titans. As such, many will avoid GPUs from brands they don’t know.
However, VisionTek’s Radeon 5450 2GB graphics card surprised us. Its high-quality AMD chipset shows that sticking to what you know isn’t always the smartest approach.
It comes with a whopping 2GB of high-speed RAM, clocks at 667MHz, and improves the frame rate with higher resolutions which made editing videos and playing games enjoyable.
The AMD chipset and AMD Radeon graphics processor make this a quality graphics card to start your journey into the world of graphics cards.
We found that this, combined with the specs, helps this low-budget graphics card achieve outstanding performance. It’s a strong contender for the pick for the best graphics card under $100 for PC gaming.
This is a fantastic card for its price, with features and support ensuring it won’t soon become obsolete. We even believe it’ll be able to keep up on some level with the basic gaming, animation, and design/video editing needs of today.
If you’re looking for a strong, general upgrade within the price range of $100 as an overall performance booster, then this is undoubtedly the card for you.
Diamond AMD Radeon HD 5450 1GB Review
- Chipset brand: AMD
- Graphics coprocessor: AMD Radeon
- RAM: 1GB DDR3 SDRAM
- Max resolution: 2560 x 1600
- Memory clock speed: 1 GHz
Diamond’s AMD Radeon HD 5450 caught our attention for its small design, PCI Express 2.0, and 1×16 bus interface. The Terascale 2 unified processing architecture is another favorite, with the CrossFireX Multi-GPU technology that allowed us to run two (yes, two) GPUs at once.
Now, many use crossfire or SLI for different purposes. Some folks get better performance using crossfire or SLI than others. However, this GPU stood out because none of the others had crossfire/SLI.
It has 1GB RAM and a fast core for basic gaming. Built for entry-level PC gaming, it’s also great for video editing and light animation or rendering. We also found it excellent for video editing, and one could even use it for less-intense animation work or the odd render.
If you’re running two of these cards in crossfire (which is still a little over $100), do your research so you can optimize them without sacrificing performance.
Crossfire and SLI are, generally speaking, being moved away from in the industry. However, they supply certain benefits you really won’t find in a singular GPU.
All in all, this is a great card to go for if you’re hunting for flexibility or versatility or if you already own one and need a jump in performance but don’t want to upgrade.
EVGA Geforce GT 730 2GB (Low Profile) Review
- Chipset brand: NVIDIA
- Graphics coprocessor: NVIDIA GeForce GT 730
- RAM: 2048 MB GDDR5
- Max resolution: 4096 x 2160
- Memory clock speed: 902 MHz
EVGA’s GeForce GT 730 is an affordable beast that’s well-made and has great specs for its pricing. It took our gaming, animation, and other visual experiences to the next level.
This GT 730 has 2GB of 902MHz RAM, allowing for high-speed performance. In fact, we found its gaming performance on high-end games decent, but don’t get your hopes up if you want 60fps performance
We also enjoyed its DirectX 12 support, which allowed us to enjoy great visual effects and really smooth frame rates on our gaming PC.
Despite its poor thermal paste, it’s well-made. With a fan and heatsink, it’s delightfully quiet. We couldn’t hear a thing. We believe these allow it to run quite cool.
This is a nice upgrade if you have extra funds. Plus, EVGA’s GeForce Experience™ software lets you fine-tune the GPU for whatever task is at hand.
For example, we optimized game settings to improve our gaming experience to get performance that won’t hurt your eyes.
While the EVGA GT 730 won’t overhaul an entire rig, it’s worth getting if you’re building an entry-level rig or improving a basic system. We noticed this difference playing most games with the latest hardware on our entry-level setup.
Gigabyte Geforce GT 730 2GB Review
- Chipset brand: NVIDIA
- Graphics coprocessor: NVIDIA GeForce GT 730
- RAM: 2GB DDR3
- Max resolution: 4096 x 2160
- Memory clock speed: 902 MHz
The Gigabyte GeForce GT 730 is a slight downgrade from some of the graphics cards mentioned just above. Despite its similar price point, it has older RAM, but still performs like the cards on the $100-or-less list.
It’s a solid mid-range purchase that’s still close enough to the $100 mark yet allows you a bit of wiggle room to squeeze some extra performance out of it.
This card clocks in at a strong 2048MB of DDR3 memory, with a clock speed of just over 902MHz on a 64-bit memory interface system.
We liked its single fan design for easy cooling, you’ll love it if you don’t have a case with good airflow. Add in the cutting-edge interface that allowed us to tune the clock speeds, voltage, fan performance, and power target in real-time, and we have a quality card on our hands.
All in all, we found it to be a reliable graphics card. It’s great for gaming and will certainly help out with animation, video editing, and design. It’s also a great purchase if you’re trying to stick closer to the $100 mark but have a few extra singles to spend.
MAXSUN GeForce GT 710 2GB Review
- Chipset brand: NVIDIA
- Graphics coprocessor: NVIDIA GeForce GT 710
- RAM: 2GB GDDR3
- Max resolution: 4096 x 2160
- Memory clock speed: 1 GHz
The MAXSUN GeForce GT 710 2GB is a quality card that packs in a few extra features, sacrificing a drop in display size (still at an impressive 4K), and is a great upgrade to any computer system.
It also features ASUS AuraSync Colour tech, which allowed us to sync our graphics card lighting with other ASUS components in our system. We believe this makes it just about one of the cheapest custom-lit cards on the market.
It arrives with 2GB of high-speed memory and a clock speed of 1000MHz. We found its passive cooling system at 0dB efficient, and it made use of the massive heatsink radiator that covered our entire GPU.
This ensured low noise and temperature for our gaming, making everything run as quietly as a mouse. We were also impressed at it supporting a crisp, clear 4K resolution.
The power requirements for this card are pretty low than that of the others on this list. With a minimum recommended PSU of 200W and overall consumption of 19W, this is an efficient little card.
This GPU is a solid choice for anyone looking for a general upgrade with access to all the benefits of NVIDIA G-Sync, GeForce ShadowPlay, and GPU Boost 2.0.
Best Graphics Card Under $100 Accessories Reviews
Now that we’ve looked at some of the best graphics cards $100 can buy you, we will now take a look at some accessories for your budget GPU.
Universal GPU Bracket
This tempered glass Cooler Master ARGB is stylish yet strong. But don’t be fooled by its striking, tempered glass construction. We appreciated its sturdiness — a strong magnet secured its solid base in place after we installed it. So this bracket won’t budge.
During testing, it eliminated our GPU sag by providing enough weight support. We admit this GPU bracket is pricier than others, but it’s a solid GPU bracket for your graphics card.
Click to Check PriceDisplayPort to HDMI Adapter (Male to Female)
We think you’ll love this nifty little DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter for your graphics card.
For less than the price of a fancy latte, you can get this little guy to smooth out the output of your graphics card to your TV. It’s also ideal for GPU multi-monitor support, making it suitable for demanding jobs.
Click to Check PriceBest Graphics Card for Under $100 Buyers Guide
It can be quite easy to find a good graphics card under $100, and we think we’ve shown this to be true with the varied list we’ve provided here. However, it’s still a tricky task to decide which of the bunch is the best for you.
This depends on a number of factors, such as your existing computer specs, your PC components, what kind of work you’re doing, and how much you have to spend within the $100 range.
Here’s a little buyer’s guide for picking the best graphics card under $100.
How to Pick the Best Video Cards Under $100
There are a few things to consider when picking from a long list of GPUs, which are all quite similar in terms of their performance and abilities.
Here are some pointers we’ve put together in an order that we think helps eliminate units that won’t work for you, leaving you with a refined selection of graphics cards built to your needs that you’re still able to choose between.
Graphics Card Size
Size is probably the most important factor in buying the best GPUs under $100. Many of these budget-friendly GPUs are built to certain sizing standards, such as ATX motherboards or Low Profile cases.
There is no worse feeling than arriving home to a fresh package of tech upgrades, only to realize that it doesn’t fit in your setup–so be sure to have your case’s measurements and connector types on hand when shopping to avoid little mistakes that will throw off your whole upgrade.
How Much Power Does it Require?
While most of the cards on this list require a mere 300–350W power supply, and it’s unlikely anyone reading this has a power supply with a lower wattage than that in this day and age, it’s another factor to double check.
If you’re running a very basic low power supply, then you might even want to try to find a package deal to get a new PSU and GPU together at a discounted rate.
Graphics Card Cooling, Fans, and Noise
You’re also going to want to consider how loud the card is and what type of cooling system it has.
For most people, a little bit of fan noise is a worthy trade-off for an upgrade in performance, and most graphics cards can cool themselves decently with a quiet fan at around 30%–50% speed.
However, some of us are pickier than others and need the quiet that a passive cooling solution can’t provide. In other cases, cheaper graphics cards might not come with a fan and rather just a heatsink, meaning you need to ensure your case is properly ventilated, leaving no room for dust or heat build-up to occur.
This can be a tricky process but is most certainly something you can set up yourself.
Tip: Get a can of compressed air to clean your GPU and prevent a build-up of dust on your pc motherboard.
GPU Performance
Lastly, you’re going to want to take a look at the specs of the card. The clock speeds, the amount of video RAM, and perhaps some benchmark tests to see how it performs in comparison to other cards.
If you’re running a system with an outdated i3 processor, and no RAM, then you’re not going to see the performance boost you want, even if you were to go for an RTX card. With modular computer systems, it’s all about eliminating the bottleneck. This can seriously dampen your gaming experience like no other.
Lastly, you’ll probably want to consider these other points in a less-pressing manner:
- Brand or manufacturer
- What is its power consumption?
- Does the card have a decent warranty?
- Does it require you to have a powerful GPU?
- How many screen outputs (i.e., display ports) does the card have?
- What’s the maximum resolution?
- Are there any known issues with this card that might affect your system?
How to Get Better Performance Out of a 100-Dollar Graphics Card
So, you’ve upgraded your graphics card, but you’re still not seeing as much of a boost in performance as others experienced? Well, it could be a number of issues – such as system optimization and age – but it’s most likely the other pc components in your system.
Firstly, an SSD is a great upgrade to start with to eliminate that all-too-common typical ‘slow computer’ feel. While SSDs can be expensive, they’re almost more important than a CPU or GPU in an upgrade, as they allow the whole system to run faster, to a degree.
They’re eliminating any bottlenecking happening in terms of storage, allowing you to expand outwards faster with your other parts and do so more precisely. While an SSD doesn’t technically improve gaming performance, it reduces game load times. Based on this, it’s a worthwhile upgrade to your gaming rig.
RAM is another easy way to get some life back into a system that’s starting to slow down. In fact, you’d likely see a more immediate and recognizable boost in (gaming) performance by upgrading RAM and the SSD instead of the GPU – so consider this carefully.
RAM generally works on a basis of equal numbers, so if your system has 4GB RAM, upgrade it to 8GB. If it’s got 8GB, don’t add another four to get to 12GB, but rather match the existing 8GB to get it up to 16GB.
Lastly, and least conveniently, is the possibility that your processor, the brain of the computer, is slowing everything down. This is a tough cookie to swallow, as unless you were super clever and careful when choosing your motherboard, you’re likely going to have to get a new one and reinstall your operating system if you’re upgrading your processor.
This can be a lengthy and tiring process but is definitely worth it if you’ve exhausted all other options before this. It also just feels great to start with a freshly wiped, clean, and new system.
If you’re going the route of a CPU upgrade, we’d recommend looking for upgrade kits that come with a motherboard, CPU, and RAM as you’ll have far fewer headaches trying to pick out the right parts, as well as likely save a few bucks here and there.
Summary of the Best Graphics Cards Under 100 Dollars
You should now be more than well-equipped to pick out a new graphics card that costs less than $100. We’re confident there’s at least one on this list that’s perfect for you, and we hope you enjoy a boost of speed, visuals, and (hopefully) productivity with your upgraded system.
Don’t forget to share your two cents about what you think of the cards we reviewed, and please do let us know if you think we left out a graphics card under $100 that’s absolutely killer. Alternatively, let us know if you’ve found the best GPU for 100 dollars right here.
If you are looking for another upgrade, have a look at the best monitor for graphic design to take your setup to another level.
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