I never expected gaming to be almost like a sport growing. I always assumed it would be a niche time pass at best; but boy was I wrong. This year, especially considering the pandemic situation, the only events being held are gaming events and a few other ones. The games themselves have gotten so much better and immersive that you lowkey get lost in their visuals, they are that level good!
However, they are “that level good” makes them that much harder to run. Back in the day, I could play games on a basic laptop, but nowadays, you need at least a best graphics card under 100 and a good chunk of ram to enjoy your gaming experience. Most graphics cards are rather expensive so if you are like me and are on a budget but still want to enjoy the pleasures of gaming, here are the best graphics card under 100:
LIST OF BEST GRAPHICS CARD UNDER 100
IMAGE | Product Name | Specifications | Buy Now |
|---|---|---|---|
 | MSI GT 710 | ||
 | ZOTAC GT 710 | ||
 | GIGABYTE GV N1030OC | ||
 | ZOTAC GT 730 | ||
 | GIGABYTE GEFORCE GT 710 |
10 BEST GRAPHICS CARD UNDER 100 REVIEW
1. MSI GEFORCE GT 710 2GB - BEST GRAPHICS CARD FOR GAMING
PRODUCT INFORMATION
This list is in no particular position, but I purposefully ranked the MSI Gaming GeForce GT 710 2GB number 1 because I consider it the best graphics card under 100 dollar marks. Okay, since the budget is one of our top priorities, this graphic card is almost half of that 100 dollar mark we set. Then, secondly and most importantly. It performs well, especially for what you are paying.
This MSI graphic card uses Nvidia’s GeForce GT 710 chip, one of their older models, admittedly but still works fantastically and can handle most things fairly well.
The MSI Gaming GeForce GT701 comes equipped with 2GB DDR3 RAM, DirectX 12 and a 954MHz core, making it great for beginner/casual gamers to run their games on decent graphic settings along with being great for some basic level animations and designing. Higher-level gamers can also use this as a secondary GPU to boost their primary one.
You won’t play all games on max settings at 60fps, but hey, we are on a budget, that isn’t a big sacrifice. It supports 1440p resolution as well, which is impressive considering people pay more than twice to get a GPU that is able to do that and has a compact design that will easily fit into your system.
It is indeed the best graphics cards without external power. This GPU will be an perfect option for those who almost every user who is looking for the best low power graphics card. Its a known fact that, GPUs consume a lot of power and contribute approximately 50% of your computer’s power consumption. Overall, I think this is one of the best graphics card under 100 dollar price-point, and casual players would be satisfied with its performance.
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2. ZOTAC GT 710 2GB - BEST 1080P GRAPHICS CARD
PRODUCT INFORMATION
The ZOTAC GeForce GT 710 2GB is a winner in my mind because of it being such a good value for money graphic, and you can get yourself one of these for less than half a 100 dollars! In terms of design, this ZOTAC GeForce GT 710 has a good quality build and its size, well, it is less than 3 inches so that it will fit into a normal setup.
The fact that there is no fan is what makes it that compact, but if you ask me, that is more negative than a positive. With that said, the installation process is much easier, and you can do it yourself even if you know nothing about computers.
In terms of performance, ZOTAC GeForce GT 710 performs how you would expect. With its 2GB DDR3, it performs brilliantly on direct x 12 and 1080p resolutions. You will play most games at decent graphic settings at 60 FPS, but you won’t be getting such good FPS at max settings, but that is expected. Even for some basic animation and designing, this graphic card will do.
Overall, it is a decent GPU with fanless cooling. The lack of a fan means it won’t dissipate heat that quickly, lowering the performance but the fanless cooling feature present here does the job right. Also, it can support three monitors simultaneously.
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3. GIGABYTE GV-N1030OC-2GI - BEST GRAPHICS CARD FOR 1080P 144HZ
PRODUCT INFORMATION
This is a great pick for a budget, low-profile graphic card. I wouldn’t be hesitant to call it the “best graphics card under 100”, and that is because it lacks nothing in this segment. Based on Nvidia GTX 10 series, a series which makes graphic cards for everyday gamers.
The GT 1030, though admittedly, is the lowest in terms of rank, it performs well, especially when you compare it to other graphic cards that cost as much and not models above it that cost way more.
This best graphics card under 100 is perfect for beginners and casual gamers that do not want to play games at the max settings and are content with decent graphics and 60 fps. Note that when I say “play games on max settings”, I mean more like modern games. Since newer games are very graphically demanding, you will need a better GPU, but this should perform brilliantly with older games and satisfy casual players.
Not just gaming, by the way, this graphic card will work well for designers and animators as well again though, nothing too extreme, we are talking about a budget GPU here after all. The GIGABYTE GeForce GT 1030 has 2 GB RAM along with a fan and along with some overclocking ability. It also comes with a coprocessor via which it can work a 300w power supply.
It is fairly slim in terms of design and will fit most laptops along with having a single fan and a heatsink which is awesome as I do not want it to fry itself. On top of everything, it also supports HDMI 4K at 60 Hz. So, yeah, easily one of the best graphics card under 100.
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4. ZOTAC GEFORCE GT 730 - BEST GRAPHICS CARD FOR VIDEO EDITING
PRODUCT INFORMATION
I feel like I have given too much attention to gaming and gamers in general on this list. So, let me suggest you guys a graphic card which is ideal for animators and video editors, the ZOTAC GeForce GT 730 is another best graphics card under 100 which you can get for animations and editing video but for the sole reason that it has more ram than the other GPUs on this list.
I would not recommend this to gamers, though for two reasons. One of them is that this GPU does not have a fan, only a heat stink so you must make sure that your casing has enough cooling. That problem, can still, be ignored as many graphic cards at this price point do not have a fan but the second issue that I was talking about is the fact that despite having 4GB RAM, this the GeForce 730 sometimes does not perform as good as its 2GB competitors.
When Nvidia released the GT 730, it was awesome, but no more is it a viable option for daily gaming. Sure, you can run games on lower settings, but I would not suggest this due to the inconsistencies in its performance if gaming is a priority.
There are a ton of features in this GPU that make it not terrible though. It is able to support 3 monitors simultaneously. It has low-profile form factor, it supports 4K Quad HD resolution and again, that 4GB ram is quite good for animators and editors. If your system has no graphic card and desperately needs an upgrade or are into animations, I would suggest this. Otherwise, for gaming, you might want to consider other options.
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5. GIGABYTE GEFORCE GT 710
PRODUCT INFORMATION
This Gigabyte GeForce GT 710 is powered by NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 and boasts 2 GB DDR5 SDRAM but straight talk, if you guys are looking forward to gaming on this graphic card, I would suggest against it. It can barely play new games, and if it does, the FPS that you are going to get is not going to be enough to enjoy it at the very least.
However, that is alright because this graphic card is way better configured for media consumption. If you want to stream videos and watch them at 1080p resolution with no problem, this will do. On top of that, some light video editing and animations, it can handle that quite well.
So, if you keep your expectations realistic, it can turn out to be quite a nice little upgrade. If you are using an old or no graphic card, you will quite enjoy the upgrade and also, yes, it will boost your current one if you are using it. Keeping that in mind, it will be a satisfying purchase, especially considering its inexpensive. However, gamers, you might want to look elsewhere.
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6. EVGA GEFORCE GT 1030
PRODUCT INFORMATION
The complete opposite of our previous entry, want-to-be gamers, give me your attention. This EVGA GeForce GT 1030 costs just under our 100 dollar limit, but that is fair game since everything “under” 100 flies and this graphic card, in terms of sheer gaming performance, is probably the best graphic card under 100 if you got a low-end setup.
This graphic card will play most games at low settings with 60 FPS but even some on mid-level graphics with playable fps. It depends on game to game and checking that would take up my entire life so yeah, I will not do that.
It comes with a 2048MB GDDR5 at 64 bit and has in-built support for 3D gaming as that was supposed to be the next big thing in gaming. That didn’t pan it as Nvidia predicted, but hey, we still got an awesome budget graphic card!
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7. MSI GEFORCE GT 1030
PRODUCT INFORMATION
Outright, I do not recommend this unless you are getting it for less than 50 dollars. Here is why. In 2017, Nvidia released a graphic card with the same name as this one, a GT 1030 with 1 major difference; it had GDDR5 memory. Then, in 2018, they released the model we are talking about, the same name and everything but now, they reconfigured it to have DDR4 memory.
All this makes no sense if you aren’t a total geek so that I will put this way. This DDR4 memory is used in smartphones and desktops so naturally, it is by no way going to perform as good… and surprise, it did not. The decrease is very noticeable.
The previous GT 1030 is about 118% per cent faster. You read that right. Still, though, this GPU can perform relatively moderate games on low graphics with 50 to 60 fps so if you are getting it for really a low price, go for it. But this 64-bit GDDR5 does not come near the performance of a standard GT 1030.
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8. POWERCOLOR AMD RADEON RX 550
PRODUCT INFORMATION
The Radeon RX 550 is not exactly the best graphics card under 100 out there, but it is alright if your sole purpose is an overall performance increase over your integrated graphics. I wouldn’t recommend this for gamers outright, you can game on it, but you can get graphics cards that are way better in terms of sheer gaming performance for a similar price.
This GPU is more recommended for designers and animators because it has a higher ram, 4GB compared to the 2Gbs we have seen for the most part. So yeah, think of it as an improvement to your integrated graphics but not something I would say you should rely on for gaming but designers should be satisfied with its performance.
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9. DIAMOND MULTIMEDIA AMD RADEON HD 5450
PRODUCT INFORMATION
The DIAMON HD 5450 is a graphic card that is okay only if you want a basic upgrade from your integrated graphics and some light gaming. For its cost though, I think it performs great and better than expected. This GPU is for those who only play old games for nostalgic reasons and want to stream videos smoothly.
So, it’s not like this graphic card is bad, it is made for a different group of people, and that group is not gamers or animators. I would recommend this to very basic level gamers on a tight budget, lets put it that way.
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10. PNY GEFORCE GT 1030 2GB
PRODUCT INFORMATION
There is not anything much remarkable or different to mention here. This PNY GeForce performs just like other best graphics card under 100 powered by Nvidia’s GT 1030. This means that it is decent of average level gaming and a general overhaul over your integrated graphics.
Other than that, as I said before, nothing different or special that is noteworthy. I’d say that you can get better performance for cheaper as this specific PNY GeForce GT 1030 is a 99 rather expensive dollars.
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CONCLUSION
That is it, folks! I listed out the best graphics card under 100 dollars, and here they are. Some are under a 50 dollar as well, so if you’re on a tight budget, I got you covered. Hope this helped and thank you for reading!
