Graphics cards can get relatively expensive, and some even cost more than $1000, but you do not need to get the top of the line model.
These are decent cards for the price whether you are getting them for gaming, HD video or for the additional ports. Here we are going to look into some of the best graphics cards under $100 that you can get.
Remember that you get what you paid for. For under $100 you cannot expect these graphics cards to run modern AAA games at 1080p 60 FPS with everything set to the max. You will need to turn the settings down for most games to work smoothly.
Top 6 Graphics Cards under $100 Comparison Table
The following are all the graphics cards that we are going to look into here and their specifications that you might be interested in learning about at a glance:
The Best Graphics Cards under 100 dollars in 2020
1. Gigabyte GeForce GT 1030 – Best Graphics Card under $100
The GIGABYTE GeForce GT 1030 is a low-profile, single-slot card with nothing more than a heatsink and fan on top. The aluminum heatsink, fan and the PCB itself are Black which is a nice touch but other than that there is nothing much that stands out when it comes to the looks of the card.
When it comes to performance the 1030 is supposed to compete with the AMD Radeon RX 550 as they both fall in a similar price bracket. The performance is similar and the 1030 has an edge over the 550 in some titles but in other titles, the 550 performs slightly better. So the performance will vary from title to title.
Most games are optimized for Nvidia graphics cards and that is where the 1030 will have better performance but there are a few titles that are optimized for AMD hardware and the 550 will come out on top in those games.
Our Pick Under 100
The GIGABYTE GeForce GT 1030 is an impressive card for budget gamers. It is able to run many games at 45-50 FPS at 1080p with all the settings turned down and it can run some older titles at 60 FPS as well. If you need an entry-level graphics card for a small form factor PC then this is a great option to consider.
The GIGABYTE GeForce GT 1030 is able to run games such as Battlefield 1and Doom well above 45 FPS with the settings turned down to low at 1080p. It can run GTA 5 at above 60 FPS using normal settings. Older titles like Skyrim run at 1080p 60 FPS without any issues. It is able to run modern eSports titles, MOBAs and FPS shooter games just fine.
All things considered, the GT 1030 is a decent entry-level card and the GIGABYTE GeForce GT 1030 is a great option for small form factor builds because of the low profile design. The only drawback is that the card comes with a single HDMI port and a DVI port. There is no DisplayPort which might be an issue for some people.
One of the major selling points of this graphics card is that you do not need to upgrade your power supply. The card does not need any external power and draws all the power that it needs from the motherboard. So all you need to do is install it and get to gaming.
Pros
- Single-slot design
- Low profile
- Decent entry-level performance
- Black PCB, heatsink and fan
Cons
- No DisplayPort
2. EVGA GT 1030 SC – Premium Affordable Graphics Card
This is another low profile GT 1030 model but this one is from EVGA. The design is minimal and there is no backplate. The card is slightly overclocked out of the box and runs at 1544MHz just like the overclocked Gigabyte version. The card has a Grey shroud and the PCB has been painted to match it. There is a small 80mm fan to keep the temperature in check.
The performance is pretty much the same as the other GT 1030 models but you do get 5 times the performance of Intel integrated graphics so it is better than that. Ports are limited and you only get a single HDMI and DVI port. There is no display port.
Premium Pick
The EVGA GT 1030 SC is a card for budget gamers. It is able to run many games at 45-50 FPS at 1080p with all the settings turned down and it can even run some older titles at 60 FPS. If you need an entry-level graphics card for a small form factor PC then this is another great option to consider.
Like the other GT 1030 models, this one does not need any external power and all you really need to do is plug it into the motherboard and get to gaming. It is able to run games such as Battlefield 1and Doom well above 45 FPS with the settings turned down to low at 1080p. It can run GTA 5 at above 60 FPS using normal settings. Older titles like Skyrim run at 1080p 60 FPS without any issues. It is able to run modern eSports titles, MOBAs and FPS shooter games just fine.
Pros
- Single-slot design
- Low profile
- Decent entry-level performance
- Grey PCB and shroud
Cons
- No DisplayPort
3. Gigabyte GT 1030 OC-2G – Budget Graphics Card
The GIGABYTE GeForce GT 1030 OC is another low-profile, single-slot card but this one comes with a proper shroud. The card is Black and has Orange accents so the look is very nice indeed. There is a single 80mm fan for cooling. The card comes slightly overclocked out of the box and can boost to 1544 MHz which is not much but it higher than the model that we looked into above.
There is no backplate but the PCB is Black and matches the shroud, which is a very nice touch keeping in mind that this is an entry-level graphics card. The card does not have any RGB lighting and has a very minimal design.
The 1030 is supposed to compete with the AMD Radeon RX 550 as they both fall in a similar price bracket. The performance will vary from title to title. Most games are optimized for Nvidia graphics cards and that is where the 1030 will have better performance but there are a few titles that are optimized for AMD hardware and the 550 will come out on top in those games.
Runner Up
The GIGABYTE GeForce GT 1030 OC is an impressive card for budget gamers. It is able to run many games at 45-50 FPS at 1080p with all the settings turned down and it can run some older titles at 60 FPS as well. If you need an entry-level graphics card for a small form factor PC then this is a great option to consider.
The GIGABYTE GeForce GT 1030 OC is able to run games such as Battlefield 1and Doom well above 45 FPS with the settings turned down to low at 1080p. It can run GTA 5 at above 60 FPS using normal settings. Older titles like Skyrim run at 1080p 60 FPS without any issues. It is able to run modern eSports titles, MOBAs and FPS shooter games just fine.
All things considered, the GT 1030 OC is a decent entry-level card and the GIGABYTE GeForce GT 1030 OC is a great option for small form factor builds because of the low profile design. The only drawback is that the card comes with a single HDMI port and a DVI port. There is no DisplayPort which might be an issue for some people.
One of the major selling points of this graphics card is that you do not need to upgrade your power supply. The card does not need any external power and draws all the power that it needs from the motherboard. So all you need to do is install it and get to gaming.
Pros
- Single-slot design
- Low profile
- Decent entry-level performance
- Black PCB and shroud
Cons
- No DisplayPort
4. MSI AMD Radeon R7 240
This is a pretty old card but it is under $100 and you might find it worth it. The card has a very minimal design. It has no shroud and all you get is the Black PCB with the matching heatsink and 80mm fan. This fan can get a bit noisy when the system is under load because of its small size.
The older architecture means that the clock speeds are lower and that the card needs more power. It has a core clock speed of 730 MHz and can boost to 780 MHz. The TDP of the card is 50W.
The R7 240 is not a graphics card that we can recommend for gaming in 2020. If you are on a tight budget and need a graphics card then this is an option that you can look into.
The card is not a very powerful one but you can play games like Fary Cry 3, Max Payne 3, Skyrim and Battlefield 3 once you have tweaked the settings. The preset that you will use with this card will be low. While this is not a card that we would recommend for gaming in 2020, you can run some titles on it if you really need to.
Ports are limited as well. You only get a single HDMI port, DVI port and VGA port. The VGA port is pretty much obsolete in 2020 and I doubt that many people have monitors that use VGA.
Pros
- Single-slot design
- Low profile
- Black PCB, heatsink and fan
Cons
- No display port
5. ASUS GeForce GT 710
We have the Asus GT 710 which is a very basic card that comes with a heatsink that matches the Blue PCB. It is a single-slot card that is low-profile and compact. It does not even have a fan as it is passively cooled. That is not because of the efficiency of the card, it is because it is not too powerful in the first place.
This is not a card that we recommend for gaming. Modern integrated graphics are much faster than this graphics card. If you have a 5th generation intel CPU or better, then you can make do without this graphics card.
This is not a card that we recommend for gaming. If you have a very old computer that has trouble processing HD video or need an HDMI port then you can opt to get this graphics card.
We can recommend this card if you have an older CPU that has trouble running video or a system that does not have an HDMI port. This card is inexpensive and will give you an HDMI port, DVI port and a VGA port. There is no display port and you only get a single port for each standard so using multiple displays is going to be tricky.
Pros
- Single-slot design
- Low profile
- Blue PCB and heatsink
Cons
- No display port
- Not for gaming
- Not very powerful
6. ZOTAC GeForce GT 710
Here we have another GT 710 graphics card. This one has a Black PCB and heatsink. Again there is no fan. The card is not meant for gaming. Modern integrated graphics are much faster than this graphics card. If you have a 5th generation intel CPU or better, then you can make do without this graphics card.
Just like the Asus model, this is not a card that we recommend for gaming. If you have a very old computer that has trouble processing HD video or need an HDMI port then you can get this graphics card otherwise you will be better off with integrated graphics or a better graphics card.
We can recommend this card if you have an older CPU that has trouble running video or a system that does not have an HDMI port. This card is inexpensive and will give you an HDMI port, DVI port and a VGA port. There is no display port
Pros
- Single-slot design
- Low profile
- Blue PCB and heatsink
Cons
- No display port
- Not for gaming
- Not very powerful
What is the Best Low Budget GPU under $100?
Let me say that at this price point, you do not really have a lot of options. So things are a bit tricky.
The GT 1030 is the best graphics card of the lot. Specifically the Gigabyte OC model. It is available under $100, comes with a minor overclock out of the box and looks good too. The GT 1030 is the only model that I can recommend for gaming out of all the cards that we have looked into here.
The other models are inexpensive but are not powerful enough for gaming. We only recommend those cards if you have a very old system and need something to handle HD video or if you need an HDMI port.
What Budget Graphics Card Should I Pick?
The GT 1030 is the only option on this list that we can recommend because it is under $100. If the price was not a factor we would recommend that you save some more money and get a better graphics card. Something like the RX 560 or the GTX 1050 is more than ideal for gaming.
If you are on a tight budget then you will be better off waiting. Save some more money and get a better graphics card. The RX 560 or the GTX 1050 is a bit expensive as compared to the models that we have looked into here but they will last you a long time and they will be worth it in the long run.
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