MSI GeForce GT 730 2GB DDR3
The Fermi-based GeForce GT 730 with 2GB of DDR3 VRAM on a 128-bit bus provides basic multi-monitor support via DL-DVI-I and HDMI 1.4a outputs in a compact 145mm dual-slot card. Its 50W TDP and single-fan cooler allow it to run solely off the PCI Express slot, making it a simple drop-in upgrade for older, low-power systems with a 300W PSU. This card is best for users needing to add modern display connectivity to an aging office PC or troubleshooting a system without integrated graphics, not for gaming or compute tasks.
No current retailer price
Snapshot
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Strong affordability (89th percentile) 89th
- Strong social proof (71st percentile) 71st
Cons
- Below average compute (2nd percentile)
- Below average vram (5th percentile)
- Below average ai (6th percentile)
- Below average rt (8th percentile)
What owners think
How owner sentiment changed over time
ExclusiveBased on when customers actually wrote their reviews - so you can see whether early praise held up.
- Q1 202182/100
Buyers in Q1 2021 found this GPU a good budget option for older systems, praising its performance and temperatures, though noting it's basic and best as a stopgap.
- Good value for budget builds and as a temporary GPU while waiting for prices to drop.
- Temperatures are excellent: idle around 90°F, max 160°F under Furmark load.
- Performance is adequate for auto settings and frame rates, but not for high-end gaming visuals.
- Compatible and suitable for older systems, described as basic but overall good.
- Q1 2018100/100
Buyers in Q1 2018 found this card suitable for workstations and light gaming, noting quiet operation, good value, and compatibility with older systems.
- Quiet operation and good value for the price.
- Works for general gaming, e.g., WOW at default settings.
- Compatible with older PCIe 2.0 motherboards.
- Software not recommended; stick with drivers.
Based on 16 dated customer reviews, grouped by calendar quarter. Period analysis is in English.
The proof
Performance
Specifications
Full Specifications
Chipset
| GPU Chipset | GeForce GT 730 |
| Brand | NVIDIA |
| Architecture | Kepler |
| Class | consumer |
Memory
| VRAM | 2 GB |
| Memory Type | DDR3 |
| Memory Bus | 128 |
Compute
| CUDA Cores | 96 |
| Base Clock | 700 |
Performance
| PassMark G3D | 825 |
| GPU Compute | 510 |
Power & Cooling
| TDP | 50 |
| Recommended PSU | 300 |
| Power Connectors | None |
| Cooler | Single Fan |
| Fans | 1 |
Connectivity
| Interface | PCI Express 2.0 x16 |
| DisplayPort | 0 |
| HDMI | 1 |
| USB-C | 0 |
| Max Displays | 2 |
| Max Resolution | 4096 x 2160 |
Physical
| Length | 145 |
| Slot Width | 2 |
| Form Factor | ATX |
Features
| Ray Tracing | No |
| AV1 Encode | No |
| DirectX | 12 |
vs Competition
| Spec | MSI GeForce GT 730 | ASUS TUF Gaming TUF-RTX5090-32G-GAMING | Gigabyte AORUS GV-N5080AORUS M-16GD | ZOTAC APOCALYPSE ZT-B50800C-10P | Sapphire NITRO+ 11322-01-40G | PNY ARGB OC VCG508016TFXXPB1-O |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chipset | GeForce GT 730 | GeForce RTX 5090 | GeForce RTX 5080 | GeForce RTX 5080 | Radeon RX 7900 XTX | GeForce RTX 5080 |
| Vram | 2GB DDR3 | 32GB GDDR7 | 16GB GDDR7 | 16GB GDDR7 | 24GB GDDR6 | 16GB GDDR7 |
| Boost Clock Mhz | - | 2407 | 2805 | 2730 | 2680 | 2620 |
| Tdp W | 50 | 575 | 360 | 360 | 339 | 360 |
| Memory Bus Bits | 128 | 512 | 256 | 256 | 384 | 256 |
| Ray Tracing | false | true | true | true | true | true |
| GPU Class | consumer | consumer | consumer | consumer | consumer | consumer |
| Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare |
| Product | AI | Rt | Vram | Raster | Compute | Feature | Thermal | User Sentiment | Efficiency | Connectivity | Social Proof | Affordability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSI GeForce GT 730 | 6.3 | 8 | 4.8 | 9 | 1.5 | 11.2 | 26.4 | 13.3 | 10.2 | 17.2 | 70.6 | 88.5 |
| ASUS TUF Gaming TUF-RTX5090-32G-GAMING Compare | 96.9 | 90.1 | 97.6 | 98.7 | 97.6 | 96.2 | 72.4 | 85.9 | 24.6 | 99.3 | 99.1 | 3.5 |
| Gigabyte AORUS GV-N5080AORUS M-16GD Compare | 85.2 | 95.2 | 88.7 | 94.2 | 93.2 | 96.2 | 91.5 | 71.8 | 57.8 | 94 | 88.8 | 16 |
| ZOTAC APOCALYPSE ZT-B50800C-10P Compare | 85.2 | 97.5 | 88.7 | 94.2 | 93.2 | 96.2 | 91.5 | 99.4 | 57.8 | 94 | 99.1 | 19.2 |
| Sapphire NITRO+ 11322-01-40G Compare | 94.9 | 96.2 | 91.7 | 83.9 | 95.5 | 83.9 | 91.5 | 85.9 | 52.7 | 98.7 | 78.4 | 17.6 |
| PNY ARGB OC VCG508016TFXXPB1-O Compare | 85.2 | 97.5 | 88.7 | 94.2 | 93.2 | 96.2 | 91.5 | 44.9 | 57.8 | 94 | 82.6 | 18.1 |
Usage Scores
- Overall10
- AI/LLM3.3
- Budget65.6
- Gaming 4k7.7
- Ray Tracing7.3
- Workstation6.7
- Gaming 1080p14.1
- Gaming 1440p11.2
- Content Creation6
A full written review is coming soon. The specs, scores, prices and charts above are always up to date.
