Best Graphics Cards for Under 100 Bucks

XFX GeForce 8600 GT

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Get big bang for your buck with this baby from XFX. It has received the highest reviews from over 140 happy consumers. What could be better than one? Two of them in SLI, of course. It offers a huge amount of memory for the price, as well as a quick memory clock, and high supported resolution. Ideal for gaming, digital image editing, and movies - you can even watch them on your HDTV.

Spec's and Features:

• PCI-Express x16
• 512 MB VRAM
• 128-bit Interface
• GDDR2 VRAM Type
• 540 MHz Core Clock
• 1180 MHz Memory Clock
• 2560x1600 max resolution
• Supports DirectX 10 and OpenGL 2.0
• HDTV/S-Video Out
• SLI Ready
• $10 Mail-In Rebate

HIS Hightech Radeon HD 2600XT

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On the ATI side of the fence we have this beast, featuring a reliable, silent, passive cooling system. Also highly praised by consumers, the major differences between this card and its Nvidia counterpart are the fanless design, higher clockspeeds, and use of GDDR3 over GDDR2. All these bonuses only add a small amount to the price.

Spec's and Features:

• PCI-Express x16
• 512MB VRAM
• 128-bit interface
• GDDR3 VRAM
• 800 MHz core clock
• 1400 MHz memory clock
• 2560x1600 max resolution
• Supports DirectX 10 and OpenGL 2.0
• Supports HDCP
• HDTV/S-Video Out
• HDMI (by adapter)
• Crossfire Ready

PNY GeForce 9600 GT

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This could very well be the big daddy of the sub-$100 video cards out there. It is one of very few in its price bracket that features a 256-bit memory interface and connects by PCI-Express 2.0. It receives the highest marks in customer reviews and is especially touted for its PC gaming performance, particularly its ability to run Crysis on High settings. If I had less than $100 bucks to spend on a new video card, this would definitely be my choice.

Spec's and Features:

• PCI-Express 2.0 x16
• 512MB VRAM
• 256-bit interface
• GDDR3 VRAM
• 650MHz core clock
• 1800MHz memory clock
• 2560x1600 max resolution
• Supports DirectX 10 and OpenGL 2.0
• Supports HDCP
• HDTV/S-Video Out
• SLI Ready
• Free Shipping

POWERCOLOR Radeon HD 3870

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I'm mentioning this card despite its origin being somewhat of an "off-brand". It has been very well reviewed by consumers and thus warrants mentioning. This card is the ATI counterpart to the Nvidia mentioned above, as it is one of very few that also supports the 256-bit interface and PCI-e 2.0. Along with higher clock speeds, it also sports a higher price tag. With the rebate you could say it is lower, but I don't count on ever actually receiving mail-in rebates.

Spec's and Features:

• PCI-Express 2.0 x16
• 512MB VRAM
• 256-bit interface
• GDDR3 VRAM
• 775MHz core clock
• 1800MHz memory clock
• 2560x1600 max resolution
• Supports DirectX 10 and OpenGL 2.0
• Supports HDCP
• Crossfire Ready
• HDTV/S-video out
• $20 mail-in rebate