EVGA GeForce GT 730 2GB (Low Profile) review

The EVGA GeForce GT 730 2GB (Low Profile) is a graphics card released on 18 June 2014. It uses the NVIDIA GT 730 GPU with 384 CUDA cores and a 902 MHz base clock. The card is a low-profile model and draws its power from the PCIe slot alone. It has one DVI-D, one HDMI and one VGA output, and EVGA lists 2 GB of GDDR5 memory. Its natural role is basic display output and light graphics work, not gaming or heavy compute.

The memory is 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 64-bit bus at 5010 MHz effective. That gives 40 GB/s of bandwidth. A review site and a PSU tier-list page both describe the card as unsuited to demanding games. The specifications fit that view: 384 CUDA cores and a 64-bit bus point to a card built for undemanding tasks.

The GPU is the GK208 version of the GT 730. Its base clock is 902 MHz, and the memory runs at 5010 MHz effective. With a 64-bit bus, that works out at the 40 GB/s bandwidth EVGA lists. The 384 CUDA cores and that bandwidth figure are the numbers to weigh against any task you have in mind. Reviewers' comments on demanding games line up with those figures.

The card carries 2 GB of GDDR5. With that capacity, local AI models have little room to work, because those workloads depend heavily on video memory. The 40 GB/s bandwidth also sets a ceiling on how fast data moves in and out of that memory. If you want to experiment with AI tools, this card is the wrong starting point.

EVGA lists CUDA, OpenCL, DirectX 12 and OpenGL 4.4 as supported. Vulkan 1.0 and OpenCL 2.0 are also listed. The card dates from 18 June 2014, and EVGA's specifications list DirectX 12, Vulkan 1.0 and OpenCL 2.0 support. With only 384 CUDA cores and 2 GB of memory, CUDA support here suits learning and light jobs more than serious compute.

The card has three video outputs: one dual-link DVI-D, one HDMI and one VGA. A mix like that helps when you need to drive a display that only has a VGA input, or when you want a choice of connections on a machine that has no other graphics output.

The card has no power connector and runs from the PCIe slot. Owner feedback picks this out as a point in its favour, and it removes the need for a spare PSU cable. The slot supplies all the power, so there is nothing to plug in from the PSU. EVGA still recommends a 300 W PSU with 20 A on the 12 V rail, so check your supply against that figure before fitting it to an older or very small system. The 300 W and 20 A figures are EVGA's recommendation for the supply behind the card.

The low-profile design in the product name points to compact cases.

The GT 730 suits a buyer who needs a simple, slot-powered card with several display connections. Its CUDA and OpenCL support gives it basic compute capability. Reviewers are clear that demanding games are beyond it, and its 2 GB of memory rules out serious AI work. It fits a machine where the PCIe slot can supply the power and the display needs a DVI-D, HDMI or VGA connection. Buy it for what it is: a modest display card in a small package.