I was wondering if anyone had one of these. I know they are really cheap cards, but I was hoping to move into the latest generation of graphics for as little as possible. From what I can see, it'll be a HUGE upgrade from the Fx5200 I currently use. Any opinions on this card would be nice.

For reference, this is the one that I have been looking at:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130009

If you are going to get a 7300 get a 7300GT as they have 8 pixle pipelines not 4 like all the other 7300s. You should just get a 7600GT if you have the money.

Hey, thanks. I was having trouble distinguishing the different designations for the card: le, gs, gt, etc. I am a bit wary of the memory clock on the first two cards here though:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] x=0&Go.y=0

I was hoping to get a card with at least 256MB of memory on board, and the one with that is just out of my price range right now. Maybe in a month or two the prices will drop so I can get one.

Edit:
Just realized you recommended the 7600gt. D'oh! Unfortunately, that is way out of my price range, and will probably be until obsolescence. Thanks anyway, though.

I got a 939 Dual Sata II Mobo specifically for the purpose of utilizing my old (5200) graphics card as long as possible. It now is seeming that the jump in performance (2+generations) is finally going to be worth it. The price on the 256 7300 that I was looking at is actually less than what I paid for my current card, yet still more than I can afford .

Definitely got the PCI-E though. Hope to use it as soon as possible.

I would really LOVE to spend >$100 on my graphics card, but unfortuately my budget for the time being doesn't allow it. I've got some other, more expensive things to pay for, like school, and I can't afford to be in debt any more than I am. I have been looking really hard for a card that fits my budget (~$80 MAX) and those NVidia ones have been the only ones that I have found that fit the bill in terms of performance and price. If anyone has any other recommendations, I would be very glad. Just FYI, I am not a hardcore gamer, but I do enjoy the occasional CS2 game here and there.

On another note, I would also like to mention that I do tend to lean toward Nvidia because of the better linux support. Personally, I have not used an ATI based system in linux, but my roomate has had pretty difficult problems on both his desktop and laptop computers that have ATI based GFX. However, I do know that ATi is very competetive with their products and would like to see better support in the future.

budget cards cool

x800 12 pipes 700mhz memory and 392mhz core 59.99$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 814127176R


that card from what i see is the best you can get for under 80$

everything else is sporting 8 pipes and a 128 bit bus. this card sports 12 pipes and a 256 bit bus


yes there memory size ( 256 mb ) might be bigger BUT the cards cant use it.

the x800 will give you some head room and im VERY sure the core can hit 450 mhz even with that cooling


this card is theft for the price.

That is absolutely correct! It has 3 times the pixel pipelines, a faster memory clock, and more capabilities (HDTV) than the one I was looking at. I also noticed it was an open box item. Any idea where to find the HDTV adapter cables? or can I just use my old SVideo to Composite cable that I have been using? I do sometimes use the video out for watching movies and such.

Thanks a whole lot! Hopefully when I get the money, it'll still be there. It looks like the one for me, however this brings up another question that I am going to start a new thread on: can I use both my Nvidia and an ATI card at the same time?

im not sure on that subject. It could be possible to run them both but im not 100% sure

and your old adapters should still work

hell im using the same adapters that came with my 9600se on bith my x700 pro and my new x1800gto

Sweet! Thanks for the help!

The 7300le may be severely crippled but I have one in a Dell e510 with 1gb ram and 3.2ghz single core processor. It runs Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter with the same settings better than a nVidia 6800gt on a friends xps 400. not sure why but it does. Mine is using 512mb of memory so that might be the difference. I don't know. I'm not using the high end settings in GRAW, but medium. Very playable and nice visuals.

Thanks for the info, but I have already made my decision for card, and its gonna be a 66- or 7600 series card. Also, this thread is pretty old...

I have a pair of BFG 6600GT OC's on eBay right now, if they dont sell together I will probably sell them one at a time if you are possibly interested. Or just buy both from me and resell one and make the first one cost even less.

6600GT's

you would do yourself a favor to get the 7300gt instead. It would definately last you longer.

you can consider on Gigabyte GV-NX76G256D-RH GeForce 7600GS 256MB, cause if you wanna consider about 7300 le... later on you'll have to change again pretty soon... cause it has 2 PIPELINE ONLY... the lamest cards among all cards...

well, depends... if you are a hardcore gamer... then 7600 or ati 1600 is the best starting cards for all gamer... cause both of these cards have 12 pipeline and the price is ranging from only 100 to 130, i guess... i won't cost more than that i think. Games like half-life 2 or battlefield 2142, you'll regret playing them... for half-life 2, you'll get error in VertexBuffer, and battlefield ... your comp will hang instantly...

if you're not playing those high graphical details games... then it's alright... watching movies and doing basic stuff, it can handles ...

if you still wanna get a 7300 series... then you should at least get a GT (8 pipeline) ... but then consider about the price.. it's pretty near 7600 GS (12 pipeline)... consider about them...

good luck

Just make sure it's got a 128bit bus. Can't go wrong with a 7300 GT or similar. If you can spend a little more the 7600 GT is an excellent card. Runs C&C3 maxed out for me at 1280x1024.

that was in june last year if he hasn't made up is mind by now he never will

Yeah, got a pair of 6600's for 50 bucks off ebay. Sold one, kept the other, oc'd it and it does what I want for a really good price. The next card I buy will probably be in '08, and it'll probably be a 7000 series.

Thanks for the input tho guys!