NVIDIA GeForce 7300 LE

The NVIDIA GeForce 7300 LE is an end-of-life entry-level graphics card built on the Curie architecture, using the G72 chip fabricated on a 90 nm process at TSMC. It integrates 112 million transistors on an 81 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 1.4M / mm². The card ships with 128 MB of DDR2 memory on a 64-bit bus, delivering 5.184 GB/s of bandwidth, and its memory clock runs at 324 MHz (648 Mbps effective). With 4 texture mapping units and 2 ROPs, the pixel rate is 900.0 MPixel/s and the texture rate is 1.800 GTexel/s. It connects via PCIe 1.0 x16, occupies a single slot, requires no auxiliary power connectors, and has a suggested PSU of 200 W. Display outputs include 1x DVI and 1x S-Video. The card supports DirectX 9.0c (9_3) and OpenGL 2.1, with no Vulkan support. Released on 2006-03-21, it sits in the 50th percentile across all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 0. Its nearestRivals list is empty, and no benchmark entries exist in the data.

Benchmark Performance

The benchmark data for the NVIDIA GeForce 7300 LE is sparse — the average benchmark score is 0, and there are no individual benchmark entries or nearest rivals provided. This absence of concrete scores makes direct numerical comparisons impossible. However, the card’s percentile rank of 50 across all GPUs indicates that it lands exactly in the middle of the distribution when considering the entire historical GPU landscape. That percentile is not a performance endorsement; it reflects a dataset that includes many older and similarly limited parts. In practical terms, a score of 0 in the average benchmark field suggests this card was not subjected to the standard test suite used by this database, or it failed to complete those tests entirely.

The theoretical throughput figures give a clearer picture of its capability. A pixel rate of 900.0 MPixel/s and a texture rate of 1.800 GTexel/s are low by any modern standard. For context, these rates are consistent with a card designed for basic desktop output and very light 3D acceleration, not for gaming at playable frame rates. The 5.184 GB/s memory bandwidth, constrained by the 64-bit bus and 324 MHz DDR2 memory, further limits how much data can be fed to the shader units. Even compared to other cards from the same era, this bandwidth would choke on any texture-heavy workload.

Because there are no rival scores or deltaPct values in the FACT PACK, any statement about relative performance must remain qualitative. The data shows that the 7300 LE was positioned at the bottom of the GeForce 7 lineup, with the successor being GeForce 8 and the predecessor being GeForce 6 PCIe. The lack of benchmark results means the 50th percentile likely reflects the card’s ubiquity in low-end prebuilt systems rather than any computational prowess. For a builder evaluating this card today, the benchmark summary is unambiguous: the 7300 LE is not a gaming card, and its scores — where they exist — are negligible.

Ray Tracing and Feature Set

The NVIDIA GeForce 7300 LE has no ray tracing cores and no tensor cores in its specification. This is expected given its Curie architecture and 2006 release date. The card’s feature set is defined by its API support: DirectX 9.0c (shader model 9_3) and OpenGL 2.1. These APIs do not include hardware-accelerated ray tracing, which requires DirectX 12 Ultimate or Vulkan with ray tracing extensions. The card also lacks Vulkan support entirely, so any modern graphics workload that relies on Vulkan will not function on this hardware.

The 4 TMUs and 2 ROPs are the only fixed-function units available for texture and pixel processing. There is no dedicated hardware for tessellation, compute shaders, or asynchronous compute. The card’s feature set is strictly limited to what DirectX 9.0c provided in 2006: fixed-function pipeline with programmable vertex and pixel shaders up to version 3.0. For a user considering this card, the absence of RT and tensor cores means no DLSS, no ray-traced effects, and no AI-accelerated features. The 128 MB memory capacity also restricts texture sizes and render targets, making even contemporary games from its era run at reduced settings.

In summary, the feature set is minimal. The card supports only the APIs listed — DirectX 9.0c and OpenGL 2.1 — and has no modern acceleration features. The 900.0 MPixel/s pixel rate and 1.800 GTexel/s texture rate are the practical limits of what the hardware can produce, and those limits are far below what any ray-traced or tensor-based workload requires. The data indicates this card was designed purely for 2D desktop use and very old 3D titles.

Who Should Consider It

Given the benchmark scores — an average of 0 and a 50th percentile — the NVIDIA GeForce 7300 LE is not suitable for any modern gaming resolution or settings. At 720p, the 900.0 MPixel/s pixel rate would struggle to maintain even 30 fps in games from the mid-2000s with low detail. The 5.184 GB/s memory bandwidth and 128 MB frame buffer are insufficient for 1080p textures or any anti-aliasing. The data shows no scenario where this card delivers playable performance in 3D applications released after 2006.

The realistic use case is a legacy system that requires a PCIe 1.0 x16 card for basic video output. The single DVI and S-Video outputs support standard monitors and older TVs. With no power connectors and a 200 W suggested PSU, it draws minimal power, making it an easy drop-in for an office PC that only needs 2D acceleration. The DirectX 9.0c support means it can run very old titles from the early 2000s at low resolutions, but even then, the texture rate of 1.800 GTexel/s will limit texture-heavy scenes.

For a builder with a retro PC, the 7300 LE could serve as a display adapter for Windows XP-era software that does not require 3D acceleration. It is not a card for gaming, emulation, or any workload that leverages modern APIs. The lack of Vulkan and the old OpenGL 2.1 support also rule out Linux desktop compositing that relies on OpenGL 3.0 or later. In short, if the task is web browsing, document editing, or video playback on a 2006-era machine, the card is adequate. If the task involves any 3D rendering beyond basic 2D sprites, the data suggests it will not meet expectations.

How It Compares

The nearestRivals field is empty in the FACT PACK, so there are no direct comparison points with scores or deltaPct values. This absence is itself informative — it indicates that the database does not have enough benchmark data for this card to establish relative standing against any competitor. The 50th percentile across all GPUs places it in the middle of a distribution that includes thousands of cards, but that position is likely skewed by the inclusion of many equally weak legacy parts.

Without rival data, the only comparisons available are architectural. The predecessor, GeForce 6 PCIe, and the successor, GeForce 8, bracket the 7300 LE in time. The GeForce 8 series introduced unified shaders and DirectX 10 support, which the 7300 LE lacks. The GeForce 6 PCIe line had similar fixed-function designs, so the 7300 LE is an incremental update with a smaller die (81 mm² vs. unknown for predecessors) and a newer process node (90 nm). However, no performance numbers exist to quantify any generational gain.

In the absence of rival scores, the practical comparison is against the card’s own theoretical limits. The 7300 LE delivers 900.0 MPixel/s and 1.800 GTexel/s, which places it below any discrete GPU from the GeForce 8 era and far below integrated graphics from the last decade. The data does not support any claim of superiority over a specific rival, so the only honest statement is that this card occupies a niche at the very bottom of the performance spectrum, just above the most basic integrated solutions of its time.

FAQ

Q: What is the memory bandwidth of the NVIDIA GeForce 7300 LE?

A: The memory bandwidth is 5.184 GB/s, derived from 128 MB of DDR2 memory on a 64-bit bus with a memory clock of 324 MHz (648 Mbps effective).

Q: Does the GeForce 7300 LE support ray tracing?

A: No. The card has no ray tracing cores and no tensor cores. Its API support is limited to DirectX 9.0c (9_3) and OpenGL 2.1, which do not include ray tracing capabilities.

Q: What power supply is recommended for this card?

A: The suggested PSU is 200 W. The card has no power connectors, so it draws power entirely from the PCIe 1.0 x16 slot.

Q: What is the pixel fill rate of the 7300 LE?

A: The pixel rate is 900.0 MPixel/s, and the texture rate is 1.800 GTexel/s, based on 4 TMUs and 2 ROPs.

Q: Can this card run modern games?

A: The benchmark data shows an average score of 0 with no individual benchmarks. The 128 MB memory, 64-bit bus, and 5.184 GB/s bandwidth are far below what modern games require, so playable performance is not achievable.

Q: What display outputs are available?

A: The card offers 1x DVI and 1x S-Video outputs. It does not include HDMI or DisplayPort connectors.

Q: When was the GeForce 7300 LE released?

A: The release date is 2006-03-21, and the production status is end-of-life. Its predecessor is GeForce 6 PCIe, and its successor is GeForce 8.

Power and Cooling

The TDP of the NVIDIA GeForce 7300 LE is not specified in the data, but the absence of power connectors and the 200 W suggested PSU indicate a very low power draw. The card is single-slot and requires no auxiliary power, meaning it is powered entirely through the PCIe 1.0 x16 slot. The 90 nm process node and 112 million transistors contribute to a modest thermal load, though no cooler specifications are provided. The slot width of single-slot suggests a passive or low-profile cooler is sufficient, but the data does not confirm fanlessness.

For a system builder, the practical implication is that any PSU rated at 200 W or higher will work, as long as it has a PCIe 1.0 x16 slot. The lack of power connectors simplifies installation — no 6-pin or 8-pin cables are needed. The 200 W figure covers the entire system’s power supply recommendation, not just the card, so a typical office PSU from the mid-2000s will suffice. The memory runs at 324 MHz (648 Mbps effective), which is low enough to avoid active cooling on the memory chips.

Cooling requirements are minimal given the low pixel rate (900.0 MPixel/s) and texture rate (1.800 GTexel/s). The card’s die size of 81 mm² means heat density is low. However, because the TDP is not listed, it is impossible to state an exact wattage. The data only confirms that no external power connector is required and that the suggested PSU is 200 W. For a retro build, a standard case fan providing basic airflow will be more than adequate. The single-slot design means it will fit in most standard ATX cases without blocking adjacent slots. In summary, power and cooling are non-issues for this card; the 200 W PSU recommendation and slot-powered design make it one of the least demanding GPUs in terms of system integration.