Ab Work Outs: VisionTek Radeon X1300 512MB DDR AGP (VGA, DVI-I, TV-Out, HDTV) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I recently bought this card, and am extremely happy with it.I can enjoy my older games with much better graphics, and can now play games that my system wouldn't run before.I had a lot of problems getting it to work as well (see previous reviews), but that was due to the integrated graphics chip on my motherboard, and not a problem with the card!After following all of the directions that came with it, as well as a lot of ideas I found on other forums (VisionTek's forum is very helpful, and I learned a lot), I gave up and just plugged the thing in without disabling my computer's onboard graphics chip - surprisingly, it worked like a charm - go figure.If you're removing drivers like they tell you to, make sure you only remove the ones that affect the graphics.I have an nVidia chipset, and when I told it to remove the nVidia drivers, it removed everything (causing a lot of other problems).

My CPU's processor is not powerful enough, so I won't be pushing this card to it's limits until I put it into the next computer I buy.I have run games like "Half Life 2," "Fable," and "Star Wars: Republic Commando" at very high settings, and the performance is impressive.

In response to another person's comment, I have it plugged into an AGP 2.0 slot (mine's not 3.0).My computer specs show that my computer can run 4x AGP with support for 8x AGP.The card specs say that you need an 8x AGP slot - whatever the case, it works great.I don't know if it would work in a AGP 2.0 slot that was only rated for 4x without support for the required 8x.(I don't know how to use all of the technical terminology, so I'm sorry if the above info is poorly worded.)As a side note, you need a minimum 300 watt power supply, along with a extra 4-pin power cable available (like the one that plugs into your hard drive).I had to buy a 4-pin splitter (available at a well known electronics part store for under $6) that allowed me to run power to my hard drive and the card at the same time.Check inside your computer before attempting to hook it up.

Overall, I'm very pleased with how well it performs, especially for the price.It was admittedly frustrating to try to get it working due to the way my computer is set up (integrated graphics chip), so if you're having problems, don't give up until you've exhausted all possible solutions.I thought about returning it too, but with perseverance, I got it working, and it's great!

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Product Description:
Step-up to serious 3D performance and high-definition image quality with VisionTek Radeon® X1300. For enhanced graphics, the XTASY X1300 combines a radically new and efficient ultra-threaded core architecture with ATI's revolutionary AvivoTM video and display technology. Visiontek Radeon X1300 delivers exceptional visual performance for all types of PC entertainment and productivity. The Visiontek RadeonX1300 can integrate your digital home by connecting your PC and consumer electronic devices together.