AGP 8x typically backward compatible?

[jlcochran1]

A relative has a Best Buy VPR Matrix desktop FT3110-PE that originally had an AGP 4x NVIDIA GeForce2 MX200 graphics card. He would like to upgrade to a 256 Mb card. Are most 8x cards backward compatible or should he go with straight PCI?

 

[Sleepsalot]

Thid may help you.

http://www.neoseeker.com/Hardware/faqs/kb/10,63.html

Wayne

Life is a big Roleplaying adventure.

 

[cdogg]

That link that Wayne posted makes a lot of good points. It plays both sides of the coin, however, and doesn't give you a solid answer as to whether or not the 8x card you're looking at will work for sure.

When AGP 8x first came out, the cards that soon followed were able to run at either 0.8v or 1.5v, staying compatible with older boards. However, some 8x cards later on didn't bother with extensive testing or backwards compatibility. So although the AGP 3.0 spec states that it must be able to run in AGP 4x mode, it doesn't force manufacturers to include 1.5v compatibility, which is what most older AGP 4x boards support.

AGP 8x wasn't around nearly as long as 4x. PCI-Express came out shortly after and became the mainstream choice replacing AGP. So in a nutshell, you're going to have to research a card to see if it has FULL support for 1.5v. Check the card's manual (can usually download it online), call the manufacturer, get a guarantee from the vendor you're purchasing it from, etc. Cover as many bases as you can!

You can't just go by the model either. One brand of the nVidia 6600 might not have what you're looking for, but another might for example...

Good luck!


~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Einstein
[tab][navy]For posting policies, click [/navy]here.

 

[jlcochran1]

Thanks for the feedback. It sounds like straight PCI would be safer, but are you typically taking a significant performance hit? Is there a reason he should pursue AGP vs just using straight PCI?

 

[ATLMatt]

AGP is a dedicated slot for graphics, and the significantly larger bandwidth it provides allows for much more powerful cards to be used with it. Assuming the relative want to upgrade the card for better gaming performance, it will make a big difference.

That being said, if they are using a mx200, it would probably take a lot of work to even find a card that is not a significant upgrade, even for a PCI slot. Off the top of my head, there should be some cards in the ATI X1500s line, or NVIDIA 6000 line that use PCI and would be a nice upgrade. You could always try and find a local store that will let you return opened hardware, and give a AGP card a shot.

 

[cdogg]

The bandwidth of "regular" PCI is nowhere near AGP 4x. In order to play the games made in the last 3-4 years at decent frame rates and high detail, avoid it. I would buy the latest AGP 4x card I could find before I settled with PCI.

Like I said, you can also review the manual (or read the box at your nearest computer retailer) to see if an AGP 8x card you're looking at will work at 1.5v. There are a lot of options out there...

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Einstein
[tab][navy]For posting policies, click [/navy]here.

 

[cdogg]

Also, this page might help too:

http://www.directron.com/15agpguide.html

A motherboard that supports 8x AGP should work fine with a 1.5V (AGP 4x video card), and a motherboard that supports 1.5V (AGP 4x) video cards should work ok with a .8V video card (AGP 8x), however in the later example the video card would only work at the fastest speed the motherboard supports (AGP 4x).

I haven't done a lot of testing myself, since I moved to PCI-Express soon after it came out. However, Directron is a reputable online vendor that I'm sure would back such a purchase.

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Einstein
[tab][navy]For posting policies, click [/navy]here.

 

[jlcochran1]

Thanks again, this will get me started.

 

[paparazi]

From memory: a list of AGP cards that I am fairly certain will work and will be a considerable improvement over his present card.
Nvidia:
Geforce 3 series: GF3 500Ti
Geforce 4 4200/4400/4600Ti series
Geforce 5 FX5600/FX5700/FX5900 all models

ATI:
9500/9600/9700/9800 all models

The favoured cards with significantly more power and almost certainly will work would be: an ATI 9800Pro/XT or an Nvidia 5900 series.
Newer cards from the Nvidia 6600/6800 ATI X1000 series may or may not work but will be seriously bottle-necked by older memory/chipset/bus speeds, so in my opinion it is not worth taking the risk because of likely compatibility issues and performance capping from your older components.
Martin

We like members to GIVE and not just TAKE.
Participate and help others.