AGP support video card question

[cdt1983]

Hi. I just ordered a video card from tigerdirect that has an interface speed of 8x, core clock of 275Mhz, memory clock of 500Mhz.
I am now concerned that my computer won't support it. I downloaded PC wizard 2004 and it tells me that my AGP slot is version 2.0, Transfert rate supported is 1x, 2x, 4x. And the current transfer rate is 264Mhz.

The card I ordered is an XFX GeForce MX 4000 / 128MB DDR / AGP 8X / VGA / TV Out / Video Card.

I really hope I am missing something here or PC wizard is referring to the 32MB nvidia card I currently have. My computer is not very old. Any info would be appreciated.
Is there any bios upgrade or anything that can be done to support this new card? Thanks again.

[cdt1983]

Correction: The Card I ordered is the XFX GeForce 5200 with a Core Clock speed of 250Mhz, and a Memory Clock speed of 400Mhz. The interface speed is also 8x.

[caperjack]

unless the new card is backward compadiable its not likely it will work.

MY Board is not that old

,What is old in the computer world !!:) 3 mnts is considered old I think for some technology .
You should have done some research before you order it ,a quick Google search of the cards name showes a lot of people with problems and Gamers not liking the card anyway !

[Zachery]

You should be able to use it, most 8x cards are capable of 4x. However you will not get the full preformance out of the video card.

[Thong_Ispector]

AGP Confusion, Here is the best explanation I can offer
There are two AGP standards Version 1.0 and 2.0
Version 1.0 uses 3.3 volts and 2.0 uses 1.5 volts

There are multiple speeds 1x, 2x, 4x, 8x

AGP 2.0 is not the same as AGP 2x

AGP 1.0 calls for a notch in the buss in one location
AGP 2.0 calls for a notch in another

To further confuse the issue some AGP cards have both notches and are jumper selectable from 1.5 and 3.3 volts

All newer motherboards support the AGP 2.0 standard but if you are like me you may have one that supports AGP 1.0

If you put an AGP 1.0 i(3.3 volt) video card with universal notches into a motherboard that supports AGP 2.0 (1.5 volts) it will not damage anything it will just not boot up.

The AGP 2.0 ONLY card will not fit into an AGP 1.0 slot

The only time you can blow up a piece of hardware is if the video card has both 1.0 and 2.0 slots and is jumpered for AGP 2.0 (1.5 volts) then inserted into a motherboard that supports AGP 1.0 (3.3 volts)

The AGP 1.0 notch is in the 1/3 of the buss closest to the back of the case and the AGP 2.0 is in the 1/3 of the buss farthest from the back of the case.

[Thong_Ispector]

Continuing...
An 8x card in a 4x system will work but only at 4x...
If and when you upgrade the motherboard it will work at 8x.

[cdt1983]

Continuing...
An 8x card in a 4x system will work but only at 4x...
If and when you upgrade the motherboard it will work at 8x.

ThongIspector, You were a great help. I just found out that the card WILL work in my system. I just wanted to tell caperjack that I DID do a lot of research before purchasing this card. Most Video card manufacturers just say that an available AGP slot is require, not specifying the version. I think this is very confusioning. Also, for the average user it is not easy to determine the version of thier AGP slot and what it supports, without DLing software like PC wizard 2004. Thanks again, Thong.

[cdt1983]

unless the new card is backward compadiable its not likely it will work.
,What is old in the computer world !!:) 3 mnts is considered old I think for some technology .
You should have done some research before you order it ,a quick Google search of the cards name showes a lot of people with problems and Gamers not liking the card anyway !

Well, caperjack, I can't afford a more expensive card so I guess i am stuck with this piece of $hIt, huh? Thanks for nothing.

[cdt1983]

You should be able to use it, most 8x cards are capable of 4x. However you will not get the full preformance out of the video card.

Great, Thank-you Zachery, you were a great help.

[cdt1983]

unless the new card is backward compadiable its not likely it will work.
,What is old in the computer world !!:) 3 mnts is considered old I think for some technology .
You should have done some research before you order it ,a quick Google search of the cards name showes a lot of people with problems and Gamers not liking the card anyway !

Yeah - caperjack you jumped the gun. Almost all AGP 8.0 cards support 4x speed. Also, from what I have read this card that I ordered has had very good reviews for its price. So I'm happy!

[Catweazle]

I'd also like to add that running an AGP 8X display card in a system which only has AGP 4X capability will most certainly NOT result in any appreciable loss of performance. Cards with AGP 8X capability are not powerfu; enough for the feature to really make a worthwhile difference, and now that we've moved on to the PCIE display card standard, they never will be!

Thinking that AGP 8X makes a difference is a nonsense!

[Zachery]

Actually it does, there is a much higher ammount of data that can be transfered in 8x when compared to 4x, Ive seen it personaly. We moved my friend from a motherboard with 4x to one that supported 8x. the improvement in game play was fantastic.

[Catweazle]

Considering that card is only a GeForce 4 MX card, and not really up to the task of running modern PC games, i don't think any benefit would be even visible.

[cdt1983]

Thanks again, Cat and Zach. Very good info. I am very glad that my 4x slot will support the even if not to its full potential (which doesn't sound like its much).
Anyway, one more quick question. I plan on using this card for a little while, but eventually I am going to upgrade to an Athlon 64 system. What graphics card is going to give me the best performance for games like Doom 3 and/or Half Life 2.

I actually have NFS 3 Underground and my 32MB Geforce card is doing very well with the graphics set rather high. I am sure I will see some improvement when the XFX 128MB card arrives.

[Catweazle]

Best value high performance card available at present is the NVidia 6800GT. The ATi X800 Pro is another good performer. Better cards are far too high priced to be considered economically worthwhile purchases.

Stepping down a peg price wise, the NVidia 6600GT is perhaps the best vale card in the mid-price range. It's available for PCIE slots now, and should be available for AGP slots in the near future. A similar situation will exist for the ATi X700 Pro card. The ATi X600 series is a waste of money.

[Coconut Monkey]

Actually it does, there is a much higher ammount of data that can be transfered in 8x when compared to 4x, Ive seen it personaly. We moved my friend from a motherboard with 4x to one that supported 8x. the improvement in game play was fantastic.

Actually, it doesn't! Your perceived performance increase came from another source. Either the old motherboard was slow, had poor drivers, or you stuck in some new, faster components (like a new CPU or RAM).

Gaming performance will only differ by a few frames per second.

[Zachery]

No i insisted on using the same ram and processor for testing purpuses, it made a huge difference in Doom 3's gameplay

[Catweazle]

I'm curious here, Zachary. The only real way to test is to benchmark the system with AGP set to AGP 8X, then change the setting in BIOS to AGP 4X, reboot and benchmark again. I've never seen a motherboard produce appreciable difference when tested that way.

[Coconut Monkey]

I'm curious here, Zachary. The only real way to test is to benchmark the system with AGP set to AGP 8X, then change the setting in BIOS to AGP 4X, reboot and benchmark again. I've never seen a motherboard produce appreciable difference when tested that way.

Agreed. Your large performance increase could not have come from an increase in AGP transfer speeds (mind you, there probably are exceptions!). If you check that link I provided, you'll find benchmarks that prove this (as well as links to previous benchmarks on older, slower cards).

I'll even give it a whirl myself, if need be (9800 Pro). :cheesy: