PCI Express vs AGP
 

Ok, PCI Express is as easy to find as AGP is, and people always claim it is so great, but my question is, how much? Is PCI Express like a night and day difference between AGP or am I best off just sticking with AGP? Thanks, this will help me decide what I should get next, a new AGP Graphics card, or a PCI Express motherboard.

Re: PCI Express vs AGP
 

AGP is on its way out. Most cards can't take full advantage of PCI-E's capabilities right now, but give it time. I'd get a new PCI-E mobo if I were you.

Re: PCI Express vs AGP
 

pci-e can theoretically go twice as fast as agp. agp was capped at x8 but pci-e can go up to x16


its the new thing, so if you can afford it, get it,

i remember when pci was the new thing :D

Re: PCI Express vs AGP
 

PCI-E 16x to AGP 8X is almost (if you can remember) AGP 8X to AGP 4X. Not too much of a performane increase, But keep in mind AGP will not last much longer. Nvidia's already stopped making AGP cards. If you get the PCI-E MB I'm guessing that you will have to upgrade your processor also. It depends on how much money you want to dump into your project. The benchmarks between AGP and PCI-E versions of the same card are not that different. That might change in a year or so though.

Re: PCI Express vs AGP
 

Its not really so great, yet. But in the future when graphics cards and games start making use of the extra bandwith PCI Express offers then its speed will show. also one of the main advantages of PCIe is SLI mode.

If you already have a pretty good AGP setup it would be a waste to upgrade now IMO, save your money for when you need to upgrade again, then get PCI-Express.

And you shouldn't need a new processer at all, unless yours is slow and you want to upgrade. There are PCI-Express boards out for Intel: Socket 478 and LGA775. and AMD: Socket 754 and 939 which should cover any fairly new system.

Re: PCI Express vs AGP
 

It has roughly twice the bandwith as AGP 8X (I think its 4.2GB/s instead of 2.1GB/s, or close to that) however I'm pretty sure if you took two of the same card, one AGP 8X and one PCIe x16, and ran a benchmark of the two cards, there wouldn't be much difference.

If you get a fairly high end card, like a 6800GT or a 6800Ultra, it will probably last you another 2 or 3 years of fairly high end gaming. However, if you are considering getting anything below a 6800GT for your new graphics card, it won't last you more than a year, at which point your new graphics card wont most likely support AGP 8X.

To sum it all up, if your planning on getting less than a 6800GT or Ultra, go with a new PCIe x16 motherboard instead. If you have the cash now, stick with AGP and get a 6800Ultra or 6800GT (an AGP 8X version).

Re: PCI Express vs AGP
 

Cards aren't near the bandwith limit on AGP 8x. Honestly I feel that the hardware is moving a lot faster than the software that powers it. No game for the next 3-5 years will be able to use the extra bandwith.

The one signicant difference between the 2 is AGP can only send info one way. PCI-e is can send info both ways at the same time something that probably will be important in the future, but for now all it is a theory.

Keep your AGP board for now. By the time your card is obsolete your whole system will be needing a overhaul. Then is the time to upgrade to PCI-e.

Although If you are planning on building a computer then it woudl be wise to go pci-e.

Re: PCI Express vs AGP
 

Re: PCI Express vs AGP
 

Albatron PX915P4C Pro. That's just about it.

Re: PCI Express vs AGP
 

here you go, S478 with PCI-Express. only one they got on newegg.

*Edit: Damn C3 you beat me too it!

Re: PCI Express vs AGP
 

Only get a PCIe motherboard if you plan on upgrading EVER. AGP is dead... deal with it.

Re: PCI Express vs AGP
 

I am also looking into upgrading my whole system, but I do not want to switch video cards (I have AGP but I want to get PCI-E so i the board will be future-proof). Anyhoo, I noticed this board at Newegg that has a XGP slot and a PCI-E slot; so with the XGP slot I can use my AGP card (x800 pro) until i upgrade to my PCI-E card in the future.

link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813138249

Re: PCI Express vs AGP
 

XGP is NOT NOT NOT the same as AGP... it wont work


the only board with both AGP and PCIe is a ATI intel board

Re: PCI Express vs AGP
 

They have a list on biostar's website that lists all compatible AGP boards with XGP, so i guess im safe :uhm:

Re: PCI Express vs AGP
 

technology is dumb and expensive and progresses to fast and makes me mad BUT GAMING IS SO FUN....uh hum...i like agp by the way

Re: PCI Express vs AGP
 

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um...no its not:uhh:

Re: PCI Express vs AGP
 

STOP DOUBLE POSTING!!!

Whew... sorry. AGP is not dead, but if he buys a middle of the line AGP card right now, then by the time his card has become outdated they will no longer make AGP cards and he will end up upgrading then. I stand by my earlier post. Either get a HIGH END AGP card (6800Ultra or X850XT), or get a PCIe board with a middle of the line card (6600GT).

Re: PCI Express vs AGP
 

Don't listen to Fragger, he doesn't know what he's talking about.
That XGP port is an AGP slot that bridges into something else, but it doesn't use the standard AGP bus of yore. And it doesn't perform for crap. If you insist on going the "futureproof" board-with-AGP, then look into that Albatron; I think that it has an AGP slot proper, but don't know that for certain (meaning that it could turn out to be as big a hackjob as the Biostar).
In the end, however, you really are better off just making a true shift to PCIe. Wait an extra month if you have to, until you can afford it.

As for AGP being dead, that's what everyone said about PCI graphics five or six years ago, and you can still buy PCI graphics cards to this day. Go figure.

Re: PCI Express vs AGP
 

What ever happened to that PCI-express to AGP bridge? You could get a new 6800gt in AGP then get a new processor/mobo with PCI-e and use the bridge with your old card.

Re: PCI Express vs AGP
 

AGP is not dead, current high end AGP cards probably have at least a good two years of good gaming left in them. But in time AGP will become the next PCI.

I seen that PCIe to AGP bridge, but it don't look like it will work with a full size AGP card, it seems to be too big?

Re: PCI Express vs AGP
 

I'm not sure if it will work with a full sized card but there is a 10-20% drop in performance when using the bridge.

Re: PCI Express vs AGP
 

Wait... C3, how the hell was I wrong when I said a XGP isnt a AGP. You just said YOURSELF it isnt meant for gaming cards... correcting technicallities just to be "right" is really annoying.


And yes, AGP is too dead, and if you dont believe me then ask Nvidia why they arent making the new 7800 line in AGP. Maybe, maybe ATI will put out an AGP version of thier next line, but it wont be a large production line at all and will cost MORE than PCIe for less speed.

Re: PCI Express vs AGP
 

No, I said the bridge was poorly implemented. It is meant for gaming (or anything else you'd use an AGP card for) and it fails miserably at that task. Think before you post. It still supports an AGP 8X card and thus is in fact an AGP slot, but does not operate on the old AGP bus.

Re: PCI Express vs AGP
 

Just because it is no longer the Industry standard, don't mean its dead. I think AGP will truly be dead in two or three years when the current top of the line AGP cards run out of steam in games. thats when it will be the next PCI graphics. unless ATI puts out a new AGP series, then it could be around for a good bit yet.

Wow, i didn't know that you lost a good bit of performance with that PCIe to AGP bridge. but i'm pretty sure you can't use a full size card with it anyways....

Re: PCI Express vs AGP
 

dead doesnt mean that all AGP cards are suddenly crap, just that the makers are pulling out of them.

and I STILL say that XGP isnt the same thing as AGP (the fact that they have diff names and one sucks are proof), but whatever.

Re: PCI Express vs AGP
 

You can say it all you want; that doesn't make it correct. Let's revisit your initial post, shall we?

The part in bold proves rather succinctly that you were both wrong and in the dark.
Your second statement was also incorrect, BTW. ECS has a motherboard based on Intel's 915P chipset with both AGP and PCIe x16. ASRock has also developed a microATX board around 915GL with AGP and a PCIe x16-compliant slot.