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Topic: AGP 8x vs PCIExpress  (Read 1749 times)

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Offline Dracho

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AGP 8x vs PCIExpress
« on: August 24, 2005, 10:32:23 am »
I am still toying with upgrading my video card (NVidia 5200FX).  Currently I run a 2.8GHZ pentium IV on a 800FSB motherboard with 1 GB of DDR400 Ram.  I could go with something like an NVIDIA 6000x and keep this system for another year, for about $250

or...

I could upgrade the board (but not the processor) to a PCI Express with 1 GB FSB and go with a 7000x or 8000x Ultra card.  But then I'd be out $400 for a card, $250 for a board, and I'd have to buy DDR2 RAM, so this upgrade would be expensive.

As I understand it, PCIExpress is 16x faster than AGP8, but do the applications take advantage of it?

Opinions are appreciated.
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Offline mc_cloud

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Re: AGP 8x vs PCIExpress
« Reply #1 on: August 24, 2005, 11:30:41 am »
games take advantage of the pci express

i dont know if you WANT to spend that much on the vid cart, but you can get a 6600gt for like 110$, which is a pci-e card and its pretty good....or a 6800gt for 269$.........i dont think you HAVE to get ddr2, and if you arent worried about over clocking, you can get some value corsair ram (1 gig) for 99 dollars.... and dual channel that....mobo's, depending on how much you want to spend, plus if you are going stock or oc'ing, you can spend under 80$ on a good pci-e capable card..

so basically you could get away with like 300$ for mobo+ram+vid card, and have a pretty good system running.
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Offline SkyFlyer

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Re: AGP 8x vs PCIExpress
« Reply #2 on: August 24, 2005, 04:19:42 pm »
Wait a year for the PCI Xpress...

Get a mobo that has both PCI Express and 64bit CPU, and update then.

Get a midrange card... Like an ATI Radeon 9800 256mb. But with that CPU a 9550 or a 9600 would cut it.
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Offline Javora

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Re: AGP 8x vs PCIExpress
« Reply #3 on: August 24, 2005, 04:23:02 pm »
Only the nVidia 7800 is pushing past the limits of AGP and that depends on who you talk to, IMHO I don't think there is a video card out there yet that can out pace AGP.  Given that AGP days are going fast to say the least.  I have pretty much the same hardware setup as Dracho's except I upgraded to the ATI 9800 Pro about nine months ago and now I wish I had went with the x800.  I plan on upgrading my system again before I invest in a new system.  With duel/quad cores coming out it just doesn't make a lot of sense right now to buy a new system.  The Intel 478 based boards can handle everything that software can throw at it without any real issues, and this situation won't change for a least a year or two IMHO.

Since you already have a nVidia card in your system I would upgrade to at least a 6800GT and maybe spring for a 6800 Ultra.  I wouldn't bother with ATI this time around since nVidia has out paced them in performance, plus you already have the nVidia drivers installed.  If you have the money I would also spend an extra $300USD and buy a Pentium IV 3.4Mhz processor.  This will keep your system going strong for about another two years.  Which should also be about the time I figure computer hardware companies will finally get their act together.  Hope this helps.
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Offline Dracho

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Re: AGP 8x vs PCIExpress
« Reply #4 on: August 24, 2005, 04:44:17 pm »
Well, the problem somewhat corrected itself today.  I was pondering waiting until next year for a full system upgrade, after Intel's new Pentium-M chips hit the market.

Just for grins I went in the local Best Buy, and they had a 6600 AGP8x with 256 MB DDR Ram in an open box special for $149, with a mail-in rebate of an additional $20.  Seemed like a no-brainer.
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Offline Just plain old Punisher

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Re: AGP 8x vs PCIExpress
« Reply #5 on: August 24, 2005, 07:29:58 pm »
No game out there even comes close to pushing the limits of AGP. The only time it pays to get a PCI express setup is when you're using a SLI setup with two video cards.
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Offline SkyFlyer

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Re: AGP 8x vs PCIExpress
« Reply #6 on: August 24, 2005, 08:19:07 pm »
Just for grins I went in the local Best Buy, and they had a 6600 AGP8x with 256 MB DDR Ram in an open box special for $149, with a mail-in rebate of an additional $20.  Seemed like a no-brainer.


you lucky fool.
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Offline Javora

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Re: AGP 8x vs PCIExpress
« Reply #7 on: August 25, 2005, 06:28:35 am »
Quote from: Punisher on August 24, 2005, 07:29:58 pm
No game out there even comes close to pushing the limits of AGP. The only time it pays to get a PCI express setup is when you're using a SLI setup with two video cards.

Thank you, could you please convince a couple of my friends that, I can't seem to get it through their heads.  The thing is I read in one of the PC magazines (Maximum PC I think) that reported that they are revising the PCIe standand and the current PCIe will be obsolete in about a year.  To me that is even more reason to hold off buying a new PC.
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