Hello everyone -- first post on Tom's Hardware.
I am a total noob as far as video cards. I've been doing some research on them (trying) and I get a slightly different story from each person. I need someone to reply to this post who has a lot of practical, hands-on experience with AGP video cards.
I don't know what information is relevant, so I'll post what I can find:
I have an older system. It's about 3 or 4 years old. A Systemax "Venture" Pentium 4 at 2 GHz, with 1 Gig of SDR RAM.
Here is a link to my system specs:
http://www.supportforyourpc.co.../home.asp?sn=104922314
Here is a link to my motherboard:
http://www.biostar-usa.com/mbdetails.asp?model=U8668
The user's manual for my motherboard says I have the following AGP slot specs:
"The 66MHz AGP 2.0 compliant interface supports 1x, 2x and 4x data transfer
mode."
That is about all I know about my current system. Right now the AGP 4x slot is empty - I have never used it. I have only ever used the onboard 32 MB chip for my video.
So, what I am wanting to know is, given the age and limitations of my system, and the fact that this may be the one and only time I upgrade to a new video card -- what should I put in the AGP slot?
I have been getting a lot of conflicting information. Each person I talk to says something different.
I have heard that you can buy 8x cards and they will work in the 4x slots just fine -- they just "clock down" to the 4x speed.
Other people tell me, that's not true. That you have to be careful. Not all 8x cards will work right in a 4x slot.
It can't be both ways. Do 8x cards work?
Also -- as far as putting an 8x card in the slot -- assuming I can find one that does work right. Can I take advantage of 512 MB of RAM (given my system limitations above) or would that be a total waste of money because my system would not be able to make use of it? Or would I be smarter to go with 256 MB of video RAM given how old my system is?
What about 64-bit vs 128-bit cards and my motherboard.
I've heard that the motherboard cares very little what is on the CARD itself, as long as it is the right card for the slot and the card stays cool.
I hope all of this helps you help ME make an informed decision.
I am a total noob as far as video cards. I've been doing some research on them (trying) and I get a slightly different story from each person. I need someone to reply to this post who has a lot of practical, hands-on experience with AGP video cards.
I don't know what information is relevant, so I'll post what I can find:
I have an older system. It's about 3 or 4 years old. A Systemax "Venture" Pentium 4 at 2 GHz, with 1 Gig of SDR RAM.
Here is a link to my system specs:
http://www.supportforyourpc.co.../home.asp?sn=104922314
Here is a link to my motherboard:
http://www.biostar-usa.com/mbdetails.asp?model=U8668
The user's manual for my motherboard says I have the following AGP slot specs:
"The 66MHz AGP 2.0 compliant interface supports 1x, 2x and 4x data transfer
mode."
That is about all I know about my current system. Right now the AGP 4x slot is empty - I have never used it. I have only ever used the onboard 32 MB chip for my video.
So, what I am wanting to know is, given the age and limitations of my system, and the fact that this may be the one and only time I upgrade to a new video card -- what should I put in the AGP slot?
I have been getting a lot of conflicting information. Each person I talk to says something different.
I have heard that you can buy 8x cards and they will work in the 4x slots just fine -- they just "clock down" to the 4x speed.
Other people tell me, that's not true. That you have to be careful. Not all 8x cards will work right in a 4x slot.
It can't be both ways. Do 8x cards work?
Also -- as far as putting an 8x card in the slot -- assuming I can find one that does work right. Can I take advantage of 512 MB of RAM (given my system limitations above) or would that be a total waste of money because my system would not be able to make use of it? Or would I be smarter to go with 256 MB of video RAM given how old my system is?
What about 64-bit vs 128-bit cards and my motherboard.
I've heard that the motherboard cares very little what is on the CARD itself, as long as it is the right card for the slot and the card stays cool.
I hope all of this helps you help ME make an informed decision.