Can I install PCI-E on it now?

A

Anthem515

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Jun 28, 2005
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I want to know if i could install the pci-express x16 port on my motherboard now. I have only had it a little while. Can I? thanks :)
 
PCI-e is not something you can install yourself. It's a new technology and it is engineered into motherboards. You can buy a new motherboard, but you can't put pci-e on your current agp mobo. I don't have any links handy but maybe someone else does. You might want to read up on pci-express a bit.
 
Agreed. PCI-Express is a bus just like AGP and PCI. The motherboard has to have built-in support that is hardwired (if I may) to the motherboard. It has to have embedded instructions and native support and a PCI-Express port for PCI-Express. Might sound confusing. There's no way to install or mod your motherboard to run PCI-Express. You have to buy a new motherboard to get PCI-Express. :)
 
Anthem515 said:
I want to know if i could install the pci-express x16 port on my motherboard now. I have only had it a little while. Can I? thanks :)
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my god
 
Anthem515 said:
I want to know if i could install the pci-express x16 port on my motherboard now. I have only had it a little while. Can I? thanks :)
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Aw cmon guys lol give him a break. We need more info dude, like the make and model of your computer/motherboard.
 
Dillusion said:
Aw cmon guys lol give him a break. We need more info dude, like the make and model of your computer/motherboard.
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Yea...

No. He cant install it, you need a new mobo...

Thead locked :)
 
Ok I was also wondering, how would I go about routing the traces are a few more DDR dimm slots? My motherboard manual doesn't have any info on this :(
 
Dillusion said:
Aw cmon guys lol give him a break. We need more info dude, like the make and model of your computer/motherboard.
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Thanks Dillusion. I'm new at all that stuff. :)
 
When you say install PCIe, do you mean install a PCIe device such as a video card, or do you mean install the capabilities to use PCIe devices onto your motherboard?

If you mean the latter, then no, you can't do it. Either your motherboard supports PCIe or it doesn't, no middle ground, no do it yourself.

If you mean the former, then yes you can surely insall a PCIe card if your motherboard has PCIe slots, if it doesn't then you would have to buy a new motherboard to gain support for PCIe, it can't jst be added.
 
This thread is a winner. Bookmarked so when I need a laugh I will come back :)

Their was a time we were all like this :p Everyone starts out somewhere.

No man, you cant just install a slot, its all routed thru the Motherboard etc etc... plus your Chipset needs to support PCIe logic anway, etc etc...
 
robberbaron said:
Ok I was also wondering, how would I go about routing the traces are a few more DDR dimm slots? My motherboard manual doesn't have any info on this :(
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Ask Jeeves??? :confused:
 
Yeah sorry guys I am a total noob. I'm only like 15 and I want to get into this stuff. If I have caused anybody frustration, I'm sorry, it's just not my fault you're a nerd. :D
 
Anthem515 said:
Yeah sorry guys I am a total noob. I'm only like 15 and I want to get into this stuff. If I have caused anybody frustration, I'm sorry, it's just not my fault you're a nerd. :D
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No need to start throwing down insults, if you look, both Dillusion and I have tried to help but you still haven't answered the questions posed to you.

I'll even recap for you,

Dillusion asked, what mobo (make and model) you have? And I'm still wondering if you can clarify what you mean by install a PCIe (did you mean a device or the actual bus?), so that we can clear up any confusion and let this thread get resolved.
 
Anthem515 said:
Yeah sorry guys I am a total noob. I'm only like 15 and I want to get into this stuff. If I have caused anybody frustration, I'm sorry, it's just not my fault you're a nerd. :D
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PCIe is a slot (AKA BUS) on the motherbaord that add-on cards plug into, mainly Videocards, but there are other things that do to. A 16x slot is the long on, 2x slots are the little small ones

So when you say, Can I put a PCIe on my comptuer noW, what dose that mean? Dsoe it mean you have a new motherboard with PCIe 16x slot and you want to put you PCIe Video card on it? Dose it mean you want to add PCIe to your motherboard?


BTW: Nerd is a complement
 
No harm done with the "nerd" thing...it was obviously out of simple humor and is no big deal, so please, no one get worked up on it. But...please tell us exactly what you're talking about...installing a card in the PCI-E slot, or installing a PCI-E BUS (or port, whatever)
 
Yes, you could attach a PCI Express port to your motherboard.

Wouldn't work though. :p

But really, in all seriousness, No. You can't. PCI Express has to be supported by the motherboard. You would know if your motherboard supports it, because it would have PCI Express.
 
Anthem515 said:
What does PCI-E have that AGP doesn't?
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I don't really know for sure what the differences are - I still use AGP, so I don't even pay attention to PCI Express. All I know is that PCIe is built differently, and it's faster.

Come on guys, don't make fun of this guy; we all have to start out somewhere.
 
Anthem515 said:
What does PCI-E have that AGP doesn't?
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It has more voltage, more available pipelines (8 for AGP-16 for PCI-E) for video card use, and higher bandwidth than that of AGP. Most AGP cards out now don't even take advantage of the 8 available pipelines, so using a PCI-E card isn't going to be an advantage right now, really, but PCI-E BUS is more future safe because obviously as apps become more demanding-you will need more pipes and bandwidth. Get it?
 
it can be done, but it will only work at agp bus speed/bandwidth, so it defeats the purpose of PCI-E!
 
it's not dedicated, it's for every upgrade card and has more lanes/bandwith, ahh I can't explain, it just has a better future
 
lesman said:
It has more voltage, more available pipelines (8 for AGP-16 for PCI-E) for video card use, and higher bandwidth than that of AGP. Most AGP cards out now don't even take advantage of the 8 available pipelines, so using a PCI-E card isn't going to be an advantage right now, really, but PCI-E BUS is more future safe because obviously as apps become more demanding-you will need more pipes and bandwidth. Get it?
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your getting your facts mixed up.... the number of pipelines a card has has nothing to do with whether or not its a pci-e or agp card, there are plenty of 16pipe agp cards , the amount of pipes and the bus have nothing to do with each other. Also as of right now the only advantage of a pci-e system is SLI because agp is currently not maxed out, in fact i dont even think a 32 pipe card (r520 maybe) could max out the agp 8x bus.
 
Anthem515 said:
What does PCI-E have that AGP doesn't?
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Right now, almost zero. We are still in the AGP -> PCI-E transition (though Intel and NVIDIA would like to have you think otherwise); much like PCI -> AGPx1 there is almost no performance difference between AGP 8x and 1st- & 2nd-generation PCI-E cards. As better memory and GPUs demand more bus bandwidth, the gap will widen.
 
and plus pci-e makes the whole motherboard scene much more expandable. The big problem with the old pci/agp bus setup was that each was a shared bus for all devices...all pci devices shared the same bus and the same bandwidth. New devices take up more bandwidth, and eventually the entire bus is saturated. But pci-e is expandable...each pci-e lane is a dedicated bus for any one device. Need more bandwidth? Just group some lanes together. Need even more bandwidth? Well chipmakers can just add more lanes to the chipsets. It makes the future upgradibility of computers much more streamlined.
 
cell_491 said:
your getting your facts mixed up.... the number of pipelines a card has has nothing to do with whether or not its a pci-e or agp card, there are plenty of 16pipe agp cards , the amount of pipes and the bus have nothing to do with each other. Also as of right now the only advantage of a pci-e system is SLI because agp is currently not maxed out, in fact i dont even think a 32 pipe card (r520 maybe) could max out the agp 8x bus.
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Thats very interesting, I didn't know any of that! But I could swear that AGP's max pipeline usage is 8...or that's the most an agp card will use...but then again, theres a big chance I'm wrong! Thanks for the info, though! :)
 
lesman said:
Thats very interesting, I didn't know any of that! But I could swear that AGP's max pipeline usage is 8...or that's the most an agp card will use...but then again, theres a big chance I'm wrong! Thanks for the info, though! :)
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You're thinking that agp 8x= 8 pixel pipelines. Well, x800xt's, for example, use 16 pipes IIRC, and the show performance benefits over the x800pro, which only has 12 pipes. There are clock differences, but nonetheless, you can have plenty of pipes like cell_491 said.

Also, that doesn't mean PCIe is limited to 16 pipes because it's 16x.

In this case, the 8x or 16x simply refers to a transfer rate or some other bandwidth designation.
 
Might I recommend a visit to www.mindspring.com.
They have some 90 minute intros to PCI-Express and Hyper Transport, etc..
It will require registration, but the information is great.

Ed
 
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