PCI-E Videocard in AGP Slot Possible?

X

xXxDieselxXx

Gawd
Joined
Sep 1, 2004
Messages
763
Hi Guys,

Sorry If I make you laugh with this nOOb question but it's killing me. I'm in the process of buying a new videocard but I was wondering if you could:

Use an AGP card into a PCI-E motherboard or the other way around if you could use a PCI-E card into an AGP slot.

Are the AGP and PCI-E sockets different? I'm just debating if I should wait for a PCI-E mobo until the technology gets a little better but at the same time I want to upgrade my videocard.

Thanks in advance guys...
 
Nope, no can do. Two completely different technologies. Never going to happen.
 
what about an AGP card in a PCI-X? someone told me they put a radeon card i sold him into a PCI-X slot
 
First, I think we are confusing the terms.

PCI-X = souped up PCI (66Mhz)
PCI x16/x8 = new PCI Express

So, if we are talking about PCI x16:

If we were able to put an AGP card into a PCI x16 slot, there would probably be tons and tons of us upgrading to the new PCI Express motherboards. But, of course not. It doesn't fit. We would have to get a new video card.

So to answer your question, AGP in PCI Express slot = no.
 
Yeah. Don't confuse PCI-X with PCI Express. Its best not to abbreviate at all just to be safe.
 
what are you guys talking about? of course a PCI-Express graphics card will fit into an AGP motherboard. just give it a good shove!
 
I believe I've read somewhere that having both ports on a motherboard = not good, because it essentially slows the AGP port down to PCI speeds, or something like that. Not good. Correct me if I'm wrong.
 
Jerry1978 said:
what are you guys talking about? of course a PCI-Express graphics card will fit into an AGP motherboard. just give it a good shove!
Click to expand...
Thats what I was thinking. I can also fit a sandwich in between my hard drives.
 
xXxDieselxXx said:
Are the AGP and PCI-E sockets different? I'm just debating if I should wait for a PCI-E mobo until the technology gets a little better but at the same time I want to upgrade my videocard.
Click to expand...

Unless you plan on dropping the cheese on a high-end card today, there's nothing really noteworthy in PCIe space. If you go AGP today, you'll probably be able to find good cards as long as a system you build today is really worth upgrading.
 
KingPariah777 said:
Thats what I was thinking. I can also fit a sandwich in between my hard drives.
Click to expand...


:p Seriously, you guys are gonna make a n00b really believe all that. :D
 
Jerry1978 said:
what are you guys talking about? of course a PCI-Express graphics card will fit into an AGP motherboard. just give it a good shove!
Click to expand...

To quote Red Green: "You can fix anything with a hammer.......... Once."

==>Lazn
 
To quote Red Green: "You can fix anything with a hammer.......... Once."

And if you crack the card use "duck"tape. Quack Quack. ;)
 
Jerry1978 said:
what are you guys talking about? of course a PCI-Express graphics card will fit into an AGP motherboard. just give it a good shove!
Click to expand...

lol my friend almost died of laughter when i told him that :D
 
Wild Idea Time:

Nvidia has AGP-to-PCI-Express-card-connector bridging technology, currently used as an integrated component on the card. Soon they will use the technology in reverse to make the on-chip PCI-Express bus of the 6600 series talk to an on-card AGP connector. Is there any reason why this bridging tech couldn't be moved off of the video card itself and onto a separate slot adapter card? You plug the video card of one format into the small bridging card, and then plug the combo into the card slot of the other kind.

This would allow AGP card owners a more flexible upgrade option to PCI-Express, and allow PCI-Express vidcard owners some wiggle room (say your dear old aunt toddles into the local mega-mart and buys you the wrong card for your birthday, and you have no return option, or you can't wait for the 6600GT to ship in AGP format). Anyway, I would think it's at least theoretically possible.

Carry on.
 
Commander Suzdal said:
Wild Idea Time:

Nvidia has AGP-to-PCI-Express-card-connector bridging technology, currently used as an integrated component on the card. Soon they will use the technology in reverse to make the on-chip PCI-Express bus of the 6600 series talk to an on-card AGP connector. Is there any reason why this bridging tech couldn't be moved off of the video card itself and onto a separate slot adapter card? You plug the video card of one format into the small bridging card, and then plug the combo into the card slot of the other kind.

This would allow AGP card owners a more flexible upgrade option to PCI-Express, and allow PCI-Express vidcard owners some wiggle room (say your dear old aunt toddles into the local mega-mart and buys you the wrong card for your birthday, and you have no return option, or you can't wait for the 6600GT to ship in AGP format). Anyway, I would think it's at least theoretically possible.

Carry on.
Click to expand...

Yes, but several problems.. trace length and physical room.

For the first, they currently have the bridge chip on the same package, moving it off would have a large affect on it's performance. (perhaps not enough to matter though, as it currently runs at "AGP16x" speeds, and if moving it slowed it down by half it would not matter)

For the 2nd, PCI-E and AGP cards are practically the same size, and have to fit in a case, so I am not sure you could get a solution that would work even most of the time with standard size AGP video cards.

==>Lazn
 
Lazn,

Yeah, now that I think about it, even if the adapter was only as tall as the plastic shell of the slot somehow, maybe by mounting the circuit board with the bridging circuitry perpendicular to the cards/slots instead of vertically in line with them, it would still cause two problems:

1. No longer possible to screw the metal plate of the card to the case for secure mounting (although I guess the maker of the adapter could make up some kind of nut or washer combo with a longer screw to fix this).

2. The video connectors on the card's metal plate might no longer fit within the "window" provided for them on the back of the case. That backplate is getting pretty crowded on most cards these days.

Most mid-tower and larger cases probably have plenty of headroom for a "taller" card, but the other challenges probably make it a pipe-dream.

hmmmm... pipe-dream = 6800NU buyers + rivatuner :D
 
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