Video Cards.

Bustem' Down

Bustem' Down

Give Peas a Chance
I know a little about computers, but need some more info. I went to buy a video card today but had some trouble. I have PCI Express and I only saw one card that's PCI express. All the rest were AGP. The one that was PCI Express was a Radeon X700. Now, is there actually that few on the market because PCI Ex is new or because that's what everyone was buying, and is the Radeon X700 any good? I'm looking for something pretty good, but I don't necessarely need the 9600 All in wonder model.
 
Suz

Suz

33 yrs & we r still n luv
Bustem' Down said:
I know a little about computers, but need some more info. I went to buy a video card today but had some trouble. I have PCI Express and I only saw one card that's PCI express. All the rest were AGP. The one that was PCI Express was a Radeon X700. Now, is there actually that few on the market because PCI Ex is new or because that's what everyone was buying, and is the Radeon X700 any good? I'm looking for something pretty good, but I don't necessarely need the 9600 All in wonder model.
Click to expand...
I'm not a geek by any means, even though I do support NMCI but the difference in the agp vs pci is the type of slot size......... I'm sure there is more to it then that, but that is the biggest difference that comes to my mind.

and by the way-(not directed at you BD) every time NMCI is mentioned and I stick up for it I get negative comments. just to let everyone know also-I have issues with it too. But it's my job-It's a pay check. And if it ever comes to 100% fruitation in supporting our services the way it is intended to-well that's what I am there for as a military dependent, taxpayer and a spouse that needs to work. period. I'm not going to hide the fact that I support a program that sux. But everyone thinks that it does because of EDS-the govt wrote the contract and controls it people!!! nuff said.
 
Bustem' Down

Bustem' Down

Give Peas a Chance
Suz' said:
I'm not a geek by any means, even though I do support NMCI but the difference in the agp vs pci is the type of slot size......... I'm sure there is more to it then that, but that is the biggest difference that comes to my mind.

and by the way-(not directed at you BD) every time NMCI is mentioned and I stick up for it I get negative comments. just to let everyone know also-I have issues with it too. But it's my job-It's a pay check. And if it ever comes to 100% fruitation in supporting our services the way it is intended to-well that's what I am there for as a military dependent, taxpayer and a spouse that needs to work. period. I'm not going to hide the fact that I support a program that sux. But everyone thinks that it does because of EDS-the govt wrote the contract and controls it people!!! nuff said.
Click to expand...
:killingme: It does suck. Way suck, but that's not your fault, you didn't develop it.
 
mainman

mainman

Set Trippin
Bandwidth: AGP Vs. PCI Vs. PCI Express

PCI-Express was approved in July 2002 and was recently released on motherboard products this year. It should provide ample bandwidth for scalability well into the decade and perhaps even further. Currently, PCI-Express comes in five formats:

x1, x2, x4, x8, x12, x16. x4, x8, and x12 are likely to be reserved only for the server market while x1, x2, and x16 remain for the consumer for now.

Note: Each lane is comprised of 4 pins; x1 has one lane, x2 has two lanes, x4 has four lanes, and so forth. PCI-Express can transmit 100MB per second per pin.

Input/Output Bus Systems: [ISA = Industry Standard Architecture, EISA = Extended ISA, VLB = Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) Local Bus, PCI = Peripheral Component Interconnect, AGP = Accelerated Graphics Port]

<TABLE style="BACKGROUND-IMAGE: none; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top; WIDTH: 50%; BORDER-TOP-STYLE: none; BORDER-RIGHT-STYLE: none; BORDER-LEFT-STYLE: none; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-BOTTOM-STYLE: none; cssFloat: none" cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=1 rules=none align=center border=0 frame=void><TBODY><TR style="BACKGROUND-IMAGE: none; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top; BORDER-TOP-STYLE: none; BORDER-RIGHT-STYLE: none; BORDER-LEFT-STYLE: none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffcc66; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-BOTTOM-STYLE: none"><TD>
Graphics Standards
​
</TD><TD>
Possible Bandwidth
​
</TD></TR><TR style="BACKGROUND-IMAGE: none; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top; BORDER-TOP-STYLE: none; BORDER-RIGHT-STYLE: none; BORDER-LEFT-STYLE: none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffcc; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-BOTTOM-STYLE: none"><TD>
16-bit ISA
​
</TD><TD>
16MB/s
​
</TD></TR><TR style="BACKGROUND-IMAGE: none; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top; BORDER-TOP-STYLE: none; BORDER-RIGHT-STYLE: none; BORDER-LEFT-STYLE: none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff99; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-BOTTOM-STYLE: none"><TD>
EISA
​
</TD><TD>
32MB/s
​
</TD></TR><TR style="BACKGROUND-IMAGE: none; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top; BORDER-TOP-STYLE: none; BORDER-RIGHT-STYLE: none; BORDER-LEFT-STYLE: none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffcc; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-BOTTOM-STYLE: none"><TD>
VLB
​
</TD><TD>
132MB/s
​
</TD></TR><TR style="BACKGROUND-IMAGE: none; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top; BORDER-TOP-STYLE: none; BORDER-RIGHT-STYLE: none; BORDER-LEFT-STYLE: none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff99; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-BOTTOM-STYLE: none"><TD>
PCI
​
</TD><TD>
132MB/s
​
</TD></TR><TR style="BACKGROUND-IMAGE: none; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top; BORDER-TOP-STYLE: none; BORDER-RIGHT-STYLE: none; BORDER-LEFT-STYLE: none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffcc; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-BOTTOM-STYLE: none"><TD>
AGP 1x
​
</TD><TD>
264MB/s
​
</TD></TR><TR style="BACKGROUND-IMAGE: none; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top; BORDER-TOP-STYLE: none; BORDER-RIGHT-STYLE: none; BORDER-LEFT-STYLE: none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff99; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-BOTTOM-STYLE: none"><TD>
AGP 2x
​
</TD><TD>
528MB/s
​
</TD></TR><TR style="BACKGROUND-IMAGE: none; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top; BORDER-TOP-STYLE: none; BORDER-RIGHT-STYLE: none; BORDER-LEFT-STYLE: none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffcc; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-BOTTOM-STYLE: none"><TD>
AGP 4x
​
</TD><TD>
1056MB/s
​
</TD></TR><TR style="BACKGROUND-IMAGE: none; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top; BORDER-TOP-STYLE: none; BORDER-RIGHT-STYLE: none; BORDER-LEFT-STYLE: none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff99; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-BOTTOM-STYLE: none"><TD>
AGP 8x
​
</TD><TD>
2112MB/s
​
</TD></TR><TR style="BACKGROUND-IMAGE: none; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top; BORDER-TOP-STYLE: none; BORDER-RIGHT-STYLE: none; BORDER-LEFT-STYLE: none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffcc; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-BOTTOM-STYLE: none"><TD>
x1
​
</TD><TD>
500MB/s (Single Data Lane - Both Directions)
​
</TD></TR><TR style="BACKGROUND-IMAGE: none; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top; BORDER-TOP-STYLE: none; BORDER-RIGHT-STYLE: none; BORDER-LEFT-STYLE: none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff99; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-BOTTOM-STYLE: none"><TD>
x2
​
</TD><TD>
1000MB/s (Dual Data Lane - Both Directions)
​
</TD></TR><TR style="BACKGROUND-IMAGE: none; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top; BORDER-TOP-STYLE: none; BORDER-RIGHT-STYLE: none; BORDER-LEFT-STYLE: none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffcc; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-BOTTOM-STYLE: none"><TD>
x4
​
</TD><TD>
2000MB/s (Quadruple Data Lane - Both Directions)
​
</TD></TR><TR style="BACKGROUND-IMAGE: none; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top; BORDER-TOP-STYLE: none; BORDER-RIGHT-STYLE: none; BORDER-LEFT-STYLE: none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff99; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-BOTTOM-STYLE: none"><TD>
x8
​
</TD><TD>
4000MB/s (Eight Data Lane - Both Directions)
​
</TD></TR><TR style="BACKGROUND-IMAGE: none; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top; BORDER-TOP-STYLE: none; BORDER-RIGHT-STYLE: none; BORDER-LEFT-STYLE: none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffcc; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-BOTTOM-STYLE: none"><TD>
x12
​
</TD><TD>
6000MB/s (Twelve Data Lane - Both Directions)
​
</TD></TR><TR style="BACKGROUND-IMAGE: none; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top; BORDER-TOP-STYLE: none; BORDER-RIGHT-STYLE: none; BORDER-LEFT-STYLE: none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff99; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-BOTTOM-STYLE: none"><TD>
x16
​
</TD><TD>
8000MB/s (4000MB/s Per Direction (Two Directions))
​
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
​
 
AndyMarquisLIVE

AndyMarquisLIVE

New Member
OK I hate to start with my ego but I am one of the smartest people in Maryland when it comes to computer stuff, so yeah I'm a computer geek. To make a long story short, PCI Express is a new standard and it runs miles around AGP. PCI Express is also cheaper, AGP cards are much more expensive to make. If you're ever going to buy graphics cards, you should consider doing it online. I reccomend Newegg.com or TigerDirect.com.
 
C

czygvtwkr

Guest
Unless you play games it doesn't matter if you have the slowest video card made and I wouldn't worry much about it.

I would also avoid Tiger Direct as they sell your information to every telemarketer, internet marketer etc under the sun.
 
FromTexas

FromTexas

This Space for Rent
Most the newer cards are built both in PCI express and AGP compatible version.

If you are looking for something that is top of the line and would take a few years to outdate, I would look at the high end Radeon x850 series. Warning! Be very cautious buying OEM type cards or other cheaper sold "look like the real versions" wholesale cards. Dell, Best Buy, WalMart, etc... all sell these cards (with Dell also selling the high end ones for a little more cash).

I currently run an x800 and it is way more than enough currently. There is a huge debate on whether to buy NVIDIA or ATI (radeon). NVIDIA costs more but tends to be more widely supported as the main card by many game makers (although they all run ATI cards just as well for the most part). The game companies tend to do more to make sure there is less bugs with the NVIDIA. However, ATI supports their series of cards much better than NVIDIA (new drivers more frequently with better updates). ATI cards are cheaper, and right now are my personal preference. I had more troubles with my NVIDIA then I have ever had with this card.

I recommend spending less and going with ATI. Do not bother with any of the cards you mentioned. They are already becoming dinosaurs (actually, the x700 should hold up fine for awhile longer). Research at the ATI (www.ati.com) site and you can start to see the differences. You can probably get an x800 XT (pci-express version) for not too bad of a cost and it is still near top of the line currently. If you want to lay down the large amount of cash, you can go to the x850 XT PLANTINUM EDITION (the only 850 pci express version) and have true top of the line.

And remember, this only matters if you are doing truely new and graphics intensive type stuff (high end CAD or computer gaming).
 
Last edited:
AndyMarquisLIVE

AndyMarquisLIVE

New Member
Well I still use AGP and I have had problems finding AGP cards cheaper than PCIx. I've been looking forever for something to replace this S3 Graphics POS. When you're talking about video cards, chances are you're talking alot of money to begin with. I usually make sure I have some extra Rage 128MB cards video cards laying around because things happen.

As for TigerDirect, yeah I have had some problems but my Spam filter is incredible so I really don't notice it.

OEM is definently something you want to stay away from - DELL and Compaq are notorious for using these things. If you're running OEM, you might as well be running an illegal version as these usually are not supported by the comany.

As for brand prefrences - I like NVidia, ATI, Chaintech and S3 Graphics. I am running an old S3 card from 2000 on my HP and it still supports DirectX and even many modern games.

If you're looking for something that can play DVD and what not, you can just get a lower end card but if you're into gaming, go with a Nvidia or ATI.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top