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AGP8 on AGP4 capable MoBo

Discussion in 'PC Hardware' started by Christer, 2006/11/30.

  1. 2006/11/30
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff Thread Starter

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    Hello all!

    The fan on my friends GeForce3 Graphics Card "died" today. The fan is taylored for the heatsink and difficult if not impossible to source. Much less fuss to buy a new "decent" Graphics Card.

    The computer is a Fujitsu-Siemens of 2002 vintage and the MoBo is AGP4 capable. It shouldn't be a problem installing an AGP8 since they are backwards compatible, right?

    I recommended a "cheapish" GeForce 6200 series card. My friend wanted a better one but I told him that would be a waste of money since it cannot be utilized to its full potential on that MoBo. Was I right or wrong?

    Thanks for your time,
    Christer
     
    Christer,
    #1
  2. 2006/11/30
    Rockster2U

    Rockster2U Geek Member

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    Christer:
    You should be OK re: running an 8X card but I'd argue with you re: difficulty sourcing a replacement heatsink/fan for your friend's video card. These are very easy to find in the US. Perhaps an aversion to propellers makes this a difficult repair to consider ... ?

    ;)



    edit: corrected spelling on big whirling blades
     
    Last edited: 2006/12/01
    Rockster2U,
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  4. 2006/12/01
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff Thread Starter

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    Rockster2U,
    a new card is much much cheaper than a trip to the U.S. ... :p ... ! In addition to that, I offered to take the card with me to try to fit a "standard" 40mm fan but he couldn't be without the computer even for one day. He is shopping right now, I guess.

    No comment on my take on "a better card being a waste of money "?

    Christer

    Oh, by the way, I have no aversion against propellers. Without them I wouldn't be able to fly my glider but they are fitted to the tow plane up front. Gliders do come with extendable engines, either self launching or self sustaining (once towed up by a tow plane). When you have become used to the smell of fuel, a powered glider is very convenient. (Some call the engines "retractable" which indicates "engine out" being the normal condition but I prefer to call them "extendable ".)
     
    Christer,
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  5. 2006/12/01
    TonyT

    TonyT SuperGeek Staff

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    I prefer propellers like the one on my boat. Rarely do I have to calculate attitude and vectors, except when kids are on board!
     
    TonyT,
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  6. 2006/12/01
    Chiles4

    Chiles4 Inactive

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    VGA Coolers like this one and this one work well on a GF3. Maybe you could track one down.

    IIRC, AGP cards back in 2002 were 3.3 volts and now are 1.5 volts only.

    A while back I went to put a Kyro 2 vga into an Athlon XP mainboard. A little light came on which the manual told me meant that I was using the "older" style of AGP card (3.3v) which was incompatible with this board. I found out that alot (most?) mainboards aren't quite so polite - alot of them would have simply caught on fire in that situation - so it would seem.

    Not sure if if applies to you but I don't think you can buy a 3.3v AGP card anymore. And if your mainboard is from 2002, I'm fairly certain it would require a 3.3v card.

    Gary
     
    Chiles4,
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  7. 2006/12/01
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff Thread Starter

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    Thanks for that information, Gary!

    I just received an E-mail from my friend who said that he has bought a new graphics card. He asked the seller if it was compatible with AGP4 and the answer was yes, no problem. I will try to find out the voltages before installing.

    I read an article on the web which stated that AGP1 and AGP2 were not compatible with subsequent versions but that AGP4 and AGP8 are compatible. No matter what, I will check the voltages.

    Christer
     
    Christer,
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  8. 2006/12/01
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff Thread Starter

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    I found a few relevant pages on the web and the one below is interesting:

    AGP Bus
    The MoBo is AGP 4X and the card is AGP 8X, my conclusion is that it should work since still uses 1.5 volt motherboard power

    The Specsheet says that it "Supports 8x, 4x, and 2x AGP" which also indicates that it should be OK.

    The slot on the MoBo should be keyed for 3.3V or 1.5V or both and if the card does not have the corresponding key, it will not be possible to install it.

    I will still try to check, though!

    Christer
     
    Christer,
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  9. 2006/12/02
    Chiles4

    Chiles4 Inactive

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    Yes, the 4X vs. 8X quandary is independent of the voltage quandary. Though based on the "timeline ", there are no AGP 8X/3.3v cards and probably most of the 4X cards are 1.5v as well (but the latter is not cast in stone).

    This has all been a while ago for me but I seem to remember that some AGP slots could handle either voltage. Eventually, it got to the point even at the later Nforce 2 stage that only 1.5v was allowed.

    And I did find it a bit odd that I could insert a 3.3v card into a 1.5v slot - you'd think they would have "keyed" it accordingly.

    Gary
     
    Chiles4,
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  10. 2006/12/02
    Rockster2U

    Rockster2U Geek Member

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    Correctemondo for most boards. Its called people proofing, but I'd be willing to bet there are some exceptions.

    ;)
     
    Rockster2U,
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  11. 2006/12/02
    Chiles4

    Chiles4 Inactive

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    Apparently there were as I stuck a Kyro II (3.3v) into an AGP slot that was 1.5v only. As I said, a little light came on next to the AGP slot. Had to retire all my old 3.3v cards.

    Gary
     
    Chiles4,
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  12. 2006/12/02
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff Thread Starter

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    I swapped the cards today and all is well. Both cards were keyed for both voltages and I saw no point in trying to find out the specifics. I found no manual/specs for the original card and the specs for the new card said nothing about voltages (which I knew is 1.5/0.8V).

    My friend actually noticed a definitive improvement in performance and maybe that is to be expected with an increase from 200MHz GPU to 350MHz GPU.

    He is happy about the fan that "died "!

    Christer
     
    Christer,
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  13. 2006/12/03
    mattman

    mattman Inactive Alumni

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    Hi Christer,
    I think your suggestion of a modest card was a good one. Even a modest one will outperform the high end older cards as time goes by. Since a new high end card would be out of balance with the rest of the system, the only reason I would use a high end card would be to reuse it in a future build. Everything is changing to PCI-E so there would be no point.

    Graphics cards and motherboards may be a little hit and miss. You may have to "**** it and see ". I wish all motherboards had red lights that said "Warning, Warning, this graphics card is not compatable ". As if :D, at least not with the incompatable ones I have found, they were supposed to work in the first place :rolleyes:

    Gary, sounds like the motherboard manufacturer did not have the technology for a "hybrid" system, just a warning to let know it was the wrong voltage. There are cards around that are universal and can handle all the different voltages (although I think there are cards around that are 8X only, as opposed to voltage).

    The information I looked at seemed to keep voltage and the AGP rating separate. The changing technology of the time?

    Matt
     
    mattman,
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  14. 2006/12/03
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff Thread Starter

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    Hi Matt!

    My friend suggested that a better card could be "recycled" into the next build but my reasoning was the same as yours. The next build will probably go the PCI-E route.

    A mistake one makes is to judge the "level" of the card by the price tag. A year and a half ago, I built a system for his son. It included a GeForce 6200 PCI-E card which at that time was considered "medium range ". Now, this GeForce 6200 AGP card was still in the same performance range but the price was 1/3 lower.

    Christer
     
    Christer,
    #13

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