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Thread ID: 76961	2007-02-22 04:42:00	AGP 8x card in 4x slot?	technicianxp (6463)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
527051	2007-02-22 04:42:00	Hi there everyone I've got a Compaq Presario 6000 computer (Athlon XP 2100+, 512MB DDR, 80GB HD...) and I've decided to replace its now less-than-appropriate video card (a Geforce2 MX 200, 64MB VRAM) with a different one. However, I know that my motherboard has an AGP 4x slot while most graphics cards these days run on AGP 8x. Pretty soon I found out that the cards are backwards compatible but I'm seeing mixed results posted by people using this configuration. Therefore I thought before buying anything that I'd post here and ask, would it be alright for me to put an AGP 8x card (Geforce FX 5700, Radeon 9600 or Geforce 6200) into an AGP 4x slot? Would it cause any major problems or performance degradation? Also as a side note which of the cards listed above would be best for me (with a 128MB VRAM configuration)?. I know for a fact that's all I need because I'm not a hardcore gamer, just a casual one with a few strategy and simulation games which run a bit sluggish on my current card. All help is appreciated.	technicianxp (6463)
527052	2007-02-22 04:45:00	You can use a 8x AGP card in a 4x AGP motherboard without any problems, but the card will only run at 4x.	Jen (38)
527053	2007-02-22 04:51:00	Check the mobo manufacturer web-site for compatibility, you have the internet. While in most cases a 8x will work ok with 4x mobo's, SOME do not and the board/card go pop.....LOL	SolMiester (139)
527054	2007-02-22 05:41:00	Old 4x cards are frequently higher voltage whereas the newer 8x ones are lower voltage. Hence pop goes the 8x card. If you are lucky the AGP socket cutouts will prevent you doing this.	PENTIUM (426)
527055	2007-02-22 06:38:00	Old 4x cards are frequently higher voltage whereas the newer 8x ones are lower voltage. Hence pop goes the 8x card. If you are lucky the AGP socket cutouts will prevent you doing this. It is not as bad or clear cut as this, there are x8 AGP cards that will run in x4 slots, eg ATI Radeon 9600, maybe they can adjust the higher voltage to suit??? Quote: "System Requirements * Intel® Pentium® 4/III/II/Celeron™, AMD® K6/Duron™/Athlon®/Athlon XP® or compatible with AGP 4X (1.5V), 8X (0.8v) or Universal AGP 3.0 bus configuration (4X/8X). " ati.amd.com So it would pay to check up on specifications first before buying and trying a X8 card.	Terry Porritt (14)
527056	2007-02-22 07:16:00	My card is an 8x card running in a 4x slot. Trevor :)	Trev (427)
527057	2007-02-22 09:11:00	Thanks for all the help guys. I also found this page: www.playtool.com It gives a lot of information which has led me to believe that my motherboard's chipset (nvidia nforce) is compatible with the graphics boards I am looking at (FX 5700, Radeon 9550). If anyone could confirm this that would be great. By the way which of those two (Geforce FX 5700 and Radeon 9550) would be a better choice (with 128MB VRAM)?	technicianxp (6463)
527058	2007-02-22 10:15:00	Thanks for all the help guys. I also found this page: www.playtool.com It gives a lot of information which has led me to believe that my motherboard's chipset (nvidia nforce) is compatible with the graphics boards I am looking at (FX 5700, Radeon 9550). If anyone could confirm this that would be great. By the way which of those two (Geforce FX 5700 and Radeon 9550) would be a better choice (with 128MB VRAM)? The table has the geforce as the better card, however both are very slow by today standards, and I do mean slow! Truly, if thats your budget, i don't think I would bother?!	SolMiester (139)
527059	2007-02-22 12:12:00	I put a 6200 into an older athlon 1.4ghz machine without any problems. Most games work without problems 1024x768 full max settings. Good value especially with the older games and play a lot of newer stuff as well that needs pixelshader support. You didn't mention what sort of screen and resolution you are using?	apsattv (7406)
527060	2007-02-22 23:12:00	The table has the geforce as the better card, however both are very slow by today standards, and I do mean slow! Truly, if thats your budget, i don't think I would bother?! Are they really that bad? I mean to be honest I reckon anything is an improvement over what I have now (Geforce2 MX200). My friend has a computer with similar but lower specs than my system but has a Geforce4 TI 4200 card. Makes a huge racket but still runs Warcraft much better than my system does. Same goes for another friend who has a Geforce2 MX 400. A 6200 is also a big one on my list. However which would be better, a 6200 with 128MB VRAM, or a FX 5700 with 256MB? I am also looking at a FX 5900 but it's unlikely I'll get it because of the noise its double fans are likely to create (unless anyone says it's a good choice). By the way guys thanks for all the response I'm taking it all into consideration with deciding which card to go for.	technicianxp (6463)
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