PCI-Express vs AGP

[julz]

PCI-Express vs AGP: Which Should You Use?

There are two ways to connect your graphics card to your motherboard, via an AGP or PCI Express slot. Generally, a motherboard will only support one these slot types. So you need to make sure which it is before looking for a video card.

AGP has been the norm for a long time now, but it is old technology. PCI Express is the new kid on the block, and it’s only a matter of time until it completely takes over from AGP. The benefit of PCI Express is that it can handle a greater data throughput than an AGP slot.

PCI Express offers performance of up to 4X faster than the fastest AGP slot. It’s relatively new technology, and it isn’t being used to its full potential yet. Although, we predict that games released in the next 1-2 years will make full use of PCI Express technology.

Another advantage of PCI Express is you can connect more than one video card to your computer. This is impossible with AGP, a motherboard can only ever have one AGP slot.

If you’re simply upgrading your gaming computer with a new video card, you should check whether your motherboard supports AGP or PCI Express, and then choose a card accordingly. Don’t worry if your motherboard has an AGP slot. Even though it’s not the latest technology, AGP is going to stay around for a long time. You can still find a great video card with AGP.

On the other hand, if you’re building a new system from scratch, you have the choice. We recommend choosing a gaming video card with PCI Express, and a motherboard that supports it. As we said before, the games of the future will soon harness the power of this new technology, leaving AGP in the dark. So by choosing PCI Express now, it will save you the upgrade later when AGP becomes obsolete.

Also, don’t confuse PCI Express with PCI. A long time ago you would connect your graphics card through a PCI slot on your motherboard. This is very slow compared to todays standards, and is completely outdated.


Thanks for reading. Please free free to leave any comments you might have about the article.

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This mini-article is an excerpt from an article on my website. Check out my site on building your own gaming computer at:

www.build-gaming-computers.com