4X AGP vs 8X AGP

[blazer78]

Hi, i was wondering what was the difference between 8x agp and 4x. i heard that the difference was minimal, but 8x should be twice as fast as 4x agp theoretically?

please give sources and links to other sites if possible thanx.

 

[Schadenfroh]

no performance distance, maybe 1, 2 fps at the most at some bizzare resolution/setting, sry, im too lazy to link proof

 

[SneakyStuff]

The performance factor is there to be gained, but as of now AGP4x is still doing its job just fine, meaning that the bandwidth it provides is adequate. Now as future games are released, and the bandwidth needs to be increased, that's where AGP8x theoreticly would be faster. I have an AGP4x slot myself, and I notice no difference from mine, to my cousin's AP8x when i'm using his comp.

 

[Peter]

The point in why it's pointless: AGP transfers actually rarely ever happen. As long as the scenery fits into the graphics card's own RAM, no system memory is borrowed to help, thus no AGP transfers take place. CPU initiated traffic (read geometry data uploads) runs as PCI cycles, always at 66 MHz (1x) speed - these are few data, so bus speed is not an issue here.

In the professional 3D rendering world, where 256 or even 512 MBytes of RAM on the card sometimes aren't enough to hold the entire scene, AGP transfer speed does matter. In games, it doesn't.

 

[blazer78]

meaning that PCI express is also pointless? only there for standardization, back to pci and cheaper production costs?

 

[Acanthus]

Originally posted by: blazer78
meaning that PCI express is also pointless? only there for standardization, back to pci and cheaper production costs?

The increase in speed will make a large difference on workstations, as well as the slot will be able to provide more power to the cards of AGP, which is a large limiting factor in GPUs today. I cant imagine how much power a 512MB 6900Ultra will suck up.

 

[aircooled]

The gaming bottleneck is not in AGP speeds, but programming. The graphic artist's workstation (where time is money) does benifit from it.

 

[BFG10K]

AGP transfers actually rarely ever happen. As long as the scenery fits into the graphics card's own RAM, no system memory is borrowed to help, thus no AGP transfers take place.

Actually they take place every frame.

CPU initiated traffic (read geometry data uploads) runs as PCI cycles, always at 66 MHz (1x) speed - these are few data, so bus speed is not an issue here.

If that were the case then there'd be no difference between the AGP speeds or in fact even between PCI itself and AGP. Yet even standard T&L was already swamping PCI years ago and was starting to show differences between x1 and x2.

Bottomline: AGP is very important but x4 is just fine for the moment.

 

[Corporate Thug]

there is next to no difference between the two

back in the day, i upgraded to a 8x board just so i could run my 9700pro @ 8x. man was i pissed when i found out it did nothing

 

[Todd33]

Wow, I think just about everything BFG10K said is wrong. The burdon of proof is on him though, I'm tired...

 

[BFG10K]

Wow, I think just about everything BFG10K said is wrong.

Wonderful. Then you'll have no trouble listing at least one example along with evidence as to why it's wrong.

The burdon of proof is on him though,

Is it?

 

[biostud]

here

 

[BFG10K]

What does that article have to do with any of the points I mentioned?