AGP 8x on AGP 4x...

[evenmore1]

One and a half years ago I upgraded from an integrated video card to a Nvidia Mx-4000 AGP 8x...however, I had AGP 4x and my friend persuaded me that AGP 4x is actually half as fast as the AGP 8x and said there was no point in getting a better graphics card. So I bought his MX-4000....

Now I'm thinking of getting a stick of 256MB DDR266 RAM and a new graphics card to breathe some life into the system before I wait for Conroe/AM2 prices to go down ...I just have a one question...is performace affected a lot? Like half as fast? And is this a worthwhile upgrade? If not, I'll still get the stick of RAM as my computer needs it...

Posts appreciated

 

[aatf510]

It's true that AGP4x has half the bandwidth of AGP8x, but even higher-end cards like the 9800Pro doesn't benefit from the extra bandwidth that AGP8x offers.

 

[Sonikku]

If you can tell the difference, I would be very surprised.

 

[Avalon]

The performance difference is practically nothing. Yes, AGP 8x offers double the bandwidth, but cards weren't even saturating the 4x bus when 8x cards were becoming mainstream.

Your friend tricked you into getting that MX-4000

I'd say grab a 6600GT AGP card and hold out until Conroe, then make yourself a nice upgrade that you'll be happy with.

 

[LW07]

The performance is probably only going to be like .5 FPS difference. I would get a set of this ram for $40:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820141472

and this video card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102666
$120 for X1600pro

This will hold you over to Conroe.

 

[evenmore1]

thanks guys