AGP x8 and the upcoming Video Cards

[edjam]

Hi, with AGP x8 , is the port physically different from x4. I am just wondering, I guess there might be higher voltage concerns where more bandwidth will be used? Also, I suppose a mere BIOS upgradw wont be able to upgrade, say a K7S5A to x8......

Thanks

 

[majewski9]

Well a chipset has to support AGP 8x and SIS 735 does not.

Secondly 8x cards are backwards compatible with 4x slots!

Thirdly AGP 8x gives you a moderate if not non existent performance gain.

 

[HelzBelz]

Originally posted by: majewski9
Well a chipset has to support AGP 8x and SIS 735 does not.

Secondly 8x cards are backwards compatible with 4x slots!

Thirdly AGP 8x gives you a moderate if not non existent performance gain.

I do agree with majewski9... with a slightly different view over the performance question : we will have to wait for applications to actually require as much bandwidth as AGP 8x provides (for example, with multiple large texture maps that don't fit all on the card's onboard memory...) as well as getting more mature drivers for the cards (no AGP 8x card has been around long enough).

Then, manufacturers will eventually be adding more onboard memory, so that the AGP bus would again not be a bottleneck...

Let's wait and see...

 

[edjam]

Thanks guys, I was just wondering that's all since I am thinking about a Radeon 9700, wish the games companies would use some of these features.

 

[zephyrprime]

(for example, with multiple large texture maps that don't fit all on the card's onboard memory...)

You know, I don't think that will ever happen. I think that video cards will just get more and more onboard memory. Even AGP 8x has only a fraction on the bandwidth of the onboard memory systems on boards like the R300.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: zephyrprime

(for example, with multiple large texture maps that don't fit all on the card's onboard memory...)

You know, I don't think that will ever happen. I think that video cards will just get more and more onboard memory. Even AGP 8x has only a fraction on the bandwidth of the onboard memory systems on boards like the R300.

20GBps and compression and all vs a piddling couple of gigabytes limited mostly by the memory type. of course, i'm the one of the opinion that AGP 4x isn't the limiting factor, its the available memory bandwidth after the processor and other things get done with their share.

 

[HelzBelz]

Originally posted by: HelzBelz
... we will have to wait for applications to actually require as much bandwidth as AGP 8x provides (for example, with multiple large texture maps that don't fit all on the card's onboard memory...) as well as getting more mature drivers for the cards (no AGP 8x card has been around long enough).

Then, manufacturers will eventually be adding more onboard memory, so that the AGP bus would again not be a bottleneck...

Let's wait and see...

Hence, my point exactly: I fully agree with both of you, zephyrprime and ElFenix !

So, let's wait and see : for software, drivers, plus for how will the processors migrate/use larger available bandwidth from higher FSBs and faster RAM...