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Dual AGP Slots... Why not?!

T

Tiggerbaby

Senior member
Motherboards seem to have dual everything now-a-days; CPU, RAM, BIOS, RAID... Why not have dual AGP slots? You could have a main graphics card in which your CRT/Flat Panel connects to and then a support graphics card that aids in the processing duties of the main graphics card. The support card could either be with or without CRT/Flat panel connectors (why? because it could cut down on costs). With a recent emphasis on image quality, I don't think an extra AGP card could hurt?

Or maybe I'm just dumb with too much time on my hands 🙂
 
I thought it allowed for 2? I ain't gonna read through the 143 pages of the AGP 3.0 spec to check though.

EDIT: Multiple AGP ports supported (change from AGP2.0)

Section 5.3.2: Multiple AGP3.0 ports
AGP 3.0 allows core logic implementation to provide multiple AGP3.0 ports. Each AGP 3.0 port is a bridge device with multiple AGP3.0 devices hanging off the secondary bus. Each port has a seperate Graphics AGP arperture and GART that is independant and not shared with another AGP3.0 port; however these are shared across devices within a single AGP3.0 port.
 
BTW: according to one UK PC magazine, the PCI bus will die, so motherboards will grow much smaller because we won't need PCI slots. I laugh at that.
Complete load of bull.
 
Originally posted by: BingBongWongFooey
Originally posted by: Lonyo
BTW: according to one UK PC magazine, the PCI bus will die, so motherboards will grow much smaller because we won't need PCI slots. I laugh at that.
Complete load of bull.
Click to expand...

Apparently there are different sized PCI Express connectors, I don't know which ones consumer boards will use though..

http://common.ziffdavisinternet.com/util_get_image/1/0,3363,sz=1&i=15713,00.jpg
Click to expand...

I believe each connector offers a certain amount of bandwidth, so the more connectors you have, the more bandwidth. This means that for a relatively high bandwidth device (1GB NIC/Graphics card) there will be more connectors needed than for something like a 56k modem. I think there's something like 4 for a graphics card, although that may be off the mark.

The magazine was spouting bull, they were talking about no slots on a motherboard apart from an AGP slot, everything else being USB/Firewire or integrated.
 
Why not have dual AGP slots? You could have a main graphics card in which your CRT/Flat Panel connects to and then a support graphics card that aids in the processing duties of the main graphics card.
Click to expand...

It's not needed nor warranted. Gone are the days of needing 2 video cards to play a game on the computer (a la 3dfx 2-D card with a 3-D daughter card is is that vice versa?). Technology has advanced enough to where you do not need to use 2 devices to perform the 2 main tasks of a video card. Now of course, you're probably thinking they could make 3-D rendering more robust, more powerful if you have 2 video cards running over an AGP but that's just not going to happen.
 
It could also mean more slots for the end user. Think about it, keep 1 or 2 big ones, 5 or 6 in one row of the small ones, and a few of the ones sized in between those. This could mean that things wh ich don't take up much space, you can fit like 5 in a row, assuming the smallest is 1/5 the size of the biggest.
 
As for why no dual AGP slots, there just isn't a need right now or anytime in the seeable future because by then if needed PCI Express will be out. Whats the point of dual AGP slots?
 
Originally posted by: BingBongWongFooey
Originally posted by: Lonyo
BTW: according to one UK PC magazine, the PCI bus will die, so motherboards will grow much smaller because we won't need PCI slots. I laugh at that.
Complete load of bull.
Click to expand...

Apparently there are different sized PCI Express connectors, I don't know which ones consumer boards will use though..

http://common.ziffdavisinternet.com/util_get_image/1/0,3363,sz=1&i=15713,00.jpg
Click to expand...

My understanding is that there will be 1 16x slot for the video card, however I'm a bit more fuzzy on the rest. I think that a 1x slot still offers at least a 33mhz/32bit PCI slot's worth of bandwidth, so I imagine that the rest of the slots on a consumer motherboard would be of that variety.
 
The size of the pci slot won't change the size of the cards put into them, but may make more real estate for other components/ connectors. Not to mention, but the purpose of the agp bus is so the video card can utilize the system ram when it needs it which is rare. Another agp card isn't going to add anything to the system ram or speed anything up. All it would allow for is the ability to use two agp cards instead of a combo of agp/ pci since pci cards are becoming rarer.
 
Whats the point of dual AGP slots?
Click to expand...

>2 Monitors/LCDs for a given system
Click to expand...
You can do this, easily, without the need for 2 AGP slots. Get a dual head AGP card and as many PCI video cards as you have slots for. IIRC, Windows 2000/XP will support up to an 8 monitor display. Dual AGP really serves no purpose in the current market, other than to add an extra expense, IMO. I am not so sure that implementing dual AGP is as easy as some imply either. If it were, I'd think that all the current mobos with integrated graphics would be able to dual monitor with an add in AGP card, but they can't.

\Dan
 
a more advanced thought on it would be the two cards be identicle and the mobo have SLI built in so you can run them in parrellell.

I guess i should DREAM ON🙁
 
Originally posted by: EeyoreXYou can do this, easily, without the need for 2 AGP slots. Get a dual head AGP card and as many PCI video cards as you have slots for.
Click to expand...

And what if you don't like the dimishing selection of PCI cards? "You can do what you want, easily, as long as you change what you want."
 
Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
a more advanced thought on it would be the two cards be identicle and the mobo have SLI built in so you can run them in parrellell.

I guess i should DREAM ON🙁
Click to expand...

I wish this were possible... I'd just get two 9500 Pros or maybe two 9700 non pros and be fine for plenty years to come....
 
Originally posted by: AgaBooga
Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
a more advanced thought on it would be the two cards be identicle and the mobo have SLI built in so you can run them in parrellell.

I guess i should DREAM ON🙁
Click to expand...

I wish this were possible... I'd just get two 9500 Pros or maybe two 9700 non pros and be fine for plenty years to come....
Click to expand...

If only the wouldnt need to be re-designed from the ground up to support SLI 😀
 
Well, if you want multiple screens, you could always pick up a Matrox card. The G & P series support 2 monitors, the MMS series supports 4 monitors. The card are pretty expensive though, $84 on newegg just for a G450 AGP (low-end model).
 
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