PCI Express x16 2.0 vs 1.0

[wjgollatz]

well, I settling on a system and then realized the graphics card was incompatible with the price range I wanted for a cpu and motherboard. Seems PCI Express x16 2.0 is not available for 800 FSB. So - it limits my selection of video cards. I did a search on newegg for motherboards supporting the 800 FSB of the chip, and a PCI Express x16 expansion, but not came up.

The prices for the 1.0 and 2,0 cards are about the same, but to jump from a 800FSB to a Core 2 Duo is about $50.

It is worth the PCI x2? for a nVidia 8600/9400 card? is PCI Express x16 2.0 backwards compatible - and if so, with how much degradation?

I have not completely settled on nVidia as a card, but I am just using nVidia to get a spec for a system, then design a comparable ATI system.

 

[angry hampster]

Does not matter. PCIE 2.0 cards are backwards compatible. Nvidia 8600 cards are crap and you should absolutely not consider buying one.

 

[toyota]

Originally posted by: angry hampster
Does not matter. PCIE 2.0 cards are backwards compatible. Nvidia 8600 cards are crap and you should absolutely not consider buying one.

and a 9400 is twice as bad.

 

[wjgollatz]

OK - what would be the minimum ATI card to get them to get the suggest performance of the 8400-9400 GeForce's?

As it turns out - the search function in NewEgg is not complete, there is a motherboard that supports 800 FSB, and have a pcI x16 2.0, its $85 but a good investment because it supports 16 mb ram for when I someday get vista. I with the search function was better.

 

[wjgollatz]

I just found this in tomshardware. I believe their conclusion is that there is no difference expect in very intensive graphcis applications such as Crysis and MS Flight Simulator X.

http://www.tomshardware.com/re...-express-2.0,1915.html

 

[happy medium]

Heres a great budget motherboard with pci-e 16 2.0 that suppports 800fsb.Gigabyte g31 for 53.00$

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813128357

newegg doesent tell you its supports 800fsb but the manufacturer does here.
http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Pro...oductName=GA-G31M-ES2L

No there is no appreciable diffrence with 1.0 and 2.0 pci-e 16.

heres a 3850 for 70 bucks. Way faster then the 9400gt or 8400gs.For 70 bucks.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814102794

Some 3850 vs 9500gt benchmarks

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3405&p=10

 

[betasub]

PCIe 2.0 vs. 1.1 should not be an issue for your build. Nvidia's 8600/9400 are far too slow to push the limits of x16.

Not sure if you have selected the 8600/9400 for low power or some other feature. For gaming, entry level is somewhere around Nvidia's 9600GT or ATI's 4670.

 

[TurtleCrusher]

i wouldn't even glance at a 8600gt/9400gt. Never ever ever!

Really, the 4650 should be up your alley. If you consider the 8600gt to be good, the 4650 is roughly 3x as fast. Probably cheaper too.

 

[wjgollatz]

I only consider the 8600 as acceptable for a mmorpg I play, as many players have posted in the game's forums that the game runs well with that card on high settings, and for now, that card is a baseline minimum for graphics for my budget. Once I get a acceptable system, then I will recheck the budget and try to improve it.