jeffw_00 Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 So I inherited a Pentium-D desktop (Intel 945GTP mobo, 3.4GHz Pentium D CPU, 4GB memory) which I used to replace one of our machines (a dual-threaded 3GHz CPU from 2004). I thought my son the gamer would appreciate the step up. I also had to get a new video card (new mobo supported PciExpress 1.0, not AGP). I bought an inexpensive 8400GT, thinking that any next gen would be a good improvement over the 7600GT that was there. My son tells me that it's no better, and maybe a bit worse. I can return it (or sell it, anyone want a new card for $30?) , but I'm not sure what to get in it's place. I know an 8800GT will be an improvement, and I can find them for under $100, but I -think- they're -all- PciExpress 2.0 (really hard to figure this out, manufacturers don't list specs, even on their own site), and perhaps not backward compatible???. So I'm wondering if an 8600GT (can find them with GDDR3 for ~$60) will be a sufficient replacement (some -seem - to say they're PCIE 1.0 (x16) , Does anyone out there live in this space enough to fill me in?Thanks!/j Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 I think the big thing these days in Windows gaming is DirectX 10 support...the 8600GT is good for that, but go with as much RAM as you can get for it.This might help: Albatron GeForce 8600GT-256 PCI Express Videocard ReviewThe 8600GT is a nice card for the standard pcie slot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffw_00 Posted February 24, 2009 Author Share Posted February 24, 2009 do ALL 8600GT cards work in PciExpress 1.0 slots? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 No, there are also AGP versions of the card. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffw_00 Posted February 24, 2009 Author Share Posted February 24, 2009 sorry. question should have been phrased. "How do I tell if an 8600GT requires PCiE 2.0. Or perhaps none do?". It's hard to tell from what i can find on the web, even at manufacturer site. Since the good prices come from sketchy sellers, I need to get it right.Thanks!/j Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 As far as I understand it, the PCI-Express x16 is the one that is generally referred to as PCI-E 1.x like this one at Buy.com:PNY Verto GeForce 8600 GT Graphics Card - VCG8600GXPB PCI-e 2.0 is 32 lanes not 16 as noted in this thread (posts 6-8). You are not the only one who is confused on these specs, trust me. ;)The specs are x16/1.x and 2.0.But the thread actually makes it easier to understand, I think.Hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffw_00 Posted February 24, 2009 Author Share Posted February 24, 2009 thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommyj12 Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 (edited) Gaming experience depends on a lot of factors, but one of the most important for deciding a video card would be at what resolution he is gaming at. You would be wasting money on anything over an 8800gt as the CPU will be a major bottleneck for anything bigger, and possibly that card as well. As for pcie 1 o r2 it will be labeled PCI Express 2.0 x16 if it is, and PCI Express X16 for 1. Just go with a model that has 512 mb of vram if you decide on the 8600gt. Edited February 24, 2009 by tommyj12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 For contrast, here's an example of a 2.0 x16 card specs:GIGABYTE GV-N95TOC-512I GeForce 9500 GT OC 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card - Retail OC at 650 MHz with Native HDMI Port (NewEgg) ModelBrand GIGABYTEModel GV-N95TOC-512IInterfaceInterface PCI Express 2.0 x16ChipsetChipset Manufacturer NVIDIAGPU GeForce 9500 GTCore clock 650MHZ (Std: 550)Stream Processors 32MemoryMemory Clock 800MHzMemory Size 512MBMemory Interface 128-bitMemory Type GDDR23D APIDirectX DirectX 10OpenGL OpenGL 2.1PortsHDMI 1D-SUB 1DVI 1GeneralRAMDAC 400 MHzMax Resolution 2560 x 1600Cooler With FanDual-Link DVI Supported YesHDCP Ready YesPackagingPackage Contents GV-N95TOC-512IDriver DiskUser's ManualDVI to VGA/D-sub AdapterS/PDIF CableManufacturer WarrantyParts 3 years limitedLabor 2 years limited Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffw_00 Posted February 24, 2009 Author Share Posted February 24, 2009 Thanks guys. I do know how to read specs. what I'm running into is some cards don't have specs, so I'm wondering if I can make a generalization like "all 8600GT cards will support Pcie 1.0". or "if they say 'backward compatible to 1.0" then I'm ok.maybe I can't.thanks/j Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goretsky Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 Hello,Generally speaking, PCIe 2.0 devices should run as normal in a PCIe 1.0 expansion slot, however, it would interface with the system at PCIe 1.0 speeds. It would be a good idea to double-check with an expansion card's manufacturer, just in case a particular PCIe 2.0 card does not work in a PCIe 1.0 expansion slot. Now, in the opposite situation, i.e., a PCIe 1.0 expansion card in a PCIe 2.0 expansion slot, the card will work, but only at PCIe 1.0 speeds.Regards,Aryeh Goretsky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffw_00 Posted February 26, 2009 Author Share Posted February 26, 2009 thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolphil Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 Generally speaking, PCIe 2.0 devices should run as normal in a PCIe 1.0 expansion slot, however, it would interface with the system at PCIe 1.0 speeds. It would be a good idea to double-check with an expansion card's manufacturer, just in case a particular PCIe 2.0 card does not work in a PCIe 1.0 expansion slot. Now, in the opposite situation, i.e., a PCIe 1.0 expansion card in a PCIe 2.0 expansion slot, the card will work, but only at PCIe 1.0 speeds.Hi,I also ran into this problem and the above quote is right on....But I would add in my case, the PCI 2 card worked in WindowsXP but there was a problemin the software as the device mgr. was looking for something that was missing and gave a exclamation point..I installed the same PCI 2 card in Mandriva on the same system,without any complaint from mandriva..In my case was I was able to locate and install a PCI x16 (1) card..There was not nearly as many choices to purchase...Worked fine in each OS..Goodluckjolphil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b2cm Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 A 8800GT card would run on that board. But it is an expensive card and you might need a good power supply unit to use that card. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tushman Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 (edited) A 8800GT card would run on that board. But it is an expensive card and you might need a good power supply unit to use that card.The 8800 GT was an expensive card. No longer. When I bought mine in 2007, it was $200; they now sell for approx $100 these days. Good luck in finding one. Due to their popularity, and the fact that it is an "older" video card, availability is scarce. 3-4 months ago when I looked on New Egg, they were selling all refurbished 8800 GT.If you're going to buy a new video card in the $100 range, the 9800 GT would yield far more bang for the buck. I found one at New Egg the other week for $117. (after rebate). Power supply requirements for that card is not as high as some of the newer ones. As long as you're not running SLI, 400-450 watt PSU should be sufficient. Edited March 3, 2009 by Tushman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffw_00 Posted March 3, 2009 Author Share Posted March 3, 2009 but I don't think an 8800 ot 9800 will run on PCIExpress 1.0 (or will run degraded such that it's not worth it?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tushman Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 but I don't think an 8800 ot 9800 will run on PCIExpress 1.0 (or will run degraded such that it's not worth it?)Motherboards that have a PCI-express v1.0 slot should be compatible with video cards that are v2.0. They are supposed to be backwards compatible. I have heard of some very rare circumstance/situations where that did not prove to be true. The only way to know if your motherboard can take a video card PCI-x v2.0 is to just try it out for yourself and see. It most cases it should be OK.You will get a performance increase with the 8800/9800 GT video card from what you have now - that's a no brainer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.