AGP or PCI-E

[elitemaple]

I bought a dell computer and you know how they don't have AGP inputs on their motherboards, well, I want a graphics card better than radeon 9250 (lame) but I need some help first. First off, is PCI-E the same as PCI? Second, Can I buy just say an AGP input then screw it on the motherboard in the designated area (there seems to be an area set aside for one with screwholes, but I don't know) and lastly, is my only option buying a new motherboard for a better video card? because that would suck, I am after all a student.

 

[TRDCorolla1]

Not really. They are different and won't fit in one another. PCI-e is twice as fast as AGP. There are pretty nice video cards that use AGP. Your motherboard is AGP supported right?

 

[elitemaple]

no, its straight pci, or, hold on ill crack it open....yeah, all my slots (3) are pci, but right beside them (in the agp spot) is an area with little buds and 2 screw holes, can i buy an agp slot seperate or am i better off just buying a new motherboard?

 

[elitemaple]

if it needs something to support the agp slot where would i find out if mine does?

 

[alvino]

PCI-E isn't much faster than AGP. Although PCI-E has more bandwidth (16x compared to 8x), it's not even fully used in today's games.

 

[TRDCorolla1]

I think you're better off buying a new motherboard. I can't believe that one doesn't even have an AGP slot built in there. Must be a cheap board. If you do get a new motherboard, get one with PCI-e support.

 

[elitemaple]

k, thanks.

 

[elitemaple]

where is the best place to buy motherboards, probably not places like bestbuy or futureshop, i'd wanna go to a place that does custom computers right?

 

[TRDCorolla1]

www.newegg.com is a very good site. Are you in Canada? If so, Newegg doesn't ship there. Maybe try www.buy.com or www.tigerdirect.ca or www.zipzoomfly.com

 

[alvino]

Hm...I heard something about Newegg.com thinking about shipping to Canada...