Are 8x AGP cards backward compatible with older 1x & 2x AGP slots?

Question

I know 8x AGP cards are backwards compatible with 4x slots but will they work with old school agp slots? I always thought that an 8x card will work in any slot although it will just run at the speed of the slot it is in.

Answer 1

This is a complicated question.... it really does not have
anything to do with 8x 4x 2 x or 1x...

What you really are dealing with are the changing standards
of what used to be a STANDARD AGP slot -
now the reference to the AGP slot is almost meaningless.

When the first 8x compatible cards came out a LONG time ago,
they fit on a few motherboards that were listed as compatible, but
users usually had web pages of comments stating to turn off the
8x features, since it often had terrible effects on games... etc.
Up to that point, a 2x would fit into a 1x and a 4x would fit in a 1x
or a 2x, and as you pointed out, the faster card would clock down to the speed of the slot. The " first" 8x cards, again, fit into the OLD, original " AGP " slot, and would clock down to 1x 2x or 4 x, if the slot only ran at that speed, but, there was a software control to manualy over ride the 8X on the few boards that first came out, so that it could run at 4X in a real 8x ( listed ) old AGP slot.

Then, the AGP slot itself started to change - with different VOLTAGES so that even though you had 4 different AGP cards on the shelf to choose from, you had to know what VOLTAGE the
card used, and then there more alterations. Some of the newest
AGP slots and cards are keyed with different slot patterns to
make certain that you can't put in a newer, different voltage, different featured AGP card in the many other AGP slots.
Then , just confuse the issue, dozens of manufacturers started making proprietary modifications to both the motherboards and the ' AGP " cards that issued, so that they could ship a " working " " AGP " card in the board, but very little else would work, and none of the specialized cards would work in any of the other boards and none of few of the off-the-shelf AGP cards would work on the special motherboards.

SO ..... in answer to your original question, for a brief period of
time there were a few 8X cards that fit in the old VOLTAGE standard AGP slots, but they were almost experimental, and unstable, and dissappeared. A NEW type 8x " AGP " card and slot have nothing to do with the old cards, and really should have been given a different name altogether... these will not fit ( thank heaven ), but if you buy one since you motherboard states ( 8X compatible ) you may be dissappointed if your board is the " OLD " style, and the card is the new configuration and slot....

If you are shopping for a new AGP card, and dont know what
kind is on your motherboard, you are best to take the case into a
computer shop and ask them what fits, and try it, right there.. ( no bs )
I would suggest a smaller computer shop that is local, with guys who put together individual machines all day - as opposed to big computer shops where people just SELL complete packages all day, and have no idea what is in them.
The situation is getting worse, with more confusion from the PCI X ( PCI Express ) cards, which have such things as
2 video cards for just one monitor, etc.

Don't purchase anything unless you really do your homework !
I don't bother guessing anymore with stuff like that - for example, for ram which comes from a hundred different manufacturers, to fit on a thousand different motherboard chipsets, I just take in the computer and try the ram right in the store. If the ram is incompatible, I just keep trying until one works. Done.

If you have your motherboard manual, go to the website and see the specifications, and/or read the white screen print label of the name of the board, and go to the website for more info...

good luck - dont waste money on a card that wont work !

a couple of discussions on the subject, and there is HUGE amounts of info and annoyance on the web about it, are:

http://www.cpuplanet.com/features/article.php/30231_2117941_2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accelerated_Graphics_Port

Dont take anyone's opinion that they know it all - as you read this they are manufacturing newer, more proprietary stuff, and it will probably just get more confusing...

robin

Answer 2

AGP 4x and 8x ought to be nicely suited if the motherboard helps it. maximum do not convert. the 1st poster is right. 8x slots are in a various postion than 4x enjoying cards. you should envision. Nvidia made a 7600 AGP 8x that's a solid card. i exploit a 6800 GS, works great. of direction a solid CPU etc facilitates plenty.

Answer 3

No. They won't even fit in the port.