How much faster is PCI-E than AGP 8X?

Answer 1

PCI-Express should provide ample bandwidth for scalability well into the decade and perhaps even further. Currently, PCI-Express comes in five formats:

x1, x2, x4, x8, x12, x16. x4, x8, and x12 are likely to be reserved only for the server market while x1, x2, and x16 remain for the consumer for now.

Note: Each lane is comprised of 4 pins; x1 has one lane, x2 has two lanes, x4 has four lanes, and so forth. PCI-Express can transmit 100MB per second per pin.

Input/Output Bus Systems: [ISA = Industry Standard Architecture, EISA = Extended ISA, VLB = Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) Local Bus, PCI = Peripheral Component Interconnect, AGP = Accelerated Graphics Port]
Graphics Standards

Possible Bandwidth
16-bit ISA

16MB/s
EISA

32MB/s
VLB

132MB/s
PCI

132MB/s
AGP 1x

264MB/s
AGP 2x

528MB/s
AGP 4x

1056MB/s
AGP 8x

2112MB/s
PCIe x1

500MB/s (Single Data Lane - Both Directions)
PCIe x2

1000MB/s (Dual Data Lane - Both Directions)
PCIe x4

2000MB/s (Quadruple Data Lane - Both Directions)
PCIe x8

4000MB/s (Eight Data Lane - Both Directions)
PCIe x12

6000MB/s (Twelve Data Lane - Both Directions)
PCIe x16

8000MB/s (4000MB/s Per Direction (Two Directions))

For those who are looking for an upgrade to their system, PCIe (short for PCI Express) is a great technology to take advantage of. However, if you are looking to have the best possible graphics, there is no reason to splurge on a motherboard just with PCIe as AGP 4x and 8x should provide ample bandwidth for any intensive games you run, including Doom III / Half Life 2 and other soon-to-be released titles. In other words, pick what motherboard you want, don't just select one that utilizes PCIe because it uses PCIe. Presently, PCI and AGP will handle most jobs adequately, but for the future ... well, that's a different story.

Answer 2

I think the answer to your question relies more on the indivdual card you plan to use than on the interface. For instance an ATI 1950 Pro 512MB will put up almost the exact same numbers on an AGP bus or a PCI-Express. However, some of the higher-end (faster) cards are only available in PCI-Express. So if you want absolute top of the line performance, you must go with PCI-E for the added bandwidth. I certainly would not buy a new motherboard without PCI-E, but I wouldn't toss out an older AGP mobo until you looked into the available options. Good luck!

Answer 3

As previously mentioned, they are both video card connection types. AGP, Accelerated Graphics Port, is the former standard. It offers a direct bus to the CPU, instead of having to go through a queue to be processed by the processor. This bus operates at 66 MHz. It is offered up to 8x the speed of the AGP bus (66 MHz.). PCI Express is commonly used for video cards, but what makes it different, is that it can also be used for things like sound cards, modems, etc. PCI.e came along to replace the aging PCI and AGP standards, much like PCI and AGP replaced the ISA and VESA standards. The difference between the two are much like that between PATA and SATA hard drives. PCI.e is a serial interface; AGP and PCI are parallel.

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
How much faster is PCI-E than AGP 8X?

Answer 5

Pcie X16 Vs X8

Answer 6

The PCI Express video card slot is x16.

Answer 7

According to the "experts" 4 times