A Basic Guide for Installing Video Cards in AGP and PCI Slots

PLEASE NOTE:
The photographs used for illustration purposes in this guide were taken on a carpeted surface; however, working with delicate electronics on a surface such as carpet is NOT RECOMMENDED!
When performing any work on electronics or computers it is important to work on non-conductive surfaces; such as, Cardboard, Glass, Wood, or Plastic.
Before installing or removing any components in a computer, ensure that the Mains Power is OFF and the cord removed from the wall socket; also wear proper anti-static protection devices.
Static electricity may cause severe damage to internal electronics and render expensive video cards, and other components useless in seconds with no noticeable external damage.
The parts used in the photographic work for this article were either already unserviceable or surplus to requirements.
Figure 1 shows a Slot 1 Intel™ Motherboard with an AGP 1x/2x/4x video card slot; other features include, 5 PCI slots and one ISA slot.
However it is not the purpose of this guide to discuss ISA cards; they are not included in this particular article.
The Brown slot situated near middle of the board is the AGP slot.
Most motherboards have the slots Colour Coded: Brown for AGP, White for PCI, and Black for ISA; depending on the maker this may vary.
Figure 2 demonstrates a Socket 754 AMD™ Motherboard with a Green AGP slot.

The majority of AGP slots are Brown; however, manufacturers may choose any colour they wish, although industry standards are as previously mentioned.
This particular Motherboard also has 5 PCI slots, with no ISA slot.
Another feature of this Motherboard is the lock near the top of the AGP slot as illustrated.
This handy device helps keep larger AGP cards locked into place so that the weight of the card does not dislodge and cause connection failure, it is in addition to the case screw that holds the card in place.
Figure 3 shows an older type Socket 478 Intel™ Motherboard that does not feature any AGP slots or ISA slots.
The silver contacts to the right of the NorthBridge heat sink show where an AGP card would be placed.
This Motherboard actually features integrated AGP video in the NorthBridge chipset and only allows the user to upgrade with the 3 available PCI slots.
At the time of writing this article, the most powerful card available is the X1300™ from ATi Technologies™.
Figure 4 shows an antiquated (by 2006 standards) “nVidia™ Riva 128ZX” AGP2x Video Card.

In the late1990’s many Gateway™ 2000 Computers had these types of cards integrated into the Motherboard complete with a massive 8MB of VRAM.
Also shown is the external (‘external’ meaning it is an actual card that may be inserted into an AGP slot) version.
Normally there is a small heat sink glued to the chip; however, it has been removed from this card.
Highlighted in this picture is the row of gold connectors on the bottom of the card; the notch towards the front of the connectors ensures that this card will ONLY fit into an AGP 2x slot.
It is not possible to insert this particular card into an AGP 4x or AGP 8x slot, due to the design of these slots.

Figure 5 illustrates a “Geforce™ 6960” 2 Video Card that is compatible with AGP 1x/2x/4x slotted Motherboards; it has two notches that allow installation into any of theses 3 slot - types.
Note that this card has an integrated cooling fan.
Shown in Figure 6 is a “nVidia™ Series 6” 6800 AGP 4x/8x Video Card.

This particular connector will only allow the card to be inserted into an AGP 4x or 8x Motherboard, due to the omnidirectional ‘foot’ connector configuration.
It is the opposite design of the “nVidia™ Riva 128ZX” card shown in Figure 6; this is purely for compatibility and safety reasons.
The “nVidia™ Series 6” card also requires a direct connection to the Computer’s Power Supply Unit in order to meet the energy requirements of the onboard GPU, as highlighted in the picture.
The card will either not function or will not perform well, unless the power plug is connected.
Some cards feature two of these connectors while many PCI-Express cards use a simple 6-pin power connector.
It is noticeable that this particular card also has an integrated cooloing fan.

Figure 7 shows a universal AGP slot that has no risers inside the socket that would prevent insertion the incorrect type of card.
Care needs to be taken when using these slots, as the EXACT speed of the slot needs to be known, compared to the speed of the card that is being installed.

Installing Video Cards in AGP Slots
Installing a video card is a relatively simple operation; it is essentially plug the card (as shown in figure 8) in to the correct slot and start using it.
It is also noticeable how the AGP Lock automatically engages when the installation is complete.
Removal of this type of Card may be achieved by disengaging the White Pin Lock then reversing the installation procedure.
Figure 9 shows an incorrect installation, as the “nVidia™ Riva 128ZX” Video Card obviously will not fit into the AGP 4x/8x slot; this is due to the design of both the card and the slot.
The purpose of this design is to prevent installation of incompatible Video Cards in a computer.
Note: Forcing a Video Card into an incompatible slot will cause damage to the slot as well as the Card, not to mention possible damage to the Motherboard.
As previously shown in Figure 1, PCI slots are seen on most Motherboards; these slots may be used to install many varied component accessories; such as, Sound Cards, Network Cards, Modems, IEEE1394 cards, and USB cards, to name a few.
Unfortunately PCI slots generally are not practical for Video use, since the PCI Bus Speed is slower compared to AGP and PCI-Express slots.
It is recommended to only use these types of slots should performance not be an issue, or there is no other option available with the particular computer

Installing Video Cards in PCI slots is the same as with AGP cards, in that only a gentle push is required to install the card.
Once the ‘new’ Card is installed, it is recommended to install the respective Drivers for the device to function properly.
Drivers are essentially interpreters for the computer's operating system; they receive the commands given, and then translate the commands into a language that the card can interpret to operate correctly.
From time to time manufacturers may release updated versions of drivers that may add additional features, enable new technologies, or enhance performance; however, there is the possibility that there could be little to no enhancement to the current operation of the Video Card.
When updated Drivers are released, most Video Card creators usually issue documentation stating the benefit (if any) of the update; however, in certain circumstances these new releases may cause conflicts, it is therefore best to research the information released for incompatibility or possible operational issues with the Video Card that is installed.
There are a number of different types of Video Cards available, and it is not possible to cover every intricate aspect of them in a guide such as this, as the purpose here has been to explain the basic installation instructions.