Confused with AGP card & slot!

Shaihulud · 01-31-2007, 07:51 AM

Hi,

I just got an old ATI All-In-Wonder Radeon 7000 AGP 2x/4x, which seems to be an Universal AGP Card (according to "AGP compatibility for sticklers")

I want to uinstall it on an ASRock AM2NF3 MainBoard with AGP 8x, which seems to be an Universal 1.5V AGP 3.0 Motherboard (according to "AGP compatibility for sticklers").

Can I? Or not? I'm so scared of killing my nobo, cause plenty other websites said, a wrong AGP card could kill the mainboard within seconds!

Help is much appreciated!!!

Thanx in advance!

**RZA** · 01-31-2007, 08:13 AM

AGP Speeds are required to be backwards compatible. This means that an 8X video card MUST be able to run at 4x, 2x, or 1x speeds.

The connectors on AGP video cards are keyed in such a way that you can only install equipment that have compatible Voltage keyed connectors. Normally the key of the card determines its signal voltage. AGP 1.0 and AGP 2.0 cards using a 1.5V key will signal at 1.5 volts. However, AGP 3.0 devices can tolerate 1.5V - they won't be destroyed, they just might not work properly.

Because speeds must be backwards compatible, Signalling Voltage is where incompatibilities arise. Basically:

* All 8x cards are 0.8v AGP 3.0 spec
* 8x cards will fit in 1.5V slots, and can tolerate the voltage, but will NOT run properly
* 4x cards can be either 1.5V or 0.8V
* 2x and 1x cards are either 3.3V or 1.5V
* Except in the case of the 8X cards, using the wrong voltage card with the wrong motherboard can result in damage in card and board
* If you install a card of incompatible voltages with the motherboard's specs, the card will NOT run

More info: http://www.neoseeker.com/Hardware/faqs/kb/10,63.html

**1 g0t 0wn3d** · 01-31-2007, 08:16 AM

I doubt that very much my old computer (for fun) i stuck a diff slot processer in without a heatsink it melted so i scraped it of stuck old card in and it work motherboards are durable for the most part

Shaihulud · 01-31-2007, 02:41 PM

Thanx but my problem is the other way around:

I have an AGP 2x/4x card and an AGP 8x Mainboard, according to "AGP compatibility for sticklers" it should work, but I'm scared cause so many other pages say it might still be possible to kill mainboard or graphiccard.

The AGP architecture is so mixed up, these guys must have been drunk.

Answers in german are also welcome!

**RZA** · 01-31-2007, 04:27 PM

Sorry if I wasn't clear Shaihulud,

You can go ahead and stick your card in the agp slot on your mobo. The AGP slot on your mobo is backwards compatible and would work with 1x,2x or 4x cards. In terms of voltage..the slot and cards are built so that they can only be put in one way. If your card won't fit in the slot, then the answer is obvious in that your card isn't supported on the board. You can check the link I posted earlier, the diagrams illustrate what I mean. Other than that..if there are any other incompatibilies, then your system symply won't boot.

I've never heard of a case where the board fried because of an older agp card and a newer board or vice versa unless overclocking or modified voltages were involved. As '1 g0t 0wn3d' mentioned, nowadays the boards are pretty durable.

Hope that helps.

Shaihulud · 02-01-2007, 03:04 PM

Ok, i did it - and it works perfect! Thanx again!

Although the Card doesnt fit in the AGP slot 100%, the dimensions are exactly the same, but i guess its because of the edges, the previous card Radeon 9600 Pro had rounded edges, but not this Radeon 7000.

PS: The Fan was extremely noisy - exchanged it with a passive northbridge cooler by Revoltec - only thing is that the cooler on the graphic card cant be removed, only the fan. So the Northbridge cooler sits on top of the ATI cooler, but of course the northbridge cooler doesnt have 100% contact on the ATI cooler, but I guess it wont be a problem. Dont think that a Radeon 7000 becomes very hot... I'm not a gamer, anyway... But I will watch it closely.

Cheers!

**RZA** · 02-01-2007, 04:23 PM

good stuff. glad to hear!

01-31-2007, 07:51 AM	#1 (permalink)
Shaihulud Registered User Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 7 OS: WinXP	Confused with AGP card & slot! Hi, I just got an old ATI All-In-Wonder Radeon 7000 AGP 2x/4x, which seems to be an Universal AGP Card (according to "AGP compatibility for sticklers") I want to uinstall it on an ASRock AM2NF3 MainBoard with AGP 8x, which seems to be an Universal 1.5V AGP 3.0 Motherboard (according to "AGP compatibility for sticklers"). Can I? Or not? I'm so scared of killing my nobo, cause plenty other websites said, a wrong AGP card could kill the mainboard within seconds! Help is much appreciated!!! Thanx in advance!

01-31-2007, 08:13 AM	#2 (permalink)
RZA Student of the Art Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Scar town, T dot Posts: 1,642 OS: XP /98 /2000 My System	AGP Speeds are required to be backwards compatible. This means that an 8X video card MUST be able to run at 4x, 2x, or 1x speeds. The connectors on AGP video cards are keyed in such a way that you can only install equipment that have compatible Voltage keyed connectors. Normally the key of the card determines its signal voltage. AGP 1.0 and AGP 2.0 cards using a 1.5V key will signal at 1.5 volts. However, AGP 3.0 devices can tolerate 1.5V - they won't be destroyed, they just might not work properly. Because speeds must be backwards compatible, Signalling Voltage is where incompatibilities arise. Basically: * All 8x cards are 0.8v AGP 3.0 spec * 8x cards will fit in 1.5V slots, and can tolerate the voltage, but will NOT run properly * 4x cards can be either 1.5V or 0.8V * 2x and 1x cards are either 3.3V or 1.5V * Except in the case of the 8X cards, using the wrong voltage card with the wrong motherboard can result in damage in card and board * If you install a card of incompatible voltages with the motherboard's specs, the card will NOT run More info: http://www.neoseeker.com/Hardware/faqs/kb/10,63.html __________________ AM2 X2 3800 - Gigabyte GAM51GM - BGF7900GS OC - 2GBDDR2 - 360GB - Antec 550w - Samsung 19" LCD

01-31-2007, 08:16 AM	#3 (permalink)
1 g0t 0wn3d TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Sedona, az Posts: 6,528 OS: Vista basic 32bit My System	I doubt that very much my old computer (for fun) i stuck a diff slot processer in without a heatsink it melted so i scraped it of stuck old card in and it work motherboards are durable for the most part __________________ Bench Test \| PC Wizard \| System specs \| PSU info \| PSU calculator \| Memtest86+ \| Speedfan

01-31-2007, 04:27 PM	#5 (permalink)
RZA Student of the Art Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Scar town, T dot Posts: 1,642 OS: XP /98 /2000 My System	Sorry if I wasn't clear Shaihulud, You can go ahead and stick your card in the agp slot on your mobo. The AGP slot on your mobo is backwards compatible and would work with 1x,2x or 4x cards. In terms of voltage..the slot and cards are built so that they can only be put in one way. If your card won't fit in the slot, then the answer is obvious in that your card isn't supported on the board. You can check the link I posted earlier, the diagrams illustrate what I mean. Other than that..if there are any other incompatibilies, then your system symply won't boot. I've never heard of a case where the board fried because of an older agp card and a newer board or vice versa unless overclocking or modified voltages were involved. As '1 g0t 0wn3d' mentioned, nowadays the boards are pretty durable. Hope that helps. __________________ AM2 X2 3800 - Gigabyte GAM51GM - BGF7900GS OC - 2GBDDR2 - 360GB - Antec 550w - Samsung 19" LCD

02-01-2007, 04:23 PM	#7 (permalink)
RZA Student of the Art Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Scar town, T dot Posts: 1,642 OS: XP /98 /2000 My System	good stuff. glad to hear! __________________ AM2 X2 3800 - Gigabyte GAM51GM - BGF7900GS OC - 2GBDDR2 - 360GB - Antec 550w - Samsung 19" LCD

01-31-2007, 02:41 PM	#4 (permalink)
Shaihulud Registered User Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 7 OS: WinXP	Thanx but my problem is the other way around: I have an AGP 2x/4x card and an AGP 8x Mainboard, according to "AGP compatibility for sticklers" it should work, but I'm scared cause so many other pages say it might still be possible to kill mainboard or graphiccard. The AGP architecture is so mixed up, these guys must have been drunk. Answers in german are also welcome!

02-01-2007, 03:04 PM	#6 (permalink)
Shaihulud Registered User Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 7 OS: WinXP	Ok, i did it - and it works perfect! Thanx again! Although the Card doesnt fit in the AGP slot 100%, the dimensions are exactly the same, but i guess its because of the edges, the previous card Radeon 9600 Pro had rounded edges, but not this Radeon 7000. PS: The Fan was extremely noisy - exchanged it with a passive northbridge cooler by Revoltec - only thing is that the cooler on the graphic card cant be removed, only the fan. So the Northbridge cooler sits on top of the ATI cooler, but of course the northbridge cooler doesnt have 100% contact on the ATI cooler, but I guess it wont be a problem. Dont think that a Radeon 7000 becomes very hot... I'm not a gamer, anyway... But I will watch it closely. Cheers!