Difference between PCI-E and AGP?

Hi, I just want to know the difference between them because I want to get a new Video card and I have a AGP slot the reason why i want to get a new video card because while running World of Warcraft it goes smooth(running on a 9200 SE Radeon 128 MB) but when I load FRAPS(www.fraps.com) my fps drops and i lag a bit..which isnt good for recording.

I asked my friend why does his run so smooth he said he has a PCI-E video card(something...radeon x750 turbo or w.e) so I need a good AGP video card to not lag me while loading fraps. excuse my english, im only 14 and im french ;( can someone help me please? thanks


I want to get rid of this lag problem, i run on a 9200SE 128 MB Radeon video card, 3.0intelp4 and 1gig ram. ty very much

 

PCI-E, or PCI Express was developed by Intel as the AGP specification was nearing it's limit, and PCI Express has much faster speed capability.

It's not to be confused with PCI, which is outdated and slow and only used for low bandwith devices like soundcards etc.

PCI Express is currently not any faster than AGP, but most cards and motherboards are going this way, and AGP is nearing the end of it's life.

PCI Express also supplies much more power to the card, so you don't need power connectors for things like video cards.

It's also supposedly hot pluggable, but I've never tried or been brave enough, and it may require special cards or drivers to do so.

Basically, if you are getting a new motherboard, then PCI Express is the way to go.

If not, then there are still plenty of excellent AGP cards.

How much do you want to spend, and what do you use the PC for?

 

Also keep in mind that in addition to a more capable Graphics card slot (PCI-Express 16x slot), PCI-Express is the modern improvement on the entire PCI-Bus of the motherboard.

In somewhat of an analogy, PCI-Express is like a widening of highways on the motherboard, allowing much greater bandwidth traffic to interact between components. While it may not be entirely utiized right now, it will be in the future.

 

Alright, thanks guys. I'm using a Asus Radeon 9200SE 128 MB. Im trying to get rid of this lag problem, looking to spend about $200 USD what do you guys suggest?


EDIT:

hence that it runs smooth! but when I turn on "FRAPS" my FPS drops, normally befor turning on fraps my FPS is at 45-55 but when i try recording it drops to 7-18

 

Also, to answer your question about why your friend's computer runs better; It's because his video card is leaps and bounds better than yours. It's not because it's a PCI-Express video card vs. your AGP video card. If you had a PCI-Express 9200 SE it wouldn't run any better than the AGP version. You would still get lag because the 9200 SE is a cheap budget video card for desktop applications and gaming at the low resolutions/graphic detail.

One of the best AGP cards you can get would be a Geforce 6800. They run around $160-180 and would be the video card I would recommend if you play a good amount of games.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814122193

If you don't play too many games, you could save some money and go for a Radeon 9600XT or a Radeon 9800 Pro for about $100-130.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814164008 - 9600XT for $85
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102362 - 9800 Pro for $125

These are the three cards that I would recommend. And personally, www.newegg.com is my favorite place to buy computer parts. They have good prices, great service and free shipping on many items.

 

Also, what are your other system specs?

Your FRAPS problem may be more related to CPU/Memory than the video card.

 

Um, what do you mean?

Alright, ill post what I can.

My ram is 1gig DDR ram(2x 512 dual) 3.0GHZ intelpentium4, windows XP pro, servicepack2. AGP slot video card, 9200SE radeon 128 MB.

good enough? hey, the poster below do you think you can find me a good video card from www.tigerdirect.ca? I'm canadian


thank you all!

 

also, what about a 6600 GT?

 

Here's what I mean, it shows 60 FPS on the top corner for some reason but while recording it goes down to7 FPS. on my screen it starts out with 20 FPS

http://www.zippyvideos.com/1604246772061676/movie_0001/


Other reason I think its a video card because the quality is horrible after Compressing it through Windows Movie Maker

 

a 6600gt is a good card as well, slightly better than a 9800xt, but if you can afford the extra little bit, a 6800 is the ideal way to go.

we totally understand the frame drop when recording using FRAPS, and he asked your system specs likely to make sure that your Processor is not going to be bottlenecking your performance after the upgrade.

that said, it seems your system will be just fine with a nicer video card

also keep in mind that NEWEGG does ship to Canada via UPS and is much better than tigerdirect

 

Hm, do you mind showing me where it says they ship to Canada? . So you understand how my FPS drops with FRAPS, this a video card problem? If it is I will go on and buy a 6800 GT or just a plain 6800? ;P thank you guys soooooooo much, im a go tell my mother, saved up $350 for the past year to get this


edit, did you see the quality after compressing it with windows movie maker, that a video card problem to?

 

Oh! I also might want to add that I run on 20-30 FPS while playing with the 9200SE radeon 129 MB. My friend that plays World of Warcraft has the exact same specs as my computer(3.0ghz, 1gig ram etc) with a radeon X800XT. he has a normal of 40-45 FPS befor putting up fraps, im guessing he has 30 FPS when running fraps

 

I mean, XL lol
radeon X800XL

 

Forget about your friend, he has a card better suited to his system, which is what you need to do.

You have a decent processor and RAM, and all you need is a decent video card and you will have a very capable system.

The card you had, the Radeon 9200 SE, is NOT for playing games, it's a basic budget card.

A 6600 GT, or if you don't mind the extra, a 6800 would be very good.

In the 6600 GT, make sure it's a GT only and not a 6600 or a SE or LE, as they are much slower.

 

Alright, I was just thinking since he has the same system specs i would get a same video card as him. alright, so thse you listed would be best, you sure? I know you're sure since ur a computer genius but I dont want to spend my cash and it ends up not being what i wanted

 

I'm not a computer genius, but there isn't that much to video cards.

They also aren't the best, just the best value/performance cards.

If you want the best, get a 7800 GTX, or a 7800 GT as "second-best", but they are much more. However, they blow anything else away.

Failing that, the 6800 would be my next choice, followed by a 6600 GT.

It just depends on how much money you want to spend.

I wouldn't go for ATI at the moment because they haven't released anything new or updated their pricing, and a lot of their products don't support things like HDR and Shader Model 3, which a lot of new games are using or developing.

Any one of these chips will easily play ANY current game.

 

I'm looking to spend around $180 USD

I think i'll go for the 6600 GT

 

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1182887&CatId=0

 

The 6600 GT is a very good choice.

Check out the connectors each card has for comparison, as well as what bundled software and cables they come with.

Performance wise, there really isn't that much difference between the brands.

 

DVI
TV/S-Video
VGA


I have a VGA monitor

Ok, in another one to two hours just going to get ready to confirm and buy this video card. so i should go on with it right?

 

It looks fine. I can't see anything wrong.

It requires a minimum of a 350 Watt power supply and an available molex power dongle, so make sure that you meet this.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814122193

or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130202

add one of those to your cart, and just be sure to select UPS as your shipping courier. I know for a fact that newegg WILL ship to canada, i'm just not certain if they have it up and running yet. its worth a shot IMO, as its a better card for the same price (cheaper since TigerDirect is a shipping ripoff usually) worst case they tell you they dont yet do canada, and then you can buy elsewhere

 

I wouldn't go for LeadTek.

My experience with their so-called support leaves a lot to be desired.

 

what's a molex powder dongle and is there anyway i can check how much watt i have without opening the case?

 

a molex plug is the standard 4 larger pin power plug (usually with a white plastic head) that powers most of your system internals, like CD-Rom drives and PATA Hard drives.

i'm guessing you have a big box computer (Dell or HP or something), if you give us the model # we can tell you what rating your Power Supply has

 

I'm sorry, how do I check the model #? bleh, sorry i'm an idiot..

 

For model number, it should have writing or a sticker or it somewhere.

 

should be on the case somewhere, or as Insomniac said, on a sticker.

Dell Dimensions xxxx whatever
or HP blah blah blah

as much as you can give us about model or serial #'s so we can find the factory specs