AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port)

As graphics became more powerful and detailed, the old PCI slots couldn’t keep up. The engineers solved the problem by adding a single AGP slot next to the row of PCI cards. Built specifically for video cards, the speedy AGP cards appeared on PCs sold mostly in the late 1990s through 2005.

Quick identifier: Shown in Figure 7-4, an AGP slot is usually chocolate brown and offset a bit from the row of PCI slots. The bottom of the AGP card in Figure 7-4 has one notch; some AGP cards add a second notch. For easy identification of an AGP card, turn to Color Plate 15 in this book’s color insert.

The photo shows an AGP card and its dimensions. You can see a chocolate brown AGP slot in Color Plate 17.

Upgrade options: AGP video cards and slots have moved through several revisions, called 1X, 2X, 4X, and 8X. However, most PCs sold since the late 1990s accept either 4X or 8X AGP cards — the type sold in stores today. AGP slots accept only AGP cards.

PCI-Express (Peripheral Component Interconnect-Express) Once again, as computer graphics became more powerful, the aging AGP standard couldn’t keep up. The solution came with a PCI-Express slot, which replaced the AGP slot. PCI-Express slots appear on most PCs sold since 2005. PCI-Express slots come in different sizes.

Quick identifier: PCI-Express slots are usually black and are set off a bit from the row of PCI cards. Note how the card’s bottom, shown in Figure 7-5, has one tiny tab and one long one. The tabs on AGP cards, by contrast, are more evenly spaced. Although PCI-Express slots come in several sizes, the vast majority of video cards come in the largest size, called 16x. For easy identification of a PCI-Express card, turn to Color Plate 16 in this book’s color insert.

The photo shows a PCI-Express card and its dimensions. You can see a black 16x PCI-Express slot in Color Plate 18, as well as two 1x PCI-Express slots.

Upgrade options: PCI-Express 16x video cards are widely available.

• For most video upgraders, the big question is whether to buy an AGP or PCI-Express video card. The answer depends simply on which type of video slot your PC has: AGP or PCI-Express.
• When in doubt as to which slot your PC has, look at the tiny white letters printed on the motherboard next to the slots. You’ll spot the letters AGP next to AGP slots, for example.
• Each type of slot works only with its own type of card. An AGP card won’t work in a PCI or PCI-Express slot, for instance, nor will a PCI-Express card work in an AGP or PCI slot.
• Slots sit together in a long row, like rake marks left in dirt. When you plug in a card, the card’s flat silver end rests against the back of your PC, allowing its ports to protrude from the back of the PC’s case. Don’t be confused by other slots you may spot on your motherboard — the smaller, thinner slots you may see are reserved for memory (see Chapter 8 for more about memory).
• Computer gurus refer to the row of slots as your computer’s expansion bus.
• When in doubt as to your computer’s type of video port, check your PC’s manual or download SiSoftware Sandra Standard (www.sisoftware.co.uk), a popular free utility that reveals lots of boring information about your computer’s innards — including its video card and slot.

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