Video cards : need advise on USED cards...

[ZIYAD A. M. AL-BATLY]

On Fri, 2005-06-03 at 04:03 +0200, Vincent Trouilliez wrote:
> Hi Ziyad,
> 
Hi Vincent...

> Thanks for the technical info, much welcomed.
You're welcome, though, I was wrong a little.  Read below.

> I checked my motherboard's user manual, it says, I quote :
> 
> - Supports AGP v2.0 2x/4x (1.5V only)
> 
That's correct.

> So it's strange. Although it says v2.0, it also says that in x4 mode, it
> needs 1.5v, which looks from your description like v3.0 ?
> So there is a ray of hope that my AGP slot is compatible with v3.0
> (hence modern) x4 cards ?
AGP v1.0 works with 2.5 Volts, AGP v2.0 works with 1.8 Volts, and AGP
v3.0 works with 0.8 Volts.  Thanks to you, I discovered I was wrong and
did a little search.  Thank you.

> Obviously the ultimate test is to stuff such a board in there and see
> what happens, but sadly I can't afford to buy a dozen cards, even cheap
> and used, to fry them one after the other until I find one that
> works ! ;o)
As I said in a previous mail: You probable wont hurt your AGP card or
your mainboard.  AGP has a mechanism to check for the version and to see
if it's compatible before operating.  The best thing to do in your
situation is: a) to make the seller either give a full money fund return
guarantee if the AGP card didn't work with your system or bring him/her
your system and let him/her do the testing, b) search the Internet for
compatibility between you mainboard and the AGP card you want to buy.

> 
> This is all getting a bit of a nightmare. Lots of trouble to identify a
> card that maybe will, or maybe won't, work on my obsolete motherboard...
> probably for not much improvement.
That's normal, and you have my sympathy.  I was there once and it's
really a nightmare.
 
> Hmmm, I guess it's wisest to give up and wait a couple years, when I
> change the motherboard, hence can just get any card out there and plug
> it in without much thinking...
As a wrote above, ask the seller to test the system for you and to
guarantee the compatibility between the different devices.

> Well, at least I tried. Thanks guys for all the technical info....
> 
> 
> --
> Vince
> 
> 
I would like to apologize to you and the list for my previous BIG UGLY
error about AGP voltages and the confusion that might resulted from it.
I should have done some searching before I wrote that last mail.

Sorry everybody.
Ziyad.