Tech Annoyance: AGP4x v's AGP8x Ports

[Plotloss]

What possible bloody justification is there for doing this?

How patently damned annoying and nothing more than an absolute scam.

I hate IT sometimes...

As an aside, can you use IDE3 as just another IDE channel or can it only be used for RAID purposes?

[Zod]

It's called progress. Is it causing you problems? It shouldn't because AGP 8x and AGP 4x are compatible.

As for the IDE 3 question, it depends what motherboard you are using. Usually, you can use a RAID connection for a single drive.

[Zod]

It's called progress. Is it causing you problems? It shouldn't because AGP 8x and AGP 4x are compatible.

As for the IDE 3 question, it depends what motherboard you are using. Usually, you can use a RAID connection for a single drive.

[mr_yogi]

What's the problem with AGP 8X? It is compatable with AGP 4X. In fact it's only AGP 4X and above slots which can't handle old AGP /2X cards, due to the voltage changes.

As for IDE 3 and 4, yes you should be able to use them just like any other IDE. The only differences are you will have to set your BIOS to SCSI/RAID if you want to boot from IDE 3 or 4 and when I did it Windows wouldn't turn off my PC afterclosing down - still happens with my new RAID set up. not sure if anything can be done haven't looked into it yet.

[Plotloss]

Progress that involves turning the port around so a lot of 1x 2x and 4x cards wont work?

Architecturally there is no difference in the actual port but turning the port around is a shit trick.

[mr_yogi]

Your are wrong, any 4X card will work in 8X slots, it's just 1 and 2X that's don't work as the voltages are different and if they didn't make the slots incompatable there would be a lot of cards going pop. This way AGP /2X cards don't even fit in 4X/ 8X slots.

[Plotloss]

I have a 4x AGP card, that has the connector the other way around.

It is not compatible with an 8x slot.

If it had the 3 segments on the connector I would agree with you, but this one doesnt.

Voltage is the same.

There is much lamentation on Usenet of this so I am not wrong.

But thanks for your comments.

[mr_yogi]

Sorry, what card is it may I ask?

[Plotloss]

Some sort of Geforce as far as I can remember.

Its at home...