AGP vs PCI Express: Which is the best for you?

End of the AGP vs PCI Express debate.

AGP vs PCI Express has become a hold hat debate for advised users.

Nowadays it is easy to know between both which is the best video card for gaming.

This information on the features of gaming card is provided particularly to enhance your capacity in building or upgrading your own computer.

But specifically if you are beginners in this adventure, the following tip will teach you valuable and relevant information.

Definition and function.

When you look at your motherboard what do you see as slots? Ordinary you'll see one brown slot, the AGP and 4 or more white slots which are PCI slots. But don't confuse PCI and PCI Express slots, they differ physically and are not compatible.

For a long time, AGP has been the standard high-speed bus designed specially for use of video cards. If you want nowadays to buy AGP graphics cards you are sure to find a motherboard equipped with one brown slot to plug your cards.

You should know that AGP cards are now becoming old hat since the arrival of PCI Express.

Motherboards equipped with PCI Express bus have just hit the market. It doubles the data transfer rate of the common PCI you usually find on your motherboard.

If you have to buy a new motherboard why not go for one equipped with that bus. All the more that it is expected to replace totally both PCI and AGP bus in a few years.

Advantages of PCI Express.

With that bus you have several advantages comparatively with the AGP bus such as:

• Your motherboard support only one AGP slot while you'll find more than one PCI Express bus on the new board.
• With AGP then you can connect only one card while PCI Express cards offers you more possibility.
• You have been always looking for more performance. Well you can benefit really more performance because PCI Express is 4X faster than AGP and it can handle a greater data throughput than an AGP slot.

So what you should buy?

Really it is not so easy for you right now to narrow clearly a choice.

• First you should know that only video cards are designed for PCI Express at the moment. But it is a question of time to see new PCI Express products.

However manufacturers are currently supplying PCI Express boards compatible with PCI slots to allow you to connect others devices.

• So, if you want to upgrade your PC with a new graphic card you are obliged to choose an AGP if you have AGP motherboards. It is always a good option all the more this motherboard will not support the other type of card.
• If you are building a brand new gaming computer the best choice now is to go for an adequate motherboard in order to attach your new PCI Express video cards. You won't have to upgrade later when the bus becomes standard in a few years.

Remember that a motherboard only supports one of these slots. So when you decide to buy a new video card make sure you have the motherboard accommodate to your AGP or PCI-Express device.

For a high-performance gaming computer now you don't have any doubt about what you should use. These suggestions will surely help you to narrow your decision regarding your interrogation about AGP vs PCI Express.