AGP speed question

[Marshy]

Hi,being a new G400Max owner could someone please advise me on a small matter.My mobo is a AbitBE6 which has 2 options for the AGP port 1/3 & 1/1.AS the Max supports AGP 4X can I use the 1/1 setting when on 100Mhz & higher FSB speeds?Thanx

[Marshy]

Sorry,should have said 2/3 & 1/1 options.

[Kruzin]

You want it at 2/3 with a 100 fsb.
Even 4x AGP is spec'd at 66MHz.
(btw - G400 does not run 4x transfers...although it supports the 4x voltage and slot specs)

[troop]

Well why would Matrox bother to support the spec but not enable 4x ?

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In Harm's Way

[Scout255]

Because your motherboard needs to support it...
just like you can't put an agp card into a pci slot...

[troop]

Duh--
The MAX is rated not to exceed 526mb/s so Kruzin appears to be correct and the question I asked remains.
Unless K is not so precise in that comment and 4x is supported, on the appropriate chipset (eg, i820/840 ) of course.

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In Harm's Way

[Rags]

troop let me explain this as painlessly as possible:

AGP 4X slots are physically different (unless the "universal" connector with autodetect is used), the voltage is lower than AGP 2X (unless, again, auto detect w/ universal connector is used), so in order for you to use a video card in a normal 4X slot, then you will need a card that is AGP 4X compatible, which the G400 is. The G400 itself autodetects the type of slot it's in and adjusts the voltage requirements accordingly. It will not, however, be doing AGP 4X transfers, just 2X transfers max.

Rags

[troop]

Yeah well painless it is and unhelpful too--go back now to my question will you?
You're just about ready to understand it<g>.

I'll set it out real simple-like --why have the format for x4 but not bother to let it run ****when the port becomes available to me?

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In Harm's Way

[rylan]

As stated, the G400 is compatible with AGP 4x slots, but only runs at max 2x speed. This is because the specs for the high data transfers were not completed when the G400 series was designed. There would be no point in having it do 4x transfers before the AGP spec was finalized, as the board would most likely end up not being in compliance with the spec and cause problems at that speed.

[Rags]

troop, it is very simple, even you could understand this reasoning: AGP 2.0 (which includes AGP4X) was just a specification without any motherboards to test on when the G400 was built, as the 4X boards come out, we are sure to see 4X support. Duh, Makes sense, dun it?

Rags

I was answering your last post to Kruzin, so there wasn't any need for you to be an ArseHole.

[troop]

Wrong again--having a bad day ?

The point is that two people here say , ermm,

" btw - G400 does not run 4x transfers...although it supports the 4x voltage and slot specs "

and then you Bags
" It will not, however, be doing AGP 4X transfers,just 2X transfers max."

Now neither of these individuals mentions mainboards/chipsets/agp slots--nada--just bald statements ; both say flat out--x2 max--


That is the point here. Lets say for a second they are right and, I note Matrox says 526 MB/s is the top speed--why have the spec and then not meet it ?

Now if these individuals are wrong and the G400 will run ~ 1GB/s , x4 , then they could correct their statements to get it straight.

I think you Bags are trying to say something like this--G400 runs at x4 or x2 depending on the speed supported by your mainboard.



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In Harm's Way

[Jorden]

Some people are just ignorant, others just don't get it.

Troop, get off the crack and re-read what Rags and Rylan told you over and over again. If you don't understand their English, use http://babelfish.altavista.com/ to translate what they said.

You've had your answer.
You're just ignorant or picky or whatever.
Then you start calling people names, and the end of the story is that you get flamed like hell.

Re-read the answers. Dammit

Jorden.

[motub]

troop: dunno why you're looking for a fight... you don't have to insult people just because you don't understand the answer to your question.

But I will try it one more time. Just to be "fair".

The AGP4x spec relies on a couple of things as I see it: 1) that the card should physically fit in the slot, and run at the specified voltage and 2) that the silicon on the card should communicate with the slot and mobo silicon at a certain speed.

Apparently the physical design of the slot and the voltage requirements have been set for some time and have not changed. Thus it was possible to reliably design the G400 to fit in the AGP4X slot, and run at the specified voltage... which Matrox did.

HOWEVER, not surprisingly the communications protocol for AGP4X is a hotbed of contention between chip engineers and mobo and vidcard makers, all of whom have an agenda for tweaking the design in a particular direction (most often cost to themselves, naturally). Therefore, there was no way to design the G400 to be certain that it would support 4x transfers, and so they designed it for 2X.

IMO, it may very well run at 4X. I suspect so. But it isn't rated to, and you probably won't get support if you try it.

Is that clear, or do you want to hit me, too???

Got matches if you need 'em Rags... (and Jord has gas....errrr, maybe that's not what I meant to say... )

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Holly

[Jorden]

got 2000 pounds of firewood...

[Rags]

Poop,

Listen up and listen real hard, you may actually learn something today, you mindless little brat. THE CURRENT G400's WILL NOT do AGP 4X TRANSFERS!!! ON ANY MOTHERBOARD. Is that too hard too understand????? The G400 will work in 4X boards, just doing AGP 2X transfers. Okay, now, POOP do you understand, or do I need to do some drawings in crayon to make it more in line with your intelligence????

RAGS, who could give a shit how you slaughter his name, because he has had a *lot* more clever names made in jest by other people.