PCI 2.0 and PCI x16

[stb1swat]

I'm confused now. I'm trying to explain to my friends that buying a new Mboard just for the PCI 2.0 x16 port won't justify a 9800GTX any more than an old PCI x16 port.
But now reading up on the subject, I'm doubting myself.
I know that the 2.0 essentially doubles the data rate. But I thought that there weren't any cards to benefit from this.

Could someone please confirm or deny this?

 

[Nagasama]

yes, it doubles the available bandwidth. BUT...a regular old PCIE x16 slot is not really taxed. no its not worth buying a mobo just for that if he has a mobo with PCIE 1.0/1.1. they aren't even being used to their bandwidth limits by most (if not all) cards currently availible.

 

[stb1swat]

He's not listening to reason.
How can I convince him that a 1.1 Express 16x port will meet the needs of a 9800GT!!?

 

[Ethereal_Dragon]

smack him upside the head, and have him read some hard facts around the net?

Google.... have him try the link in my sig...

 

[stb1swat]

Nope. He's convinced through his research that the 9800GT utilizes the PCI 2.0 16X port and is bottle necked on the old 1.1 16x port.

I mean really. 250x16 is 4GB/s. I just can't see anything using that much. I wish i actually had data rates of a 9800GT or a card of the like.

 

[NosBoost300]

tell him he's a ******bag... and show him that 9800gx2 on pci-e 1.1 did 20k in 3dmark06

 

[Jorsoft]

Dude, it's not bottle necked and it's backwards compatible anyway. He's just being stubborn and wants "latest and greatest." There's virtually not tangible benefit yet.

 

[QuaziBee]

GeForce 9800 GX2 - Tom's Hardware : PCI Express 2.0 Graphics Cards Tested

note that 8x = 1.0 or 1.1 as they run at half the bandwidth


so go ahead and smack him. if he did "research" at all he neglected the best place on the net.

 

[Nagasama]

But is PCIe 2.0 really necessary yet? As long as a graphics solution can operate with data that is stored within its local video frame buffer memory, both the reasonably mainstream Radeon HD 3850 and the hardcore GeForce 9900 GX2 will operate close to their maximum performance, even if the PCI Express link width is limited to x8 or x4. Once larger textures need to be accessed, as is the case in Crysis or Microsoft's Flight Simulator X, interface bandwidth becomes a crucial element. Any link width below x16 will noticeably limit these games' playability

pretty much sums it up.

 

[stb1swat]

Thanks! I love Tom's Hardware, and now I'm in debt to it. Thanks much guys, I learned alot myself....even though I was right all along.
I don't really care even if he still disagrees now, no one else will believe him.