This is guide explaining the different types of graphics card that are available, and which their computer can take.

There are 3 main types of slot on a motherboard that a graphics card can fit into.

These are:  PCI , AGP X8 , PCI-Express X16  (And now PCI-Express X16 2.0)

The majority of PC's have PCI slots, and either a AGP  OR  PCI-Express X16 slot.  More modern motherboards use the new PCI-Express X16 Interface, which is what I recommend to anybody looking for a new graphics card.

PCI Slots are usually white, and situated approximately 4cm away from the left side of the motherboard. They are separated into 2 sections, the larger section being approximately 3/4 the length of the slot.

Standard PCI Graphics cards are obsolete now, and those that are available are very expensive and poor value for money. For what you spend on a worthwhile PCI graphics card you could buy a new Motherboard, CPU and PCI-Express graphics card and still have money left over.

AGP Slots are usually Orange or Brown, and are situated around 6cm away from the left side of the motherboard and are usually the 1st or 2nd highest slot. They are also seperated into 2 sections, the largest taking up 2/3 the length of the slot. AGP slots have a hook/catch situated to the far right of the slot which allows you to remove your graphics card.

AGP Graphics cards are becoming obsolete, manufacturers are still producing these cards but in much lower quantities and at a higher price because of this. The equivalent PCI-Express version of the same graphics card on AGP costs around 20-40% more depending on the model and age. AGP cards do not allow your computer to make the most of its graphics potential, unlike the PCI-Express interface.



PCI Express X16 slots are usually blue, yellow, red, black, heck they can be a number of colours... but most modern motherboards will have printed on them the words PCI-E X16 or PCI-EXPRESS.... These slots are similar to standard PCI slots, except reversed, so the smaller sector within the slot is situated to the LEFT of the slot, and not the RIGHT, and also the slot has a clip/hook similar to that found on the AGP slots. PCI-Express slots are a little longer than both AGP and PCI slots and are usually situated at the top or 2nd highest slot, often next to their much smaller PCI-Express X1 slots (do not get confused with PCI-Express 1X and 16X.... as 1X slots do not currently support any type of graphics card.

PCI-Express is my recommend type of graphics card. It can often work out much cheaper to go the whole hog and upgrade a total system, including motherboard and CPU, than to go out and buy an aging PCI or AGP graphics card. Of course this is depending on what you truly require from your PC, but if its gaming you will find you're throwing your money into a bottomless pit by buying PCI or AGP components as the value for money they offer does not warrant the performance drop and lack of future compatibility the provide and you are not getting future compatibility out of older components.

You will also find that upgrading an old computer will cost more on other aspects.... such as RAM, where the price difference between SD Ram to DDR2 Ram is as much as 300-400% more.

There are 2 main developers of graphics card GPU (Graphics processing unit), which are nVidia and ATi. Both offer a huge range of graphics cards but alot of the time you dont know how old the card model is that you're looking at. Here's a rough guide of what year the cards were released. Cards always go on their Series number first, and then model number second, so for example the top spec 7 series nVidia card is the GeForce 7950. The 7 is for the series, and 950 is for the model. The bottom spec nVidia would be the nVidia 7100, with 7 for the series, and 100 for the model. The same goes for ATi cards. The top spec X1000 series card is called the X1950, and the bottom spec is called the X1050. Generally, the higher the 3 final digits are between 050 and 950 the more powerful and better features it has, although dont be fooled into thinking a nVidia 6800 is going to be better than a nVidia 8600, because the 2nd digit is higher, since there's around 2 years newer technology in the 8 series card. The top of the range card from a previous series is always around the same performance as a middle of the range card from the newer series. For instance, 6800 is around same as a 7600, and a 7800 is around same as a 8600 (although not always the case).

The following list gives you an idea of the years the cards were released starting from 2004. Anything before 2004 I wouldnt recommend as it's technology will be serverely dated and would be useful only for internet browsing.

The following go in order of specification, lowest to highest, for that particular series. The higher the number the better the card.
2008 Cards:
 nVidia 9000 Series - 9600GT, 9800GTS, 9800GTX, 9800GX2 (PCI Express 2.0)
ATi HD 3000 Series - 3450, 3470, 3650, 3670, 3850, 3870 (AGP & PCI Express 2.0)

2007 Cards:
nVidia 8 Series - 8400, 8500, 8600, 8800 (PCI-Express)
ATi HD 2000 Series - 2400, 2600, 2900 (AGP & PCI-Express)

2006 Cards:
nVidia 7 Series - 7100, 7200, 7300, 7600, 7800, 7900, 7950 (AGP & PCI Express)
ATi X1000 Series - X1050, X1300, X1550, X1600, X1650, X1800, X1900, X1950 (AGP & PCI Express)

2005 Cards:
nVidia 6 Series - 6100, 6200, 6300, 6500, 6600, 6800 (AGP, PCI & PCI Express)
ATi X100 Series - X300, X500, X550, X600, X700, X800, X850 (AGP & PCI-Express)

2004 Cards:
nVidia FX Series - Same rule as above (PCI, PCI-Express & AGP)
ATi 9000 Series - 9200, 9550, 9600, 9800 (All AGP & PCI)

Another thing with graphics cards is the letters that follow the numbers. In general this is what these numbers represent:

TOP SPEC MODEL:  XT / XTX / GTS / GTX / ULTRA
MID-RANGE MODEL:  GT, GST, TD, PRO
BOTTOM RANGE: PRO, GS, GE, SE, TC, LE,

Also any model with OVERCLOCKED, XXX, TURBO etc in the name is recommended as these cards offer more performance than those without this.

Other important things to look for is BIT BUS. The higher the bit bus the better gaming performance you are bound to get, generally speaking. Basically if you're looking at playing games at a high resolution, on a large monitor, or at maximum graphics settings, you need a bit-bus of 256, 320, 384 or 512

128 bit-bus is fine for resolutions below 1280x1024.... but I'd recommend 256bit for anything over that.

64 & 32 bit bus cards arent really upto the challenge of modern games at high resolutions but can still play games at low graphics settings at 800x600 resolution without too many problems.

I hope this guide has enabled you to distinguish which graphics card is going to be compatible with your motherboard and also which type to choose if you have a choice. Always go for a model that has been released the same year or year before... as older cards dont offer many of the features that newer cards do. Dont go for the cheapest if there's one thats £10 more... you get what you pay for with graphics cards, always is the case. The nvidia 6 series should be the very bottom to start from, and I'd recommend any ATi X1000 series card or HD 2000 Series card.

For a selection of mid-range and high-spec graphics card check my ebay shop at http://stores.ebay.co.uk/nVidia-Express-Shop 

Thanks for reading,

Carl

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