AGP 1X, 2X vs 4X, 8X

[RonB]

I'm rebuilding a 'puter for a friend who wants to use his hdtv as a monitor. It needs a different video card - with an out for s-video or component. I've found one, but it's agp 4X-8X, and I believe the mobo, (Asus CUSL-2) is 1X-2X. Will the new card work? Which would be better s-video or component. Someone told me that neither will be very good - text might be fuzzy.
Thanx,
Ron

 

[Icarus]

Take a look at this page.

https://support.ati.com/ics/support/KBAnswer.asp?questionID=18872

Component is much better than s-video.

You might consider updating the motherboard. AGP 1x, 2x is pretty old technology.

-David

 

[Icarus]

Here's a Q&A that approaches the question from the other direction. (inserting an old AGP 2x card into a newer slot), but it does have some info (different voltages, card sizes, etc.) Generally, slots can be backwards compatible, but I don't think new cards will work in old slots.

http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,78044,pg,2,00.asp

-David

 

[RonB]

Thanx David. This guy is trying to get away as cheaply as possible. I don't know if he wants to spend more $$$, and I'm not to sure I want to add a new mobo with all the old components I have...
Ron

 

[Icarus]

To answer the other question. I have a purpose built htpc, and I'm using a DVI connection to a monitor that does native 720p. DVI-d is a better connection than component. And my monitor has a 'wide-pc' mode that takes care of the overscan inherint in using an hdtv as a computer monitor.

Yes, it's not very good for computer text, but it's great for playing dvds and music. (Assuming you figure out how to purchase really quiet dvd-rom drives. Those suckers can be very noisy.)

-David