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PCIe 2.0 Card for PCIe 1.0 mobo

Last response: in Graphics & Displays
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Hello,

I am running an aging Dell Dimension 8400 system, and want to upgrade from a Geforce 6800 GS 256MB card to an HD4870 (512MB or 1GB). Will the PCIe 2.0 HD4870 take a performance hit from my mobo that runs PCIe 1.0? Is the HD4870 capable of exceeding the maximum bandwidth for PCIe 1.0? I know they're backwards compatible, but I don't like to pay for performance I can't use. Should I ditch the mobo and start from scratch? I only hesitate because I'm on a budget.

I still want to run the same CPU, mobo, and RAM. I plan on upgrading these in the future when the i7's will drop to a reasonable price.

I plan on upgrading ram from 1GB to 2GB, and replacing the crap 350W Dell PSU to either a Corsair 620HX or an Enermax Revolution 950W PSU.

The plastic Dell case needs to go as well! I want a high quality aluminum mid tower. Any suggestions? Window panels and LED's not important.

Current system specs:
Windows XP (32-bit)
Intel 925X chipset (don't need SLI or Crossfire for now)
Pentium 4 w/HT at 3.4GHz (still decent speed)
DDR2 RAM 1GB @ 400MHz (2 x 512MB) - upgrading to 2GB @ 533MHz
Geforce 6800 GS 256MB PCIe video card - upgrading to HD4870
SB LIVE! 24-bit sound card (good for now, not a huge audiophile)
X1 SATA DVD-RW optical drive
X1 SATA HD 160GB - Planning on a second HD in the future
350W PSU - upgrading to Corsair 620HX or Enermax Revolution 950W
Plastic Dell case - replacing with aluminum mid tower! :bounce: 

Any useless upgrades or oversights? What do you guys think?

Thank you for all the advice and help,
Julian

More about : pcie card pcie mobo

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julian7329 said:
Hello,

Will the PCIe 2.0 HD4870 take a performance hit from my mobo that runs PCIe 1.0? Is the HD4870 capable of exceeding the maximum bandwidth for PCIe 1.0?



I am not even sure if it would still work with the PCIe 1.0 since HD 4800 series support PCIe 2.0. You can check the minimum system requirement of HD 4870 to be sure. I also don't think that it will go as high as PCIe 2.0 with PCIe 1.0. PCIe 1.0 has its limit too. :o 

This is why sometimes we have to upgrade our motherboard especially when it starts to age. Your Pentium 4 motherboard is getting very old. I also have Pentium 4 PC that I am not very interest and I am trying to sell it and build a new PC. :ouch: 

Also, if you are getting high-end Core i7 then you must upgrade to 3GB DDR3 or 6GB DDR3.

If you are getting the Lynnsfield or mainstream Core i7 then you need 2GB-4GB DDR2 (I am not sure if it will work with only 2GB of DDR2 so Beware). Upgrade your RAM at the same time you upgrade to Core i7 is better, I think...

Good Luck! :D 

If you stick a PCIx 2.0 card in a 1.0 slot there will be no noticeable difference, if there is it will be very small around 1-5%. Your system specs are gonna be a major bottleneck for the 4800 series. A bottleneck is when another part of your system is not allowing the full potential of the other conponent. In this case it's your CPU. Your Pentium 4 will not be able to keep up with most graphic cards today. If i were you i would save up and build a new system or upgrade your CPU if your motherboard allows. Not worth the upgrade to a new GPU if 75% of it's power can't even be used.
Graphics card Authority

Yep it will work, and yep, your CPU is going to be a huge bottleneck for it.
Even at 3.4ghz, the P4's days have come and gone. Sorry to say, but no it does not have enough speed to keep up with a 4870, not even HALF enough.
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