Yes PCI-X is a better standard. It has 16X AGP bandwidth. The issue with PCI-X, and the reason I didn't wait for it when I built my rig almost a year ago now, is none of the current generation of videocards even use 8X AGP bandwidth.

These cards as powerful as they are, still don't max out the available bandwidth on the AGP bus. In the future, ie the next gen of cards or ones after that, will probably use that extra bandwidth.

Here is how the 6800 and X800 series cards handle PCI-X currently.

The 6800 class video cards use a HSI chip, which basically acts as a bridge that changes tradional AGP commands into the new PCI-X commands. There is no hit to performance as I said however because of the available bandwidth. There is an article on either Anandtech or Tomshardware that better documents this.

The new X850s came out as PCI-X native products. Again tho, that didn't mean that actually does anything for performance beyond what the core is already capable of. They are now making an AGP version of the card, and like Nvidia, just the otherway around, they are creating a bridge that changes the PCI-X commands into AGP ones.

The real difference between the AGP and PCI-X products right now are, a) future proofing your rig for newer products, and b) cost.

Generally the older motherboards are cheaper, so some have been going the cost effective route and getting P4 processors with current gen cards. 

Great responses. Thanks a lot, I now know what to do. I will go Pent 4 3.6, 2G RAM, the ATI X850 PCI Express, I won't start with a soundboard as I am happy enough with my current on-board sound, use my existing HDs and wireless stuff, and I will now bone-up on the motherboards at Anandtechs.

Onse again, thanks. 

You're welcome. 

Yep I posted before, but now it's on eBay if that matters:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5767521168 

... beer for you. 

PCI Express is PCI-E. It isn't the same as PCI-X!

You can't run PCI-E stuff on anything other than a PCI-E enabled motherboard, so make sure you buy the right hardware - these new graphics cards are PCI-E and won't run on PCI-X motherboards AFAIK.

http://www.processor.com/Editorial/article.asp?article=articles/p2606/30p06/30p06.asp&guid= 

Nice referee guy ! And the related link is very interesting, at least for newbies... ;) 

What's the point of using a PCI Express video card to free up the AGP bandwidth when the only thing that uses AGP bandwidth is a video card? 

It's a New Thing(TM), which means they can Charge More(TM). 

I have (will have) a motherboard with empty slots. I am going to fill one slot with the ATI graphics card. The slot that I do not use will not have anything put in it so it is not the case of freeing up a slot.

The question was simply which is the better version of the card that I am going to buy.

I am not even asking which is the best graphics card as I have already chosen the card I am going to buy. I know some people do not like the ATI cards but I am always happy with them so will continue to use them. There is an old Portrekan saying that says approximately "it is better to share your carriage with a robber you have met before instead of one you have not met before" 

AS described in BlackDog links, there are big differences between PCI and PCI Express performances.

In its best configuration, "standard" PCI is a 64-bit parallel bus which works up to 64 MHz... There is a possible R/W access (without waiting time) each 5 cycles so the throughput is something like 820 Mbit/s... which is never reached in reality (due to PCB delays, interconnects, etc...)... The good feature here is the fact you can plug many peripherals on only one bus.. (there are limitations...)

PCI Express is a point to point differential serial link, and offers a real 2 Gbit/s access (R/W). You can put 1 up to 16 serial links in parallel, which means a real max troughput of 32 Gbit/s !! Here you only have 1 peripheral per serial line...

R.P.G said It's a New Thing(TM), which means they can Charge More(TM): he is right ! The more interesting feature is the low interconnexions required for PCI Express compared to "standard" PCI: you have only a maximum of 4 wires (2 for read, 2 for write), and not 64 (plus ~20 for control !!). At chip level, this means less pins, so reduced chip size, reduced packaging, and thus much more connexion possibilities on PCB.....
In anyway, the interest here is that you can "plug" much more peripherals on your new PCI Express based motherboard (even if you need more serial link connexions) than you were able to do on an old standard PCI based one.. with higher performances... PCI Express really increase motherboard and peripheral access performances... though... 

Creative sound cards with EAX on saturate the PCI bus so badly, other cards are getting bandwidth chocked. Wether this is fault of shared PCI bus or Creative having monkeys for coders is up for debate..

Anyways, situations like that will not happen on PCI-E. 

creative's fault. They've really gone to shit lately. 

However, in addition to looking at general bus performance there is the question of what actual performance increase will be seen between a PCI-E X850 and an AGP version of that same card. My understanding is that the increase is zero, because current AGP bandwidth is not saturated and does not hold the card back at all.

If you don't care about what cards you'll be adding to this motherboard at a later date, PCI-E offers no real advantage as well as being more expensive. If you want to be able to upgrade and still keep your motherboard, PCI-E looks better. 

Call me crazy, but I'm interested in building a Mini-ATX gaming PC.

Although I admit, it's probably not going to allow for a really nice setup... but I've been bringing the current tower over to a friends and it's kinda annoying to lug that around and set it up. I'm aware of LanBoy handle straps too, but I thought I'd check out my options in smaller case sizes first.

Essentially I'm wanting to have a good enough system for a few years. I'm not one who needs the ultra-best system either. Right now on 2GHz, 512 MB RAM and a GeForce FX 5600 mid-tower system, I can run Far Cry and Half-Life 2 rather well.

Maybe a Mini Tower is better than a friggin' cube? 

Supported CPU: LGA775 Pentium 4 EE(HT) Processors
Chipset: i925XE
FSB: 1066/800MHz
RAM: 4x DIMM for Dual Channel DDR2 400/533 (Intel PAT) Max 4GB
Slots: 1x PCI-E x16, 1x PCI-E x1, 2x PCI
Ports: 2x PS/2, 1x LPT, 1x COM, 8x USB2.0(Rear 4), 1x RJ45, 1x IEEE1394, 2x S/PDIF Out, Audio Ports
IDE: 1x ATA 100 up to 2 Devices
SATA/RAID: 4x SATA
Onboard Audio: Realtek ALC880 7.1 Ch
Onboard LAN: 1x Marvell PCIe 88E8050 Gigabit LAN
Onboard 1394: 3x 1394
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=13-121-263&depa=0 

Get yourself a PROPER case.

http://www.vst.co.nz/case/supermicro/images/SUPER8050.jpg

Hotswap massif! Boh! 

I imagine the pullout-containers are for hard-drives? I always thought HD's needed to be stored flat. 

Yes, they did. But that was back in 1892 when George Washington first invented hard drives. 

didn't he have a wooden motherboard? 

Yes, he did. But that was before Benjamin Franklin flew a silicon wafer on a kite and proved that silicon is a better conductor than oak; even though oaks grow taller than silicon trees and thus are more likely to get struck by lightning. 

once was hit by lightning whilst climbing a silicon tree. Damn near killed him. 

... 

http://vieillemontagne.free.fr/digestion/rectum.gif


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rectum 

For medical "body-visit" fans...

http://www.innerbody.com/htm/body.html

I guess blackpope will love this website ;P