PCI to AGP converter for the existing PCI-busboard solutions.

[patrik]

Hi everyone!

While surfing around the web I found a PCI to AGP adapter card called "CHANGE-AGP2PCI". This adapter should work in the existing PCI-busboards as it runs the graphic-card in AGP 1X which basically is plain PCI. It would certainly make it easier to find graphic-cards and just imagine if someone would write a driver for a card like the cheap and cool-running ATI Radeon 9200 card so that there was an option to the old 3DFX-cards.

Have a look at:
Some info in english
Some more info in french
Some more info in japanese
And at last some more info in japanese

Have fun!

(www.babelfish.altavista.com is highly recommended on the three last links


/Patrik

[Van_M]

What's the voltage that the PCI bus provides?
Also what you do, with the lower end of the graphic card's metal plate? you should find a way to cut it right? The graphics card would be quite unstable too, since it's not screwed against the case.

[Karlos]

I wonder if it implements everything like sideband addressing and all the other doo dahs that AGP has? If so, drivers might be able to improve upon PCI card performance for data transfers...

[Jose]

Weel, according to some tests the Mediator is  horrible in transfer rates, surprisingly even the A4000 version!
Interesting, but not worth it.

[Karlos]

@Jose

Transfer rates from the CPU to the VRAM is not good, agreed. Transfers between devices on the mediator are doubtless much better.

However, I think the issue here is that AGP cards are simply easier to find.

[patrik]

@Van_M:

The PCI-bus normally supplies 5V, though this adapter-card converts the 5V supply-voltage to 3.3V and the logic-levels from 5V to 3.3V.

And yes - you probably would have to make a special construction to hold the card and adapter in place .


/Patrik

[Radfoo]

Probably the easiest way to find out if this will work would be to try an AGP Voodoo card in one.

Seems like the best place to start anyway.

[patrik]

@Karlos:

I must admit that I havent done my homework on PCI and AGP throroughly, but I am quite sure that AGP 1X is plain PCI without any AGP bells and whistles. In an AGP-port, AGP 1X will be plain PCI clocked at 66MHz, but in this case it will be plain PCI clocked at 33MHz as that is the clock supplied by all PCI-busboards for the Amiga currently.


/Patrik

[patrik]

@Jose:

It could give the option to use more graphic-cards, the transferrate isnt the interesting issue .


/Patrik

[patrik]

@Radfoo:

Absolutely, do I hear any volounteers?


/Patrik

[Jose]

Hey, just go for it, who am I to tell the contrary...
I 'd like to see the results myself...

Regarding the speed, are there any apps that use transfers between PCI cads that would benefit from it anyway ?

[Ni72ous]

Look carefully, its not pci2agp its agp2pci. bah i take that back i sould look more carefully lol

[patrik]

@Jose:

Elbox has drivers to use some TV-tuner cards on their Mediator-busboards. These cards will transfer the TV-image directly to the graphics-card over the PCI-bus. Though it wouldnt be any faster with this PCI-to-AGP-converter if that is what you were wondering as the thing about the converter is that it makes an AGP-card behave exactly like a PCI-card (otherwise it would definately not work on a PCI-busboard).


/Patrik

[Acill]

I was thinking of getting one of these to test out on a AGP voodoo 3 I have here with my Mediator. I just didnt want to spend the money on something that may not work. Anyone else interested in giving it a try?

[bloodline]

Acill wrote:
I was thinking of getting one of these to test out on a AGP voodoo 3 I have here with my Mediator. I just didnt want to spend the money on something that may not work. Anyone else interested in giving it a try?

But it is an AGP to PCI converter... the Mediator has no AGP. :-)