AGP Cards

[FanBlade01]

I noticed that some AGP older cards will not fit into newer system boards. For example the slot on the connector of the card is not set far enough back. I also do have some video cards that that 2 slots, one were the older AGP card i have should be and another slot that is about to inches after the connections begin. The card with 2 slots will fit into the newer system board. Did they change the standards, if not why are the AGP slots different than what they are before.

Thanks for the help.

[MacGyver]

Older AGP cards ran at 3.3V, while newer cards run at 1.5V. The different slot styles are for different voltages so you don't plug a 3.3V card into a board that only has 1.5V power, which would cause serious damage.

Check out this link for an explanation: <a href="http://www.motherboards.org/articlesd/tech-planations/920_3.html" target="_blank">http://www.motherboards.org/articlesd/tech-planations/920_3.html</a>

There are some boards that can take either type of card with the universal slot. There are also some boards like the Asus P4B series that have a red warning LED on the mainboard that lights up if you try to power up the system with an AGP card of the wrong voltage.