AGP is used as the front-side bus for the video card and gives the chance of implementation of fast information exchange with the motherboard and the processor of the computer. The technology allows to display the necessary graphic information quickly.
History
The AGP standard appeared in 1996. The Intel corporation became developer of a way of connection of the video card to the motherboard. Increase in performance of a graphic subsystem and depreciation of video adapters became the main objective of the company that would lead to growth of popularity of computers. AGP came to replacement to the standard buses PCI which were used for connection of the video card earlier. Today the AGP standard is outdated, and the PCI-Express x16 format which has higher rates of performance and more balanced system of energy consumption came to replacement to it.
The used standards
The AGP standard was improved several times. Initially developers released AGP 1x which also almost is not used today anywhere as it does not give the necessary access rate to video card video memory. In 1997 AGP 2x, and then and AGP 4x which had an opportunity to send 4 data units per unit of time (clock period) of operation of the videocard was released. At the same time vendors managed to achieve the high throughput of the bus (1 GBt/sec.). Later the first board with AGP 8x which allows to tell twice more data units that gives the chance not only to receive higher performance, but also to begin use in one system of two and more radio modules for the purpose of increase in performance of a graphic subsystem was released.
New PCI Express x16 standard which is more popular today came to replacement to the interface later. At the same time support of payments with AGP was suspended, and the last motherboards with support of AGP 8x technology were released in 2005. At the same time PCI Express x16 received the popularity thanks to a possibility of hot replacement of the video card directly from the motherboard, the improved system of energy consumption and a possibility of management. At the same time payments on the basis of the updated technology allow to achieve the best peak performance and give the chance to make acceleration of the equipment for the purpose of obtaining higher performance.
AGP advantages before PCI
AGP gives the chance to the equipment to work at higher, than PCI, frequency. At the same time payment throughput also improves that leads to increase in exchange rate of data and performance. At the same time AGP gives the chance to use video cards which have bigger energy consumption that also positively affects the speed of operation of the board.