Moving to PCI-Express and DDR2 On Your Own Schedule
Introduction
When the first Pentium 4-based systems with PCI-Express and DDR2 memory were introduced in 2004, users with a substantial investment in high-performance AGP 8x video cards and DDR400 or faster memory had a dilemma: Should they scrap hundreds of dollars in high-performance video and memory technology and start over again with new motherboards, new video and new memory technologies, or continue to run motherboards based on older, less capable chipsets?
Fortunately, it's no longer necessary to make a clean break with AGP video and DDR memory to move to motherboards which support the new generation of Socket 775 processors, PCI-Express video and DDR2 memory. This article examines the different approaches chipset and motherboard makers are using to help you make the move at your own pace.