Zotac Travels Back in Time and Launches PCI Videocard
Zotac Travels Back in Time and Launches PCI Videocard
Posted 09/27/2011 at 6:36am
| by Paul Lilly
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We had to check the date just to make sure the past two decades weren't just one very long dream, one in which we've seen the accelerated graphics port (AGP) supplant PCI as the port of choice for graphics cards, which itself ended up being replaced by PCI Express. Unless this is the most elaborate hoax in the world, the year really is 2011, a fact that Zotac blatantly ignores with the release of a GeForce GT 520 videocard in PCI and PCI-E x1 form factors.
What's the point? According to Zotac, these cards are intended for users stuck with pre-built systems that have limited expansion capabilities. On the flip side, if you own a system so old that the only upgrade path is through a standard PCI slot, it's time to get a new rig. Not an option? In that case, maybe Zotac is onto something.
"Upgrading your graphics card is the easiest way to boost your system performance and gain new capabilities. The new Zotac GeForce GT 520 PCI and PCI Express x1 graphics cards shows that you can experience good graphics without upgrading the rest of your system," said Carsten Berger, marketing director, Zotac.
Both versions come with the same feature-set, such as DVI, HDMI, and VGA outputs, HDCP compliance, DirectX 11 support, 512MB DDR3 memory clocked at 1333MHz, a 64-bit memory bus, 48 unified shaders, 1620MHz shader clockspeed, 810MHz engine clockspeed, Full-HD video playback, and other odds and ends.
The PCI version will ship in 1996 Zotac didn't say when the cards will ship or how much they'll cost.
Image Credit: Zotac
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Silencer
November 08, 2011 at 6:04am
Got an ASUS MB w/ a **low-volt** (crap) APG slot.
May need one for it.
EthicSlave
September 29, 2011 at 12:44pm
there are still good uses for such pci cards
- providing easy rollbacks when flashing a pci-e card bios
- workstation graphics without an onboard gpu
- updating an ancient pc
- and to say the least, providing what others dare not provide (to fall under a certain user/buyer base that currently rarely exists) kudos to those that think outside the box
QuadraQ
September 28, 2011 at 3:19pm
Yay, Zotac! They're good at making unconventional cards (such as their 560 Ti which is shorter than the reference design and includes a display port connection) and this is smart IMHO. It's always nice to have a PCI video card around for when you need to test a system, it's still the lowest common denominator. And in today's economy many people are trying to keep an old system going instead of a full replacement.
aarcane
September 27, 2011 at 5:59pm
Glad to see someone has enough wits to keep putting out PCI cards. Not going into my desktop, but my brother's 10 yr. old OEM (read: no AGP or PCIE slot) system will love the upgrade!
mpyusko
September 27, 2011 at 1:53pm
I have a dual CPU Xeon 64bit with H/T, 24GB RAM and Terabytes of storage.. Problem is the onboard grahpics are an ATI Rage XL with 8MB. It doesn't work well enogh for a modern OS, though the machine still screams though server duties. I had to dig out and install my old Voodoo3 2000 PCI 16MB card just so I could have a decent gui experince. The only slots are PCI, PCI-X, and PCIe 4x and 8x.... no x16 or AGP. I'd buy one of these PCI cards just so I'd have a decent GPU with a modern driver and compatibility.
ddz49
September 27, 2011 at 4:04pm
I'm pretty sure modern videocards CAN run on PCI-E x8, just with a lower bandwidth....
jac_goudsmit
September 27, 2011 at 1:17pm
Yes it may seem like a crazy idea to have a PCI video card in 2011 but there are many situations where there is simply no other option. And it's not always a financial matter either.
In many cases there simply is no other solution than to use (or keep using) a PCI-only motherboard. For example, an embedded PC, an industrial PC or a rugged PC may have limited space available, and moving parts (rotating fans) may be undesirable but adding a $50 video card (even with limited features) would be cheaper than replacing the entire $4000 system (yes, specialized embedded systems can be really expensive).
I can definitely see the usefulness of this.
sirnotapearing
September 27, 2011 at 12:50pm
now can it be a dedicated physx card for those motherboards with only 1 pci-express
dwood18
September 27, 2011 at 10:10am
When you are poor it would be nice to have an better card if the price is right
compguytracy
September 27, 2011 at 9:39am
does the software come on a floppy too? just for nostalgia sake, and all. Lame, if you only have a pci slot, u fail, in life and everything else. most of the computers i work on, i am a it professional, have agp, at least, if not pci-x. pci is only good for getting rid of, soon, i mean, come on, why not bring back the isa slot video card too, if you are stuck in the 90s in some sort of weird time space rift.
Ashton2091
September 27, 2011 at 10:54am
Actually, there are PLENTY of modern manufactured PC's that do not have PCI-E. Here is a scenerio that I've run into many times. My client is looking to upgrade the computer to play a game, hd video, or to just make getting around windows less choppy. Problem is the PC my client bought is fairly new but doesn't have a PCI-E and doesn't have the money to shell out cash for a new PC. They just simply want to upgrade a part or two. This is perfect for them. Although I personally see no need for it...it is somewhat relevant. Also, its not like PCI ever left. So to say, "why not bring back the isa slot video card" is irrelevent. ISA is not found on ANY modern motherboard. Guess what is found on modern motherboards...PCI. I rest my case :-)
compguytracy
September 27, 2011 at 12:35pm
because something is there does not mean it belongs there, case in point, any mobo with a floppy connector, really? have we not evolved yet? because pci is there, does not make it right. kill the pci, like isa, btw i was being sarcastic, douche. as the video card slot has gone through two iterations since pci, agp, pci-x, why are we using pci? even pci-x16 is cheaper to manufacture, and implement, with more things being made for that slot. pci is a technology that needs euthanasia, and quick, seriously, lets also bring back the printer port, serial, scsi, (i know, still in use, but only in servers) zip drives, sparq drives, etc to all the superceded hardware/software in the dustbin of history.
Ashton2091
September 27, 2011 at 1:25pm
ah, good ol' name calling. very classy. anywho...so basically you're saying because you and i don't it useful that no one will. of course its a old technology...i got that. im not saying that since PCI is still around that all video card manufactures should continue pumping them out. but one or two PCI graphics cards won't hurt. i mean, lets look past video cards...how about sound cards, tv tuner cards, ethernet cards, wireless pci cards, etc. there are TONS of pci cards floating around. the fact is that PCI will be hard to phase out because there are still a lot of people (not just techs) that rely on it. one day there will only be PCI-E and PCI-E 1x. that day will not come soon. so don't hold your breath.
Again, these cards can be used to breath new life into older (as in p4, athlon not pentium ii and iii) systems. thats assuming that the card is priced right. this can also be really good for techs who enjoy refurbishing and selling old systems. just because there are one or two pci graphics cards floating around doesn't mean that pci should die immediately. lol. its more complicated than that. hell if that was the case, then when win7 was released all copies of xp should've been burned. lol, but that just isn't how it works. as long as motherboard manufactures are supporting them...so will venders of pci peripherals.
and no need for the name calling. its only a conversation. a forum. chill. its not that serious. :-)
Brad Nimbus
September 27, 2011 at 1:59pm
Ignore the name calling brah. I think he is just mad because his mommy cut down his "putey" time lol.
Seriously though if I come across an old P4 I want to build a super cheap media box.
compguytracy
September 28, 2011 at 3:24pm
so you accuse me of name calling, then name call yourself, assclown? i have yet to see a computer, doing 100s of repairs a month, on a machine without at least agp. pci is slow, now manufacturers can use the excuse of retro fitting the die to work with pci, so now my pci-x card will be more expensive. standards are needed among manufacturers to be the same. again, with the excuse because they are being made, they should continue to be made? i am doing something because i am doing it? lame excuse for a company to implement old technology. so therefore, my argument is still unbeatable. lets bring back other old technology, because we have te ability to implement it? i.e. i have the best buggy whip made, but in the days of cars, i am an anachronism.
Ashton2091
September 28, 2011 at 5:01pm
lol, wow. you need help. you're such an angry person. lmao...assclown? thats great. you know for a tech...you suck at having a intellegent conversation. talking with you makes me thankful that i am not you. lol. thanks for the entertainment
don2041
September 27, 2011 at 8:48am
This is great, I can get my hands on a bunch or pentium 4s that I can turn into respectable entertainment rigs for only the price of the video card.
Eoraptor
September 27, 2011 at 7:27am
Well,, they may indeed be on to something. you wouldn't beleive how many Pentium 4 machines are still floating around out there. I run into them every day. And a lot of them COULD run Windows, save for the fact that they use onboard video chips that can't handle aeroglas, snap, flash video, etc.
aaronj2906
September 27, 2011 at 7:56am
Same here...
There have been times I have been working on a PC where a PCI-based VGA accelerator, with current-gen support, would have made the machine acceptable again.
Very curious on pricing here. I can think of 5 or 6 rigs I could drop these cards into that would make some people happy.
This thing would have to be very "budget" oriented. If the price is right.
Captain_Steve
September 27, 2011 at 7:27am
I would think there would be a whole lot of wasted resources here. Does a standard PCI slot have enough bandwidth to justify a card with these specs? I could see the nice boost of having the HDMI port and what not, but it seems like a bunch of money could be saved by scaling the specs back quite a bit.
Eoraptor
September 27, 2011 at 7:29am
it's less about bandwidth in most cases, and more about offloading the memory and proccesor load to a discreet vid setup, or simply stepping up from some Intel Onboard chips to something rated for DirectX ten or better.
hookem123
September 27, 2011 at 7:50am
Somebody is blatantly ignoring facts...or creating them rather.
Paul_Lilly
September 27, 2011 at 7:49am
So you're saying 2012 was a dream and it's really 2011? I knew something weird was going on.
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