Maximum PC

hey, i am trying to figure out how to visually tell if the pcie slots in my pc are pcie or pcie 2. i am most concerned as to which type of pcie i have when it comes to looking at an video card upgrade. i currently have an EVGA geforce 470. everything i can find on my pc, by way of software doesnt indicate which version of pcie it is. i know that they are both compatable, if i have heard right.

thanks in advance.

Its physically the same connector, you have to look at the motherboard's manual or specs to find out if it can support 2.0 speeds; sometimes they'll print the spec right above the main pcie slot. You can also use the GPU-Z program to see what bus interface your system runs at.

thanks, i had checked out both cpu-z and speccy previously. i wasnt fully satisfied with either. using what you had said, i was able to locate the info i needed. i even tried to make sense of the detailed Report from cpu-z. the "Mainboard" tab of cpu-z lists the following under Graphic Interface.
Version: PCI-Express
Link Width: x16
Max Supported: x16
Side Band Addressing is grayed out.

i dont see a mention of a 'bus interface' on that tab. the CPU tab is the only obvious 'bus' mention, where it lists 133.7 Mhz as the Bus Speed under Clocks. the other mention of it, as part of the FSB under memory didnt seem to be what i was looking for either. there are a few places in the detailed Report from cpu-z that indicate that it may be just PCI-E, but able to support 2.0. i just don't know enough to make sense of everything. i am still learning about this stuff. in that report it contains the following information about my motherboard; the motherboard came preinstalled with my pc.

Mainboard Model 0H869M (0x0000016C - 0x004DDBA0)

LPCIO
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

LPCIO Vendor Fintek
LPCIO Model F71882F
LPCIO Vendor ID 0x1934
LPCIO Chip ID 0x541
Config Mode I/O address 0x4E
Config Mode LDN 0x4

it may not matter much in the end. i think that i would want to be getting a PCI-E 2.0 video card, just to take advantage of any further upgrades in the future anyways. i am very much hoping that i will be able to get a card that will remain satisfactory enough for a good number of years.

On the motherboard tab in CPU-Z, google the specs for the motherboard model. Or if you are unsure, post the model here.

i tried the google approach, seemed like i wasn't the only one who wasn't sure what motherboard my pc manufacturer uses. i will post the mainboard info from cpu-z here.

Manufacturer: Alienware
Model: 0H869M; A00
Chipset: Intel; X58 Rev 13
Southbridge: Intel; 82801JR (ICH10R) Rev 00
LPCIO: Fintek; F71882F

You have an X58 Chipset which lists PCIe 2.0 as part of it's specification.

Yup, definitely PCIe x16 2.0.

oh hey, thanks to the both of you! sorry i was slow in responding. i had to deal with an unexpectant need to reinstall windows 7 - first time i did it on this pc since i got it.

BTW, I was referring to the GPU-z program, not the CPU-z program. Just for future references. It'll tell you exactly what you cards are running at.

i actually did not know that that was a different program; i thought that cpu-z and gpu-z were the same thing. i came across a mention of GPU-z only recently and realized my oversight. it was in a MaximumPC related magazine that i had already read and was rereading, as part of my windows 7 reinstall downtime and recovery. it was in an article entitled something like "20 Essential Programs."