AGP compatibility
Since my old Geforce started behaving strangely I've been looking into getting a new video gard. My PC was bought in 2000, so it has an AGP 2.0 slot, which can do 1x or 2x speed. Meanwhile, technology has progressed to AGP 3. The only new video cards that are available now are AGP 3. Although cards can be backwardly compatible, they are not necessarily so. Unfortunately, it seems exceedingly difficult to determine this.
The only useful resources in the whole of the Internet on this topic that I have found are a pdf from video card manufacturer XFX, and an AGP Compatibilty page from a helpful person.
Summary for the hyperlink-phobic:
- an AGP 8x card with 2 keys (gaps between the pins), will work on all AGP motherboards
- if the card fits (ie. the keys line up) it won't break, but it might not work
Update
I have found an article with even more information about AGP v3 over at X-bit Labs.