Why is AGP better than PCI video cards?

[WSW]

If there are two video cards with the same features and functions, one with AGP interface and the other with PCI interface, I was told that the AGP card will give better performance.

I never understand why AGP video gives better performance than PCI video. Can someone explain? Also, how much better performance can we expect from the AGP card?

[Panama Red]

This info is a few years old, but the concepts are still valid. Just consider that AGP has continued in it's developments since this was written.

http://www.pcmech.com/show/video/139/

[Matt_Smi]

It makes me mad that AGP is not even that much faster than PCI, yet I cannot get a good PCI video card since all the new, good cards are AGP!

[Blakhart]

What they don't mention is that the bus latency is as high as 248 on the agp bus, and agp is separate from pci so pci and agp can occur concurrently and with different latencies for each. A good latency for pci is 96. Try 248 on the pci and you may have some probs. Regardless, agp, like pci, is obsolete.

[Iniamyen]

I don't really think AGP is "obselete" until there is a better technology for a competitive price. The technology to beat AGP (pci express?) may exist, but a standard isn't "obselete" until there is a readily available, competitive (both price and performance) alternative to beat it.

[Blakhart]

It's obsolete, Jim.
(in Bone's voice)