About the AGP Graphics System
Accelerated Graphics Port
Well, I set out to learn as much as I could about AGP as there were a lot of questions about it and Win98's performance issues being asked where I hang out Troubleshooting;  experts-exchange.com. More specifically:
http://www.experts-exchange.com/topics/comp/os-ms-windows/general/win98/
and
http://www.experts-exchange.com/topics/comp/os-ms-windows/general/win95/

So for an explaination of AGP I went to OneLook Dictionaries [Acronyms] "from "Assorted Categories" on this page which led me to  http://webopedia.internet.com/TERM/A/AGP.html
And discovered a large goldmine of information. It was to rich to keep to myself so I've taken the liberty of posting what I found along "not to arduous journey" with all the links, places to download applications and utilities of all sorts.

You wanna know about AGP, USB, the correct busmastering drivers for you system, pci to pci bridge and more???
Hop aboard "The Expose" ::))
exposé (èk´spo-zâ´) noun
1. A formal exposition of facts.

AGP:
Short for Accelerated Graphics Port, a new interface specification developed by Intel Corporation. AGP is based on PCI, but is designed especially for the throughput demands of 3-D graphics. Rather than using the PCI bus for graphics data, AGP introduces a dedicated point-to-point channel so that the graphics controller can directly access main memory. The AGP channel is 32 bits wide and runs at 66 MHz. This translates into a total bandwidth of 266 MBps, as opposed to the PCI bandwidth of 133 MBps. AGP also supports two optional faster modes, with throughputs of 533 MBps and 1.07 GBps. In addition, AGP allows 3-D textures to be stored in main memory rather than video memory.

AGP has a couple important system requirements:

The chipset must support AGP. The motherboard must be equipped with an AGP bus slot or must have an integrated AGP graphics system. The operating system must be the OSR 2.1 version of Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows NT 5.0.

AGP-enabled computers and graphics accelerators hit the market in August, 1997. However, there are several different levels of AGP compliance. The following features are considered optional:

Texturing: Also called Direct Memory Execute mode, allows textures to be stored in main memory. Throughput: Various levels of throughput are offered: 1X is 266 MBps, 2X is 533 MBps; and 4X provides 1.07 GBps. Sideband Addressing: Speeds up data transfers by sending command instructions in a separate, parallel channel. Pipelining: Enables the graphics card to send several instructions together instead of sending one at a time.

Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) Describes the various aspects of AGP, including its features and performance issues. This page is from "The PC Guide". http://www.pcguide.com/ref/mbsys/buses/types/agp.htm

Accelerated Graphics Port Implementors Forum The AGP Implementors Forum is a group of industry leaders in graphics hardware and OEM systems whose purpose is to improve performance of 3D graphics. Their site provides many useful links to AGP technical specifications and design guides, technical support and questions, and event information. Updated on Apr 17, 1998 http://www.agpforum.org/

Intel's AGP Home Page Excellent collection of information about AGP including application notes, a tutorial, white papers, demonstrations, specifications, and an implementors forum.
Updated on Jun 9, 1998 http://developer.intel.com/technology/agp/

PC system bus reference guide A complete look at the PC's system I/O buses. Includes coverage of the various functions and features of the bus, a look at ISA, VLB and PCI buses, plus older technologies, and the new AGP port. http://www.pcguide.com/ref/mbsys/buses/

Accelerated Graphics Port FAQ Accelerated Graphics Port FAQ from Intel. Updated on Nov 6, 1997 http://www.intel.com/pc-supp/platform/agfxport/agp_faq.htm

AGP Tutorial from Intel Provides a technical introduction to the AGP interface that reviews the manner in which 3D graphics are currently processed on the PC. Also describes how AGP deals with problematic issues and enhances the ability of mainstream PCs to handle sophisticated 3D graphics applications.
http://developer.intel.com/technology/agp/tutorial/index.htm

Information on the new AGP Compares AGP with PCI and provides features, benefits, and a list of companies supporting it. Updated on Aug 1, 1998 http://www.sysopt.com/agp.html

Intel's Accelerated Graphics Port specification Contains a download link for the Accelerated Graphics Port interface specification document. Updated on Dec 15, 1997 http://www.intel.com/pc-supp/platform/agfxport/

Video System Interfaces Describes the various video bus interfaces as well as related concepts. This page is from "The PC Guide." http://www.pcguide.com/ref/video/if.htm

Yahoo!'s Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) page Yahoo!'s directory of Accelerated Graphics Port. Updated on Aug 4, 1998 http://www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Hardware
/Components/Busses/AGP___Accelerated_Graphics_Port/

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