Easiest, most compatible PCI EXPRESS video cards 1006

Ignoramus21673

Ignoramus22091

Wow; using that Matrox card (PCIe x1) - on that Asus Mobo - you'll still have the PCIe x16 slot available (not to mention the other x1 and x4 slots) for other goodies :-)

You can likely even use (if you wanted to) the newer PCIe x8 SATAII RAID5-6 Controller Cards (Areca and 3ware come to mind, and cost $$), and-or since the PCI-Express Interface does not *share* Bus Bandwidth like the typical PCI Bus, you may even be able to install *another* Video Card :-)

** WARNING (info below) - I could be completely wrong!!! ** IIRC - one can install lesser-speeded PCIe devices into the larger and faster slots - it's just more 'lanes' as the slot grows deeper (If I read the spec correctly, quite a while ago though). IOW - e.g.; a x1 Device can be placed into a x4, x8, x16 slot) ...and *perhaps* vice-versa (downscale), BUT only if the SLOT is *open-ended* (open at the end opposite the backplane) otherwise you'll need to hone your slot-cutting capabilities(doh!). Please anyone reading this - do *NOT* do anything until you thoroughly research this much further. As far as I can tell from those pics of the Mobo at the egg - it seems the x4 slot is "open-ended" - so a x8 device *perhaps* can be placed, but it will run at the slower x4 speed only. Also note; some lesser Mobos (perhaps this Asus too) will only allow enabling of "either or" concerning the PCIe slots. IOW - Capable of *either* x4 + x16 slots, *or* x1 + x1 + x16, *or* ...only (1 of 2) x1 + x4 + x16...I recall reding something weird like that when reviewing mobo manuals recently -- perhaps this info about "either-or" only applies to when there are (2) PCIe x16 slots (SLI config), and another x1, or x4 slot exists, but which may be located in-between the (2) x16 slots. ** WARNING (info above) - I could be completely wrong!!! **

Any corrections accepted kindly :-)