Hello,

I've never tried to build a computer before. I've been toying with the idea of giving it a try, and just learning more about computer mechanics in general. I have a few random questions the I still haven't found the answer:

1. Front case connections: Most cases now have front audio which connects to the motherboard (most sound cards don't appear to have this connection). If I use a PCI sound card, does the card take over that connection? Or can it only be controlled by the integrated audio? Or will it just get confused and not run the front speakers at all?

2. PCI-e: Does a PCI-e 2.0 graphics card work in a regular PCI-e socket? Is it limited in any way? Or is it worth it to wait for PCI-e 2.0 motherboards to come down in price?

3. Graphics cards: How much does the bit rate on a graphics card affect performance? All else being equal, is there much difference between a 128-bit and a 256-bit graphics card?

okay about the front audio , im not 100% sure , so ill leave that to someone else

as for the PCI video card question , a PCI 2.0 card will work in a 16x slot and a 16x card will work in a 2.0 slot 99% of the time

the memory interface plays a HUGE role in the performance of the card

say the video card has 512mb of onboard memory and 128bit bus width , the video card can only see about 2 times the bus width , so therefore it would only be able to utilize 256mb of the memory

so its best to try to find a card with the same or a minimum of a 1:2 ratio between Bus width and memory

Welcome to Compuforums Brian, you've come to the right place for help, there are loads of techies here, don't ask me though, I'm not one, ha ha!!