Korean Job Discussion Forums

Demophobe · Joined: 17 May 2004

Nvidia's SLI technology is coming into the mainstream.

What is SLI? Basically, it's 2 video cards working in tandem. Twice the power? Well, yes and no. Each card draws half of the screen, with mixed results, but yes, gaming in super-high resolution is a reality.

From an article on the subject at HardOCP:

"For around $600 you can get a SLI gaming rig that will deliver better than 6800 GT gaming performance. Along with that, you have the option to upgrading to 6800 GTs or Ultras in the next year as prices start to slide down. I have already seen Unreal Engine 3 running flawlessly on lesser 6800-based mobile hardware so I feel very good about the longevity of 6800 series SLI. For the gaming or hardware enthusiast, this is certainly Must Have Hardware. Without a doubt, the GeForce 6600GT represents a hell of a SLI ��starter set�� that will keep most of us gaming very happily."

Read the rest here: http://www.hardocp.com/article.html?art=Njk2LDE=

Definately a consideration for upgrading. At least this way, a single card can be used until you want the second one and all future generations of Nvidia cards will support this feature, extending the lifespan of your mainboard.

Using two $700 cards is of course unreasonable for most people, but 2 mid-range cards can really shine, as illustrated in the article. The $600 mentioned would cover mainboard and 2 cards, so it's really an attractive scenario which is not at all cost-prohibitive. 2 mid-range cards working together blow a single top-of-the-line card out of the water, for much less money!

My next-year upgrade is sure to include a mainboard that will support this feature, if not 2 cards right away.

The only good thing to come out of Nvidia's aquisition of 3Dfx. Laughing

Gord · Joined: 25 Feb 2003

Demophobe · Joined: 17 May 2004

That may well be, but my point was that 3Dfx had a similar technology a number of years ago. It's basically the same tech that Nvidia are using now.

http://www.neoseeker.com/Articles/Hardware/Features/nvsli/

Really? Intel pushed for the design? A bit odd, considering they are CPU and chipset makers...I did not know that. Of course, they stand to gain a market share (which is seriously niche, a.k.a. small, and they will only get a tiny portion of that), but what else?

I wonder why there are no Intel/SLI solutions in sight....?