Up to now NVIDIA’s SLI technology has been limited to just two GPUs. Two GPUs running in SLI has been just fine and all for gaming at say 1280x1024 or 1600x1200 with 4xAA and 16xAF, but as any gamer with a high-end 21â€+ CRT will tell you, 2048x1536 has been the holy grail of gaming for quite some time now. In addition, thanks to rapidly falling LCD prices, an increasing number of gamers are running 24†LCDs like Dell’s highly popular 2405FPW at resolutions as high as 1920x1200, and a new crop of 30†LCDs are flooding the marketplace driving resolution demands even higher. The Dell 3007WFP and Apple Cinema display both run at a native res of 2560x1600. In fact, Dell proudly proclaims that the 3007WFP boasts "over three times the resolution of so-called 'high-def gaming' that comes with an Xbox 360."
To game at resolutions this high with adequate frame rates, two graphics cards just aren’t enough. We’ve also discovered that even NVIDIA’s fastest GeForce 7800 GTX 512MB card begins to chug with NVIDIA’s 16x SLI AA mode. This is where NVIDIA’s Quad SLI technology comes in.
As its name implies, Quad SLI doubles up on the SLI goodness, combining four GPUs to provide double the performance of a conventional SLI setup. NVIDIA also includes a new 32x SLI AA mode that’s unique to Quad SLI.
How it works
Quad SLI is much more complicated than just combining four cards into one system though. In order to make Quad SLI compatible with as wide a range of PCs as possible, NVIDIA combines two GPUs onto one physical card. More specifically, each Quad SLI card combines two PCBs onto one board.
The PCB used for each GPU is longer as well. This is necessary in order to house the larger cooler as well as provide room for the additional circuitry NVIDIA adds to Quad SLI cards. This added circuitry is comprised of an additional chip that is used to provide both GPUs on the Quad SLI card with 16 PCI Express lanes despite the fact that only one physical x16 PCI Express graphics slot is used. How does it do this you ask?
It turns out that the chip acts as a PCI Express “splitter†of sorts. From one x16 PCI Express graphics slot, the chip splits it into two x16 connections, enough for one full x16 connection per GPU on the card. The chip is also responsible for merging the data back from both GPUs into one x16 connection.
Closing thoughts
Just when you thought two graphics cards was overkill, NVIDIA ups the ante by introducing Quad SLI. The best part about their technology is that NVIDIA doesn’t require anything special to get it up and running – existing nForce4 SLI X16 motherboards should work fine with no problems. Unlike ATI’s CrossFire, no dongles are required while NVIDIA’s ForceWare driver features SLI profiles that can be customized for specific games.
But just how much will a Quad SLI setup set you back? That’s the question that still hasn’t received a specific answer just yet. We’ve got a feeling though that Quad SLI is going to be one of those products that if you have to ask, chances are you can’t afford it. We just hope that those DIY’ers who can afford Quad SLI when it debuts will be able to purchase it without having to buy a complete system. Only time will tell on that particular subject though…
For the full review and detailed images visit Firingsquad
To game at resolutions this high with adequate frame rates, two graphics cards just aren’t enough. We’ve also discovered that even NVIDIA’s fastest GeForce 7800 GTX 512MB card begins to chug with NVIDIA’s 16x SLI AA mode. This is where NVIDIA’s Quad SLI technology comes in.
As its name implies, Quad SLI doubles up on the SLI goodness, combining four GPUs to provide double the performance of a conventional SLI setup. NVIDIA also includes a new 32x SLI AA mode that’s unique to Quad SLI.
How it works
Quad SLI is much more complicated than just combining four cards into one system though. In order to make Quad SLI compatible with as wide a range of PCs as possible, NVIDIA combines two GPUs onto one physical card. More specifically, each Quad SLI card combines two PCBs onto one board.
The PCB used for each GPU is longer as well. This is necessary in order to house the larger cooler as well as provide room for the additional circuitry NVIDIA adds to Quad SLI cards. This added circuitry is comprised of an additional chip that is used to provide both GPUs on the Quad SLI card with 16 PCI Express lanes despite the fact that only one physical x16 PCI Express graphics slot is used. How does it do this you ask?
It turns out that the chip acts as a PCI Express “splitter†of sorts. From one x16 PCI Express graphics slot, the chip splits it into two x16 connections, enough for one full x16 connection per GPU on the card. The chip is also responsible for merging the data back from both GPUs into one x16 connection.
Closing thoughts
Just when you thought two graphics cards was overkill, NVIDIA ups the ante by introducing Quad SLI. The best part about their technology is that NVIDIA doesn’t require anything special to get it up and running – existing nForce4 SLI X16 motherboards should work fine with no problems. Unlike ATI’s CrossFire, no dongles are required while NVIDIA’s ForceWare driver features SLI profiles that can be customized for specific games.
But just how much will a Quad SLI setup set you back? That’s the question that still hasn’t received a specific answer just yet. We’ve got a feeling though that Quad SLI is going to be one of those products that if you have to ask, chances are you can’t afford it. We just hope that those DIY’ers who can afford Quad SLI when it debuts will be able to purchase it without having to buy a complete system. Only time will tell on that particular subject though…
For the full review and detailed images visit Firingsquad
