While Nvidia Corp., the world?s major supplier of graphics processing units (GPUs), has been stressing that its technology involving four GPUs ? quad SLI ? is not for the ?do-it-yourself? (DIY) market, information that is available around the web indicates that the company and its add-in card partners are very likely to allow gamers to assemble systems with four GPUs at home.
Microstar International (MSI), a large manufacturer of graphics cards and other computer components, is reportedly preparing its MSI NX7950 GX2 graphics card, which will carry two GeForce 7900 graphics processors, which, theoretically, allows end-users to install two of such boards into one PC and get a system featuring quad SLI. General specifications of MSI?s NX7950 GX2 graphics cards are very likely to be similar with the GeForce 7900 GX2/7950 GX2 boards: has two GeForce 7900-series graphics processors clocked at 500MHz along with 1GB of 1200MHz 256-bit GDDR3 memory (512MB per chip).
A news-story by Clubic web-site suggests MSI will charge ?649 with taxes per NX7950 GX2 graphics card, though, it is unclear whether similar boards will cost $649 in the U.S., or more, as ?649 translates into $823, however, there is no value added tax, which can be 15% - 25%, in the USA. It is claimed that the dual-chip boards are to be released in mid-May.
Quad SLI allows to turn on 32x anti-aliasing, the maximum level possible today, or to play the latest games in 2560x1600 resolution. Currently quad SLI technology is positioned as a state-of-the-art technology for gaming enthusiasts who call for ultimate performance and quality. However, a recent technology review conducted by X-bit labs discovered that the technology may not provide absolutely fastest performance even in 2560x1600 resolution, where GeForce 7900 quad SLI lost to the Radeon X1900 XT CrossFire setup, and also suffers from driver problems.
Current quad SLI solutions use pretty bulky GeForce 7900 GX2 graphics cards that do not fit into the majority of computer cases. But recently published pictures of the new GeForce 7950 GX2 boards reveal that the novelties will be much shorter compared to the recently reviewed GeForce 7900 GX2 graphics cards. Based on the quick view of the picture, it can be noticed that the model 7950 GX2 has much less elements, particularly, in power supply circuitry, something, which may imply that the card carries a special flavour of the G71 chip with trimmed power consumption.
Santa Clara, Califonia-based Nvidia does not currently sell the GeForce 7900 GX2 graphics cards in retail, but only allows certain system builders to build quad SLI systems. It is uncertain whether Nvidia?s drivers allow to form four-way GPU setup using the 7950 GX2 cards, or leave quad SLI for system builders. However, the release of a dual-chip GeForce 7900 product may allow Nvidia to formally claim victory over ATI Technologies in terms of single-board solution performance, as two GeForce 7900 chips are capable of outperforming one ATI?s Radeon X1900 XTX.
MSI and Nvidia did not comment on the news-story.