SLI Primer

GFXguy writes "If you are looking to catch up on some hardware learning you may want to check out "SL Why?". It is a short article that goes over the basics of SLI graphics. The article goes over some strengths and weaknesses of this technology as well. It looks like one video card is not going to cut it any more, at least for the hardcore gamers out there. "

Comments

So when....

[Moonlapse]

is RAIVC(Redundany Array of Video Cards) going to come out? I'd like a RAICV10 please.

Re:So when....

[Chris Kamel]

you'll have to remove the I from RAIVC, "Inexpensive" is not exactly what you'd call the current crop of video cards :)
Maybe RAEVC.
Figure that one out urself I'm not telling :p

In the near future...

[TripMaster Monkey]

All the serious gamers will have 2 PCs connected in series to their monitor..one just for all the video rendering, and one for everything else.

Parallel graphics processing

[FirienFirien]

So now we have the addition of parallel graphics cards on top of the already parallel CPUs; we've had parallel keyboards and mice ability for a long time, and parallel fans kinda vaguely came along too. Parallel HDs exist with extra drives, I'm not sure how RAM extensions are accessed but they're probably classable as parallel too. Technology over the past 15 years: pushing an entire computer lab into a single computer. Considering that we'll have computer labs with these computers in...

Re:Single video card not going to cut it?

[selderrr]

especially with the next generation of consoles coming out. What Sony or MS should do, is sell a PS3 or XBox2 on a PCI card, with possibility to use the PC audio card & storage. Then hardcore PC gamers can still look down on the cheapo console players :-)

Re:Single video card not going to cut it?

[deathazre]

well, the xbox has sure put an end to gaming on old celeron 733 machines with old video cards.

wait...

Re:Asinine

[Anonymous Coward]

"SLI is a lot like the tablet PC: a solution in search of a problem. Sure, it's a cool idea, but in practice, not terribly useful and very much overpriced."

I think in fact, that SLI was a solution to a VERY SPECIFIC problem;

GFX Card Company Guy #1; we can't get away with $1000 for a video card...

GFX Company Guy #2; No, but for TWO video cards... (Evil Laugh)

Re:Oh Yeah!

[LarsWestergren]

The first time I ever had a video card upgrade was with an SLI add on card on my old 120mhz intel. There where clouds in mechwarrior after I installed it!

Considering how much heat modern graphic cards generates, if you put two in there I bet you will see clouds coming from your computer in no time!

Re:Audiophile insanity vs. gamer insanity

[Elwood P Dowd]

That last link is fantastic. Halfway into the article:

I must admit that after I came to appreciate the importance of interconnects and speaker wire, I still didn't think that power cords would make any real contribution to the sound of the system. I'm sure that what happened to me has happened to many others in that after installing a high quality power cord, the sound of my system improved. The major change was in the bass; it became fuller and more extended. At that point, I became a believer in high end power cords.

And in closing:

The largest impact that these cords had on my system was the addition of harmonic fullness and tonal weight. As a result, instruments sounded much more solid and therefore, more realistic. Many systems that I have occasion to hear sound very light and somewhat thin compared to live music. Here, the sound was warm but not overly so. The images throughout the soundstage were well defined and stable. Where there was depth in the recording, it was presented as well as I have heard in my system. There was a pleasant lack of any edge or glare with the Golden Sound cords. Since I tend to be sensitive to these flaws, this was a good thing.

Overall, I have a real appreciation for what the Golden Sound cables can do. If your system is on the dark or overly euphonic side, these might not be the cables for you. If on the other hand, your system sounds somewhat thin, bright or lacking in tonal weight, the Golden Sound power cords could be just the solution. Within the current universe of power cords, the Golden Sound power cords are reasonably priced. Given their effectiveness, they should be considered a bargain.

Noob

[xRelisH]

I have over 1 million PC's connected together in one large cluster, each responsible one pixel on my display with load balancing just in case a certain pixel is more complex than another.

Now that's serious gaming.

Re:Just get a dual gpu card

[MBraynard]

sup,

If you complete the referral for me in my link, I'll reciprocate. I got the Xbox and the Ipod free - it really does work and it comes pretty quickly (hardly the 4-6 weeks).

You can email me at mattatbraynarddotcom. Good luck.

Matt

Re:Audiophile insanity vs. gamer insanity

[AaronLawrence]

The die hard audiophiles insist that at a double blind test is not fair :) It's precisely like a religion - it's a belief that cannot be influenced by rationality.