Nvidia Unveils New 64x SLI GPU Rig

The Register has an answer for the problem of what to get the graphics buff who has everything, Nvidia's new 64x SLI GPU rig. While it doesn't come cheap, a mere $17,500, it will offer rendering at around 80 billion pixels every second and a combined resolution of around 148 megapixels. The new hardware is being targeted at content creators and people doing scientific modeling, and is due to ship in September.

Comments

Please use my referral link

[Anonymous Coward]

Buy it here and I'll earn a 1% commission!

Vista ready!

[Anonymous Coward]

it will offer rendering at around 80 billion pixels every second and a combined resolution of around 148 megapixels.

Vista requirement.

(but by the time vista comes out, these things will be cheap).

Re:Vista ready!

[__aaclcg7560]

Is that what's needed to run the Windows Classic interface?

Mere, huh?

[hawkeye_82]

....a mere $17,500...

I don't think that word means what you think it means...

Video

[certel]

I'll take 2. Just to make sure I can play Quake 4 at the highest resolution.

Re:Video

[eosp]

How about a nice, large 640e10x480e10 monitSegmentation fault: core dumped

64x? Eh?

[Anonymous Coward]

The only thing "64x" in there is the FSAA... Not the cards. From TFA:

It doesn't come cheap, mind - prices start at $17,500. Nvidia has three models on offer. Two contain two Quadro FX 5500 GPUs, while the mid-range version, the Model II, has two Quadro 4500 X2 GPUs - ie. four graphics cores.

Nowhere near 64 cards, that's ridiculous...

Re:64x? Eh?

[Blimey85]

I was thinking the same thing and was utterly confused after reading the article. I looked at the phone and thought that's pretty damn cool. 64 graphics cards in their own case... I wonder how they power it... then I read... then I'm like WTF Mate?!?!?! It's only 2 cards! What the hell happened to the other 62? It's like marketing said build us a unit with 64 and production sent out a unit with only 2 but forgot to tell marketing.

If you were to connect 64 off the shelf $400 cards it's run you $25,600 but you'd expect a quantity discount so I could see it going for $17,500. But two cards with two gpu's each for $17,500? That's nuts.

Re:64x? Eh?

[staeiou]

The only thing "64x" in there is the FSAA... Not the cards. From TFA:

The summary should say x64, instead of 64x. x64 is the amount of lanes (a measure of bandwidth - 1 lane = 250 MB/sec) the board can carry to the bus. The early PCI-E graphics were limited by lanes - one card ran at x16, but there wasn't enough bandwidth in the chipset for two cards, so an SLI setup had to run cards at x8 each, halfing the bandwidth. Newer chipsets can handle two sets of x16, meaning 32 total lanes for graphics. For this article, it means that there are four cards (albeit in two slots - it's the same thing with the dual core processors), each running at full x16 bandwidth. Considering that the number reaches 16 GB/sec, it is something to get a little excited about. Although not too much.

I'm not their target, I'm sure.

[caluml]

calum@torro ~ $ /usr/sbin/lspci |grep VGA
00:05.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation NV11 [GeForce2 MX/MX 400] (rev b2)
calum@torro ~ $

That's with a whopping 64MB of RAM. Woo.
They'll not be getting me to take out a loan for that new one.

Alright!

[fireman sam]

Something that can run Vista.

WHOOOOOSH

[Winckle]

Sarcasm doing mach 3 over your head.

Benchmarking

[DaHat]

I suddenly have the desire to see a 3dmark or Quake score for that rig... I imagine that it'd cause me to cry.

Re:Benchmarking

[B11]

I suddenly have the desire to see a 3dmark or Quake score for that rig... I imagine that it'd cause me to cry.

or pitch a tent perhaps?

Hello, Santa...

[Donniedarkness]

I know what I want for Christmas!

For sale at CompUSA in 3 to 5 years

[sprins]

Seriously, this is what we'll have in our desktop computer for $150 in at most 5 years.

More like Hello, Satan

[Snarfangel]

BTW, what is the going rate for souls nowadays?

Re:More like Hello, Satan

[Donniedarkness]

...and here to answer our question is... pop sensation, Britney Spears!

Cheap, I'll take two.

[Anonymous Coward]

Lots of jokes about something that can finally run Doom3 at max detail or similar, I suppose that's to be expected. But on the serious side, graphics processors being used as ad-hoc physics processors and tasked with a compute-intensive job that is inherently parallel is the perfect job for something like this. Compared to what it would probably cost to assemble a cluster of general-purpose CPUs to do the same thing, $17,000 is dirt cheap.

Another task that this would be great for is high-fidelity image generation, say for flight or vehicle simulation. Sure, you can hook up a couple projectors, but until you get full surround projection at eye-limited resolution, it still looks somewhat pixellated. Drive a set of laser-scan planetarium projectors with this (ok, so they cost tens of thousands of dollars each) and you're good to go.

Now, of course, I have to say it...
Just imagine what a beowulf cluster of these could do!

can you imagine

[mseidl]

playing tux racer on this?!?!?! How about Starcraft? Omg!!!111 1zeryg rUSh!!!!11!!loL1zer

how many of these can you buy for that price?

[80 85 83 83 89 33]

**best price/performance**
  nVid 7600 GT ($210)
  ATI X1600 XT ($170)
  nVid 6600 GT ($140)
              (MSI & BFG = quiet)
**best price/performance**

the faster at top:

  ATI X800 Pro ~$250 ($150 refurb)
  ATI 9950 ultra (N/A)
  nVid 6800 LE/XT (LE=slower)($150,$300)
  ATI 9800 XT(~$185) (6600GT is above this)
  ATI X700 PRO($125)
  nVid 5900U/5950 Ultra($250)
  ATI 9800 PRO(~$130)
=ATI 9700 pro
=ATI 9800 ($90??)
=nVid 5900/5950
  ATI 9700 ($110)
  ATI X700 (NOT pro)???
  ATI X1300 PRO($80-95)???
  nVid 6600 ($100)
  nVid 5800 ultra
  nVid 5700 Ultra (N/A)
  ATI 9500 Pro ($95 used)
            (yes it beats 9600pro!)
=nVid 5600 Ultra
=ATI X600 PRO/XT ($95-114)
=ATI 9600 pro/XT ($100)
  nVid 5800
  ATI 9800 SE(128 bit)
  nVid 5700/5750
  nVid 6200 non-tc (under $100!)
=nVid 5600
=ATI 9500/9550/9600
  ATI X300 non-Hypermem???
  nVid 5700 LE (MINE)
  nVid GF4 Ti 4600
  nVid 5200 ULTRA
  nVid 5600 XT (XT=lower)
  ATI 9600 SE

this last group of expansion cards is equal to the current generation of integrated onboard graphics
***very slow***

nVid 5200/5500 ($50 PCI)
nVid PCX 5300
nVid 6200 Turbocache
ATI 9200 SE
ATI X300 SE Hypermemory

current generation of integrated graphics chipsets:

-- Intel GMA950
-- nVidia 6100/6150
-- ATI xpress 200

Re:(-1, Troll) or, visualize

[soibudca]

being welcomed as an overlord by a Beowulf cluster of these puppies in soviet Russia and still misspelling independant, accomodation and definately in an email to some old fart in Korea.

Re:Targeted advertising?

[Elegor]

Hey don't knock it! I was just kicking back, flicking through the articles on Slashdot after a 48-hour non-stop marathon of unbounded sexual pleasure with three gorgeous coeds, when I noticed that ad. Intrigued, I clicked the link and read their literature. It has made me realise what a hollow, unfulfilling life I lead. A string of simple, no-strings relationships with nubile young women in their sexual prime is no life at all really. I should be spending my time more creatively, by contributing to opens source projects, or perhaps building a voice-activated peanut dispenser using Lego Mindstorms, or even boosting the signal of the wi-fi connection that I'm 'borrowing' from my neighbour with the aid of a spare vibrator wrapped in tinfoil.

That Google ad sure hit the spot. I'll be a changed man when I return from Pine Creek!
...
[removes tongue from cheek and runs for cover]

NOT FOR GAMING

[iamsolidsnk]

The nVidia Quadro graphics cards are for rendering, not for high-end gaming. The idea in the graphics card market that "more $$$$ == better graphics in games" does not hold true. These Quadro's will perform rather poorly compared to a 7950GTX, currently the top dog in the nVidia consumer graphics card market.

This computer is for the design/development professional, who needs to render large amounts of video, like digital animation (think Pixar and it's ilk).