Nvidia Unleashes QUAD SLI; Supports 4 Video Cards
- August 11, 2006 17:05 PM PST
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NVidia Corp., the company that manufactures the PlayStation 3's video chip, has now given PC graphics enthusiasts the ability to build their own Quad SLI systems with the release of a driver for the four-way graphics system.
Four video cards? Sign us up!
Quad SLI is a technology that allows a PC to run four Nvidia graphics chips simultaneously, producing extremely high-quality images. But the technology is not for everyone. To see the benefits of Quad SLI, the user must have a cutting-edge monitor with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 pixels -- far beyond the capability of the average desktop monitor or HD TV (the best of which top out at 1920 x 1080 pixels)
The graphics produced by Quad SLI are stunning. A Quad SLI system demonstrated by Nvidia at the Computex exhibition in Taipei during June produced near movie-quality images.
Nvidia is offering the ability to build their own systems with the release of a Quad SLI driver, previously reserved for boutique PC building shops. The driver can be downloaded online now.
To build a Quad SLI system, users will need two Nvidia GeForce 7950 graphics cards, which each pack two graphics processors and 1G byte of memory per card (effectively two cards on one unit) as well as a Quad SLI-compatible motherboard and high-end power supply. Nvidia has released a list of compatible products to simplify the process.
Nvidia is the company who manufactures the PlayStation 3's advanced graphics technology, which they call the "RSX." It's rumored to be roughly as powerful as the company's Geforce 7800 PC video card, a powerful piece of hardware which currently retails in the $300-400 range.
Additional reporting by Sumner Lemon
