Info and Thoughts
Quad SLI systems will be available from a decent range of boutique vendors world-wide, with Scan the listed partner in the UK, who'll initially ship XFX GX2s. To start with, the boards will only be available in full systems, with most vendors likely to pair them with AMD-based nForce4 SLI x16 core logic, dual-core X2 or FX processors and the 30 inch LCD monitor from Dell.Quad SLI is largely designed for rendering at high resolutions, such as the 2560x1600 offered by Dell's 3007FWP. While any current single board might struggle to get frames drawn at that resolution, with IQ turned up, at playable framerates, four GPUs each with their own memory should manage it in almost all modern games.
Looking around the web, most decry Quad SLI as a pointless engineering exercise limited to a tiny customer base. While the customer base might indeed be small, especially if you need to buy an entire system along with the coveted GX2s, as an engineering showcase it has significant merit.
Multi-GPU configurations have more applications than just graphics, and NVIDIA's Quad SLI research (and shipping of a finished product) is applicable to distributed calculation of more than just 3D. With a modern programmable GPU basically just a high-speed parallel stream processor, the ability to do general purpose computation across more than one GPU (and more than two) will see significant uptake in the future.
The limitations in AA IQ need mentioning, but the performance should be more than adequate in both new modes.
I look forward to a decent analysis when a system makes its way here eventually, likely from Scan. Their system was on display at NVIDIA's recent Editor's Day, and using an Eclipse-62 in a shade of NV green, it certainly looked the business from my own personal perspective.
NVIDIA are pushing 'xHD' gaming, or eXtreme High Definition gaming, with Quad SLI, so we look forward to testing that marketing push which if nothing else will also sell a few 3007FWPs!
