Gaming performance
As the EPoX 9NPA+ SLI can run two compatible GeForce PCI-Express cards in tandem for high framerate fun, a couple of reference-clocked GeForce 6800 Ultra 256MB PCIe cards (400/1100) were used for testing 3D performance. Further, the test was limited to 3 SLI boards. EPoX's 9NPA+ SLI, naturally, ABIT's Fatal1ty AN8 SLI, and the LGA775-based MSI P4N Diamond. The 9NPA+ SLI was also run with a ATI RADEON X850 XT PE card, to see how single-card performance compared with an SLI'd duo.
On the graph above there's actually a green line just behind the black. It represents the EPoX board's performance in SLI mode. Again, both S939 nForce4 SLI boards return virtually identical numbers, just as one would expect. Note how Pentium 4 SLI performance is lacking when the test is bound by the subsystem. Its performance nears the AMD duo as the test then becomes GPU-bound.
When run in HQ mode and with 2 6800 Ultras purring along in SLI mode, there's only a very small performance drop between 1024x768 and 1600x1200, suggesting that the scores would scale with a faster CPU.
Far Cry, too, is CPU limited at the tested resolutions.
