SLI
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 set up in 3-way SLI, tested against Radeon HD 5870 and 5970
Not many mortals will ever have to worry about choosing between a three-way GeForce GTX 480 SLI setup, an equally numerous Radeon HD 5870 array, or a dual-card HD 5970 monstrosity, but we know plenty of people would care about who the winner might be. Preliminary notes here include the fun facts that a 1 Kilowatt PSU provided insufficient power for NVIDIA's hardware, while the mighty Core i7-965 test bench CPU proved to be a bottleneck in some situations. Appropriately upgraded to a six-core Core i7-980X and a 1,200W power supply, the testers proceeded to carry out the sacred act of benchmarking the snot out of these superpowered rigs. We won't spoil the final results of the bar chart warfare here, but rest assured both camps score clear wins in particular games and circumstances. The source link shall reveal all.
NVIDIA unleashes GeForce GTX 480 and GTX 470 'tessellation monsters'
Let's get the hard data out of the way first: 480 CUDA cores, 700 MHz graphics and 1,401MHz processor clock speeds, plus 1.5GB of onboard GDDR5 memory running at 1,848MHz (for a 3.7GHz effective data rate). Those are the specs upon which Fermi is built, and those are the numbers that will seek to justify a $499 price tag and a spectacular 250W TDP. We attended a presentation by NVIDIA this afternoon, where the above GTX 480 and its lite version, the GTX 470, were detailed. The latter card will come with a humbler 1.2GB of memory plus 607MHz, 1,215MHz and 1,674MHz clocks, while dinging your wallet for $349 and straining your case's cooling with 215W of hotness. NVIDIA's first DirectX 11 parts are betting big on tessellation becoming the way games are rendered in the future, with the entire architecture being geared toward taking duties off the CPU and freeing up its cycles to deliver performance improvements elsewhere. This is perhaps no better evidenced than by the fact that both GTX models scored fewer 3DMarks than the Radeon HD 5870 and HD 5850 that they're competing against, but managed to deliver higher frame rates than their respective competitors in in-game benchmarks from NVIDIA. The final bit of major news here relates to SLI scaling, which is frankly remarkable. NVIDIA claims a consistent 90 percent performance improvement (over a single card) when running GTX 480s in tandem, which is as efficient as any multi-GPU setup we've yet seen. After the break you'll find a pair of tech demos and a roundup of the most cogent reviews.%Gallery-89115%
EVGA GeForce GTX 275 co-opts a GTS 250 for PhysX duties
Ready for some more dual-GPU madness, only this time in the resplendent green of NVIDIA? EVGA has gone and concocted a special Halloween edition of the GTX 275, which has sprouted an entire GTS 250 appendage solely for PhysX gruntwork. Dubbed a new form of Hybrid SLI, EVGA's latest combines -- for the first time, from what we can tell -- two different GPUs and assigns them with specific and mutually exclusive tasks. Whether this concept takes off will depend to a large extent on the effectiveness of PhysX acceleration and whether it can show more efficient scaling than regular old SLI with two boards or more conventional dual-GPU setups like the GTX 295. Color us intrigued, either way. P.S. - That's what the actual card will look like, we're not making it up.%Gallery-77092%
NVIDIA inks deal for SLI support on Intel Core i5, i7 systems
The relationship between the two companies may have descended to the level of a schoolyard fight at times, but it looks like NVIDIA and Intel are now doing their best to get along -- in public, at least -- united, in part, by AMD's entirely in-house CrossFire graphics solution. This latest gesture of goodwill comes in the form of an announcement that NVIDIA will indeed be licensing its SLI graphics technology to Intel and various motherboard manufacturers for use in upcoming Core i5 and Core i7-based systems, which Intel describes as the "perfect complement" for each other. Intel further goes on to say that "NVIDIA and Intel share a combined passion for furthering the PC as the definitive platform for gaming," while unconfirmed reports also have NVIDIA holding up its fingers in a comical gesture behind Intel's head during the announcement.[Via Electronista]
Maingear's eX-L 18 grabs for "world's most powerful gaming laptop" title
You know, this whole "most powerful laptop" game is pretty hilarious. Back in '05, CompAmerica's (who?) Orca 9098 held the title with a cutting-edge 3.8GHz Pentium 4, and over the years, we've watched outfit after outfit pull the award back and forth, much like those tugging games we used to play as tots. Regardless, it seems as if Maingear's down for the fun, today rolling out the planet's all new "world's most powerful gaming laptop" in the eX-L 18, which arrives with an undisclosed Intel Core 2 Duo Extreme processor, twin NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M GPUs, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, up to three 2.5-inch SATA or SSD drives, an optional Blu-ray drive and a screen that's probably larger than your mother's desktop LCD. And by that, we mean 18.4-inches with a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution. If you're down with lugging around this beast, you can get one headed your way provided you've got at least $2,999 you're willing to see off.
Alienware's 'All Powerful' M17x gaming rig with dual GTX 280M graphics ready to frag your savings
Just because you're timid and demure doesn't mean your laptop has to be. Alienware's M17x "All Powerful" gaming rig with option for twin GTX 280 GPUs is now up for grabs on Dell's retail site. While the base configuration starts at $1,799, we went ahead and priced it fully loaded just for kicks. As such, our rig is stuffed with a 2.53GHz Core 2 Extreme Quad QX9300 ("the most powerful mobile processor in the world" according to Dell), Vista Ultimate, dual GTX 280M running in SLI, the 1920x1200 WideUXGA LCD panel, 8GB of 1333MHz DDR3 memory, and a pair of 256GB SSDs for 500GB of RAID 0 storage, slot-loading Blu-ray combo drive, and ExpressCard ATSC tuner with remote. The damage? $5,587. Who says gaming doesn't kill?Update: NVIDIA has confirmed that this monster exists.
ASUS Mars GPU hands-on at Computex
We knew it was coming, and come it did. Over in Taiwan today, ASUS was demonstrating its motherboard-incinerating Mars graphics card, which it proudly deemed "the world's fastest." In fact, the card packs 21 percent more power than a reference GeForce GTX 295 card, and the eight-heatpipe cooling solution keeps things at least a notch below molten. We found that the card will actually be sold in some capacity, though only 1,000 of them -- all of which will be individually numbered -- will be made available. Two more looks after the break.
ASUS Mars GPU weds twin GeForce GTX 285s, might just melt your face
You into frame rates? No, we mean are you frickin' bonkers over watching your rig hit triple digits in a Crysis timedemo? If you're still nodding "yes," have a gander at what'll absolutely have to be your next buy. The ASUS Mars 295 Limited Edition is quite the unique beast, rocking a pair of GTX 285 chips that are viewed by Windows as a GeForce GTX 295. All told, you're looking at 240 shader processors, a 512-bit GDDR3 memory interface, 32 total memory chips and 4GB of RAM. Amazingly, the card is totally compatible with existing drivers and is Quad-SLI capable, and if all goes to plan, it'll actually peek its head out at Computex next week. Rest assured, we'll do everything we can to touch it.
Alienware's M17X gaming laptop with twin GTX 280M GPUs truly is all powerful
The announcement wasn't scheduled for a few more days -- four according to the teaser site -- but it looks like Alienware's All Powerful gaming laptop has been set free anyway. So, does it live up to the clues? Pretty much... how does a pair of 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M GPUs strike you? No Core i7 listed, instead we're looking at a Core 2 Extreme quad-core CPU at the top end with up to 8GB of 1333MHz DDR3 memory, and 1TB of 7200-rpm disk or a 512GB SSD if you prefer. RAID 1 or RAID 0? Sure. Rounding things out is a nine-cell battery of unstated performance, FireWire, 4x USB, eSATA, ExpressCard, 802.11n WiFi, 8-in-1 media card reader, dual-layer Blu-ray, a 1920 x 1200 pixel edge-to-edge LCD, DisplayPort and HDMI-outs all wrapped up in a massive chassis weighing 11.68-pounds with a 15.98 x 12.65 x 2.11-inch footprint. It's also packing a GeForce 9400M G1 GPU with HybridPower technology that allows you to scale the graphics back to conserve battery power. Prices start at $1,799 for a lot less than we mentioned above.As a footnote to the details above, PCWorld also says that Alienware will use next week's E3 show to update us on its 42.8-inch curved monitor we went hands-on with back in January of 2008. [Thanks, Steve]
iBUYPOWER's Core i7-powered LAN Warrior makes other SFF rigs weep
See that, Shuttle? Yeah, that's your worst nightmare. iBUYPOWER has just shocked the small form factor (SFF) world with a new rig that's potent enough to act as your standalone gaming machine. Equipped with a menacing look, a carry handle and room for two full-sized dual slot video cards, the aptly titled LAN Warrior caters to no one outside of the enthusiast niche. For the crowd willing to shell out for the latest and greatest, they'll find a Core i7 CPU (920, 940 and 965 Extreme available, up to five ventilation fans, an optional liquid cooling system, ASUS' Rampage II Gene X58 motherboard, up to 12GB of DDR3 memory, twin GeForce GTX 295 / Radeon 4870 x2 GPUs, four internal 3.5-inch bays, up to 6TB of HDD space, up to two Blu-ray writers, gigabit Ethernet, 802.11n WiFi and a planet-killing 1000-watt power supply. Amazingly, the starting tag on this one is just $999, and it's available now from the outfit's website. Full release is after the break.
Video: 23 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295s packed into one system, "overkill" exemplified
Ha, and you thought paying hundreds of dollars for a NIC was insane. For one reason or another (likely "another"), AtlasFolder has loaded in 23 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295 graphics cards into a single server rig, and while only 17 were installed at the time of this video (he's waiting for a few nuts and bolts before installing the others), we're already amazed. Call us crazy, but something such is this definitely isn't what NVIDIA had in mind when it revived SLI. Per usual, the vid's past the break.[Thanks, P]Update: Turns out this is a GPU Folding Farm at Stanford. Impressive.
NVIDIA revs up pro graphics lineup
Squabbles with Intel aside, NVIDIA's engineers have been keeping busy, and the company's got a whole slew of new high-powered workstation graphics chips to talk about this morning, along with new SLI virtualization support. The new gear ranges from the Quadro NVS 295, which'll drive two 30-inch displays for under $100, all the way up to the monster 4GB Quadro FX 5800, which packs 240 CUDA cores onto a PCI Express x16 card for $3150. The 5800 and baby brothers Quadro FX 3800 and 4800 all support SLI Multi-OS, which allows workstation users to tap into the cards using multiple OSes in Parallels -- the HP Z800 is the first machine off the line to offer the capability, but more will follow. Pretty geeky stuff, head to the read links for more info. Read - Workstation graphics press release Read - SLI Multi-OS press release
GIGABYTE BIOS hack subverts NVIDIA SLI certification, sticks it to the man
When NVIDIA announced support for SLI on motherboards sporting Intel's X58 chipset, there was something of a hidden catch -- manufacturers needed to pay to become "certified." Yes, you might have thought all you needed was a pair of parallel PCI-E slots and couple of matching video cards to get your SLI on, but non-certified boards find themselves shunned by NVIDIA graphics hardware. However, where there's a will there's usually a way, and for at least one of those woefully illegitimate mobos there's a workaround. GIGABYTE didn't bother to get certification for its EX58-UD4 motherboard, but it did for the EX58-UD4P, and it turns out the same BIOS works on both. Naturally it takes a little extra work to get the wrong version up in the right EEPROM, but the read link has all the details you need to re-flash with finesse.
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 in tri-SLI reviewed: great performance, not so great price tag
The last time we talked about the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285, it was being hailed as the fastest single-GPU graphics cards on the market. The gang at TweakTown decided to take it two steps further and linked up a trio of them to test. So how synergistic is the tri-SLI set up? Probably not enough to pay well over a grand for everything. Aside from price, you're also gonna need a overclocked / top-of-the-line CPU to enjoy the triplets, and expect enough heat emanating from your rig to melt Alaska. If you've got the many Benjamins lying around and are looking for some serious performance, hit up the read link for a more thorough analysis.
ASUS summons Core i7 power in ROG CG6190 gaming desktop
If you thought your ARES CG6155 was hot stuff during the sweltering summer, well, you were right. Sadly, your bragging days have come to an end, as a new era of cutting-edge buyers are fixing to one-up you with the purchase of ASUS' ROG CG6190. Timed to be released alongside Intel's potent Core i7 processor, this beast is built around the X58 chipset and includes an eye-catching chassis, 52% faster processing speed in 3D gaming applications (thanks, overclocked Core i7!), up to 12GB of DDR3 RAM and support for an NVIDIA triple-SLI GPU setup or an ATI CrossFireX rig. You'll also notice a biometric fingerprint scanner, a unique 2-kilowatt dual power system, customized liquid cooling modules and a SupremeFX X-Fi audio card. As ASUS loves to do, we're left in the dark on pricing, but we'd guess it'll launch somewhere between expensive and ludicrously pricey here soon.[Via ComputerMonger]
Alienware stoops lower with $1,049 Area-51 750i gaming desktop
Remember when the average Alienware was like four large? Ah, those were the days. As the used-to-be-boutique gaming PC company looks to attract a wider range of customers and fight off the effects of this economic quandary we're involved in, it has introduced the (relatively) affordable Area-51 750i. Predictably based on the NVIDIA nForce 750i SLI motherboard, this rig can be outfitted with a Core 2 Extreme QX9650, twin ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 graphics cards (or dueling GeForce GTX 280s, if you prefer), 8GB of DDR2 RAM, Windows Vista 64-bit, more hard drive space than you'll ever have use for, an optional Blu-ray burner and the usual complement of ports. We needn't remind you that the $1,049 baseline rig doesn't have a specs list nearly that impressive, but if it's all about that glowing case, you can get in the game quite cheaply right now.
Alienware's M17 gaming laptop reviewed: an interesting mix of good and bad
Alienware didn't do itself any favors by hyping up what wound up being a decidedly ho hum offering in the M17, but the open-minded critics over at CNET were able to sit the machine down for a tick and give it a workout. Reviewers tested a $1,999 configuration (it starts at $1,399) with twin ATI Radeon HD 3870 GPUs and a Core 2 Duo P8400, and overall, performance was "decent" for the price. Gaming scores were more than adequate and basic computing tasks were handled with ease, but a few niggles were still present. For instance, the smallish touch pad was blasted, and the inability to stay alive for over 1.5 hours during a video playback test was a real (albeit expected) downer. The biggest criticism, however, had nothing to do with performance; rather, critics lambasted the rig's old school design, and honestly, we find ourselves in complete agreement. Hit the read link for the full writeup.
Toshiba's three-GPU Qosmio X305-Q708 / Q706 laptops now available
Given that you've surely got rafts of free cash to burn through right now, we know you're eager beyond belief to drop north of four large on a new gaming notebook. To that end, we're utterly thrilled to announce that Toshiba's Qosmio X305-Q708 (starts at $4,199, goes to just under infinity) is available for purchase direct from the company. If that just seems downright insane to you, the three-GPU X305-Q706 is also available now for "just" $1,999.99. The big ticket inclusion here? An NVIDIA GeForce 9400M paired with two GeForce 9800 GTS GPUs. Or, enough to make Crysis weep.
Alienware's surprise: the CrossFire X-enabled M17 gaming notebook
When it said evolutionary, it wasn't kidding around. Alienware has just taken the wraps off of a relatively uninspiring (or, unworthy of hype, we should say) new laptop: the M17. Not to be confused with the M17x, this 17-incher is the outfit's very first CrossFire X-enabled notebook, and those with the requisite coin can get one outfitted with a Core 2 Quad / Extreme CPU, up to 4GB of DDR3 RAM, twin ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3870 GPUs, a WXGA+ / WUXGA panel, an optional ATSC HDTV tuner, up to 640GB of HDD space in a RAID 0 array, a dual-layer DVD writer / optional Blu-ray reader, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, gigabit Ethernet and a facial recognition sensor. As with most of its siblings, this one puts a beating on the scales at 9.5-pounds, and we're certain you can deplete that 12-cell battery in no time flat. Granted, it does get going at "just" $1,399, but you can expect that figure to head far north when you add anything drool-worthy to the build sheet.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Toshiba gets serious with $4k Qosmio X305-Q708 gaming laptop
Look out, Alienware / Voodoo -- a formidable opponent just rolled in, and it appears that some prankster stuck a Toshiba logo on whatever machine is hiding underneath. All jesting aside, Tosh is revamping its -- shall we say, vivid -- Qosmio X305 by introducing the Qosmio X305-Q708, which houses a potent Core 2 Extreme QX9300 CPU, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, a 128GB SSD, 320GB 7,200 RPM SATA drive, dual-layer DVD writer, twin NVIDIA 512MB GeForce 9800M GTS graphics cards, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and Windows Vista Ultimate. You'll also find a full-sized keyboard with a ten-key number pad, four Harman Kardon speakers, HDMI / DisplayPort connectors, 1.3-megapixel webcam, Wireless USB / USB Sleep-and-Charge technologies and a 17-inch TruBrite LCD (though resolution remains a mystery). It should be available any moment for around $4,199.99, but we'd factor in a few extra hundies to have Colorware blot out the putrid "fiery Fusion" finish (seen better after the break).
