Computers with 2 Graphics Cards

[PukePile]

Xbitlabs is saying that alienware will be selling computers with 2 pci-express slots and an unnamed intel chipset by Q3 or 4.Heres the clicky <A HREF="http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/video/display/20040513152119.html" target="_new">http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/video/display/20040513152119.html</A>

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[scottchen]

This is the third post on this topic...

<A HREF="http://forums.extremeoverclocking.com/myrig.php?do=view&id=17301" target="_new">My PC</A>

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

Don't mention that, let him think it's new.

I was told I shouldn't point out that things have been said before, because that would be unwise and not hospitable. :lol:


- You need a licence to buy a gun, but they'll sell anyone a stamp <i>(or internet account)</i> ! - <font color=green>RED </font color=green> <font color=red> GREEN</font color=red> GA to SK

 

[PukePile]

Sorry i hadn't seen any post about this my bad.

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[coylter]

i dont understand how it will work.....
Each card render half the frame????

Athlon 2700xp+ (oc: 3200xp+ with 200fsb) , Radeon 9800pro (oc: 410/360) , 512mb pc3200 (5-3-3-2), Asus A7N8X-X

 

[coylter]

In this case it dont give twice performance....

Athlon 2700xp+ (oc: 3200xp+ with 200fsb) , Radeon 9800pro (oc: 410/360) , 512mb pc3200 (5-3-3-2), Asus A7N8X-X

 

[Vimp]

You don't need two monitors at all. Each videocard renders half the screen, one for top half and one for bottom half, with an expected 50+% increase in performance according to Alienware.

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[Vimp]

From my understanding of gamespot's article it dosen't require any special coding at all since its all done by the hardware, which is largly why this is such an intrigueing thing. Theres also a certain aspect of the hardware that is specificly designed to ensure that each graphics card is performing an equal load so as to rid problems that would arise in situations where the top half of a certain scene is perhaps more demanding then the bottom half or vice-versa. Also logic would tell me that Alienware wouldn't make a motherboard, which took them over 3 years to come up with, featuring two videocards and two cpus especially designed for gaming, if it was going to require special support for it by the programs making use of it since that would make it practicly useless for the consumer.

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[splenda20]

I really don't see this taking off at all. In my opinion, it'll be useless and have no important benefits in any way. Why do I think this? Simple, there is no need to have twice the graphic power in any computer system. Think about it, developers often try to target their games so that high end cards will run the games flawlessly, but still be very playable on older tech. Given that fact, as long as you are running the fastest card on the market, there will never be a game you could not play with all settings maxed, and therefore, there would never be a need to have two cards, as well, you would most likely never be able to tell the difference because if for instance you're playing a brand new game that really pushes your hardware, but your still able to get 50fps, if you have two cards you'd get 75-100fps and could not tell a difference.

 

[Vimp]

Well I think your missing two aspects. One, you needent have two top of the line video cards in the system. So two mainstream cards would certainly be beneficial performance wise. However depending on prices it would remain to be seen whther two mainstream cards would be better then a single highend card. And Secondly, say for example this technology came out a few years back when the Geforce4 cards had come out. Do you think someone how had bought a system with two Ti4600 cards wouldn't be happy they did now considering the games that are out now? They'd certainly be getting desperatly needed, better performance then if they had only one card in there.

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[Willamette_sucks]

I hate your logic Splenda.

2 top end cards allows for HIGHER QUALITY! Even a X800XT PE won't run 1600x1200 with 6xAA and 16x aniso with newer titles.

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[splenda20]

top end cards allows for HIGHER QUALITY! Even a X800XT PE won't run 1600x1200 with 6xAA and 16x aniso with newer titles

I agree with that. Except that, like I said before, I don't think that it'll take off in any significant way because of the tiny tiny market that exsists for this product. High end cards are expensive enough, for someone to buy two of them, plus a high-end mobo, it would be crazy price wise.

To Vimp, as for having two GF4 4600, if I had that type of money, I think it would be better to buy one card and then save the rest and buy a replacement card in the future. ie: you have $800, you can buy one high end card now and another in the future or two at the same time. I'd buy one now and another later.

 

[Terracide]

Wow...
Am I the only one who can remember 3Dfx and there SLI-Voodoo cards?
(eg. 2 Voodoo2 PCI cards doing excactly the same thing, interconneted whit an SLI-cable)

This is not the first time this happens..look back in time peeps

Terracide...

Don't pretend - BE!

 

[ohbaggins]

yes i may not be a tech-savy guy but i did used to use 2 voodoo2's in SLI (Scan Line Interleave modes) where you would plug both cards in 2 PCI slots next to eachother and then connect what looked like a parallel cable to the top of each. enable the feauture in the control panel and voila 1024x768 in Quake 2 at near the same framerate as 800x600 with one card. (with one card 1024x768 not supported in Q2 to my knowledge)

 

[Vimp]

Yes I think everyone knows that 3DFX did this in the past. But their method was different since it was each card rendering every second line or every second frame or something like that where as this new method is each doing one whole half of the screen. However more importantly this is the first time its been done using anything other then PCI slots which is good news seeing as hardly anyone uses pci graphics anymore.

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