Westlake Village (CA) - Four graphics chips in one system don't come cheap. Enthusiast systems currently available through online configurators typically start at about $7000 and can break the $10,000 easily. The graphics portion of such a computer rings in at about $2000.

Despite the buzz created around the impact of quad-SLI may be limited for now. Industry sources told TG Daily that quad-SLI boards are available in sufficient numbers, but the performance capability of systems with four graphics cards apparently are below expectations. "If you don't use a 30" monitor, quad-SLI is just a technology showcase and does not make sense," one source told us.

One of the possible reasons for the lack of performance apparently is the fact that Nvidia has not yet released drivers that specifically address the features of running four graphics chips in one system. As a result, some manufacturer may be taking your order for a quad-SLI system, but may not be shipping until those drivers are available.

While high-end graphics graphics cards are often offered as standalone products, this appears not to be the case with quad-SLI. At this time we were not able to find a system builder that is willing to sell just the two graphics cards carrying two graphics processors each.

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Quad-SLI drives enthusiast graphics systems into $2000 range