Introduction

Alienware used the recently-held 2004 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) to showcase its Graphics Array system, which boosts graphics performance by harnessing the power of two high-end cards in a single PC.

However, after 3dfx did the same thing with its Voodoo SLI technology a few years ago, Alienware's Graphics Array does not represent a novel idea. But then again, since the days of Voodoo SLI cards, the graphics card sector today, lead by the likes of ATi and NVIDIA, has come a long way. After detailing what Alienware's hardware and software double-graphics card solution offers, we offer a proof-is-in-the-pudding example in the form of a downloadable video that shows the system in action.

A History Lesson

In order to understand what Alienware is doing, let us take a look back in time... way back to 1998, when the 3dfx Voodoo graphics cards reigned supreme. Remember back in 1998, when you had 32 MB of RAM, a 2D AND a 3D card and Windows95? The only way to play 1024x768 was to buy two 3dfx Voodoo cards and run them in SLI mode (Scan Line Interlace). One card would draw the odd lines, and the other card would draw the even lines. This was a neat trick, and a necessity for anyone who wanted the highest resolutions possible.