nVidia SLI

Abstract

n the summer of 2004, nVidia released a new technology into the gaming market. The nVidia Corporation is known primarily for developing and supplying GPUs (Graphics Processing Units), motherboard chipsets, and contributing to other forms of multimedia hardware. The latest buzz about nVidia centers around developments made with GPU and chipset technology. These technologies are used in joint operation to produce a gigantic leap forward in gaming hardware horsepower. This technology is called the “Scalable Link Interface”. nVidia’s new SLI (Scalable Link Interface) technology has brought a new incentive for gamers to invest in nVidia video card technology. Broken down into its simplest concept, SLI allows systems to utilize the power of two identical video cards for a single output display. Utilizing any more than two is merely theoretical (or hypothetical) at this point. The purpose of SLI is to offer better performance per cost of a system as a whole. Typically, a single, significantly more powerful video card rivals the cost of two less powerful cards. Plus, these two cards can be purchased separately (one initially, and the second as a later upgrade), defraying the cost of an expensive gaming system. This certainly helps builders on a lower budget and helps keep an older machine usable for a longer period of time.