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**The PIT** · 23 October 2003, 10:21

Re: Matrox + PCI-Express: SLI

Originally posted by Kurt
Given the properties of PCI-Express, we can hope for the comeback of a technology like 3dfx's SLI.

I never used Powerdesk with more than one PCI card, but I suppose it could handle various PCI-E adapters.

Nvidia is touting a PCI-E compliant chip near PCI-E release (the NV4x). Given they've bought 3dfx, I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to pull the SLI trick again.

It's cheap and it's powerful....

I guess Matrox should think about it too, maybe not for games (but it couldn't hurt), but to drive multiple large screens (like TV walls).

I would say thats very wishful thinking.

**Wombat** · 23 October 2003, 10:44

I would say it's very useless thinking. SLI was only useful when videocards didn't have the output bandwidth to do the higher res displays. It's an old technology that is unlikely to find new usefulness, given the state of current tech.

**Kurt** · 23 October 2003, 15:08

Well, since everyone's complaining about the cost of a Parhelia, imagine just buying a couple of cheap DH cards and bingo you've got 4 screens and twice the GPU power...

Looking at the price difference between an ATi Radeon 9600 and a 9800Pro, and knowing that the 9800Pro isn't twice as fast, why would people want to pay twice the price?

Put SLI back into the equation. Get more speed, cheaper.

It sure isn't a new technology but that doesn't make it worthless. Au contraire, mon frère

**K6-III** · 23 October 2003, 15:14

Well, SLI is making a comeback with the XGI Volari Duo V8 and V5...

**sparky001** · 23 October 2003, 15:21

Acctually XGI are using something that looks more like AFR than SLI.

SLI could still be a possibility but with pixel shaders and T&L and the like. I think it would be a bit much to implement today.

I want to see GPU SMP. That would be funky.

**Kurt** · 24 October 2003, 04:48

Instead of SLI you could probably use the PCI-E bus as a GPU-GPU bus. You should probably not use it to push texture data but you could use multiple GPUs as processors.

**sparky001** · 24 October 2003, 04:55

I was more thinking Hyper-Transport as that is more geared towards chip to chip interface.

**Kurt** · 25 October 2003, 15:30

That's kind of a different thing...everybody's moving toward PCI-E, I don't suppose they'd change their plans for HT in an about-face. Maybe as a niche product?

**sparky001** · 25 October 2003, 19:01

PCI-E is more of a bus system for connection of cards and the like. HT is a chip to chip interface good for north to south bridge connections (nforce) and CPU to north bridge connections (K8).

What I was acctually think of at the time was for a card like an XGI volary to use HT as a GPU-GPU interface.

I realise that for a multi-card SLI type config that they would be pluged into PCI-E.

**UtwigMU** · 25 October 2003, 20:41

I'd also like the ability to have two powerful videocards at the same time, however: Do you think we'll see more than one 16x PCI Express slot on consumer motherboards?

**Wombat** · 25 October 2003, 21:34

Originally posted by sparky001
PCI-E is more of a bus system for connection of cards and the like. HT is a chip to chip interface good for north to south bridge connections (nforce) and CPU to north bridge connections (K8).

If I remember the specs correctly, PCI-Express is actually a PtP protocol, not a bus. So, it would be well-suited for this. And better than HT probably, since PCI-E is intended for devices with larger physical separations.

**Kurt** · 26 October 2003, 11:45

Yes, PCI-E is a port not a bus, more like AGP than PCI in that respect.

I'm just thinking that the chipset speed might be a limiting factor in doing slot to slot communication (for "SLI")...

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Matrox + PCI-Express: SLI

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