[vyper]

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,1591812,00.asp?kc=ETRSS02129TX1K0000532

Now, that'd punch up the SCP frame rates to infinity... and beyond.

[Fineus]

I always wondered why SLI never saw more action after the initial use in Voodoo cards.... this is very interesting...

If transfer rates between boards were fast enough, wouldn't it be possible to build an even larger array with specific cards dedicated to specific functions (one handles initial rendering, one handles FSAA, one handles something else...). My (rather simple) premise being that "two heads are better than one, three heads are better than two".

Of course, it'd cost around a grand alone for the video cards...

[Grey Wolf]

IIRC, the reason that the Voodoo 2 SLI never caught on was cost, and the fact that other setups wiped the floor.

BTW, that's not proprietary Alienware tech. It's part of the AGP3.0 and PEG1.0 specs. It's just that no one has bothered with it.

[vyper]

To continue Kal's idea, I think the market will eventually branch off into lines like that.

Basically everything will be even more modularised than it is right now:
2D Chips, 3D Chips, Video Memory, DVI, etc would all be seperately bought.

Almost like we used to buy a 2d card and then a voodoo accelerator.

[Grey Wolf]

Doubt it. Too much money for the motherboard and graphics companies the way it is now. You will never see them separated again.

[SadisticSid]

This technology will not be going anywhere soon, not while video card prices are already so high. The video card is the single most expensive component of most PCs and buying 2 will only be an option for those freaks who want to get every last .1 FPS out of their PC so they can stick it on the 3DMark benchmarking boards.

[Grey Wolf]

Also, IIRC, there are performance issues with this setup. For one thing, more of a strain on the CPU. Also, even in a theoretical setup, you wouldn't get twice the framerate.

[vyper]

Hmm... dual processors then too?

I think what we're failing to realize is that traditional system configurations are no longer suitable for today's technology.

[Grey Wolf]

Dual core processors for desktops are already in the pipeline. Namely, Jonah (based upon the Dothan and Banias Pentium M cores, which were in turn based upon the old PIII cores) and Toledo (based upon the San Diego core, which is based upon the Clawhammer core).

Multi-core GPUs have not proved that effective in the past, unlike multiple CPUs in server computers and the like.

[IceFire]

They must have found a way for multi-core processors to work (I guess they kind of have to, the single core is being pushed to all limits) since both AMD and Intel are pursing multi-core processors.

Whats more interesting is that they are going after the Centrino processor concept...less power, less heat, more efficiency.  Very impressive indeed.

[Grey Wolf]

Isn't that what I just posted?

[übermetroid]

That thing is sweet!  I wonder what it would cost to just build it on your own....