|
NVIDIA GeForce 7950 GX2 1GB Quad SLI Review |
|
Written by Mavke
|
|
Tuesday, 08 August 2006 |
Tom's Hardware reveals their view on the NVIDIA GeForce 7950 GX2 1GB Quad SLI enabled video card. When NVIDIA unveiled Quad SLI on the GeForce 7900 GX2, the PC world was excited about the prospect of four graphics processors for rendering. This came at a very high price, however, and it was only available through system builders, which was a disappointment for enthusiasts. NVIDIA then repackaged the GeForce 7900 GX2 into the GeForce 7950 GX2. The redesign eliminated the need for one of the SLI bridges and shortened the board. Other great improvements included a better layout of the memory modules, ventilation of the bottom graphics circuit board and a shorter form factor.
 NVIDIA GeForce 7950 GX2 1GB Quad SLI Review
The advent of the GeForce 7950 GX2 brought the official dual graphics processor solution to the elite enthusiast base that could afford it. However, one still had to go through an authorized vendor to purchase it. While NVIDIA developed the product for the hardcore high resolution and intense image quality crowd, the do-it-yourself crowd was left out in the cold. The reason was that the official drivers were held back, denying folks from experiencing building a Quad SLI system on their own. This scenario has now changed-the drivers that were only available to insiders and system integrators are now public in the latest beta driver.
The GeForce 7950 GX2 in Quad SLI leaves us with a bad taste in our mouths. The cost is great and the results are less than desired, whether you buy from a system builder or do it yourself with these new beta drivers. The results show that two graphics processors in a single GeForce 7950 GX2 can beat the four of Quad SLI. Perhaps it would be wise for NVIDIA to delay the WHQL Quad SLI driver a bit longer, until they get better numbers. We hope to have some results with Conroe based systems to see if a boost from the system will help unlock any potential the Quad SLI cards have in them.
For now, Quad SLI in your system is a status symbol. When a single Radeon X1900 XTX or GeForce 7900 GTX does as well as each did in the tests, we think Quad is a little too immature, at least for the time being. Perhaps NVIDIA was too hasty getting this to market before the kinks could be worked out. ATI seems poised to launch another card shortly, and this foreknowledge casts doubts on what Quad SLI can do. Only time will tell what will happen to Quad SLI, but right now, what I see does not make me feel that I need to have it.
Related Articles
Leadtek WinFast PX7950 GX2 TDH 1GB PCI-E Review
NVIDIA enables Quad SLI for everyone with money
Leadtek WinFast PX7950 GX2 1024MB PCI-E Review
|
EVGA 8800GTS PCIe 512MB - Rev 02
