Introduction

Not so long ago we saw the 3-Way SLI technology being introduced by NVIDIA which gotten limited to the high-end GeForce 8800 GTX and Ultra graphics cards. And today we see that NVIDIA is coming back with a technology that they have used already previously, though with a quite limited success in the end. This time around the basics are no different, unless better support is promised with the drivers. With the rumors ongoing now for several weeks, we finally got our hands on the new GeForce 9800 GX2, the highly anticipated dual-GPU card to go up against the just recently released Radeon HD 3870 X2 card from AMD, their main competitor on the graphics market. The same logic was used as their previous dual-GPU video card, the GeForce 7950 GX2 which didn't last that long mainly due to the lack of good driver support and the soon after release of the GeForce 8800 series that lifted the gaming performance to the next level.

Who hasn't yet heard about the new buzz Quad SLI? Well for those who didn't, NVIDIA has pushed once again the limits and instead of running two video cards together in SLI mode, they can now run four graphics processors in SLI mode. Yeah you got that right, four graphics processors running together to provide blistering performance. Of course you will need a decent computer to feed it. So start saving up for a top notch processor, preferable a quad core and with the highest clock rate as possible. We guess an Intel Yorkfield would be just ideal as that one seems to beat all competition currently. NVIDIA has taken advantage of their leading position when it comes to multi-GPU technology, which they have introduced quite successfully some years ago. Taking the acclaimed NVIDIA SLI technology to the next level, Quad SLI delivers the most extreme HD gaming experience available on the PC.

To get Quad SLI on the road NVIDIA designed a special board which goes by the GX2 abbreviation. The first version of this Quad SLI implementation was shown by Dell more than a year ago with their Renegade system. The Dell XPS 600 Renegade system featured at that time two GeForce 7900 GX2 cards which was actually the first Quad SLI config shown to the world. Since that time much has changed as we have also seen the more optimized GeForce 7950 GX2 which offered Quad SLI to the broader public. Once again NVIDIA is coming back with their GX2 range and this time pairing up two of the latest graphics processors to build the long awaited GeForce 9800 GX which should combined two G92 chip and offer Quad SLI once again to the public.

NVIDIA's GeForce 9800 GX2 is a dual PCB adaptor that is directly derived from the new GeForce 8800 GT and GTS series based upon the G92 chipset, which was already derived from the initial GeForce 8800 series graphics card. The GeForce 9800 GX2 takes two GeForce 8800 boards, and joins them via internal PCI Express lanes. The GeForce 9800 GX2 is designed to go up against the recently introduced Radeon HD 3870 X2 graphics card from AMD. Since this dual-GPU monster from ATI has become the card to beat, it would be too long before NVIDIA would try to regain their long owned throne as having the fastest graphics card on the market. Yes their GeForce 8800 Ultra took some beating from the AMD dual-GPU edition, which is able to run also in pair to form Quad CrossFire.

Just as the former GeForce 7950 GX2, the GeForce 9800 GX2 card is build up out of two PCB's that are paired up together. So in essence you have a dual-GPU graphics card, based upon the GeForce 8800 power coming from two G92 chipsets. However, only one of these two PCB's has the PCI Express interface connection which will be plugged into the mainboard. This is the design that NVIDIA has used in the past on the GX2 solutions and is still the same as with this GeForce 9800 GX2 version. On the other hand, ATI has taken a different approach and put both RV670 cores of their Radeon HD 3870 X2 on the same PCB which is of course introducing a longer card in the end. As NVIDIA could build on their previous experience the cooling solution of the dual-PCB design has been improved intensively.

This new GeForce 9800 GX2 does look finished as such and better designed than their previous GX2 versions. The card has a decent casing to hold the two PCB firmly together and feels very solid as a whole. From this angle you wouldn't even be able to deduct that this is a dual-GPU edition but actually looks very familiar. By just looking at the casing covering the full graphics card you could find this a more optimized GeForce 8800 Ultra edition which came with a similar cooling solution only going by the looks. From the top and sides you can see as well the venting holes which are required for the air intake, but also to get the hot air out again. We don't know how effective this design will be just from the looks, although the looks of this card is certainly quite attractive and very solid.