nVidia's implementation of SLI

nVidia's implementation of SLI is quite a bit different than the previous methods we saw on the last page. From what we can see, nVidia has extensively studied the old 3DFX SLI technology and improved on every aspect of the technology to create their own breed of modern SLI which can currently be utilized with their Quadro, GeForce 6800 GT and Ultra flavors (only).

- High Speed Digital Interface

Compared to the 3DFX technology for one, there is no longer the need of having a messy array of cables connecting the cards at the back of your system for visual output. With nVidia's PCI Express SLI, all these tasks are performed internally using the "High Speed Digital Interface" which connects both cards together using a simple SLI connector which plugs into the cards "MIO" port, as pictured below on our reference 6800 Ultra PCI Express sample.

The cards are then connected using an SLI connector which you can see below. The connector is essentially just a small circuit board with two MIO connectors (or plugs).

Compared to 3DFX's method of connecting the cards with a cheap ribbon cable, the new implementation from nVidia just feels much better. It's something I would have more confidence in.

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