Nvidia updates multi-GPU SLI box for DirectX 10 era
Nvidia has updated its graphics-cards-in-a-box Quadro Plex VCS rendering unit to include workstation-class GPUs derived from the GeForce 8800 family.
The VCS Model IV packs in a pair of Quadro FX 5600 boards and a G-Sync card for frame locking. The cards have 1.5GB of GDDR 3 graphics memory each and together are capable of 64x SLI full-screen anti-aliasing.
The 5600 is a DirectX 10 Shader Model 4.0 GPU incorporating Nvidia's unified shader architecture. It will also work with OpenGL. The graphics chip - and, by extension, the Plex VCS - also support Nvidia's Cuda technology, which allows scientific, engineering and financial number-crunching routines to be accelerated on the GPU.
That's the target audience, which explains why the VCS IV costs $17,495. Phew.
