X-bit labs

IWILL Calls for Multi-GPU Enabled 2-Way Small Form-Factor PC.

Category: Mobile

by Anton Shilov

[ 06/06/2005 | 02:14 AM ]

IWILL, a well-known maker of server and workstation barebones, plans to introduce a system that may use two AMD Opteron processors and install two graphics cards for extreme performance in 3D. The machine will be primarily aimed at workstation users looking for high-performance small form-factor cube-like system.

The dual-Socket 940 system, named ZMAXd2, supports dual-core AMD Opteron processors and features NVIDIA nForce Professional 2200 media and communications processor, according to a report from DigiTimes. The ZMAXd2 mainboard has two DIMM slots for PC3200 memory, two PCI Express graphics card slots as well as 400W power supply unit.

At Computex Taipei 2005 the manufacturer demonstrated work of multi-GPU function in a cube-like barebone with two NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GT graphics cards. The chassis have enough space to install two NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT graphics cards, even though, in that case they may require a powerful cooling systems inside the case.

At CeBIT 2005 Shuttle showcased a barebone powered by NVIDIA’s nForce4 SLI chipset and oriented for multi-GPU operation. The machine was exposed in a backroom and the company did not allow taking pictures of the product. Still, some details about the world’s most powerful PC barebone have been revealed. The nForce4 SLI barebone theoretically allows installation of two GeForce 6600 GT, 6800 or 6800 GT graphics cards. Shuttle was expected to provide a special cooling solution for reference design GeForce 6800 GT boards. But this is not an easy task: the GeForce 6600 GT graphics cards used to render the 3DMark05 benchmark during the showcase were extremely hot – it was impossible to touch even their print circuit boards, not talking about memory or areas close to the backside of the graphics chip itself.

IWILL reportedly claims the system will begin shipping in September. Earlier the company released a barebone capable of working with up to two AMD Opteron processors.