X-bit labs

Thursday, May 19, 2005

Intel-based PCs Get Multi-GPUs Inside. AMD and Intel Multi-GPU Systems Compared Head to Head

Since there are quite some costumers who have been waiting for a multi-GPU capable chipset for Intel Pentium 4 processors before deciding whether they should purchase Intel or AMD-based high-end multi-GPU system, GamePC has released a comparison of multi-GPU SLI setups powered by microprocessors from Intel Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices. With NVIDIA’s nForce4 SLI Intel Edition mainboard and Intel Pentium 4 Extreme Edition processors systems showcase respectable benchmark numbers, but are they higher than those offered by AMD Athlon 64-based computers?

“Pretty solid mix on both sides of the coin. The platforms seem surprisingly close in terms of how much performance is gained when a second card is added over a single card system – which ranges anywhere from absolutely zero gain to an 80% gain in performance,” claims GamePC.

“While the nForce4 SLI Intel Edition is for the most part, a solid and high performing product, AMD’s platform simply is better on all fronts. Cost, performance, stability, and power consumption/heat production. While nVidia’s chipset certainly makes Intel’s Pentium platform more attractive to gamers, AMD’s Athlon64 FX-55 is simply a better chip for gaming, and no amount of motherboard-level features can change that,” concludes the web-site.

• GamePC: SLI Comparison: NVIDIA nForce4 SLI for Intel and AMD.