Nvidia Releases Quad SLI Drivers

By Geoff Duncan Published August 10, 2006

Appealing to the high-end do-it-yourself market of gamers and other computing aficionados who’d sooner shoot off their right thumb than buy an off-the-shelf PC system, graphics developer Nvidia has released the Nvidia ForceWare 91.45 graphics driver with Quad SLI support, enabling home-brew builders to combine the graphics processing of two Nvidia FeForce 7950 graphics cards in either AMD Athlon or Intel Core 2 Duo systems running Windows XP/2000.

Not that any of this will be cheap: the two video cards—each of which pack a gigabyte of graphics memory—will set back all but the most-connected of builders back at least $1,000, and you need a display capable of 2560 by 1600 pixel resolution just to get started. Plus your box needs a Quad SLI-compatible motherboard with two full-bandwidth X16 PCI Express slots free, and an appropriate power supply.

Recommended Videos

But the results can be stunning: by running two GeForce 7950 cards in parallel, the system can achieve near movie-like resolutions, high frame rates, and stunning image quality for outstanding gaming experiences. Not that a Quad SLI solution is four times faster than a traditional graphics card…but it might just be four times more hip.

“By offering this level of graphics performance to the innovative minds of PC enthusiasts who prefer to build and tune their own systems, we expect to see ‘maximum performance’ redefined,” said Ujesh Desai, Nvidia’s general manager of desktop GPUs in a statement. “For the ultimate gaming platform, you can’t go wrong with a system built around a NVIDIA nForce SLI MCP-based motherboard and a pair of NVIDIA GeForce 7950 GX2 graphics cards and completing the set-up with a top-of-the-line CPU and a widescreen display.”

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Computing

Fortnite PC performance: best settings, fps boost, and more

Fortnite man.

Chapter 2 Remix of Fortnite is in full swing, and as you're exploring everything that's new, there's no better time to refresh yourself on the best settings to use for your PC. After all, with higher frame rates come better reaction times for you, giving you a chance of getting that shot off before your opponent, which can sometimes make all the difference.

Fortnite is a slightly more demanding esport than some of its older rivals, but that just means there's more scope for performance improvements if you select the right settings. Here are the most important performance-enhancing tweaks you can make to Fortnite.
The best settings for Fortnite

Computing

Security experts warn of new hacker strategy targeting Windows drivers

hacker, cybersecurity

As if there weren't enough threats to your Windows computer already, here is another one to be careful with. Kaspersky reports that tens of thousands of compromised PCs are infected as cybercriminals advertise fake activators and cracks to lure in unsuspecting users for distinct software such as AutoCAD, JetBrains, and Foxit PDF Editor.

The malicious package named SteelFox has been quietly spreading since February 2023, but its distribution has exploded recently. The malware is dispersed using torrent trackers and forums, where it is used as a tool to activate authentic versions of the previously mentioned software.

Computing

Intel’s Battlemage might beat Nvidia and AMD to the punch

Intel Arc A770 GPU installed in a test bench.

Out of all the GPU news we've been getting in the last few weeks, information about Intel Arc Battlemage has been pretty scarce, Now, it appears that Intel might still surprise us. According to a new leak, Intel's next-gen desktop GPUs might join the ranks of the best graphics cards as early as next month. Launching in December would certainly give Intel an unexpected edge over AMD and Nvidia, and it's an edge that it could really use right now.

As always with these types of leaks, we're working with a vague message and reading into it to try and figure out what's going on. In this instance, the gossip comes from Golden Pig Upgrade Pack on Weibo, a user with a pretty good reputation.