PCI Graphics Card

Among the latest developments in the graphics card market - albeit harking back to something that was first used nearly a decade ago - is getting maximum performance by putting two graphics cards in one machine. The two main graphics technology companies - ATI and Nvidia - both have respective technologies for this, with ATI's being Crossfire and Nvidia's being SLI (scalable link interface). While they work slightly differently, the core thrust is the same - to harness the power of two graphics cards to increase performance by up to 70 percent. Before you head off and buy any two graphics cards, however, note that you need a couple of things in place. Firstly, a motherboard that supports one of these technologies; naturally, having two graphics cards in one PC means that the motherboard needs to have two available slots! Secondly, you need to choose your cards carefully. If you opt for ATI's Crossfire technology, then you need to buy a Crossfire-specific graphics card, which you can then pair up with ATI boards above and including a Radeon X800. SLI, meanwhile, asks that you bring together two identical models of GeForce 6600 level or higher. It's interesting technology, and there are arguments that you can get better performance out of two £100 graphics cards than one £200 unit. For many, it's still a luxury option, however, and at least for the time being it's those heavy-walleted high-end gamers again who will get the most out of it.