Rumor has it that a new and improved version of Nvidia's SLI multi-GPU technology is on its way. VR-Zone says Nvidia will introduce a so-called SLI 2.0 at the CeBIT show in Hanover, Germany in mid-March. Few details are available, the site says, but the technology will supposedly allow mixing and matching of graphics cards. SLI 2.0 might also allow users to hook up more than two GeForce 8-series graphics cards together, although this is little more than speculation at this point.
Still, the mixing-and-matching ability might make sense as a response to ATI's "boundless gaming" GPU-accelerated physics implementation. "Boundless gaming" allows users to pair one or two high-end graphics cards with a low-end model so the slower card can essentially behave like a dedicated physics processor in games that support GPU-accelerated physics. In fact, Nvidia has already stated that the third, eight-lane PCI Express x16 slot on its reference nForce 680i SLI motherboard would be perfect for physics processing.
Still, the mixing-and-matching ability might make sense as a response to ATI's "boundless gaming" GPU-accelerated physics implementation. "Boundless gaming" allows users to pair one or two high-end graphics cards with a low-end model so the slower card can essentially behave like a dedicated physics processor in games that support GPU-accelerated physics. In fact, Nvidia has already stated that the third, eight-lane PCI Express x16 slot on its reference nForce 680i SLI motherboard would be perfect for physics processing.
