NVIDIA SLI is most commonly associated with high powered systems with more graphics power than we really know what to do with. However, SLI is also trying to break through to the mainstream.
We've already seen various 'mainstream' NVIDIA SLi solutions. The NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GT in SLi form has been available for quite some time now. However, there was little price or performance benefit when compared to a single, more powerful NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT. However, EPoX have come out with a new AMD Socket 754 solution, that it claims can deliver an affordable, appealing mainstream NVIDIA SLI platform.
The EPoX EP-8NPA-SLi is an NVIDIA nForce 4 PRO based mainboard, with the usual two PEG slots, but supports AMD Socket 754 processors rather than Socket 939 models.
EPoX reckon you can put together a system based around its EP-8NPA-SLi mainboard, with an AMD Sempron 2800+ and a single NVIDIA GeForce 6600 TD for $270, or $375 if you go for two graphics cards from the off. A full system would, then, cost around the $500 mark.
Benchmarks performed by EPoX suggest that the same processor and SLi graphics configuration yield practically identical results when using either AMD Socket 939 or 754 processors of the same frequency. What EPoX are keen to push is the cost/performance ratio of its solution. Somebody on a limited budget can put together a single GPU system based around its EP-8NPA-SLi mainboard and a cheap AMD processor, then add a second NVIDIA GPU in the future. Alternatively the gamer with a little bit more to spend can kick things off with a pair of, say, NVIDIA 6600 GT, offering, according to EPoX, better performance than a similarly priced AMD Socket 939 based SLi solution.
AMD Socket 754 processors aren't going to disappear overnight, so there's still an upgrade path for mainboard such as its EP-8NPA-SLi. Swap a cheap AMD Sempron for a faster AMD Athlon 64 and get a bit more out of your games. By the time you want a CPU that isn't available on Socket 754, EPoX say it'll be time to shift to DDR-II and upgrade the mainboard anyway.
The EPoX EP-8NPA-SLi isn't light on features either. It has the incredibly handy power and reset micro switches on the board, for when you've not got your case headers plugged in and EPoX have taken the HT clock up to 330MHz.
Obviously, this mainboard isn't one for the extreme performance freak, but EPoX at the very least make a compelling case for the more budget gamer.
