ATI CrossFire Xpress 3200

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So, is the new CrossFire Xpress 3200 platform from ATI a worthy reply to Nvidia’s nForce4 SLI X16? After we’ve done our tests, we can answer this question in the affirmative. Nvidia’s long-time rival, the Canadian ATI Technologies Company, has developed a chipset which is not only comparable to the nForce4 SLI X16 in capabilities but is also far superior in the concept.

Nvidia implemented two complete PCI Express x16 slots by using a combination of two chips, each with its own PCI Express controller. ATI, on its part, equipped its new North Bridge with a controller that can serve both the slots at once. As a result, the data path between the two graphics cards is made shorter and the data transfer latencies is minimized, which is very important to achieve the maximum performance in multi-GPU mode when the cards are actively exchanging data.

[...]Besides the efficient architecture, the ATI CrossFire Xpress 3200 has a number of other merits that make it the most advanced multi-GPU platform for today. It is simple, consisting of only 22 million transistors, and reliable, being stable at an increased voltage and temperature. The latter fact also makes it suitable for overclocking. It consumes a mere 8 watts of power and allows using almost any South Bridge with a PCI Express x4 interface. Considering the major OEM-oriented business model of ATI Technologies, we can hardly be wrong to predict a very bright future to the CrossFire Xpress 3200 platform.