ATi HD 3870 X2 (R680); Official Specifications & Images

[Bo_Fox]

What's that huge chip in the middle??? Is it some kind of a magical solution that makes those dual GPU's work together as a "single" GPU so that it is always scaled in everything like a magic crossfire?

[Qhs]

What's that huge chip in the middle??? Is it some kind of a magical solution that makes those dual GPU's work together as a "single" GPU so that it is always scaled in everything like a magic crossfire?

Yeah its the PLX bridge chip. In other words, internal, intergrated Crossfire.

[cool_case]

Yeah its the PLX bridge chip. In other words, internal, intergrated Crossfire.

How'd you determine that?

[LordEC911]

That's not the reference card, it's the Unika one.

I wonder why ATI decided to leave the switch chip as it is, it wouldn't have taken long to redesign it for 90 nm, 65, whatever, and have TSMC to make it way smaller than it is right in that picture.

Because AMD buys it from a 3rd party, i.e. they have no rights to the design and cannot have TSMC shrink it for them.
As to why they went 3rd party is because they are planning on integrating the PLX into R700.

How'd you determine that?

By knowing what he is talking about and doing research.

[cool_case]

By knowing what he is talking about and doing research.

Well, it's certainly plausible, but you could at least reveal some aspects of your information source.

[Jon Boy Deluxe]

I just don't see how this is going to be better than the GX2 if it is only 2x3870's in CF... 2x8800GT's in SLi will outperform this.

Surely?

I mean all anyone can do is speculate but from what I have seen so far, it isn't that impressive (the X2).

As ever I will reserve my judgments until I see an X2 vs GX2 shootout.

[cool_case]

I just don't see how this is going to be better than the GX2 if it is only 2x3870's in CF... 2x8800GT's in SLi will outperform this.

True that 2x8800GTs will outpeform 2x3870s - by a little. But, the unknown is how well the onboard hardware x-fire performs vs. the hardware sli, that is, the hardware x-fire could get closer to the full power of two 3870s vs. how the GX2's onboard sli gets close to the full power of a pair of 8800s. ... or not.