CeBIT 2009: ASRock Enables SLI and CrossFire on SLI Motherboard

One of the biggest innovations when it comes to Intel's latest X58 chipset is that it can provide its users with support for both SLI and CrossFireX technology. This essentially means that Core i7 users will be able to upgrade their systems with either an AMD-based multi-GPU setup or an NVIDIA-based SLI configuration. However, it appears that this solution can be enabled for some other chipsets as well. Motherboards that will support both multi-GPU technologies will soon become available from ASRock, as the company announced at the CeBIT 2009 show in Hanover, Germany.

ASRock is planning to allow its users to take advantage of both the SLI and the CrossFireX technologies through a simple upgrade to the system's BIOS. The motherboard maker has demonstrated this new feature using a motherboard it has showcased at the CeBIT expo. Dubbed N7AD-SLI, the mobo is, ironically, built on an NVIDIA chipset, which enables the necessary support for SLI technology on Intel platforms. Apparently, the Santa Clara, California-based graphics maker is happy with ASRock's achievement, especially since it eases the company of overstock.

The N7AD-SLI is not the only board that will support both multi-GPU technologies, according to ASRock. The company plans to enable this feature for all its customers, as long as that specific motherboard is featured with at least two PCI-E graphics slots. This should be an interesting feature, especially since it can be enabled through a relatively simple BIOS upgrade.

Although ASRock might not be the biggest name on the motherboard market, the company appears to be really focused on delivering high-quality products, at affordable price tags. At the same time, it's a common fact that ASRock's mobos pack some unique features, like the Instant Boot technology and now the support for both SLI and CrossFireX multi-GPU setups.



Live report by Traian Teglet from CeBIT 2009 Hanover, Germany.