ASUSTeK Computer apparently has plans to introduce a graphics card with two NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT graphics processing units. According to Chinese press, the company is currently testing the product and if the technology is enough stable and reliable, the world's highest performing graphics card may become available as early as this Summer.

ASUSTeK's EN6800GT Dual is equipped with two NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT graphics chips that are connected to each other using NVIDIA's multi-GPU technology branded SLI. Each GPU is equipped with 256MB of 256-bit GDDR3 memory. The graphics card is being tested using ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe mainboard, reports Hardspell.com web-site. The product has two 6-pin power connectors for stable power supply.

According to the report, ASUS EN6800GT Dual is 1.7 times faster compared to a single-chip NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT graphics card. With 32 pixel and 12 vertex processors, such graphics card may end up as a more powerful compared to the forthcoming single-chip products based on the code-named R520 and G70 visual processing units from ATI Technologies and NVIDIA Corp.

A disadvantage of a dual-chip GeForce 6800-series based graphics card from ASUS may be its sizes, as the print circuit board of the EN6800GT Dual is both longer and higher compared to typical graphics cards and may not fit into typical computer cases.

NVIDIA Corp. may approve dual-processor graphics cards as a part of its SLI certification program, according to some sources close to the company, it was reported in March, 2005.

Earlier this year ASUS demonstrated a prototype of a graphics card featuring two NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra graphics processors. It is unclear when and whether such product is available commercially. In addition, the company also indicated plans to make dual NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GT graphics cards.

Pricing of dual-chip graphics cards is unclear, but it is likely to be slightly lower compared to a couple of graphics cards based on the same chip.

Representatives from ASUS and NVIDIA did not comment on the news-story.

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