New Lucid HYDRA-Powered MSI Big Bang Gaming Motherboard to Make Multi GPU History

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Complicated multi-GPU motherboards are now a thing of the past. LucidLogix Technologies (Lucid) and MSI have made multi-GPU history demonstrating the first-ever motherboard to allow ATI and NVIDIA GPUs to reside on a single board and share processing power for ultimate system tweak-ability and optimal gaming performance.

“Award-winning product quality and outstanding customer service.”

Called the MSI Big Bang Gaming Motherboard, the Intel P55-based system uses the new Lucid HYDRA 200 real-time distributed processing engine to serve as an intelligent graphic load balancer that allows custom combinations of GPUs. As a result, the motherboard makes it simple for users to pop in whatever graphics cards they wish, achieving full-speed graphics power without the pain of difficult setup.

The MSI Big Bang is being previewed this week at IDF 2009 in booth 213, where other Lucid HYDRA-based technologies also are on display.

“People want the flexibility to upgrade their system for maximum gaming performance at their convenience,” said Henry Lu, MSI global senior vice president. “With a ground-breaking gaming motherboard like the MSI Big Bang, we’ve taken the guesswork out of adding graphics. It’s easy to change cards based on what brand and model you like, your budget or what titles you wish to support, whether you are an enthusiast gamer or a mainstream user.”

To date, swapping or adding graphic cards to motherboards has required finding and choosing a compatible GPU within the same brand. With the Lucid HYDRA supporting any GPU, re-use choices are unlimited – within a brand line or between brands.

“MSI has paved the road for a new user experience on the PC,” said Offir Remez, president of Lucid. “With Lucid’s HYDRA 200, adding graphics horsepower is exponentially easier and even more powerful than ever before.” The new HYDRA 200 SoC is Lucid’s second-generation chip that works with any GPU, CPU or chipset to provide scalable 3D graphics performance in a multi-GPU computing environment.

In-house preliminary tests show performance never seen before on MSI Big Bang motherboards running such popular game titles as Crysis, F.E.A.R.2: Project Origin, Left4Dead 2 and Bioshock.

Designed for high-performance PC gaming and visual computing systems, the MSI Big Bang is based on the Intel P55 motherboard and features 3 PCIe slots for graphic cards. The motherboard will be available in the stores for 2009 holiday season.

MSI Big Bang and other Lucid based technologies are on display at the IDF 2009 tradeshow at the Moscone Center, San Francisco, September 22 - 24 in Booth 213. Can’t make the show? Visit www.lucidlogix.com or www.msi.com for further details on MSI’s Big Bang motherboard and Lucid HYDRA technology.

About MSI

Founded in August 1986, MSI has continued to uphold a business philosophy that stresses "Award-winning product quality and outstanding customer service." MSI specializes in the design and manufacture of motherboards, graphics card, add-on cards, servers/workstations, iPC, barebones, communication devices, CE products, Notebooks, car infotainment products, and All-in-One PCs.

About Lucid

LucidLogix Technologies is reinventing multi-core graphics with its HYDRA real-time distributed processing engine that will improve visual computing for both business and gaming applications. Lucid is a fabless SoC provider headquartered in Kfar Netter, Israel with sales and marketing offices in Santa Clara, Calif. Its innovations are protected by more than 60 patents and patents pending, and it is backed by leading venture providers Rho Ventures, Giza Venture Capital, Genesis Partners and Intel Capital. For more information, visit www.lucidlogix.com.