EVGA Z68 FTW Motherboard Review

The Ninjalane Multi-GPU index is a portable set of data we can use to determine the multi-gpu potential of any motherboard.  A higher index number indicates a favorable condition for multiple graphics cards while a lower number indicates a hindrance in one of our leading indicators.  Since the Index is not dependent on system architecture it can be applied to any motherboard regardless of processor or chipset generations.

Index: 3.50
Optimized: 3x
Max Support: 5x

NVidia SLI
AMD Crossfire

As indicated by the PCI Express layout chart there are a total of six 16x PCI Express slots on this motherboard with five using bandwidth earmarked for video cards.  Slot two is your primary video card slot and run at a full 16x each when only a single card is installed.  Slots four thru seven are all powered by the onboard NF200 chip.  The primary graphic slots will be four and six and share bandwidth with their nearest downstairs neighbor. 
 
For best video performance you will want to populate slots two and four with video cards.  For proper triple card configurations, using either nVidia SLI or AMD Crossfire, you'll populate slots two, four and six.  This configuration will give you ample room for dual slot coolers and still remain within the confines of the standard ATX form factor.  

During our tested we successfully loaded windows with five HD4850 video cards properly installed.  While the EVGA Z68 FTW is optimized for triple card configurations you do have the ability to construct a five card super computer when using single slot coolers.