Let's start with the good news. According to Fudzilla, Nvidia is definitely planning to release a dual-GPU videocard, and relatively soon. Ready for the bad? It won't ship in time for the holiday shopping season.

Citing "sources close to the company," Fudzilla says Nvidia wants to wait for AMD's dual-GPU Antilles Radeon HD 6990 before releasing its own dual-chip videocard. Nvidia already owns the single-GPU performance crown (GeForce GTX 580) and wants to go after the dual-GPU crown as well, but is reluctant to do so before knowing what AMD's upcoming part will be capable of, Fudzilla suggests.

The GTX 590, as it's rumored to be card, will almost certainly be faster than AMD's current flagship part, the HD 5970. But if it's not faster than the Radeon HD 6990, Nvidia may opt to tweak the design until it's certain it has the best performing videocard on the planet.

No, this really long card isn't an actual prototype, just a quick and dirty mockup.

It looks as though Galaxy Tech is going to try their hand at a dual-GPU GeForce GTX 470 videocard, at least if Computex is any indication. Galaxy Tech has been showing off a slice of silicon with two of Nvidia's GF100 GPUs slapped onto a single PCB.

The thing measures about 12 inches long and includes two 8-pin PCI-E power connectors, three dual-link DVI ports, 16 memory chips, and a whole bunch of capacitors. It's every bit a prototype card, and Galaxy Tech didn't say when, or even if they realistically plan on bringing this one to market.

The obvious challenge here would be in keeping thermals in check. A single GTX 470 comes rated at 215W TDP, and a dual-GPU solution would presumably run noticeably hotter.

More pics here.

VIA this week was spotted at the Las Vegas Convention Center showing off its upcoming S3 Graphics Chrome 5400E x2, a dual-GPU add-in board "aimed at advanced, multi-display digital signage applications."

The 5400E x2 comes ready to support up to 8 simultaneous displays with up to 4 independent video streams at resolutions of up to 1080p. A wide variety of display modes are supported, including Span, Extended, and Clone view configurations. Other marketing bullets include H.264, VC-1, and WMV-HD hardware acceleration, and built-in Genlock support for synchronized source timing.

"VIA is delighted to work with S3 Graphics to bring unique digital signage embedded products to market, highlighting our prowess in delivering the very best in power-efficient, hi-def digital display technologies," said Daniel Wu, VP, VIA Embedded Platform Division, VIA Technologies.

VIA says it will have samples of the Chrome 5400E x2 available to ODM customers starting in Q2 2010.

In Act I of the modern-day GPU wars, AMD lit up the scene by releasing the ATI Radeon HD 5870, the fastest single-GPU videcoard money can buy. In Act II, AMD will hope to also claim the dual-GPU crown with its upcoming HD 5870 X2.

The latest rumor pegs the beastly dual-GPU videocard for an October release, though AMD hasn't said anything official yet. Nevertheless, to satisfy power users with deep pockets who are chomping at the bit, leaked pics of the 5870 X2 have hit the web.

Not just one leaked pic either, but several of them, each one showing the 5870 X2 in its massive glory. The X2 appears to trump the 5870 in length, which already measures about 11 inches long. While it's hard to determine exactly how long the X2 will be, it looks to be about a half-inch longer.

Get your fill of fuzzy GPU porn here, then hit the jump and sound off!