Power, Temperature and Noise
Adding the second card increases overall power consumption by 72 per cent over a single card. Bear in mind we're running an overclocked Core i7 processor, so even a high-quality 600W PSU would suffice.
There's extra heat generated inside our ultra-quiet test platform by the presence of the SLI card. Under-load temperature rises by 8°C.
And it's not just temperature. The upper card's two fans spin at 1,330rpm when it is alone in the chassis. Adding a second card, and extra heat, makes the fans increase speed to 1,800rpm. They're never annoying, to be fair, though the golden near-silence of a single card cannot be maintained unless your chassis has truly excellent airflow.