Nvidia Corp. on Monday said that it would enable its technology that allows to work several graphics cards in tandem on next-generation Intel Nehalem platform with the help of a separate chip. Potentially, the announcement means that Nvidia has failed to receive a license to develop and sell chipsets compatible with Intel’s next-gen platform.
Nvidia said that it would bring the SLI multi-GPU technology to Intel’s upcoming line of code-named Bloomfield central processing units (CPUs). With this combination, consumers be able to utilize one, two, or even three Nvidia GeForce graphics cards, including the new, GeForce GTX 280 and GTX 260 graphics products. However, makers of mainboards based on Intel X58 chipsets will have to install Nvidia nForce 200 chip to enable SLI, something, which indirectly indicates Nvidia’s failure to receive a license for Intel’s quick-path interconnect (QPI) bus.
“Our SLI technology allows us to combine the power of hundreds of GeForce processing cores in multi-GPU configurations with Intel’s latest CPUs for platforms that are sure to excite our customers.,” said Jeff Fisher, senior vice president of GPU business at Nvidia.
It is unclear how much more will Nvidia SLI-enabled mainboards will cost against the non-SLI brethren. What is clear is that Nvidia could not get QPI license from Intel Corp., something which may have substantial impact on the company.
Comments currently: 8
Discussion started: 07/14/08 04:55:09 PM
Latest comment: 07/17/08 02:17:52 AM
Expand all threads |
Collapse all threads
[1-6]
1.
Combine that with the fact that AMD GPUs are performing much better for the buck these days then nVidia products and you get the whole story. The mean bastards simply managed to rule the guys in green out :) Don't see many unhappy faces, though :)
[Posted by: nx | Date: 07/14/08 04:55:09 PM]
2.
hmmm.... i dont get it? y didnt intel sell nvidia the QPI license? mayb its cuz they still wanna buy nvidia and they wanna put more pressure on it so that nvidia gives in.....
[Posted by: Pnick | Date: 07/15/08 02:33:29 AM]
3.
or mayb they r gettin back at nvidia for not givin them the SLI license..... ( they got the Crossfire License for free !!!)
[Posted by: Pnick | Date: 07/15/08 02:35:50 AM]
4.
I would give them an SLI license free too. Think about from a business perspective; you sell more GPUs that way. There are far more Intel Chipsets out there then any other, and these are the chipsets that won't run SLI? Stupid if you ask me and that is why ATi allowed it.
I would have bought a second 8800GTX a long time ago if it wasn't for the fact I can't run SLI on my Intel X38 chipset. Nvidias stubborness is hurting them. Their core business is GPUs not Chipsets so they should think more logically.
[Posted by: iLLz | Date: 07/15/08 09:19:19 AM]
+ expand thread (2 answers)
- collapse thread
If nVidia allowed Intel to run SLi on Intel('s superior) Chipsets, nobody would even bought nVidia's Chipsets to begin with.
nVidia would have lost chipset sales and wasted R&D.
nVidia should have seen this coming. Maybe thats why we haven't seen significant R&D on their current chipsets. They knew it was ending and they were prepared for it.
[Posted by: MonkRX | Date: 07/15/08 09:46:38 AM]
" What is clear is that Nvidia could not get QPI license from Intel Corp., something which may have substantial impact on the company."
SLI makes up only about 1-2% of the entire graphics market. I think Nvidia will somehow find a way to live on if SLI died and went away.
[Posted by: EndPCNoise | Date: 07/15/08 07:14:31 PM]
5.
I think Intel fans should like this setup more than having nVidia making glitchy chipsets for Intel processors. Adding SLI support to an Intel chipset that also includes CrossFire will be interesting. It gives end-users the ability to choose either CrossFire or SLI instead of the motherboard manufacture choosing for them.
I am wondering if nVidia could also provide a SLI chip to be used on other chipset brands such as AMD. Again it provides a choice for either CrossFire or SLI to me as a user.
BTW, I think the QPI license is based on bad communication on both sides. Probably both sides wanted too much during the agreement. Though Intel not licensing QPI to nVidia could hurt Intel.
[Posted by: linuxnerd | Date: 07/16/08 04:40:29 PM]
6.
HAHAHahaha this is great news
If those tossers @ nV had done this from the start instead of trying to force ppl to use their crappy chipsets for SLI I think they would have got the license from Intel, now they have nothing
[Posted by: alpha0ne | Date: 07/17/08 02:17:52 AM]
[1-6]