Nvidia Corp. has announced that five well-known mainboard manufacturers will offer Intel X58-based motherboards that support Nvidia’s SLI multi-GPU technology. Even though it is clear that far not all mainboard suppliers decided to enable SLI, with five different brands offering more than five mainboards, end-users seeking for the highest-performance SLI system will have a rather broad choice.

Mainboard makers who plan to offer Intel X58-based platforms that support SLI technology are Asustek Computer, Diamond Flower Inc. (DFI), EVGA, Gigabyte Technology and MicroStar International (MSI). Dell, one of the world’s largest makers of personal computers, is also committed to enable SLI on Intel’s next-generation platforms.

New motherboards and PCs designed for Intel Core i7 and SLI technology support are currently in final production and are being readied for time-to-market introduction in mid-November, 2008. The motherboards and PC systems coming to market will feature a variety of graphics connectivity options, including more Nvidia nForce 200 SLI PCI Express 2.0 hub as well as those designed to run SLI technology natively through a licensing and certification program.

Since Nvidia does not have a license to create chipsets compatible with Intel Core i7 processors and was unable to deliver its own core-logic to support SLI, the firm decided to license its technology for rumoured $5 per mainboard unit or sell a special nForce 200 hub to mainboard makers.

“Asus is bringing many motherboards into production with support for Nvidia SLI technology, and a motherboard worthy of mention is the new Asus Rampage II Extreme which is based on Intel’s upcoming X58 chipset. This state-of-the-art motherboard is specifically designed to serve as the nucleus of the most demanding PC configurations available on the market today, and will be a boon to extreme overclockers and hardcore gamers. We are expecting gamers to take full advantage of the graphics capability that 3-way SLI provides to build a screaming-fast gaming machine. I’m sure our customers can hardly wait to start gaming!,” said Joe Hsieh general manager at Asus motherboard business unit.

Tags: Intel, X58, Nvidia, Nforce, SLI