NVIDIA SLI Technology Now Licensed For INTEL Core i7 And Core i5 Platforms

[btarunr]

NVIDIA Corporation today announced that Intel Corporation, and the world's other leading motherboard manufacturers, including ASUS, EVGA, Gigabyte, and MSI, have all licensed NVIDIA SLI technology for inclusion on their Intel P55 Express Chipset-based motherboards designed for the upcoming Intel Core i7 and i5 processor in the LGA1156 socket. As a result, customers who purchase a validated P55-based motherboard and Core i7 or Core i5 processor when available can equip their PCs with any combination of NVIDIA GeForce GPUs, including Quad SLI, for the ultimate visual computing experience.

"NVIDIA SLI technology is a perfect complement to the processing prowess of our new Core i7 and Intel DP55KG desktop board," said Clem Russo, VP and General Manager of Intel Client Board Division at Intel Corporation. "NVIDIA and Intel share a combined passion for furthering the PC as the definitive platform for gaming, and this combination will surely be attractive to anyone building or purchasing a brand new PC this fall."

As a result of today's announcement, NVIDIA SLI technology is now available for all consumer PC platforms, including the Intel Core i7, Core i5, Core 2 Quad and Core 2 Duo processors, as well as those based on the AMD Phenom II CPU. In addition to raw graphics performance, NVIDIA GeForce GPUs also provide gamers with additional capabilities not found on any other discrete graphics solutions, including NVIDIA PhysX technology for deeper gaming immersion, and stereoscopic 3D gaming with NVIDIA 3D Vision technology.

"Only the best-designed motherboards are capable of tapping into-and reaping maximum benefits from-the powerful synergy between SLI technology and the P55 platform," said Joe Hsieh, General Manager of ASUS' Motherboard Business Unit. "ASUS has honed the art and science of motherboard design with the ASUS P7P55 Deluxe and ROG Maximus III Series motherboards, which deliver unparalleled performance and stability."

For more information on NVIDIA SLI technology, please visit this page.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[newtekie1]

This is very good news, hopefully this means nVidia is loosening the chains on SLi. Now they just need to unlock it for Intel's 775 chipsets and I'll be happy. Maybe once Intel kills 775 and there is no longer a market for nVidia chipsets for that socket they will finally give in an unlock SLi for the older P45/35 and x48/38 chipsets at least.

 

[[I.R.A]_FBi]

This is very good news, hopefully this means nVidia is loosening the chains on SLi. Now they just need to unlock it for 775 chipsets and I'll be happy. Maybe once Intel kills 775 and there is no longer a market for nVidia chipsets for that socket they will finally give in an unlock SLi for the older P45/35 and x48/38 chipsets at least.

As a result of today's announcement, NVIDIA SLI technology is now available for all consumer PC platforms, including the Intel Core i7, Core i5, Core 2 Quad and Core 2 Duo processors,

Everyone can has. Teh consumer wins.

 

[newtekie1]

Everyone can has

Unfortunately to get SLi on the 775 platform you still have to buy an nVidia chipset though...

 

[mlee49]

Unfortunately to get SLi on the 775 platform you still have to buy an nVidia chipset though...

Unless your a [-]@x()5

 

[MrAlex]

Unless your a [-]@x()5

1 Word:

WTF?

 

[Papahyooie]

Thats three words. And he said haxorz btw

 

[btarunr]

Everyone can has. Teh consumer wins.

No, they mean SLI is available to every Intel processor. For Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad, using nForce chipsets.

1 Word:

WTF?

[-]@x()5 = hax0r = a hacker.

 

[MrAlex]

Thats three words. And he said haxorz btw

Fine, 1 abbreviation, big deal

 

[JrRacinFan]

As a result, customers who purchase a validated P55-based motherboard and Core i7 or Core i5 processor when available can equip their PCs with any combination of NVIDIA GeForce GPUs, including Quad SLI, for the ultimate visual computing experience.

OK I am lost. So whatever we know about SLI can be tossed out the window with this statement? Meaning SLI with 1x GTS250 + 1x GTX260?

 

[btarunr]

any combination = 2-way SLI for all cards that support it, 3-way SLI and Quad-SLI for cards that support it.

The 'combination' refers to number of cards/GPUs in SLI, be it 2-way, 3-way, or quad-SLI.

 

[3volvedcombat]

any combination = 2-way SLI for all cards that support it, 3-way SLI and Quad-SLI for cards that support it.

The 'combination' refers to number of cards/GPUs in SLI, be it 2-way, 3-way, or quad-SLI.

Acctualy im thinking of it this way. Maybe you are correct, maybe it was posted wrong, maybe when they say any combination of *graphics processing units* like a g92 + g200b/g200 in sli. I belive they said any combination, dont they ussaly say daul/triple/quad sli with there announcments? Basicly its more formated to the acctualy gpu, so you can put any combination of gpus on that platform. Just saying. Prob just a wrong posting because i couldnt expect a revision on drivers for this unless they roll it out with 192. 191. new drivers. Which would be acctualy realy awsome. Acctualy i looked at the bridge connections of the 9600gso+ gtx 260 i have in this computer, and they dont line up. Maybe they will realese 300 serios cards, and allow some room for some 200 serios cards to be combined in a sli format of some type, in the future. Thats a nice guess/mith that could happen.

 

[JrRacinFan]

any combination = 2-way SLI for all cards that support it, 3-way SLI and Quad-SLI for cards that support it.

The 'combination' refers to number of cards/GPUs in SLI, be it 2-way, 3-way, or quad-SLI.

Ok so just double checking. That statement the way I am reading it I could SLI a 9800GT with my current 8800GTS "??" Once a new revision of drivers hit?

 

[TheLaughingMan]

I am just glad the "issue" between them is working itself out now. I still want my nVidia chipset with an i7

 

[Roph]

It's all just essentially DRM profiteering to begin with. There shouldn't be anything to license, a motherboard with the appropriate slots and lanes and the correct drivers should simply be able to support SLi. This is just paying to unlock a deliberately artificially restricted "feature".

 

[g30rg1e]

surely SLI on the current socket 775 platform is just a driver away, i remember a hacked driver i used by a guy called big sam and that gave me SLI from my shuttle sd37p2, it had a 975x motherboard which supported crossfire and after i installed the modded driver i could run my 7950gt's in sli...... that was around 2yrs ago........ the red tape has denied us all this time

 

[Solaris17]

This is very good news, hopefully this means nVidia is loosening the chains on SLi. Now they just need to unlock it for Intel's 775 chipsets and I'll be happy. Maybe once Intel kills 775 and there is no longer a market for nVidia chipsets for that socket they will finally give in an unlock SLi for the older P45/35 and x48/38 chipsets at least.

not if you have 1337 driver hakz

 

[EnergyFX]

I think they mean any SLI combination by current definition of SLI.

i.e., two GTX 280 cards in SLI are considered a "combination" and complies with the rules of SLI. Same goes for two 8800GTS, or three GTX 285, or two GTX 295 (quad), etc... These are all "combinations" and adhere to the GPU restriction rules of SLI law as we know it.

I think the point here is that nVidia is going to allow these "combinations" to work on some platforms that couldn't use them before.

Heavy emphasis on my use of the term "I think". I are not being certain of this anything!

 

[wolf]

what if you have an i3 on a 1156 bard? no SLi? my guess is if you have an SLi certified P55 you should right? or wrong?

 

[btarunr]

Ok so just double checking. That statement the way I am reading it I could SLI a 9800GT with my current 8800GTS "??" Once a new revision of drivers hit?

No.

You can do 2x 9800 GT, 2x GTS 250, 3x GTS 250, and Quad-SLI 9800 GX2.

By "any combination is possible", they mean "2-way SLI, 3-way SLI, and quad-SLI" are possible on Intel LGA-1156 motherboards. Combination refers to "any type of SLI", not "any type of GPUs".

 

[soryuuha]

Does this mean the end of nForce chipset for Intel platform?

 

[btarunr]

Does this mean the end of nForce chipset for Intel platform?

Pretty much, yes. NVIDIA chipset division is dying. Eventually they'll work out similar agreements with AMD, and then it's all over. For chipsets to be a worthwhile venture for NV, it needs sales volumes. Without Intel platform, it doesn't have the volume it needs. It can't survive just making chipsets for AMD and VIA.

 

[newtekie1]

It can't survive just making chipsets for AMD and VIA.

They managed it for years...

I don't think the chipset devision will die, I just think it will scale back to cut costs. They will go back to the old ways of making chipsets for AMD only.

 

[btarunr]

They managed it for years...

..when AMD didn't have a chipset division to speak of, and they started making chipset for VIA only months ago.

It will be another 2~3 years before people stop buying LGA-775 processors. Till then NV can sell GeForce/nForce chipsets for Intel, and of course ION for Atom. With Atom's future QPI-based model, ION is gone too.

 

[TheLaughingMan]

This is just step one for Nvidia. The next thing they will do is barter a deal to get Intel to drop that restrictive lawsuit, which will allow them to make chipsets for the "i" platform. While i7 may be a while, I believe we will start seeing i5 with Nvidia chipsets a few months after its official release.

Death of nForce chipset will take more than licensing their SLI tech. Especial since it is a far superior product to the Intel chipsets (IMO) especially in the integrated GPU section.