Intel and NVIDIA clash over SLI

Posted on Wednesday, November 21 2007 @ 3:01 CET by Thomas De Maesschalck

Nordic Hardware claims the reason why nForce 680i motherboards overclock so bad is because Intel is refusing to share the complete Yorkfield specifications with NVIDIA because the latter firm doesn't want to give Intel the SLI specifications:

At this time it is possible to run a retail Yorkfield processor such as the Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650, but you can't overclock it, not even one meager hertz. It seems that Intel hasn't supplied NVIDIA with enough information on how to do this, and practically all nForce 680i out there use NVIDIA's reference design.

Several sources have claimed that Intel wants GeForce SLI for desktop chipsets, NVIDIA isn't giving it to them and in return Intel is not giving them complete Yorkfield specs. Perhaps a bit childish, but certainly a powerful move. nForce 680i is a far from liked chipset among overclockers, but since you're forced to use it to run high-end GeForce SLI, it has still become quite common among the top benchers. Without proper support for Yorkfield, nForce 780i is doomed before it is even released.

About the Author

Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.

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Re: Intel and NVIDIA clash over SLI
by Anonymous on Wednesday, November 21 2007 @ 3:59 CET

This is exactly what Nvidia deserves. Intel is expected not to hold back the specs for others to build chipsets for their chips. Essentially Intel fuels their own rivals. And in spite of this those rivals feel that the reverse, sharing the spec, should not be done?

I'd expect worse than Nvidia chipsets stopping working, I'd bet in the future they no longer get debugged, and might start to do a wide variety of bad things using Intel chips.

No this is what Nvidia gets for the attitude that others must share specs and technical details with them, so they can make profit, but they don't have to share their spec with anyone.

Nvidia should be worried. But it's too late to change it, even if they made SLI work on Intel chipsets tomorrow. They will still have to live with the fact that they seriously pissed Intel off. And Intel has the means and the drive to make sure that companies that do that, cease to exist in 10 years or so You think AMD is suffering right now? That'll be nothing compared to how much the one trick pony Nvidia will suffer. You watch.

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