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Sources hints NVIDIA have already got Intel QPI license, but they won’t hush to unveil any high end mobo, because it is already too late since X58 is just around the corner of 08′Q4. The company did not expect too much high end user will choose the high end Bloomfield CPU when it is still in the early stage.

Rather than high end mobo, NV will only focus on Intel Lynnfield CPU, try to debut a LGA 1160 board. That’s because LGA 1160 still keeps DMI we currently use to link to south bridge but no QPI, it will be more easier to design a LGA 1160 mobo then QPI supported LGA 1366 boards.

That doesn’t means NVIDIA will just hand over the high end market to AMD easily. It is said NV have already gave out SLI permit to Intel X58, by selling their BR-04 chips, just like what they did to the Skulltrial.

But even they give permit, it doesn’t means you can see lots of SLI enable X58 everywhere after Q4. First of all, The chip BR04 is as expansive as $30 USD, and secondly a reference X58 can not add BR-04 by not changing the PCB layout, that means if a mobo maker want to make SLI and non-SLI X58, they need two different PCB layout. All these just keep the mobo production cost rising, so we can expect second tier mobo maker may not going for SLI enabled X58.

Morgoth

Jul 12 2008, 12:46 PM

the hd4870x2 is not a crossfire setup
it got a internal bus connector( like fsb )
hd3870x2 uses crossfire link connection

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SANTA CLARA, CA—JULY 14, 2008—PC enthusiasts, manufacturers, and developers around the world have a lot to be excited about today with NVIDIA Corporation’s announcement that it will be bringing the power and performance of its SLI® multi-GPU technology to Intel’s upcoming line of Bloomfield CPUs. With this winning combination, consumers will have an SLI platform designed for current and future graphics-intensive games and applications; these platforms can be powered by one, two, or even three NVIDIA GeForce® GPUs, including the new, award-winning GeForce GTX 280 and GTX 260 GPUs.

New SLI motherboards will feature the NVIDIA nForce® 200 SLI processor, Intel Bloomfield CPUs, and Tylersburg (X58) chipsets. The nForce 200 SLI processor features patented SLI technology for graphics bandwidth management and multi-GPU peer-to-peer communications, both required to optimize graphics performance.

“With GeForce-based visual computing application, our customers are experiencing exciting new ways to interact with their photos and videos while also experiencing the bone-chilling realism from our latest graphics processors,” said Jeff Fisher, senior vice president of GPU business at NVIDIA. “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.”

What the Customers Are Saying:
“It’s great to see that NVIDIA opted to enable SLI on the future Intel Bloomfield platform,” said Rahul Sood, CTO Voodoo Business Unit, HP. “Make love not war I say… and NVIDIA’s enablement of Intel chipsets to support SLI will make our jobs much easier in offering a better customer experience as we continue to evolve HP’s award-winning Blackbird 002 and Voodoo Omen platforms.”

“Our clients want the best of everything, and it’s our job to package the best technologies into one complete system for them,” said Kelt Reeves, president of Falcon Northwest. “NVIDIA’s SLI configurations have produced the fastest graphics solutions on the market for years, and the ability to pair SLI with Intel’s upcoming processors will deliver a level of overall system performance no one has ever seen before. We can’t wait to equip Falcon Northwest systems with this solution!”

“NVIDIA`s SLI technology is the outstanding feature of high-end gamer PCs,” says Klaus Rüther, Desktop Product Manager at Atelco. “We are very pleased that the SLI technology will be available for the new line of Intel Bloomfield CPUs. With SLI, the gamer can experience the latest PC games as if they were real.”

“Medion is a highly regarded European OEM as an innovator in enthusiast-based PCs,” said Oliver Soellner, CMO at Medion. “By adding NVIDIA SLI with Intel’s next-generation CPU platform, we can offer the most feature rich Medion Erazer PCs with blistering graphics performance, which is sure to satisfy the most demanding users.”

“Fujitsu-Siemens is excited to see NVIDIA SLI technology associated with Intel Bloomfield CPUs. This combination addresses the innovative gaming market and will bring the best experience to gamers worldwide,” said Michael Hilpert, Senior Product manager at FSC.

“What a great, great move, the ability to have 3-way SLI, with Intel Bloomfield CPUs. The combination will break all the existing performance barriers and deliver a whole new user experience. The wait is over,” Elan Raja III Director Scan Computers.

“Over the last four years, NVIDIA has been recognized for its SLI technology innovation and leadership," said Joe Hsieh, General Manager at ASUS. "This technology is an excellent feature that customers are demanding for their new Intel platforms. We are excited about bringing the power of this platform to our Intel customers.”

“Acer congratulates NVIDIA on its nForce 200 SLI technology platform and we are very interested to bring it to market,” said Brian Bogaard, Product Business Manager, Acer EMEA Desktop PC

The pairing of the NVIDIA nForce® 200 SLI MCP with Intel’s new Bloomfield CPU and Tylersburg core logic chipset will deliver NVIDIA 3-way SLI technology for an unmatched PC gaming experience, providing up to a 2.8× performance boost over traditional single graphics card platforms. When playing the most cutting-edge games, including current titles such as Crysis and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, 3-way SLI technology lets gamers ratchet up the resolution to 2500 × 1600, while turning on all of the tasty eye candy, including high-dynamic range lighting, motion blur, and realistic environmental effects.

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Nvidia reportedly scores QPI license while Intel gets SLI for X58 motherboards

Latest news
Monica Chen and Ricky Morris, Taipei; Joseph Tsai, DIGITIMES [Tuesday 15 July 2008]

Nvidia has recently reached an agreement with Intel and received a Quick Path Interconnect (QPI) license enabling the company to design chipsets for Intel's next-generation platforms, according to sources at motherboard makers.

Nvidia will only launch solutions for entry-level and mid-range motherboards supporting socket 1160 CPUs (Lynnfield) initially. Whether this is because Nvidia is not very optimistic about the potential of the high-end market in the early stages, or a restriction imposed by Intel to make sure it gets to enjoy the lion's share of the enthusiast socket 1366 CPU (Bloomfield) market is unclear at this stage.

Both Intel and Nvidia declined to comment regarding their future products or strategy.

In other news, Nvidia has announced that motherboards based on Intel's X58 chipset (Tylersburg) supporting Bloomfield CPUs will be able to support SLI technology through the inclusion of its nForce 200 chip (BR04). This is a similar arrangement to the one currently seen in Intel's Skulltrail motherboards.

This is a significant licensing win for Intel, making it the only one of the three main x86 chipset makers who will be able to offer support for both SLI and AMD's Crossfire multi-GPU technologies (not mention its own Larabee technology when it eventually launches too) although it is possible not all board makers will choose to pay the extra cost for the nForce 200 chip.

Nevertheless, three of Taiwan's top-four motherboard makers: Asustek Computer, Gigabyte Technology and Micro-Star International (MSI), and Acer have already said they are likely to release X58 SLI boards.