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Intel X58 chipset to support SLI and CrossFire
New chipset will feature Nvidia’s nForce 200 chip, allowing support for 3-way and 2-way SLI, as well as CrossFire support via the Intel chipset
After denying Intel the use of its SLI technology in all but its top-end Tumwater and Skulltrail chipsets, Nvidia has finally given in and allowed Intel to make its nForce 200 chip a part of Intel’s forthcoming X58 ‘Tylersburg’ chipset for Nehalem CPUs.
As such, this will make X58 the first mainstream desktop chipset that supports both SLI and CrossFire. Not only that, but the nForce 200 chip is a part of Nvidia’s latest nForce 7-series of chipsets, which can support 3-way SLI, as opposed to the older, 2-way SLI nForce 100 chip found on current Skulltrail motherboards. Nvidia explained to Custom PC that this wasn’t a licensing deal with Intel, but that motherboard manufacturers would be directly purchasing the nForce 200 MCPs from Nvidia. It’s an interesting move from Nvidia, who has so far only offered SLI support on its own nForce SLI chipsets in the mainstream motherboard market.
Intel hasn’t revealed a lot of official details about Tylersburg yet, but a leaked slide on the Internet reveal that it has over 32 PCI-E lanes, which can support two PCI-E 2.0 graphics cards with 16 lanes each, or four cards with eight lanes each. This seems highly likely, given the inclusion of the nForce 200 chip. Meanwhile, another leaked slide suggests that the X58 chipset will be completed by an ICH10 Southbridge.
Either way, the new chipset marks a big departure from Intel’s previous chipsets, as Nehalem CPUs will feature an integrated triple-channel DDR3 memory controller, meaning that the chipset no longer needs to control the memory. Nehalem (codenamed Bloomfield) CPUs will also feature modular components connected by QuickPath interconnects, and Intel plans to span the architecture over several of its product lines, including both single and dual-CPU configurations.
In fact, the Tylersburg chipset will also span across single and dual-processor motherboards, and with two Nehalem CPUs you’ll be able to control a further three channels of memory. Nehalem will also add support for SSE 4.2, and Intel’s Simultaneous Multi-Threading (SMT) technology, which, like Intel’s previous Hyper-Threading technology, allows you to execute two threads on one core at the same time. Intel also says that the Nehalem architecture will be scalable from two to eight cores in a single package.
Would you be interested in buying a standard desktop motherboard with support for both SLI and CrossFire? Let us know your thoughts.
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Clear up any mis-information stated here, with regard to Nvidia's reasons for licensing the technology to Intel... Nvidia licensed their SLI technology to Intel, in fair exchange for Intel licensing them their QPI (Quick Path Interconnect) technology. - Otherwise of course, Nvidia would have been powerless to make chipsets for the upcoming Nehalem architecture change. Intel could obviously have asked for £££, but cleverly requested the licensing of SLi tech, to give them a further edge over AMD... TSB.
Comment by thestockbroker16 at 12:10am 17th July 2008
Intel and Nvidia's rocky marriage is going well again!
Comment by Lightning_Pete at 5:54pm 16th July 2008
I may have blue fur all over me and I may have a slight addiction to cookies but that muppet reference was a step too far damn it!
Comment by crazyceo at 9:29pm 15th July 2008
lol good come back as clearly I am considering I do/have owned a product by all manufacturers. Muppet
Comment by tiff_lee at 9:22pm 15th July 2008
Are you referring to yourself? That CPC article isn't the be all and end all of multi-gpu setups, the fact they were using the 169.xx drivers for 8 series cards which are over half a year old didn't do sli any favours at all. On topic with the X58 anyhow, I'm not sure if I would want a chipset which supported both rather like a jack of all trades chipset supposed to a single dedicated chipset. Saying that though one does wonder how necessary is the nforce200 chip apart from licensing purposes considering it was possible to run sli on crossfire boards until they (nvidia I assume?) put a stop to it.
Comment by tiff_lee at 5:07pm 15th July 2008
No this chip wouldn't be worth it since SLi and CF is still not worth it, even though ATi's CF is very impressive this time round. 2 cards still offer very bad value for money. The only people who need SLi or CF is those with the top of the range card and so can't get a faster single card. So fitting CF or SLi to a consumer board is still very unnecessary imo.
Comment by Zhaoman at 5:14pm 15th July 2008
Again, this topic isn't about the 4870X2 with the stella performance and the kung fu grip. Any comparison to a single card and Crapfire or SLi is wrong.
Comment by crazyceo at 4:24pm 15th July 2008
The 4870X2 is by far the most superior card in the market at the moment. It goes as far as to thrash 4870CF due to the uneeded scaling, lack of microstuttering which was present on the 3870X2. In the famous words of the No.1 PC FPS Hero, Duke Nukem: "This card is a force to be reconed with" ;)
Comment by C7ouD at 3:58pm 15th July 2008
You can read it for yourself:- http://www.custompc.co.uk/labs/602745/multi-gpu-graphics/products.html I don't think they found any configuration that rules on any format. Some worked great with 2 in some games but sucked balls in others. 3-way SLi worked in some but the cost was just too great but the single 9800GX2 was the better power for your bucks. However, this was done a couple of months ago before the GTX200 series or the 4800 series came out. I am running a system with a 8800GTX that I've had since December 2006 and still don't see the need to replace it with either configuration. As this topic highlights, the new Intel board gives you the option to choose either configuration. Nvidia or ATi maybe top dog when it's time for you to upgrade a card or two or three. Wouldn't it be nice to have the choice instead of just being restricted to one and not the other?
Comment by crazyceo at 3:38pm 15th July 2008
So it's one card v 2. The CPC mag ran a comparison of CF and SLi a few months back and slated both. However, the X2 cards running off a single slot (Although very hot) did very well. Since Nvidia haven't done a GTX280 X2 card then there isn't a true comparison here. If it was against the 9800GX2 then you could say it was fairer but that card is not a GTX280X2 so it's not like for like. If I'm not mistaken GRiD was an ATi friendly game anyway in benchmarks. What where the benchmarks in Crysis, COD4 and ManicMiner? Nevermind, can we get back to the topic now.
Comment by crazyceo at 2:36pm 15th July 2008
In one of Anandtech's benchmarks (Race Driver: GRID) the 4870X2 outpaces a pair of GTX280s in SLi. I don't know if it's believable but Initialised isn't exactly lying.
Comment by Zhaoman at 12:39pm 15th July 2008
This comes on the same day R700 (4870) slaughters GTX280 SLi..... Except that it doesn't in anyway at all.
Comment by crazyceo at 11:41am 15th July 2008
I wouldn't try getting anything (new and old) that's made by AMD. They're in deeply in debt and haven't had a profitable month in god knows how long. There's an article about it somewhere on Bloomberg. Does anyone still believe AMD will be around when all this SLi/Crossfire technology becomes as common as having an 8800gt or better in your machine? I'd play the waiting game and get the technology when it's cheaper, in 1-2 years, and necessary to run high-end games. Having 2+ graphics is pointless at the moment and way too expensive for an average PC user.
Comment by cookie at 8:39am 15th July 2008
The 280 GTX's SLI Out perform the 4870's CF and on a single card basis in every benchmark review.
Comment by _ez64_ at 12:41am 15th July 2008
This comes on the same day R700 (4870) slaughters GTX280 SLi...
Comment by Initialised at 12:39am 15th July 2008
$30 added to each board with an SLi chip, that gives an indication of pricing in UK. SLi and CrossFire have really been bad in the past but with AMD acknowledging that they can't compete with a monolithic GPU alone, they have really fixed up CF this time round and scaling is very good on the 4 series, almost a linear 100% increase in Bioshock and Race: Driver GRID. That's if you believe the reviews around the internet.
Comment by Zhaoman at 10:48pm 14th July 2008
Hands up those who think this SLI/Crossfire will not make a blind bit of difference except to the price?
Comment by Nickuk1987 at 10:22pm 14th July 2008
that the blonde girl with the big chest has an ATi logo tattooed on her nipples...
Comment by EdArch at 9:08pm 14th July 2008
Don't know exactly how this will tie in with sli and crossfire...will it replace it? But this Hydra chip from Lucid is going to shake things up http://www.lucidlogix.com/
Comment by technogiant at 7:49pm 14th July 2008
Since SLi and Crossfire both have major issues, I can't see the point. Yet again motherboard prices will go up in price to cover features that most people won't use.
Comment by l3v1ck at 6:19pm 14th July 2008
By the sound of things it isn't Nvidia in control of things this time. It's Intel and motherboard manufacturers. Nvidia have just sold the 200 MCP's to the makers. Intel are covering their own backs by having everyone at the party and you just leave home with whoever you like, just as long as you have an Intel CPU in your pocket. I'll take the blonde with the big chest!
Comment by crazyceo at 6:19pm 14th July 2008
...all X58 motherboards will have these chips. I dont want to pay a huge premium for a hot running SLI chip I will never use. (Why they need these chips is beyond me, the only reason is so Nvidia can still reap profits from MB manufacturers rather than just lisence SLi to Intel) Then again, pictures of X58 motherboard have been appearign for a while now, and none so far have shown these chips, so some will be free.
Comment by NotFred at 4:28pm 14th July 2008
If AMD dont develop a competitor by then, then I will Give up completely on AMD and I'll move to Intel (If their Nahalem is all its cracked up to be) - So come on AMD, Now or Never!!!. >:-|
Comment by NikoBellic at 3:52pm 14th July 2008
It's obvious the mainboard will cost more just becouse nforce 200 chip is in it. But it will depend, on how much the price difference is. If it's just few bucks, then ofcourse it's a great deal, i mean.. even if you're not gona use the SLI, it's still good bonus that you know "if i wanted to, i could". But like i said, it all comes down to price.
Comment by GeForce at 4:01pm 14th July 2008
I'm going to start playing the waiting game, as my bank can't handle this influx of new tech. Let the new processors mature first, there are bound to be many problems. I'll use these releases to get me a good x48 board methinks. I can make the jump to DDR3 and GTX 280, then with those under my belt, onwards to the X58 and Nehalemy goodness.
Comment by joeamnesiac at 3:49pm 14th July 2008
At the moment, SLi in any configuration just isn't worth the cost and neither is Crossfire. However, it is another example of the main manufacturer's talking and coming together. Hopefully over the next few years, if they all put their heads together they will come up with something more interesting than just multiple dandruff.
Comment by PokerMuppet at 3:26pm 14th July 2008
It's a great idea on paper, and this sort of redundancy in configuration is one of the reasons I bought and still use my ASRock board with it's AGP and PCIE slots. But it would have to come at a decent price to be even concidered.
Comment by countstex at 3:16pm 14th July 2008
3-way, 2-way, 5-way - why on earth are you going to need an expensive power-hungry machine to run new decent smoothly? (Crysis doesn't count as an efficiently created game) It's like what's the point of having the latest Porsche when you have all the speed limits and camera all across England. Surely it's nice, yet what's the point? Considering most games will have to be made with great graphics yet also adaptible to the consoles (less resolution, etc).
Comment by cookie at 3:10pm 14th July 2008
Will now be complete. A new Quad-core Nehalem rig, complete with dual GTX280's && the overclockability && raid goodness of an Intel chipset... Now all I need is a few thousand pounds... Bank robbery anyone? TSB.
Comment by thestockbroker16 at 2:11pm 14th July 2008
We know how fickle this industry can be even at the best of times. It would not be unheard of to see any of the top players going under or dropping a complete clanger of a product. Intel, AMD, Nvidia and ATi have dropped a few over the last decade. I would honestly see Intel being able to stick around for a while longer so a board that supports their CPU but everyone else's GPU is a great way to futureproof your purchase. Would this board also house their Larrabee? If so then even better.
Comment by crazyceo at 2:10pm 14th July 2008
A very smart move by all parties concerned. Intel for finding a way to do it, Nvidia for allowing it and well ATi for still being in business to be mentioned at all. Only kidding!
Comment by crazyceo at 2:05pm 14th July 2008
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