News - NVIDIA developing GPU-SB combo for upcoming Intel CPUs?

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New chip would circumvent restrictions and compete with Cougar Point.

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Read more.

Why did Intel stop making Nvidia motherboard chipsets in the first place?

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Originally Posted by OilSheikh

Why did Intel stop making Nvidia motherboard chipsets in the first place?

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Well, its the other way around.

Nvidia's right to build chipstes for Intel systems was only applicable to architectures based on a FSB - obviously the Core iX series and beyond don't have a FSB anymore.

I think Nvidia were offered the chance to build chipsets but Intel set the royalty fee at such a rpice Nvidia deemed it not worthy.

Thats my understanding anyway.

didnt Intel also get away with building SLI capable boards with their own chipsets under similar pretense?

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Originally Posted by Biscuit

didnt Intel also get away with building SLI capable boards with their own chipsets under similar pretense?

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Well, the X58 offered plenty of PCI-e lanes and so Nvidia would of only lost out [no Nf200 chips required] if it didn't let them license SLI as X58 has no FSB.

I thought they didn't need to license it because the license description actually also states FSB... or something along those lines

Like i say, thats my (limited) interpretation of what went down so maybe that is the case :mrgreen:

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Originally Posted by OilSheikh

Why did Intel stop making Nvidia motherboard chipsets in the first place?

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The same reason nVidia stop AMD and Intel from making SLI chipsets without paying a license fee.

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Originally Posted by Biscuit

I thought they didn't need to license it because the license description actually also states FSB... or something along those lines

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The old license is *only* for chipsets that use FSB. Modern Intel chips don't. They certainly don't have a license for QPI - Intel's version of hypertransport. The question is, what about DMI? That's what the article is asking.

The other point is that this is all a bit moot now, since every Intel CPU comes with a GPU onboard, so there's no need for one to be on the southbridge as well.

You're going to have a hard time getting Dell to sell millions of Intel based systems with a actually quite capable intergrated on die gpu, with another intergrated gpu in a chipset with minimal functionality.

The cpu does, pci-e, memory controller, the southbridge is a ridiculously cheap connection to all the cheap rubbish.

I also find the idea that Nvidia can produce a GPU with a crap chipset stuck on top, for things like sata, pci, usb, etc, etc, for cheaper than Intel can produce just the chip that does sata and all the other little bits. Infact, we all know you can't make that cheaper, meaning for Nvidia to undercut Intel they'll be making yet another product almost at cost, with little in terms of profit, unfavourable terms and reasons to use them, a wide range of companies who have become more and more irritated by Nvidia's reliability record and not wanting to pee off Intel.

Then theres the cost involved in getting it all working, R&D, supporting them, though of course, its almost worthwhile and does hint at the very obvious things people have been saying for 3 years, when Fusion and Intel's version becomes widespread, IE even the cheapest duallie in a low end system has a 5450 equivilent gpu in it, the low end market is dead. As thats not far off 50% of Nvidia's volume, Nvidia is going to be in HUGE trouble without a low end.

They can live off low profits though, because thats what the low end is $5 profit a pop x 200million sales a year.

But the problem will simply be that they'll be asking Dell and co to ignore the ondie gpu which will eventually be on every chip Intel and AMD make, and they'll have to somehow make their gpu/chipset smaller than Intel basic chipsets, which they won't ever be able to do. Bigger chip costs more to make, bigger chip and manufacturing it at a 3rd party only increases costs, and bigger chip at 3rd party on less up to date process's increases costs further again.

Nvidia can not compete with Intel and they can not provide the same functionality at a lower cost.