Nvidia Laptop issues?

[mercyground]

http://www.digitimes.com/mobos/a20080801VL203.html

Looks very ominous indeed at the moment if the above is true...

Ouchies. Thats some decision. I suspect its down to pissing off their motherboard makers and some poor implementations in previous motherboards. I also strongly suspect its down to the nvidia/intel face off. With their blaming the chip fabs for their current issues I doubt they will get much sympathy or many wafers from them either.

Nvidia wont licence SLI for Intel as it will kill their chipset business. Intel chipsets have been getting a hell of a lot better and SLI is easily doable but leaves no reasion to get a nvidia board. So Intell wont licence Nehalem to Nvidia.

The story is that Intel and Nvidia are currently negotiating technology licenses for Nehalem, Intel's next-generation desktop CPU due out at the end of this year. As we were told from multiple desktop vendors who wish to remain nameless, Intel wants to license SLI from Nvidia for its Nehalem chipsets, and if Nvidia won't, Intel will withhold the license that would enable Nvidia to support Nehalem's memory controller, and thus Nehalem, on its own chipsets.

So a passible exit strategy. Licence SLI to Intel. Make the GFX cards for SLI and take the hit and fold chipset division. Its proberbly the only way out of their sticky situation.

[mercyground]

http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/31/f...ive-its-a-lot/

And its really rolling now.

[TheReaFireblade]

Tech Report:

If you visit DigiTimes right now, you'll see a catchy headline at the top of the page: "Nvidia to quit chipset business."
Citing sources at motherboard firms, the Taiwanese site alleges that Nvidia will stop offering chipsets and re-assign its MCP team to the GPU business.
Regarding the motive for the change, the site explains, "Nvidia called a meeting earlier this week with its motherboard partners to gauge support for it continuing to develop chipsets in the future. . . . The motherboard makers' response? Silence."

Puzzled, we asked Nvidia Platform Products PR chief Bryan Del Rizzo to weigh in.
Del Rizzo's response came swiftly and left little open for interpretation:

1. The story on Digitimes is completely groundless. We have no intention of getting out of the chipset business.

2. In fact, our MCP business is as strong as it ever has been for both AMD and Intel platforms:

a) Mercury Research has reported that the NVIDIA market share of AMD platforms in Q2 08 was 60%. We have been steady in this range for over two years.

b) SLI is still the preferred multi-GPU platform thanks to its stellar scaling, game compatibility and driver stability.

c) nForce 790i SLI is the recommended choice by editors worldwide due to its compelling combination of memory performance, overclocking, and support for SLI. . . .

3. We're looking forward to bring new and very exciting MCP products to the market for both AMD and Intel platforms.

To add to Nvidia's statement, we remember Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang stating in April that customers will find value in Nvidia "motherboard GPUs" once Intel releases Nehalem processors with built-in graphics cores.
According to Huang, lengthy processor release cycles will leave plenty of room for quicker and more feature-rich integrated graphics chipsets.

[Oldjim]

And it continues

Nvidia PR is having the proverbial hissy-fit, but ignore it, they do that a lot. The INQUIRER has talked to people who were at the meeting, and they confirmed the reports, and are dead convnced that Nvidia chipsets are a thing of the past.

This is not to say that there will be no new chipsets from today. Things currently done or almost done will be out, but new designs won't be started, and early-stage projects are not likely to continue. Deep breaths people, projects on the near term horizon are safe, or at least safe from that paticular axe.

http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquir...-chipsets-dead

[mercyground]

Personally I think Nvidia will do it. Without a licence for the new Qpath interface of intel's, Nvidia is screwed.

I hate the fact that SLI is gimped by drivers. It DOESNT need a stupid chip. ATI Xfire doesnt need it. 3DFX sure as hell didnt. Its a software requirement to hold onto their "edge".

Giving it up and allowing SLI on all chipsets would give them a bigger platform to run SLI on at the cost of their own chipset boards. I bought nforce 1 and 2 boards due to the sound quality. (and the fact that Creative started going up their own arses but thats another story.)
With the advent of the new HD audio chips and Nvidia killing Soundstorm off, I see no point in getting an Nvidia board. I'd much rather spend cash on ATI's new 4800 series. Its not as hot, Its not as price gougingly expensive and it will run the games i want. If you are going Intel then their own chipset boards are better. If you are going AMD then the new 790GX is where its at. (Or 690G for budget level fun)

So... with no real reason other than SLI... why are we buying their boards? (Also its only the "extreme" gamers that bother with SLI according to Steam surveys)

So Nvidia... Over to you? That is if your PR ever surfaces. Its currently in "head in sand" mode over defective chips and denials.

:edit: and if i was a nvidia partner at that meeting I wouldnt have said much either. They know that SLI will have to be opened up soon. And the issues with nvidia motherboards arent making partners happy. Neither is the "burying" of their chipset / gfx issues.

[mercyground]

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1334901 - NVIDIA G92s and G94 Reportedly Failing
http://direct2dell.com/one2one/archi...customers.aspx
http://direct2dell.com/one2one/archi...op-owners.aspx

Apparently Dell and HP are shipping new laptops out to people as motherboard replacements are backordered now.

Time for some more popcorn i think. Thou i'm dreading how long its going to take for the other half's lappy to come back from Acer. We sent her Razor Mouse into get RMA'd at Novatech about 2 weeks before all this kicked off... Its still not back. Last i heard was 3-4weeks as they have passed it to Razor to fix.

[mercyground]

http://forums.hexus.net/hexus-channe...ing-probl.html

Dell now have extended their warrenties. Not for all their laptops that are affected thou.

So 2 major OEMs are covering their customers... Lets see who else pops up.