Intel Files Lawsuit Against Nvidia

[16floz470ml]

What a turnaround. Intel just released a bios for their own X58 motherboard to support SLI.

[onewingedangel]

What a turnaround. Intel just released a bios for their own X58 motherboard to support SLI.

With a number of x58 oem systems out there, Nvidia needed these systems to support SLI so that they can flog more GPUs - and they charge Intel for the right to licence SLI. Pure profit for Nvidia.

[slapmehard]

Not meaning to ruffal any blue feathers...i hope intel gets spanked in lawer fees and nv gets the judge to toss the lawsuit right out the door.
so when nv buys up ati from amd,red and green will dominate the pc industry,then intel can suck up to them to get the new 4.0 usb specs and the like.
i'll shut up now

[Donnie27]

Not meaning to ruffal any blue feathers...i hope intel gets spanked in lawer fees and nv gets the judge to toss the lawsuit right out the door.
so when nv buys up ati from amd,red and green will dominate the pc industry,then intel can suck up to them to get the new 4.0 usb specs and the like.
i'll shut up now

Good one!

[Shintai]

There should always be an option, how would you like to only be able to buy oem parts for your car.

There is always going to be a need for a motherboard to handle IO functions, why should be have to buy intel chipsets only or amd only regardless of how simple or complex the chipset.

Its simply greedy that these brands want to lock their platforms to themselves, at least intel seems to.

There's plenty of room for third party chipsets as there would be in x86 cpus if intel would license, Intel simply doesn't allow for room for anybody else to exist in its space then who's already there.

How things are not they are simply locking out anybody else, I mean really, what are they afraid of, they're simply squeezing out competition.

That like saying you want options for the IMC etc too....your option will be to buy AMD or Intel.

[16floz470ml]

I see that a number of people are saying "Why would you buy an Nvidia chipset when there is the X58." On the 775 lga the Nvidia 790i Ultra was/is the best 775 chipset. If they made a chipset that worked with Nehalem and was better I would buy it.

[Arkangyl]

I'll agree that nVidia has pulled some lately (mostly just that 8xxx, 9xxx and 2xx lines are all based on the same die concept)

HOWEVER, there ought be no reason why we don't want another chipset maker, competition = better products & lower prices (I love my x58, but hell, there's def a place in the i7 market for a $100-150 motherboard nVidia could fill, not to mention a x58 competitor would always be good to have.

[SNiiPE_DoGG]

On the 775 lga the Nvidia 790i Ultra was/is the best 775 chipset.

wait you were serious?

[onewingedangel]

I'll agree that nVidia has pulled some lately (mostly just that 8xxx, 9xxx and 2xx lines are all based on the same die concept)

HOWEVER, there ought be no reason why we don't want another chipset maker, competition = better products & lower prices (I love my x58, but hell, there's def a place in the i7 market for a $100-150 motherboard nVidia could fill, not to mention a x58 competitor would always be good to have.

It's not as though Nvidia couldn't licence the QPI interface, they just don't want to pay for it.

[Donnie27]

I'll agree that nVidia has pulled some lately (mostly just that 8xxx, 9xxx and 2xx lines are all based on the same die concept)

HOWEVER, there ought be no reason why we don't want another chipset maker, competition = better products & lower prices (I love my x58, but hell, there's def a place in the i7 market for a $100-150 motherboard nVidia could fill, not to mention a x58 competitor would always be good to have.

I'd like another chipset maker as well. I wish Intel would allow an AMD based Nehalem boards, I liked the last one I saw with a X4-9850 on it I'd like to see nVidia stop acting like something thats halfway between Sony and Donald Trump. I saw Intel being called greedy while greedy nVidia is given a free pass. I'd call it Greedy nVidia giving Greedy Intel an even bigger excuse to be Greedier.

IMHO (and that only) If there are no NF200 or Magic Cookie, there is no dispute. With a new driver patch nVidia will be able to disable SLI on even those boards with Hacked BIOS'.

[16floz470ml]

wait you were serious?

It is not my fault if you could not work your board.

[alucasa]

It's not as though Nvidia couldn't licence the QPI interface, they just don't want to pay for it.

Yep, that's what it looks like since they are claiming that license for FSB extends for QPI.

I guess that, in Nvidia's viewpoint, they are thinking that Intel simply renamed FSB to QPI, you know, like what they do to their products. :p

[SNiiPE_DoGG]

It is not my fault if you could not work your board.

I never had a 790i but I had a 680 and let me tell you, that was PLENTY of nvidia crap for me.

seriously though, in what ways was the 790i the best board for 775? I can think of none.

[16floz470ml]

Well right off the bat it has 3 pcie x 16 slots. Your motherboard for example only has two.

[Vozer]

http://www.dailytech.com/Intel+Sues+...ticle14322.htm

Intel has filed suit against Nvidia seeking a declaratory judgment over rights associated with two agreements between the companies. The suit seeks to have the court declare that Nvidia is not licensed to produce chipsets that are compatible with any Intel processor that has integrated memory controller functionality, such as Intel's Nehalem microprocessors and that Nvidia has breached the agreement with Intel by falsely claiming that it is licensed. Intel has been in discussions with Nvidia for more than a year attempting to resolve the matter but unfortunately we were unsuccessful. As a result Intel is asking the court to resolve this dispute.

Nvidia believes that our bus license with Intel clearly enables us to build chipsets for Intel CPUs with integrated memory controllers. We are aggressively developing new products for Intel's current front side bus (MCP79 and MCP89) and for Intel’s future bus, DMI.

Somehow I still think in addition to Bloomfield, this time Intel is also trying to prevent Nvidia from coming near their future Lynnfield and Clarkdale CPUs.

[16floz470ml]

Maybe they need to hire new translators or something. WTF?

[D-Cyph3r]

Well right off the bat it has 3 pcie x 16 slots. Your motherboard for example only has two.

Yeah... because Tri-SLI is far more useful than... lets say, proper memory support or a northbridge that doesn't need to be watercooled to overclock to any decent levels.


X48 was/is the best chipset for S775, with P45, X38, P35 and P965 taking the rest of the top 5.

[jasonelmore]

Maybe, I don't know what they'd do either way if nVidia hadn't pulled what they did. Here some more.

http://www.custompc.co.uk/news/60473...f200-chip.html



So Intel would pay nVidia for the "Cookie" (on their boards) while nVidia Paid Intel NOTHING Certified my eye LOL!

So yes shintai, folks should wake up! Business isn't carried on like this. Intel-AMD/ATI-IBM and others have always done it the right way. It's goes like; you pay me, I pay you or I get it free if you get it free! nVidia wants; You pay me for mine but I get your tech free.

Intel is'nt the one paying for the SLI Capability. Individual Motherboard manufacturers are the one's that are being faced with the choice of putting SLI support on there board or leave it off. Reportately it's costing companies like asus and gigabyte, $5 per manufactured board to carry the SLI code.

[GAR]

I think the P45 was the best chipset for S775. X48 was a let down. 790i was a good chipset as well, id say top 5 for sure. It was the S775 gaming king because of SLI and 3 way SLI.

[16floz470ml]

Yeah... because Tri-SLI is far more useful than... lets say, proper memory support or a northbridge that doesn't need to be watercooled to overclock to any decent levels.


X48 was/is the best chipset for S775, with P45, X38, P35 and P965 taking the rest of the top 5.

Right now, not what my friend told me or what I read on a forum, I have a q9450 and XFX 790i ultra. On all air it is 1:1 at 3.8 ghz with 8gb of memory and is prime 95 stable. All I had to do was set the memory voltage and cpu voltage. All other setting on auto. Too easy. I have not had any problems with the board and I got it in April 08.

The only regret I have with this board is using OCZ memory at first. OCZ memory and their support was a complete waste of time. Once I changed to Crucial that solved any issues.

[Rammsteiner]

Meh, I dont know what's in the contract, but as long as there's nothing stated about memory controllers integrated or external regarding CPU's, I dont think Intel has much to stand on.

Although Ive read several complaints about nVidia chipsets for the Intel platform, they're damn good on AMD platform. I dont know where the issue is on the Intel platform, but if they somehow get that right (for example no need for a memory controller), they would have to offer something good over X58 since that does offer SLI and CFX now. So for example good ref. clocking, improved mGPU performance, hybrid SLI solutions etc.

Hard thing to make nForce worth it over X58, but if they get it working they've quite a huge market. At least eVGA, XFX etc wouldnt think twice to release pure nForce boards, maybe even drop X58 boards. However, if they dont get it working, which is likely since all those things are simply hard to to accomplish, I wouldnt even bother. Or maybe if they would be able to release the same features for 100$ less

But regarding this whole thing... whatever. There's always something to crap about between them. nVidia made ups, but so did Intel. Im still convinced they would have sold less X58's if there was no SLI support since I sense a stronger nVidia preferance over any CPU preferance, could be me though.

[twilyth]

How did nvidia get a license to begin with? I assume it was voluntary on Intel's part rather than the long legal battle that resulted in AMD's license.

So if it were voluntary, then there would have to be provisions in there regarding future developments. Either that or a blanket license to Intel tech with no specifics.

Personally, I don't know why nvidia would have agreed to something they they knew would have to be renegotiated. So either intel forced this on them or they thought they might have some advantage over intel when the time came.

I don't know, but there's got to be a lot going on behind the scenes.

[ToTTenTranz]

This would render the Ion platform unable to work with future Atom CPUs with integrated memory controller, like Pineview.

If Intel is right, Ion on Atom had it's days counted before it was born. Atom N270/80 and N330 would be the only Ion-compatible CPUs.

I guess nVidia will run back to VIA with its ass between the legs, asking for forgiveness. And if VIA is already working on a Chrome 500-based IGP, it's a no-go for nVidia.

[v_rr]

Looks like that AMD and Nvidia have different intrepertations of what the contract is.

Nvidia has to focus on GPU and mobile phone only. Focus on Chipset is a no go for AMD and Intel. In Q4 2008 they droped 51% of earnings on chip7 part.

[Donnie27]

Intel is'nt the one paying for the SLI Capability. Individual Motherboard manufacturers are the one's that are being faced with the choice of putting SLI support on there board or leave it off. Reportately it's costing companies like asus and gigabyte, $5 per manufactured board to carry the SLI code.

Intel is paying when we're talking Intel Branded motherboards. I'm not talking about 3rd party boards.