NVIDIA dropping 790i mobo, quitting chipset business?
By Nilay Patel 
posted Aug 1st 2008 12:42PM
posted Aug 1st 2008 12:42PM
We don't take much stock in Digitimes rumors, but the negative chatter about NVIDIA just keeps getting louder -- in addition to that nasty defective GPU situation, word is that problems with the nForce line might lead the company to exit the chipset business entirely. According the Inquirer, mobos based on the high-end 790i line have already been pulled by several manufacturers, including Foxconn and Gigabyte, and apparently NVIDIA is asking motherboard makers if it should stay in the chipset game at all and getting lukewarm reactions. Of course, NVIDIA was talking about taking Intel head-on just a few short months ago, so it would be backing down pretty hard if it went back to just making GPUs -- not to mention that SLI would essentially die without mobo support and platform initiatives like Tegra would lose tons of momentum. We seriously doubt that the situation is that dire, but right now NVIDIA needs to come out and take control of this mess -- where are all the trash-talking execs now?Update: NVIDIA says the rumors are groundless and that its chipset business is as "strong as it ever has been," and that the 790i chipset is still being made. That's that, we suppose -- but until NVIDIA comes right out and explains what's going on, these types of rumors aren't going away.
Read - Inquirer report on 790i chips being discontinued
Read - Digitimes report on chipset rumors
Ive had mixed issues with nvidia chipsets, great 630i, not so great 780i, awesome nforce2... I could easily say ive had as many issues with Intel chipsets.
I say keep on truckin nVidia.
This is exactly true. I cant think of that* many chipsets that haven't had bland or lobsided chipsets really. Sure sone nforce revisions sucked, but others had their moments. I just cant see this being more than rumor as AMD-ATI would simply rise aboce them without SLI support on their side. They would lose an imporant competitive edege.
See the X58 link from Dark Lord below, BUT when has intel made a board that I wanted? In my price range? Intel boards are never my overclocking board of choice mind you...
With no SLI their GPU business is also taking a big hit. I know a lot of people who'd rather have SLI than buying an entirely new Graphics card because it's just plain cheaper. I can't honestly see nvidia doing this. ATI would really eat up the market share with no SLI against Crossfire.
Lay off the retard pill a tad. Do you really think nvidia is going to kill off sli if they stop making motherboards? WHYYYYY. It'll probably become an open platform just like crossfire. Intel is already making sli approved boards.
What they should be doing is have mixed graphic card support especially now with physx should be a possibility to get an el cheapo second card just for that. Or completely shutting off the bigger boy while in the desktop environment, would save a shitload of power and make the investment worth of lets say that extra 9500gt?.
Intel's new chipset will support both SLI and Crossfire:
http://www.custompc.co.uk/news/604443/intel-x58-chipset-to-support-sli-and-crossfire.html
It's been known for a long time that at any given moment nVIDIA COULD enable SLi on any chipset, but the Geforce drivers disable it. all they need to do is change one or two lines of code in their driver. Other than that, there is nothing outside of STANDARD PCI-e in an nVIDIA chipset that makes SLi work.
It would be a bummer if they did quit.......
Doesn't actually seem likely...
http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=601
Now you may not have to buy nVIDIA motherboards to run SLi. Should nVIDIA quit the chipset business, they will be forced to open their drivers so SLi can run on VIA, Intel, SiS, ATi, and AMD chipsets! Now, this actually may be good news for a change. Lets just hope they sell or spin off the division including all their acquired assets like ULi to some third party whom will keep up the work.
http://www.trustedreviews.com/motherboards/news/2008/08/01/Rumour--nVidia-Abandonning-Chipset-Manufacture/p1
"Update:
We've just heard from nVidia on the subject and can assure you that, as I rather suspected, the company has absolutely no intention to stop manufacturing chipsets. In fact, contrary to rumour, it has several products set to be announced "in the near future". It doesn't seem an unreasonable stretch to imagine more information on those will be available at nVision at the end of this month."
Thanks for the good news! :)
Thanks for the obvious!
I don't mind when Engadget posts reasonable rumors, but a 12 year old could tell this was all BS.
Engadget, please remind me, why are you still quoting DigiTimes?
Tony,
How's it obvious? ASUS, XFX, and EVGA are the only companies I'm aware of that actually make nForce 790i equipped motherboards. No other manufacturer wants to because the nForce 790i is currently the most expensive chipset to make, nForce 790i motherboards aren't selling anywhere near as well as motherboards equipped with AMD's 790FX or Intel's X38/X48, and consumers don't want to shell out $350 for DDR3 support just in the name of SLI. You can pick up an Intel X38 or X48 that has DDR3 support for $100 less (more if there's a rebate) that's more stable and has more features (sans SLI).
Futhermore, Intel is currently punishing NVIDIA because of the arrogant (and sometimes outright stupid) comments CEO Jen-Hsun Huang's made in the last year by not granting NVIDIA the necessary license to make chipsets with QPI technology for the upcoming Bloomfield, Lynnfield, and Havendale processors.
Unless Intel's willing to budge (they're not), you will probably never see a NVIDIA motherboard for Intel's upcoming architecture; AMD will likely follow suit when they release their AM3 processors next year. And, assuming Intel does give NVIDIA the QPI license, you won't see a motherboard for at least 6 months after Bloomfield's launch in September. By that point, who would want one? Intel already plans on making X58's with CrossfireX and SLI support (they'll incorporate the much-loathed n200 bridge chip) and by the time NVIDIA could get something on the market, the X58's successor will most likely be released.
The trash talking execs learned a big lesson. One that should come at the expense of their jobs.
CE-Oh no he won't anymore!
Awww... That would suck if Nvidia stopped making MB chipsets. For years I have bought Nforce boards and they have all been great. If Nvidia stopped their Nforce chipsets it would be the end to SLI. AMD wouldnt have a stronge competitor to go against in the GPU market then (I like both companies equally).
They'd have an easy out if they just licensed SLI to Intel.
I read a while back that Intel wanted to do that anyway.
X58 chipset will have SLI support, nVidia licensed it.
My ThinkPad T61p with nVidia 570 is being swapped out today... why? Known issues with this GPU (per Lenovo).
NForce aren't best motherboards around but I have one and I don't have any problems with it.
Personally I think its a bad idea to quit motherboard business entirely (we'll be left with what? Intel X58 for the upcoming Bloomfield CPU? And no competition? Price monopoly was never a good thing). NVidia was said to buy licenses from Intel to get ready Lynnfield-supporting motherboard logic (the cheap variant of Nehalem CPUs, read as Celerons, they'll use socket 1160 instead of "high end" socket 1366).
Besides, knowing that nVidia currently is losing to ATI in graphics segment, its all sad news for me (I'm nVidia fan). I hope to see new GeForce GTX 280 based on 55nm sooner rather than later and I really hope it will be cheap and fast.
As for Tegra chipset - its too soon to say its going to lose anything if nVidia drops motherboard logics. If they concentrate on GPUs and mobile market, it might be for the best after all.
As nVidia fan I hope they'll sort this stuff out and start making better products with lower price.
Too bad 4870 X2 is a two-chip video card. Read a review of 9800GX2 versus GTX 280 and you'll find out that 280 produces less fps (sometimes) but is more "playable". This happens to all SLI and multi-card setups (I have SLI in my system and its disabled, yes, its unplayable if you have less than 40 fps average, single card is much better at 30 fps, so I don't want 4870 X2, I want to play games, not benchmarks).
My little humble opinion on this :)
Nvidia and apple should merge. tey are the best America company
no
operation english class
I disagree, Apple isn't the best nor worst, just works differently than Microsoft.. and nVidia works with graphics cards that do work on mainly PC's and Macs, so really, they are somewhat working together by Apple offering nVidia's graphics cards on a Mac. Needless to say that ATi is also offered so that defeats the purpose.
Cheers.
Yeah because then they would only produce graphics card that work in Macs and costs twice as much. That sir, sounds like a brilliant fucking idea.
I disagee with Operation Northwood; however, Apple is looking to drop Intel as it's primary chipset provider and may either seek a 3rd source or design their own.
http://www.dailytech.com/Report+Apple+May+Ditch+Intel+Chipsets+in+New+MacBooks/article12521.htm
I have always seen good reviews about nVidia up until June, then everything changed... whats causing this madness?
I have 2 intel motherboards and an nForce motherboard as well, the nForce like many have posted before is not the highest of the highest, but it does the job well. From what I've been seeing I'm not sure whether to get my laptop with an nVidia chipset, it just seems like they're failing like never before..
This doesn't look good, first the graphics cards and now this... why is nVidia faltering after loud bashes at intel? Shame on the CEO.. I hope he learns his lesson, but it just wouldn't be fair if the customer loses as well. Lets jsut hope the nForce MB's don't get pulled out.. "get your arses in gear nVidia!"
Cheers,
Nick
Maybe it's something to do with that GPU malarkey perhaps?
I'd rather see nVidia fix their issues instead of quitting. I've had constant problems with my 680i board, but I am still a fan of theirs. They obviously have the potential to do great work. Maybe they should aim at working with Intel instead of being adversarial.
By the way, nVidia, corporate bashing always comes back to bite you in the ass. It would be a good idea to focus on yourself at the press conferences, not the other guys.
.
I've used Nvidia chipsets for the last 3 computers I've built. Tons of headaches, but when it works, it's great, when it doesn't it's hell...
After my latest experience, I'm done with Nvidia chipsets - Intel only from now on...
This defect debacle could bring the entire company down. the lawsuits haven't even started yet but I can hear the armies of lawyers already.
I predict Intel swallows nVidia by 2010.
The comments on this post would be totally different if the name was swapped with AMD.
Or ATI even.
Engadget should really decide if "Dropping" means "discontinuing" or if it means "newly releasing"
I thought they meant it was a turd. But what the hell do I know....
Its called "context".
the "context" in the headline is ambiguous.
Nvidia always made great AMD chipsets, but their Intel chipsets blow. Really bad. Enthusiasts didn't want them from the start (on the Intel side), and now with this whole crisis nobody wants them period. On the Intel side people are buying Intels boards, and on the AMD side people are buying AMD/ATI boards.
Maybe they should just keep a couple lines of motherboards out instead of having a full range or something?
previous poster got it right nforce2 was the best chipset they ever made.
With AMD is decline and now this, does that mean the dawn of another all-Intel era? Hope not.
Nvidia chipsets stink. It would be nice if this article was from a reputable source but unfortunately it's the inquirer. Exxxtreeeme Gamer's buy Nvidia boards because they think it will increase their FPS or some bullshit. In reality they get BSODs and weekly bios updates.
If you like buggy unstable chipset drivers then let me recommend any Nforce based chipset. Otherwise stick with Intel. If you have AMD I don't know what to recommend.
BTW I use Nvidia video cards.
I sure goddamn hope not.
I just bought a 790i Ultra chipset + 2 GTX 280s in SLI (all eVGA).
SUCK IT UP NVIDIA.
Why print rumor mill Bull Shite on this site.
DO IT! DO IT! Maybe ATI vid cards will gain some ground if SLI becomes unpopular or unavailable and people stop buying Nvidia. Maybe AMD can even come back and kick Intel's butt if Nvidia quits harassing them in the chipset and vid card markets......................just my wishful thinking.
HardOCP is reporting that this is not true.
http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/
Nvidia out of the game? I'd say the more competition the better. Nvidia should spend some more on R&D and come out with compelling chipsets.
"Update: NVIDIA says the rumors are groundless and that its chipset business is as "strong as it ever has been," and that the 790i chipset is still being made. That's that, we suppose -- but until NVIDIA comes right out and explains what's going on, these types of rumors aren't going away."
WTF Engadget? You got nothing if you think you need NVIDIA to explain themselves. You think NVIDIA is just making 790i chipset just for hell of it?
bye-bye Nvidia!