Nvidia Tempts Manufacturers With Discount
"Nvidia is attempting to sway motherboard manufacturers with a discount on the nForce 200 chip"
Published: 10th August 2008 | Source: Fudzilla |
Nvidia Tempts Manufacturers With Discount
In June we reported that Intel would not allow Nvidia to manufacture a standalone chipset for the upcoming Nehalem CPUs. However, SLI will still be possible on X58-based boards that utilize Nvidia's nForce 200 chip. Now it seems that Nvidia is trying to bring motherboard manufacturers onto their side with the incentive of a discount.
Normally, the nForce 200 chip costs manufacturers $30 a pop. However, Nvidia will bring the cost down to $20 a chip as long as the motherboard manufacturer only sells X58-based boards bearing the SLI chip.
Unfortunately, the nForce 200 chip only supports 16 PCI-E lanes, which could place a limit on available bus speed for the two cards. This could be a major problem if a user wants to use two high-end cards in SLI. However, it seems it is possible to have a pair of nForce 200 chips on one board to provide a full 32 PCI-E lanes for dual x16 slots. The feasibility of this solution comes into question though, seeing as it would force the motherboard manufacturer to purchase 2 chips as well as redesign the board in order to accommodate them both.
This discount may not be enough, as it seems that most manufacturers are a bit hesitant to take up Nvidia on this offer. Supposedly, though, Asus is already working on a X58 board that utilizes the nForce 200 chip.
Will Nvidia's discount offer be enough to sway motherboard manufacturers to their side?
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