Thursday, August 6th 2009

SLI Hacked on Older Intel Chipsets

NVIDIA's SLI multi-GPU technology served as the biggest selling point of nForce series chipsets, as it was exclusive to it. With the advent of LGA-1366 processors and the Intel X58 chipset, NVIDIA allowed the Intel chipset to support the technology, as it soon became clear that it isn't going to be easy for NVIDIA to come up with an LGA-1366 chipset. Users of the older LGA-775 however still have the option of buying nForce 700 series based motherboards to use SLI, and hence no real attempt was made to ensure the technology is available to Intel chipsets. Until now.

A member of Expreview's Chinese enthusiast community has successfully enabled SLI on an Intel chipset based LGA-775 motherboard, the first feat of its kind since much older attempts on i975 platforms using much older GeForce hardware. Firewings_[CCG] successfully ran SLI of GeForce 8600 GT and GeForce GTX 260 cards on his Intel X38+ICH9R chipset based ASUS Maximus Formula motherboard. The feat is headed by software he modified, details of which will surface soon. The mod was validated by Expreview staff, who used the software to run GeForce GTX 260 SLI on a more recent P45+ICH10R based Maximus II Formula motherboard. "By installing the software that Firewings [CCG] provides us, we managed to enable SLI configuration in Directory Services Restore Mode. Due to some 'small problems' according to Firewings [CCG], the SLI configuration can't be realized in normal mode for now, but he says this will be fixed soon," commented Expreview. With SLI enabled, the multi-GPU setup was able offer performance scaling that proves the mod works.
Source: Expreview
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69 Comments on SLI Hacked on Older Intel Chipsets

#1
btarunr
Editor & Senior Moderator
Full screenshot:

Posted on Reply
#2
Assimilator
If this is real it's one of the most awesome things to happen to the PC community in years. If I could have SLI on my T-Power I45 there would be no reason for me to upgrade to Nehalem until next year sometime!

Just wondering why those cards aren't recognized by GPU-Z tho...
Posted on Reply
#3
Mussels
Freshwater Moderator
oh this i like - why? cause my x48 is technically the same chipset as x38 :D


One oddity: x48 and x48 are supposed to have two full 16x slots - so why are they reading as 8x slots?
Posted on Reply
#4
btarunr
Editor & Senior Moderator
Musselsoh this i like - why? cause my x48 is technically the same chipset as x38 :D


One oddity: x48 and x48 are supposed to have two full 16x slots - so why are they reading as 8x slots?
The screenshots are from Expreview staff, they used a Maximus II Fmla to verify the mod, and Maximus II uses P45.
AssimilatorJust wondering why those cards aren't recognized by GPU-Z tho...
They are?
Posted on Reply
#5
Mussels
Freshwater Moderator
right i missed that bit

"Firewings_[CCG] successfully ran SLI of GeForce 8600 GT and GeForce GTX 260 cards on his Intel X38+ICH9R chipset based ASUS Maximus Formula motherboard. The feat is headed by software he modified, details of which will surface soon. The mod was validated by Expreview staff, who used the software to run GeForce GTX 260 SLI on a more recent P45+ICH10R based Maximus II Formula motherboard"
Posted on Reply
#6
Animalpak
Wow this is awesome congrats !!
Posted on Reply
#7
Papahyooie
Sweet! I was just looking around for something like this on the net a few days ago. I had almost decided to switch to the red team and bought a motherboard, then got a awesome deal for a few folding cards from Bogmali that were nvidia. I cant wait for this to come out.
Posted on Reply
#8
Easo
Mwahahaha, thats why i love hackers. (well, not realy a hacker in this case, but still)
Posted on Reply
#9
BradleyKZN
I was wondering whether this was possible. P5Q Pro, here I come!
Posted on Reply
#10
Mussels
Freshwater Moderator
just to reign in the excitement - outside these two test groups, none of us have these files.

They also mention "Directory Services Restore Mode" whatever that is.
Posted on Reply
#11
alexp999
Staff
The screenshots show that they are running in safe mode, which might mean they have executed the drivers manually.

But even then, surely nothing else capable of running a 3D app is active.

Seems highly suspicious to me. :wtf:
Posted on Reply
#13
W1zzard
dont worry.. nvidia will fix this in no time and come after everyone with their big legal stick
Posted on Reply
#14
gaximodo
Bjorn_Of_IcelandAnything from China is highly suspicious ;P
let me guess, are you wearing some sort of suspicious clothes?
Posted on Reply
#15
Mussels
Freshwater Moderator
gaximodolet me guess, are you wearing some sort of suspicious clothes?
my nintendo wiimotes are now suspicious! (chinese parts for a japanese console sold in australia, what has the world come to)


Anyway - lets try and keep this on topic, and wait for news/leaks of this 'driver'.
Posted on Reply
#16
btarunr
Editor & Senior Moderator
There is no doubt that this mod works..for now. NVIDIA is stupid anyway. It doesn't see the business volume in letting Intel chipsets support SLI. There are tons of P45 users out there, who will potentially buy more GeForce hardware for graphics subsystem updates.
Bjorn_Of_IcelandAnything from China is highly suspicious ;P
80% of your computer was made in China (PRC and ROC). Don't trust it, it will eat your cat without leaving bones.
Posted on Reply
#17
alexp999
Staff
btarunrThere is no doubt that this mod works..for now. NVIDIA is stupid anyway. It doesn't see the business volume in letting Intel chipsets support SLI. There are tons of P45 users out there, who will potentially buy more GeForce hardware for graphics subsystem updates.
Im one of them.

P45 and SLI, *drool*
Posted on Reply
#18
InnocentCriminal
Resident Grammar Amender
EasoMwahahaha, thats why i love hackers. (well, not realy a hacker in this case, but still)
Enthusiast(s) is a better word. :o
Posted on Reply
#20
Papahyooie
alexp999The screenshots show that they are running in safe mode, which might mean they have executed the drivers manually.

But even then, surely nothing else capable of running a 3D app is active.

Seems highly suspicious to me. :wtf:
Me too... how did they run 3dmark in safe mode?
Posted on Reply
#21
mtosev
W1zzarddont worry.. nvidia will fix this in no time and come after everyone with their big legal stick
like blocking this in a newer driver release?
Posted on Reply
#22
OnBoard
Kewl and it says software. I first though it would be a modded bios, but this would make it work on other than ASUS too. That is until what W1zzard says will happen.

So better leak it soon, so that it's all over the interwebs and here to stay. They can probably block it in future drivers, but in the meantime people can have some fun :)
Posted on Reply
#23
Homeless
mrhuggleswonder if itl ever work on a p35
I actually think they had this working on P35 with specific drivers at one time
Posted on Reply
#24
raptori
wooow this the best news I've ever heard :toast: :toast: :toast:........ Nvidia should look further and start thinking about enabling SLI on LGA775 ......... at least there is a hope.
Posted on Reply
#25
KainXS
they better lay low, im sure nvidia is coming after them with their ban sticks

and they're gonna smack em right into jail
Posted on Reply
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