SLI Hacked on Older Intel Chipsets

[btarunr]

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.



View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[btarunr]

Full screenshot:

 

[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...

 

[Mussels]

oh this i like - why? cause my x48 is technically the same chipset as x38


One oddity: x48 and x48 are supposed to have two full 16x slots - so why are they reading as 8x slots?

 

[btarunr]

oh this i like - why? cause my x48 is technically the same chipset as x38


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.

Just wondering why those cards aren't recognized by GPU-Z tho...

They are?

 

[Mussels]

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"

 

[Animalpak]

Wow this is awesome congrats !!

 

[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.

 

[Easo]

Mwahahaha, thats why i love hackers. (well, not realy a hacker in this case, but still)

 

[BradleyKZN]

I was wondering whether this was possible. P5Q Pro, here I come!

 

[Mussels]

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.

 

[alexp999]

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.

 

[Bjorn_Of_Iceland]

Anything from China is highly suspicious ;P

 

[W1zzard]

dont worry.. nvidia will fix this in no time and come after everyone with their big legal stick

 

[gaximodo]

Anything from China is highly suspicious ;P

let me guess, are you wearing some sort of suspicious clothes?

 

[Mussels]

let 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'.

 

[btarunr]

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.

Anything 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.

 

[alexp999]

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.

Im one of them.

P45 and SLI, *drool*

 

[InnocentCriminal]

Mwahahaha, thats why i love hackers. (well, not realy a hacker in this case, but still)

Enthusiast(s) is a better word.

 

[mrhuggles]

wonder if itl ever work on a p35

 

[Papahyooie]

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.

Me too... how did they run 3dmark in safe mode?

 

[mtosev]

dont 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?

 

[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

 

[Homeless]

wonder if itl ever work on a p35

I actually think they had this working on P35 with specific drivers at one time

 

[raptori]

wooow this the best news I've ever heard ........ Nvidia should look further and start thinking about enabling SLI on LGA775 ......... at least there is a hope.