Intel Smackover Grabs X58 SLI License

Author	Hugo Jobling
Published	12th Feb 2009

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Bringing just a little yang to the yin of Nvidia's Q4 financial results Intel has announced its purchase of an SLI license for its 'Smackover' X58 motherboard. The upshot being that every major X58 motherboard maker's offerings now offer support for both ATI CrossFire and Nvidia SLI solutions.

The agreement should be mutually beneficial for Intel and Nvidia. In theory at least, both companies could expect to see increased sales as a result of adding SLI support fo the Smackover motherboard. Although whether that will translate to the real world form on-paper remains to be seen.

Unlike some rival boards, Intel's only offers two PCI Express x16 slots, so tri-SLI solutions are out the window; though using a pair of GeForce GTX 295 cards in Quad SLI would still be possible for those with money to burn. Importantly, support for SLI will be added via a BIOS update so current owners won't be left in the cold.

If your fancies are tickled and you happen to have a Smackover board handy, hit the download link below. Otherwise get buying.

Links:
Nvidia.
Intel.