Intel, the world's leading vendor of computer processors, and NVIDIA, the inventor of the GPU and a leading vendor of discrete desktop graphics cards, haven't exactly been best buddies in recent years. Two of the world's leading chip makers have recently engaged in a legal dispute over the latter’s licensing rights to manufacture chipsets for the former's next-generation computer processors, including the current Nehalem-based Core i7s. Aside from that, Intel's chipsets, besides the current X58 for high-performance platforms, haven't delivered support for NVIDIA's multi-GPU SLI technology, which would allow users to improve their system's graphics by adding another GeForce card. However, that problem could be fixed, according to recent details that have surfaced on the Internet.

 

In a recent forum post on the Chinese version of the Expreview website, a user titled Firewings [CCG] has published a series of photos of a system running on an X38-enabled ASUS Maximum Formula motherboard that had two GeForce graphics cards enabled in SLI. Interestingly enough, the two cards were an NVIDIA GeForce 8600GT and one GeForce GTX 260, meaning that the SLI was enabled with two different generations of GPUs.

 

The fellows over at Expreview have contacted the user and ran a test of their own, to validate the results. Their platform included an Intel QX9650 OC (4GHz) processor, on a Maximum II Formula motherboard with one Yeston GeForce GTX260+ 896GD3 and one Galaxy GeForce GTX 260+ graphics card. According to them, enabling the SLI required a software application delivered by the aforementioned user and running the system in Directory Services Restore Mode. Apparently, there are still some problems that restrict the SLI from being enabled in normal mode, but the user claims that these issues will soon be fixed.

 

He says that he still needs to test the application on several motherboards before launching it to other enthusiasts looking to take advantage of it.

 

Softpedia doesn't encourage users to mess with their motherboard's factory settings. This article is purely meant for informational purposes and doesn't, in any way, suggest that you should hack your motherboard or other hardware component.