Apple nixing Nvidia from 'Nehalem' Macs?
Tough bargaining or faulty-GPU fallout suspected
Apple won't be using Nvidia chippery in future machines, it has been claimed.
That's according to website SemiAccurate - the clue's in the title - which says it heard the move was prompted by the problems Apple - and, it has to be said, others - had with failing Nvidia GPUs last year.
But there's more here than meets the eye. Nvidia and Intel are currently pursuing each other through the US legal system with a view to establishing whether Nvidia has the right to use Intel's latest processor interconnect technology in its chipsets. Intel says no, Nvidia disagrees.
If Apple, then, wants to offers Macs based on Intel's Core i3, i5 and/or i7 desktop processors and their mobile equivalents, it needs a chipset supplier who can support said CPUs. Depending on how the court cases go, Nvidia may not be able to say its chips can.
That said, no matter what the outcome of the legal battle, we're sure that if Nvidia writes a big enough cheque, Intel isn't going to turn it down, not as the dominant supplier of both x86 processors and supporting silicon.
As for Apple, it's well known to be a tough negotiator. Playing hard to get with Nvidia now is a trifle compared to facing down the music and movie industries, which it's done largely successfully. Nvidia needs Apple more than Apple needs Nvidia.
Apple has benefited from Nvidia's technology. The integrated GeForce 9400M chipset it uses in all of its laptops and consumer desktops has given those boxes a much needed graphical performance boost. If the company does say adios to Nvidia, it will need to be sure Intel can offer a rather better alternative. ®
COMMENTS
Whew, not alone!
It's a bit of relief to see so many others who know that Intel graphic chipsets are so awful.
I wish it could be complete relief, but knowing Apple used Intel's graphics to save money before means they might go back to that well, no matter how tainted the water.
But maybe if enough people let Steve know that they will not buy another Mac with Intel graphics . . . It's almost time for me to upgrade. If Apple does go back to Intel for graphics, I will by that (discounted) one-off model that still has the 9400/9600.
Also it's time to forgive AMD/ATI - As good as nVidia? Close at times. Better than Intel? Easily!
iMac Radeons
Can be specced with a Radeon 4850 as their highest GFX option.
Bill because that amount of choice with apple is just bonkers. (and the reason why I haven't bought a Mac)
chipset
I think they are talking about the chipset, not the video.
Embedded is the issue
It's the integrated graphics that's the issue, not any standalone offering. Can you get an Core motherboard with an integrated Radeon processor?
RE: what?
'K' said "I can't see Apple switching to AMD / Radeon".
Apple already use Radeon chips - they've always been a BTO option in the Mac Pros and they've used them in the iMacs as well from time to time. Apple are pretty much video card agnostic. Mac OS X therefore also already contains the relevant drivers for a bunch of Radeon architectures and they certainly have the expertise to write more if they need to.
I have no doubt whatsoever if they had/wanted to, they could switch to using Radeon chips at a model refresh without missing a beat.
Jon
