Core 2 Duo Nvidia incompatibility?

WardenWolf

I know several people who have built computers recently. Two of them went with Intel because of "better performance". The boards and all other things varied. However, one thing remained constant: the Intel systems all had major problems with Nvidia cards in both XP and Vista, even when running a known stable driver. The AMD systems did not.

The October 3 driver is a known stable driver for first-generation 8800 and earlier cards. I have used this driver extensively. It is not perfect, but since Vista Service Pack 1 I have not had any problems whatsoever (my machine is AMD-based). However, people I know using even older Nvidia cards, 7x and 6x, under Windows XP, are having problems on Intel-based systems.

I found it very odd that the only major problems are associated with Intel machines. A look at the motherboards is telling: one uses an Nvidia chipset, another uses an Intel chipset. There is nothing in common with these machines except for one thing: both machines combine newer Core 2 Duo chips with Nvidia video cards.

As hard as this is to believe, it really is the only conclusion: the chip does not like Nvidia cards. These people are having lockups, graphical corruption, and more. A card that works just fine in an AMD machine will suffer severe problems when placed in one of these Intel machines, so much so that the card was diagnosed as faulty. All machines have an ample power supply from a major brand. It has to be the CPU. There's no other possibility.

BlueMak

What are you talking about?

ExitiosuS

This post is a month and thirteen days off -- try again next year.

April Fools always comes! ^^

EDIT: Also, I use an intel chipset, intel core2 duo, and an nvidia graphics card -- never have I experienced any kind of issues. :P

MIG-31

I have been using a Intel core 2 Duo and a nvidia set up for the last 7 months or so now..And it runs very sweet.

And for me this is the first time i have seen any one mention any type of problem thats been described..

Tipstaff

I would like to hear the list of problems, and the boards they are running (such as which company made them). Most systems I sell with video cards are Intel systems with their own boards, and paired with an nVidia card. I've sold every single card from nVidia throughout their history, and always with an Intel system. In that entire time I've only had troubles with the 7950GX2 as it would only work on 2 Intel branded boards at the time (both 955 boards).

Vikingod

Some pretty broad assumptions there Wolf, and I think maybe your sample needs to be expanded, and your tests controlled, in order to make such a claim. I also think many people around here would beg to differ, myself included.

ChaosMinionX

I honestly have to say this is not the case at all Wolf.....

Yes some of the Intel boards (chipsets) from various companies like Asus, DFI, Gigabyte, MSI etc all have had BIOS issues at one point or another using the new PCIE cards from BOTH ATI and Nvidia, this is not an isolated problem to the Intel platform (it even occurs on Nvidia chipsets), rather it is more documented because more people currently are using the newer Intel hardware, and not the new AMD stuff (frankly because it doesnt perform) and all the old AMD hardware has had its bugs worked out already.

The processor itself has absolutely nothing to do with the Videocard, if anything if you had said it was due to the Northbridge made by Intel (P965, 975X, P35, X38, X48) I would have probably gone so far as to say maybe if you had posted some other information backing up your claim.

What it sounds like is user error to be honest, do these people that put these systems together have extensive knowledge about computers beyond assembling them? And do they know how to properly set up the BIOS would be my questions for them, I would guess they have settings on the board wrong, and the AMD might just be more stable out of the box because there isnt as many voltage settings as some of the newer Intel boards have.

WardenWolf

These people all have extensive knowledge. The Nvidia board is an NForce 7 chipset from Gigabyte. The Intel one, I'm not so sure about. However, the one thing in common with both these sytems is that they've got newer chipsets and recently-released Intel CPUs. I've never heard of this problem with older Intel machines. And several of the people who responded built their systems before these chips were available. It could be BIOS issues, but I find it extremely odd. It's just the latest generation of Intel hardware seems to be having issues with Nvidia cards, whereas the AMD machines are fine.

Vikingod

Or it could be something totally isolated, such as RAM incompatibility, faulty OS installs, power troubles, HDD problems, etc., the list is nearly endless. Just because each has an nvidia card and an intel processor, doesn't mean that's the problem.

By that same rationale, I could assume that intel processors only work with Nvidia cards, because my system functions fine.

Judas

i'd go as far as to lean towards lack of an adequate PSU possibly?

Veridian3

Given the amount of hardware I see on a monthly basis i think i can speak with some authority ... since about November 2006 I have been using Intel Core2 CPU's in my work system and Driver Heavens main review system. This covers the original Core2 launch right up to the QX9770 and 9650 which were released a few months ago. None of the processors and motherboards I have seen exhibited any issues with Nvidia cards from the 8500 right through to the 98GX2. This was also the case for all but one ATI based card which doesn't work with a particular X38 board... but that is being fixed with a BIOS update from the mobo maker.

Now, Nvidia Nforce 6 and 7 series boards, they have issues with CPU and memory support and the blame for that I would place 100% with both Nvidia and on occasion the mobo makers.

If the processors and memory in the systems you are talking about are not at fault my own opinion is that the PSU should be checked but failing that the motherboard is probably to blame.

CDsDontBurn

It could also be said that if you are looking for a very specific issue, you will find it. Particularly when the hardware you are looking at is either a new item, or a hot item. current such hardware examples would be the intel p35/x38/x48, NVIDIA 680i/780i/790i, and NVIDIA 8800GT/8800GTS 512MB/9800GTX video cards.

CPU compatibility was definately an issue with the 680i boards. ie. 680i C00 vs. 680i D00 boards, and now with the launch of the new penryn CPUs, again, the 680i has had come under fire for that. But, i wouldn't place the whole blame on NVIDIA for that since it was Intel who changed the specification(s) (or perhaps did not share the information with NVIDIA) to make these CPUs work with the 680i to begin with.

As for memory issues, from my line of work, i wouldn't always blame NVIDIA for memory support. Sometimes it's a PEBKAC issue, or the voltage was set too high for higher end memory and the memory eventually fails over a period of time. Or perhaps, it's the opposite, where the memory controller can't take the excessive voltages and the memory controller just fails because of it.

on that note, i can't wait for the next generation of Intel CPUs which will utilize an integrated memory controller on the chip itself rather than on the MoBo. Then, future 1d/c1/c2/c3/52 error codes (assuming error codes remain the same) will be the fault of the CPU and/or RAM and not the MoBo and/or RAM .

Veridian3

Completely disagree with what your saying. Unfortunately I cant really go into more detail but I can tell you that a lot of journalists, including myself, have spent more time finding bugs and helping Nvidia solve them than any other chipset group... they tend to release the boards before they are ready and that's what causes the incompatibility with components... CPU, HD's, memory... whatever it happens to be that day. That has nothing to do with Intel withholding or changing specs/info... and is 100% to do with making bad decisions which impact the early adopters/enthusiast users.

PangingJr

regarding the OP's and CD's posts/comments,
IMO i think, as of now, those sounds like a false assumption more than anything else,
either of those comments could/should have been made better than that, it would be better if you could locate a perhaps better info or get it from a reputation source an make an educated comment for (telling) something that is important like this.

ChaosMinionX

Yep, thats why I dont use Nvidia chipsets.

And Intel's overclocking is generally alot better and more stable than some of the Nvidia offerings, though I have seen good things out of the 790i, except for the nasty corruption deal that was going on.

Tipstaff

I still haven't heard specific issues being mentioned. Can you be more specific on what CPU, boards, chipsets, and graphics cards are being used on these systems? The reason I ask is that it's still pretty much a blanket statement we're going on.

As I said I've sold, and continue to sell Intel boards, their own boards, along with nVidia cards. In fact, this last week I've sold 10 systems: 6 with 8800GTs, 1 with an 8800GTS 512, 2 with 9600GTs, and 1 with a 9800GX2, all running on a P31 chipset, and none of them have reported issues. I personally have a completely different Intel chipset, a P35, running an 8800GTS 512, and previously had an 8800GT (which was on a 975 board before this one), both having run with zero issues. Over the last couple of months I've even had people upgrade old systems with cards like the 6600GT, 6800GT, 7600GT, and 8600GT into newer boards with newer CPUs, again with zero issues. Either Intel is doing something right with their own boards, or I'm just that good of a builder.

CDsDontBurn

it's not that i don't have a source, but my source is within those above me at work where i work at. they would have the full details to my previous statement, and they won't release all the full info to us. only tid-bits here and there. enough for us to know a generalized picture of what's going on, but not enough for us to be able to give legitimate sources.