Intel to Drop 915G Chipsets

[Swad]

In an intriguing move, Intel has announced that they will be discontinuing their 915G chipset - the almost-identical-but-not-quite chipset on which Apple's Developer Transition Kits are based. Apparently, the chipsets and their GMA900 integrated graphics processors would not be powerful enough to run the resource-hogging demanding GUI effects of Windows Vista's Aeroglass.

 

Apple clearly felt that GMA900 was good enough to run Quartz Extreme. Will the effects of Glass be so much greater that they will require that much more graphics processing power?

 

And what about all of those who bought Intel 915 chipsets in order to run OSx86 natively? Could the mandatory return of the DevKits be linked in any way to the discontinuance of this chipset?

[omgpants]

In an intriguing move, Intel has announced that they will be discontinuing their 915G chipset - the almost-identical-but-not-quite chipset on which Apple's Developer Transition Kits are based...

 

Read the full story here.

 

What say ye?

 

I think this eliminates doubts that Apple will use custom chipsets in intel Macintoshes.

 

Well, at least that's what it did for me.

[blkblt]

I think this eliminates doubts that Apple will use custom chipsets in intel Macintoshes.

 

Well, at least that's what it did for me.

 

Even if they use a custom chipset, what is to stop this community from creating new chipset drivers or using Darwin drivers?

 

/blkblt

[Swad]

I think this eliminates doubts that Apple will use custom chipsets in intel Macintoshes.

 

What makes you say that?

[bofors]

What makes you say that?

 

Apparently, he feels that either Apple will either use the 915 chipset or go with a custom one. Now that the 915 is out, he thinks the only choice for Apple is a custom chipset. Personally, I think it is likely that Intel is building a custom chipset to Apple's specifications. This is basically what happened with IBM and G5, but in this case it should not mean much to this community as Apple will likely not do any to interfere with people wishing to run Windows on Apple hardware. So, whatever chipset Apple uses, it should be not particularly radical, but rather compatible with mainstream hardware.

[opieum]

Apparently, he feels that either Apple will either use the 915 chipset or go with a custom one. Now that the 915 is out, he thinks the only choice for Apple is a custom chipset. Personally, I think it is likely that Intel is building a custom chipset to Apple's specifications. This is basically what happened with IBM and G5, but in this case it should not mean much to this community as Apple will likely not do any to interfere with people wishing to run Windows on Apple hardware. So, whatever chipset Apple uses, it should be not particularly radical, but rather compatible with mainstream hardware.

 

I agree partially on this. It is a real tossup on whether they will do that or not. The chipset has been around and has matured somewhat but I highly doubt that they are just discontinuing it for Windows Vista. If that is the case then there are alot of other of their chipsets before that they can discontinue. Start getting the drivers and archive them. It looks like the chipsets are soon to be found only on ebay.

[matix]

Is it feasible that apple and intel will use the next gen board like a 965G chipset or even a new iteration of the 955(seeing as there are 2 that i know of) ?

 

I don't see how this means that because intel discontinued one board that apple will be getting a custom chipset.

 

To me it's more like the retail mactels motherboard != 915G...

[Guest terry]

In an intriguing move, Intel has announced that they will be discontinuing their 915G chipset - the almost-identical-but-not-quite chipset on which Apple's Developer Transition Kits are based...

That's totally new to me. Mashugly, could you please elaborate on this "but-not-quite" part in your "almost-identical" statement? In which way are the chipset samples used in Apple's developer transition kits different to the parts we find in regular PCs? And could you please explain what's particularly "intriguing" about the fact that Intel drops the 915G chipset? It's been clear since a while that with the new CPUs also new chipsets will be introduced, and no sensible person really believed that the final Intel Macs would ship with old-schoolish P4 CPUs...

 

I think this eliminates doubts that Apple will use custom chipsets in intel Macintoshes.

Sorry, I can't follow this reasoning.

 

What say ye?

I have to say that I do not understand the article from The Inquirer at all... I still wonder if this is my fault or whether it is related to the abysmally bad journalism this highly questionable source is known for. It simply doesn't make sense to me. I'm regularly reading tech-news related sites, but it has completely slipped my attention that Intel is leaving the Integrated Graphics business. Could somebody PLEASE direct me to any other source confirming this? I couldn't find any info on Intel's web site, either. And to me the article sounds totally inconsistent. First they say Intel drops out, then they say Intel keeps on with its GMA950, then again they say Intel may need a year or two to return. I simply don't get the point. Months ago, in June IIRC, Intel still announced the new low-cost entry level chipset 945GV with integrated GMA950, so while they're dropping the 915, they're still in the entry-level business with integrated graphics. Sorry, I'm clueless about what the article is trying to say.

 

To me it's more like the retail mactels motherboard != 915G

Wasn't it clear from the beginning that with Apple very probably choosing Intel's brand new P-M derived processors, they will also use newer chipsets than the one found in the developer transition kits? If it is true that some of the first new Intel Macs will feature a Yonah CPU, the chipset of choice is of course the new 945GT, a chipset that "will be offered for custom system designs only". Just have a look at Intel's "Golden Gate" concept PC (a very small, neat, Yonah-driven, fanless (how great is that!) dual core box), and you get an idea of what the next Mac Mini, or Mac "Viiv", so to speak, may look like.

 

http://www.matbe.com/actualites/11087/le-m...ah-golden-gate/

 

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2005/08/24/in...lden_gate_viiv/

 

http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/rel...50824corp_a.htm

[Swad]

Yeah, I'll agree that the Inquirer is just about the worst tech new site out there as far as journalism goes. However, it fits with the fact that there has been a shortage lately of 915 mobos worldwide - check out Google news for more.

 

It's intriguing because Apple obviously puts a lot of importance on this chipset (with the kexts, tweaked QE, etc), and I don't think that its elimination is a coincidence. Although it could be.

 

If we can't corroborate this info in a few days, I'll make sure everyone knows it.

[Guest terry]

However, it fits with the fact that there has been a shortage lately of 915 mobos worldwide - check out Google news for more.

I know, I know... I already said that I'm reading the news... But who wants the 915 chipset when the new CPUs are out? My impression is that's just the product cycle arriving at an end, and now the old stuff is phased out.

 

It's intriguing because Apple obviously puts a lot of importance on this chipset (with the kexts, tweaked QE, etc),

I have no knowledge about the internals, but I doubt that all work has been in vain (well of course it has not been at all, Apple needed to prepare at least one properly working configuration, nothing strange about that, it's been part of the Marklar fall-back plan ever since -- or why would you think there are even drivers for the old i830 P3 notebook chipset?). I don't think that the new chipset is a complete redesign, however, so I would tend to believe that with proper support from Intel, it should be quite easy for Apple to adapt to the new hardware.

 

and I don't think that its elimination is a coincidence. Although it could be.

Sorry, I'm afraid I don't get the point (again).

[opieum]

Sorry, I'm afraid I don't get the point (again).

 

Well think about it. why eliminate a lower to mid end board and newer chipset like the 915 but not eliminate the lower end items like the 845 and 910 board series. Most in that line have been retried and are on their way out BUT they are still current in some parts of their website. This isnt consistent with the article posted. If they want to pull out of that market then they need to get rid of the lower end of the line. They basically eliminated the low to mid range boards so to speak. The reasons stated in the article make no sense whatsoever.

 

This is what makes the drop so suspicious. It is a board class that is in the middle somewhere with no real APPARENT reason to be dropped.

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=26657

 

read the article over again. It refers to not getting the MS stamp of approval for the graphics subsystem. If that was the case then why didnt the 800 series boards suffer the same fate? those boards have even crappier (But work with mac OSx86) graphics systems than the 915 most of those boards have integrated graphics too, or for that matter the 910? This is the point people are trying to get to.

 

The distribution of them maybe a coincidence. I am sure they were out there but recently have seen less shipments and backordering due to this announcement.

[Guest terry]

Is it feasible that apple and intel will use the next gen board like a 965G chipset or even a new iteration of the 955(seeing as there are 2 that i know of) ?

We'll see. Calistoga (945 Express) is for the Yonah and Merom CPUs (mobile),

 

http://tinyurl.com/8fhoe

http://tinyurl.com/axjpo

http://pics.computerbase.de/news/11672/2.jpg

http://www.legitreviews.com/article.php?aid=172

 

Broadwater (965) for Conroe (desktop).

[Guest terry]

This is what makes the drop so suspicious.

Sorry, but I have yet to see a source confirming that Intel drops the 915 surprisingly out of the regular.

 

It is a board class that is in the middle somewhere with no real APPARENT reason to be dropped.

Huh? Intel is all going dual-core, even with the soon-to-be-abandoned P4 designs, and the 945 and 955 chipsets are made for this. 915 and 925 don't have support for more than one core. 865 and 875 have multiprocessor support, though, so with proper tweaks, manufactures could at least make such boards run dual core CPUs.

 

read the article over again. It refers to not getting the MS stamp of approval for the graphics subsystem. If that was the case then why didnt the 800 series boards suffer the same fate?

Who (with exception of The Inquirer) is saying that the 915 is discontinued prematurely just because of the "weak" integrated graphics? Integrated graphics are mostly used in simple home-user computer systems and in corporate environments. I do not expect to see administrators tolerate the waste of resources by allowing the average corporate user to play with the superfluous, distracting and -- in my personal opinion -- also terribly ugly eye-candy of the Aero Glass GUI. I don't like Apple's implementation of fancy effects, either, but at least they achieved to waste less resources with that.

 

those boards have even crappier (But work with mac OSx86) graphics systems than the 915 most of those boards have integrated graphics too, or for that matter the 910? This is the point people are trying to get to.

What makes you believe they will live on? Of course they will also be dropped. Actually I don't understand what the fuss is all about. Intel is making a huge transition from Netburst to NGMA (Next Generation Microarchitecture), and in this transition the CPUs as well as their underlying chipsets (the whole "platforms") will be replaced with new designs.

[bofors]

Yeah, I'll agree that the Inquirer is just about the worst tech new site out there as far as journalism goes.

 

While I do not disagree that the Inquirer has been posting some very bad writing lately, at the same time it has been providing much better coverage of the graphics card industry and also continues to fill in some of the other gaps in the Register's reporting, which is my main IT news source.

[Cowboy Mike]

Well the 915 based chipsets are "very" old out of intels point of view. Indeed Intel drops a chipset after one year and continues the line with an updated version. And the i915G-line was the bottom of it. Actually the i915GL. The i915G Chipset never was made to be the best you can get - it just a value chipset, which means it's for cheapest systems - I did never understand why apple took it out of intels shelves. I'd chosen the i925 or a newer one like the i955 and would have made a deal with nvidia or ATI for GPU delivery. The northbridge, containing the corelogic, has changed to be the i945G at bottom-line (value) right now And the update to i965G is near - they all support DualCore and contain integrated graphics. There never was an intel chipset again staying outside as long as the BX440 - which lasted about 5 years for intel Pentium II/III based Systems....

 

To Intel Apple is just a smaller buisness someways the same level as the distributors for your PC-Shop around the corner. Apple in first line is a kind of philosophy - and nothing more. It's lifestyle. It's like Toyota-Lexus they have the same engines but a Lexus is a kind of whooo, while Toyota is just a everyday ride.

[donniedarko]

we've got the ktext for this chipset so is this really a bad news ?

[anarkhos]

So for those of us who haven't purchased a PC yet, what does this mean?

 

I had been considering buying a 915-based PC, but now they're more scarce and if I decided to stop using an old never-going-to-be-updated OS X on them I won't be able to run the latest windoze.

 

I think I'll just wait for Apple to release an Intel powerbook. :\

[johnsmith1882]

Short, short version: Intel is probably just moving it's high-end integrated graphics from GMA900 to GMA950.

 

Long, boring version: This hardly seems as important as some people seem to think. There isn't anything in the article that proves or even supports their assertion Intel has stopped making any and all integrated graphics chips. Intel has been making graphics cards since at least the i740 of yore, and if it's 'success' didn't deter Intel, nothing will. As the Inquirer article points out, Intel has about 50% of worldwide graphics shipments -- they aren't just going to let that drop. They sure as heck aren't going to just give up Centrino graphics to nVidia and ATI without a fight.

 

For evidence, look at Intel's current cash cow, Centrino. It's a branded platform that includes (among other things) integrated graphics and shows no signs of using someone else's graphics solutions. Similarly, Intel's website unequivocally states that their Business PC 'platforms' also use Intel integrated graphics.

 

Centrino Platform still using GMA900

Unbranded 'Small Business PC' Platform still using Intel graphics

Oh, and their 'Large Business PC' Platforms

 

Of Intel's other 'platforms', their Entertainment PC and Lifestyle PC platforms use integrated graphics. The website doesn't say they are Intel graphics chips, but when was the last time Intel shipped non-Intel graphics solutions on their mainboards?

 

'Entertainment PC' platform

'Lifestyle PC'

 

That leaves two 'platforms' that don't say they'll use integrated graphics. The 'Extreme Gaming PC' and the 'Creativity PC'. Intel obviously has nothing to offer gamers, let alone Extreme gamers. I'm not sure what the heck they mean by 'Creativity PC', so it's clearly something else that needs higher graphics than Intel can offer at present.

[jegabla]

As the Inquirer article points out, Intel has about 50% of worldwide graphics shipments -- they aren't just going to let that drop. They sure as heck aren't going to just give up Centrino graphics to nVidia and ATI without a fight.

 

For evidence, look at Intel's current cash cow, Centrino. It's a branded platform that includes (among other things) integrated graphics and shows no signs of using someone else's graphics solutions. Similarly, Intel's website unequivocally states that their Business PC 'platforms' also use Intel integrated graphics.

 

What? No, integrated graphics are not mandatory for the intel centrino plataform. It just takes the processor, the chipset and intel's wifi solution so you can get the sticker in your laptop, but not the graphics.

 

From the very first centrinos ATI and Nvidia have made mobile graphic solutions for the high end models. Integrated has always been left out for business (Intel's biggest revenue) and low end.

[Guest terry]

What? No, integrated graphics are not mandatory for the intel centrino plataform. It just takes the processor, the chipset and intel's wifi solution so you can get the sticker in your laptop, but not the graphics.

 

From the very first centrinos ATI and Nvidia have made mobile graphic solutions for the high end models. Integrated has always been left out for business (Intel's biggest revenue) and low end.

I think he was just saying that Intel is doing well with Centrino and has no reason to cut off the integrated graphics. For scenarios where 3d graphics processing power doesn't count, the Intel integrated graphics is of course still the best choice in terms of cost, simplicity of integration, power consumption and heat dissipation. Intel would be really mad if they removed the integrated graphics from their Centrino offerings.

[medafor]

discontinue? well wtf are 3rd party video cards for? no one (who uses 3d acceleration) buys a motherboard expecting to use the onboard video card. i dont get it? i barley paid 80 bucks for my 915g board so no big deal.

[paulmoscow]

Lenovo just announced a new line of Thinkpad Z with GMA900 inside. Do you think they don't expect to sell these models for at least a year?

[HoZy]

lol funny, i laught at all who went and spent money to build a system around an OS,

rule one, let them build there OS around your system

[Metrogirl]

I think we're reading much more into this announcement than it deserves.

 

My quick take on this - Apple shipped a development system with a specific chipset. They had to choose something, but my view is that their choice wasn't all that significant. They could have chosen any one of dozens of solutions. The fact that we're all running OSx86 on all sorts of hardware suggests something, doesn't it? We might be kludging drivers but we're getting there.

 

Besides, will the new Intel Desktop Mac really rely on integrated graphics? The current G5s need top-end nVidia or ATI cards to drive a couple of big displays and plenty of power-users won't want to throw away their expensive LCDs when they buy a new Mac.

[Swad]

Metrogirl, I totally agree - this may be nothing out of the ordinary, but the fact that it's the only fully compatible mobo out there right now is a very interesting coincidence, especially since it's the only discontinued model we've heard of.

 

Also, as a side not, no one but the Inquirer is running this story, so keep that in mind when you're thinking about the issue. If we get this confirmed, I'll let you know!