Nvidia Hybrid SLI on track for a Q1 release
Chicago (IL) – Nvidia has revealed a few more details about Hybrid SLI, a technology which combines integrated graphics with a discrete graphics card to improve graphics performance and save power.
According to heise online, initial desktop boards supporting Hybrid SLI are scheduled to be released during the first quarter of this year. Similar to AMD’s “hybrid graphics”, the technology aims to become an entry-level multi-GPU solution that increases the performance of low-end graphics cards on the one side and disables a discrete graphics card to cut power consumption when only basic graphics performance is needed.
Nvidia calls the performance-enhancing component “GeForce Boost” which enables the chipset to combine its own graphics data with data received from a discrete graphics card (via SLI) and transfer it via PCIe 2.0 to one or multiple displays. All future Nvidia chipsets are scheduled to support this capability, including the nForce 780a, 750a and 730a. Heise quoted Nvidia saying that the performance increase for a graphics card through the chipset will be rather modest. However, we expect this technology to be an effective way for entry-level system owners - especially of those that only integrate a graphics chipset – to improve the graphics performance of a PC, for example with a 8400 GS or 8500 GT card.
HybridPower could become an interesting component in low-noise PCs as well as notebooks : Discrete graphics are available when needed, but will be shut down to save power and increase battery life. Heise, however noted that this feature will only be supported in chipsets starting with the 8200 generation as well as a next-generation discrete GPU. Nvidia told Heise that these processors in fact will be able to draw zero power when shut down.
- Facebook rumoured to be settling in Ireland
- Chaos in Heathrow after yesterday's crash
- Surgeons warming up on the Wii
- Police Officers brag about crashes on Facebook
- Scientists announce development of bionic contact lenses
- AMD reports positive news about its quad-core bug and announces progress on 45 nm processors
- Bioshock recieves 12 gaming nominations
- ATI brings AMD a record loss of $1.8 billion in Q4
- Analysis: Intel may exit Flash business
- Wii and DS top the 2007 charts
- Microsoft vulnerability hits Excel
- Sony details PlayTV
- UltraBattery promises less cost for HEVs and more power
- Secret military history of Silicon Valley gave rise to modern tech giants
- Shocking: Facebook faces privacy investigation
- Study shows using your mobile phone in bed is bad for your health
- Half the UK is looking for love online
- Laptop containing the details of 600,000 applicants to the armed forces is stolen
why do onboard graphics draw less power than a equally powerfull (i.e. benchmarks) discreet one?
but they aren't equally powerful, they're powerful enough to run desktop stuff tho.
Great for a Laptop, but a Tower? It's like the CPU configuration on some BIOS that turn down Clock speeds when the system doesn't need it.
Again, great for Laptops but I have all those disabled in the BIOS.
Why offer all this in a Tower PC? I guess if you're a member of Greenpeace and want to save energy it's a cool thing.
In the long run you might get a few more Weeks life out of a CPU but by that Time we all most likely will have moved on anyway to faster CPU's