Any idea when a Desktop mobo will be able to cut the juice to the GPU *completely*?

[Axonn]

They have this in notebooks via Optimus & IGP. Don't they?

When will the IGP in Sandy Bridge allow something like this in Desktop systems?

I am unsatisfied with Virtu and all that crap. They keep the GPU in idle, but still powered (fans, etc). GPUs run Windows' 2D interface without a fuss anyway. So I don't see much of an advantage, power wise, until they can fully shut down power the GPU like they do in notebooks.

Or am I wrong and it doesn't work that way in Notebooks via Optimus / it works that way via Virtu in Desktops?

 

[DaveSimmons]

This might require something goofy like a passthrough cable connected from the video card to the motherboard.

 

[Axonn]

Do they do this on notebooks?

Also... not if it becomes a standard. Which it should, for God's sake, we've had IGP + GPU coexisting for almost a year and nobody cares about how many watts are wasted EVEN when running a GPU at idle.

I've been playing 3 months on my GPU overall I think. The rest of *FOUR YEARS* it just idled.

Now that we got a valid GPU for 2D stuff inside Sandy Bridge, I can't see why companies don't use it.

I think they are worried about "performance per watt" only as marketing bullshit to brainwash people, make them think they're "eco friendly". But in fact, they don't care to really innovate. *sigh*

 

[Modelworks]

it isn't as simple as cutting power. When you remove all the power from the chip and then re-connect the power the chip is going to wake in a dumb state. It isn't going to know what resources are assigned and you will have to do that handshaking and information gathering all over again to initialize the chip. That takes time and the OS has to be capable of allowing that to happen without crashing the system. The easiest way is what they currently do, lower power to the lowest possible point that the chip doesn't lose total connection with the OS. That level has decreased by huge amounts in the last two years. Some newer mobile chips can go to less than 1W consumption when not in use.

 

[Axonn]

Modelworks: you are correct. I briefly considered the fact that when a computer starts, the first thing you see is the Video Card's BIOS screen.

From your knowledge, does GPU+Sandy Bridge via Z68 & Virtu consume less power than same GPU simply in 2D (almost idle) mode?