Hybrid SLI

[Wreckage]

http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/v...ay/20070625083756.html

There is always a trade-off between power consumption and performance in the world of 3D graphics cards. If one solution delivers high framerate per second, it most probably consumes significant amount of power, whereas another, which power consumption is minimal, cannot offer really high performance. But Nvidia recently announced that its new technology will meet low power consumption with high performance.

Nvidia?s new Hybrid SLI technology will have two modes and that will target different applications: the Power Saving Mode, which will switch off discrete graphics core and use only integrated graphics engine when high performance is not needed, whereas Max Performance Mode will make integrated graphics processor (IGP) to assist discrete graphics processing unit (GPU) and boost performance when it is required.

Even though Nvidia?s multi-GPU SLI technology enables significant performance increases, it also boosts power consumption, which means additional heat and higher noise levels. In this case, hybrid SLI?s power saving mode will allow to disable two high-performance graphics boards, such as Nvidia GeForce 8800-series when their 3D graphics firepower is not needed, Nvidia explained. The same mode will allow to integrate higher-performance graphics cores into notebooks without sacrificing battery life, as in case of battery operation only IGP will be used.

The max performance mode of hybrid SLI will allow systems featuring entry-level or mainstream GPUs from Nvidia to process graphics faster, as IGP will be able to help discrete graphics chip to render complex graphics, according to the company.

?[With] Hybrid SLI you have a discrete and a motherboard GPU in a system. When you switch between GPUs, you don?t have to unplug and plug monitor? What we have [implemented] on the core-logic site is [ability] to render in all cases through motherboard GPU,? explained Jeff Fisher, Nvidia?s general manager of GPU business unit, at a meeting with analysts.

Jen Hsun Huang, chief executive of Nvidia Corp. said that the first systems featuring hybrid SLI technology will be available late this year. No other details were disclosed.

 

[lopri]

It'll probably work with G80 or later cards, is my guess. (think NVIO chip)

 

[Bull Dog]

Isn't this for Laptops?

i.e. Nvidia's answer for ATI's already announced tech that does the same thing?

Nvidia......what a STUPID way brand this.

 

[Cookie Monster]

This is for desktop, not laptop. Theres been some patents from nVIDIA that suggests this was in the works.

I think its a good move for them, a good way to differentiate their brand from others especially when their IGP or in nVIDIA's terms "motherboard GPUs" perform around 2~3 times faster than intels own IGP.

 

[Cookie Monster]

Link

According to an official letter NVIDIA sent to its OEM partners, the Santa Clara GPU maker plans to release a new variant of its SLI technology meant to leverage the presence of a NVIDIA IGP in a PC. DigiTimes translates the claims made by some OEM to HKEPC, which intercepted this letter (available in English here), and reports more on the features of this new type of GPU associations.

This new technology, said to be the ?core PC ecosystem strategy for the coming year? for NVIDIA, will turn off discrete GPUs, without any reboot required, and let the IGP handle the load when the user run GPU light applications on his desktop such as browsing the web, using text editors and watching movies, thus saving a lot of energy and reducing the noise produced significantly. This holds especially true for dual high-end discrete cards owners, where two 8800GTX can be quite a strain on the power source.

On the other hand, when a game or any other graphic heavy application is started, the Hybrid SLI kick start the discrete GPUs and give the system all the graphical horsepower it needs.
The Hybrid SLI solution will also be made available to laptops where it will serve mainly as a battery energy saving technology, doing what it does on the desktop, turning off the discrete GPU when not needed and switching to the IGP in the meantime. And when requested, the GPU enters the scene, helped by the IGP as well.

At publishing time, it?s still unclear whether this technology could be made available to existing boards or if it requires new chipsets. In any cases, if implemented transparently, Hybrid SLI should please, by the end of this year, all the (future) NVIDIA powered motherboard plus graphics card owners.