When can I expect AMD PowerXpress for desktop or nvidia's Hybrid Power for intel.

[taltamir]

edit for clarity:

IGP + Low end discreet card for extra performance:
AMD: Hybrid Crossfire
nVidia: Hybrid SLI

IGP + High end discreet card, where the card turns off completely when not gaming (actually manually done for BOTH companies, but will supposedly be automatic eventually):
AMD: PowerXpress
nVidia: HybridPower

Current status:
AMD: Available in laptops, desktop availability was originally promised for 38xx series and dropped.
nVidia: Might be available in laptops (don't care), currently working on latest nvidia AMD chipsets paired with 9800GTX or 9800GX2 cards. (and most likely any future card).

So my question is this. When can I expect nvidia to have an intel CPU compatible chipset that does hybrid power.
And when can I expect AMD to have PowerXpress for the PC on any platform?

oh, and why not also ask... anyone know if intel plans on implementing this with their larrabee or whatever it is called (that is one confusing name, i hope they change it)

 

[Bateluer]

You mean Hybrid Power as in the ability to turn off a discrete GPU in favor of a less power hungry IGP? I believe AMD's recent chipsets support that. Hybrid Crossfire, I believe they call it.

 

[taltamir]

Originally posted by: Bateluer
You mean Hybrid Power as in the ability to turn off a discrete GPU in favor of a less power hungry IGP?

yes

Originally posted by: BateluerI believe AMD's recent chipsets support that. Hybrid Crossfire, I believe they call it.

As far as I know, AMD started talking about this ability first, but they decided to cut it, as far as i know hybrid crossfire uses IGP + low end Discreet for a total increase in performance, but can't yet turn off a high end discreet and use the IGP like nvidia does. I would be happy to be corrected about this issue though.

nVidia actually has working units of it right now. If you get a 9800GTX or a 9800GX2 with the right AMD CPU mobo from nvidia you could do that. (too bad it is limited to those cards).

I am interesting in dates, when is AMD expecting to deliver such an ability to their desktops, and when is nvidia expecting to have an intel CPU capable mobo that works with it.

EDIT: Found it! AMD calls it "PowerXpress"

ATI PowerXpress? Technology (Available on notebook PCs using Windows Vista® OS)
ATI PowerXpress? gives you the ability to dynamically switch (no reboot required) in real time between an ATI Mobility Radeon? HD 3400 series graphics processor and an integrated graphics processor. Experience superior discrete graphics performance while plugged in or switch over to energy efficient integrated graphics when on-the-go to help extend your battery life.

 

[hybrid2d4x4]

Has anyone heard any updates on AMD's PowerXpress for desktops? I was hoping they'd mention it in their 48x0 release, but no such luck...
On the other side of the fence, does anyone have any experience with nVidia's Hybrid Power? Does it actually work (and the fan on the card turns off) and is it completely stable when transitioning from IGP to discrete?
As much as I resent their politics and tactics as of late, I may actually get a GF8x00 mobo (when it comes out in intel-flavor) and a 55nm 9800 or 260 for no real reason other than not wanting my vid card making noise and generating heat when I'm not using it. Anyone know of any release dates for the intel-compatible nVidia boards that support Hybrid Power?


PS: Being new to the boards here, I checked the forums faq to see if there was anything about which is the bigger sin: starting new threads on existing topics or resurrecting aging threads (and at what age do you decide to leave an old thread buried?). Is there an unwritten rule about that kind of thing?

 

[taltamir]

I read a review about it, they said you have to manually switch between IGP and discreet on nvidia, that there is a system tray icon you press and then you select between IGP, Discreet, or both working in hybrid SLI...
And that it works fairly well, except that it takes about 10 seconds to make the switch. The drivers might have improved since, or it might have stayed at that level, either way it isn't too bad.

I heard that they were demonstrating the new nforce chipsets on a tradeshow somewhere, I think CES 08. So they might be coming soon, the only question is, did this feature make it in this time, or not. (since nvidia got very agressive at regular power throttling, the GTX280 supposedly takes only 25watts on idle... however, it is still spinning its fans and making noise. And 25watts is still power, and it will be worse the more you have aka SLI, and finally, the more reasonably priced 9800GTX and 9800GTX+ take more then that when idle)

I also have not heard anything on that for the 48xx series.

As for thread necromancy... I don't think it is a big deal as long as it is actually still pertinent (aka, this isn't about a 6800GTX performance or something like that). You could have created a new thread or resurrected this one, either one isn't really an issue AFAIK.

 

[hybrid2d4x4]

Thanks for the follow-up! I think I read the same review a few months (?) ago about the 9800GX2, and was wondering if there have been any recent developments with their 200 series and the die-shrunk 9800... I'm baffled as to why this kind of stuff gets no mention in almost every review I read- it just seems like such a good idea! I'll grant that most of the people that buy the really high-end stuff probably don't care about longevity (since they'll probably upgrade 6-9months later) or if their vid card sounds like a vacuum cleaner, but there has to be at least as many people looking at upper-midrange components that want a well-rounded machine rather than peak performance at any cost... right? And if Anand is truly an HTPC enthusiast, he should probably be trying to bring these discrete-card deactivation features to the attention of the massess...