Nvidia and Integrated Graphics with SB

Excuse my ignorance here, but I am curious how the Nvidia graphics and the integrated graphics with sandy bridge will work. I have read that the integrated intel graphics will offer huge battery saving increases and the Nvidia is only really needed for gamers.

If I get a laptop with Nvidia, will I be able to benefit from the battery saving increases of the integrated intel graphics? Like if I am doing something that isn't too intensive, will the Nvidia stay idol and let the intel SB chip do all the work or is it setup such that if you have Nvidia, it will always be running?

 

Are you talking about Nvidia Optimus?

It will switch automatically. no need to manually do it (problem with older Nvidia hybrid graphics). But don't expect it to work amazingly. Optimus is not as good as you will think.

 

nVidia's Optimus and Intel's Sandy Bridge are two different technologies. I'm not sure how they will play together. When gaming you want it to use the discrete nVidia GPU. When you are writing an e-mail will it use the Intel HD Sandy Bridge GPU or Optimus?

 

Yes they are two different thing but I think they will get a long in optimus pretty well. Here's the thing: this nVidia card we're talking about is discreet and the intergrated graphics on SB is intergrated. Clearly, Intergrated consumes a lot less power than discreet...so if you are not doing anything graphic-intensive such as gaming then you can use intergrated graphic to boost your battery life. This should work the same way as our current i5 processor that has a graphic-card built in, but this time this option comes to i3/i5/i7

 

So the question is will Optimus try to take over or will it switch to the integrated Intel HD GPU that's built into SB?

 

I read the integrated graphics on Sandy Bridge will be as good as dedicated is now, but that will be seen when it is real world.

 

glad my question wasn't totally silly. anyone know the answer to his?

 

Optimus is not the nVidia graphics chip; it is the technology that switches from the integrated chip to the discrete nVidia graphics chip. Sandy Bridge Core i7 QM CPUs, unlike the current Core i7 QM counterparts, support Optimus because they have integrated gpu’s.

 

Take a look at the Anandtech Sandy Bridge review that they just released a couple days ago. They have a lot of benchmarks for various games. The integrated GPU is nice but nothing worth writing home about.

 

Intel has officially stated SB supports switchable graphics with a discrete card. But unfortunately they also said the implementation is up to the respective GPU companies AMD/Nvidia to make it work with their cards/products.

So they basically said the driver,validation, functionality work is not up to them but if a company wants to use switchable graphics with SB, the chip itself is capable and will support it.

This also doesn't mean Optimus automatically will work with SB. Optimus currently only works with nvidia's own gpus, integrated and discrete.

 

Part of what you said may be true about SB being "capable" of supporting switchable graphics tenknics but the last part isn't true. Optimus is a Nvidia dGpu and an Intel iGpu. The intel gpu is the main hub for graphics that is constantly running, the Nvidia is switched on through software, and in a way through the intel gpu, when needed based on the whitelist and a few other factors. So the Nvidia card will still have to be present as it's Nvidia that created Optimus, but the integrated(low power) card will be the SB onboard GPU.

 

uuuhh I think you misunderstood me bro. Re-read what I said. I know how the tech works. I just said right now it only supports Nvidia's gpus, integrated and discrete. But apparently it works with clarkdale, so I was wrong..But still your post has nothing to do with either. Thanks tho

 

oh my bad, I was beat dead tired, couldn't sleep at 3:30am lol

 

No worries man, I actually learned something I didn't know indirectly by reading your post. This whole time I thought Optimus didn't work with any of intel's current iGPs yet, just nvidia ones. Maybe I just assumed it cause of the macbook setup..