Net Computer & Game Computer: Two in One?

[clebergr]

There’s a motherboard capable of turn on/off a heavy graphics card and simultaneously enabling/disabling
a video onboard from inside Windows? This would instantly changes the machine from a high power gaming computer into a low power Internet/Office computer. That’s my dream computer, and I suppose, of many people as well.

 

[ohiou_grad_06]

Why not look into something that has say a 4670 as your video card? It's a decent entry level gamer card, but not too expensive, and requires no external power connector. So power consumption is low unless you ramp up the graphics. Even then though, I don't think it uses anymore than like 75 watts? Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Siggy19]

Get a $300 netbook for the internet. It is more flexible than having to use your monster Gaming machine for everything and provides some security from viruses and other malware since you can do your general browsing from the Netbook and just reformat the disk if you get infected.

 

[ohiou_grad_06]

Though if you get the netbook, you could always just get one with a linux OS....

 

[xthekidx]

You can just build a gaming pc and use ntune to turn down your GPU when you aren't using it for gaming.

 

[Crashman]

There’s a motherboard capable of turn on/off a heavy graphics card and simultaneously enabling/disabling
a video onboard from inside Windows? This would instantly changes the machine from a high power gaming computer into a low power Internet/Office computer. That’s my dream computer, and I suppose, of many people as well.

The technology has been around for a long time, nVidia calls it "HybridPower". The card doesn't power down completely, but enters an ultra-low-power state (like sleep mode). The onboard doesn't turn off completely in 3D, but instead becomes a super-low-power semi-passive interface.

Here's nVidia's list of motherboards:

http://www.nvidia.com/object/hybrid_sli_desktop.html

 

[xthekidx]

The technology has been around for a long time, nVidia calls it "HybridPower". The card doesn't power down completely, but enters an ultra-low-power state (like sleep mode). The onboard doesn't turn off completely in 3D, but instead becomes a super-low-power semi-passive interface.

Here's nVidia's list of motherboards:

http://www.nvidia.com/object/hybrid_sli_desktop.html

The problem with that though is that you have to go with an nvidia chipset for hybrid power, which tends to be a dice roll.

 

[marco324]

get a motherboard with the amd 770 780 790 chipset get the newer 750 southbridge
draws 10 watts power compared with 26 for an intel chipset
ttp://ixbtlabs.com/articles3/mainboard/amd-770-790-chipsets.html
use AMD Power Monitor to to put your cpu in a power saver mode mine goes from 2600mhz X2
1.3v to 1000mhz 1.1v and get a sapphire 4830 downclocks itsrlf in 2d mode to 160 gpu
250 memory should be pretty good to go not sure if the sapphire 4850 is the same ?
and you can overclock from windows when needed with AMD\OverDrive utility