Nvidia Optimus Allows 'Hot' Removal of GPU
Nvidia yanks GPU from live-running computer system.
Nvidia Optimus is a hardware and software technology that determines when applications require discrete graphics via software, supplying power to the GPU in response. This is done automatically, without the need to manually switch between integrated and discrete graphics.
For notebook users, this is a particularly useful technology as the additional power requirements of the GPU are only called upon only when needed. This should extend battery life, making all notebook users happy.
Nvidia has released a video showing Optimus in action that should help drive home how slick this new technology is. Rather than just put the GPU into an idle or low-power state, the system completely powers down the graphics part. With the GPU off, the system doesn't even mind if the dedicated graphics part is completely removed even while running.
"Few people ever get to see this demo because it requires a completely open notebook system – no chassis – just the motherboard, CPU, GPU, Hard drive, and monitor, so it is not exactly portable. This demo is really killer with engineering teams that design notebooks," said Matt Wuebbling, senior product manager of notebooks at Nvidia.
"They practically fall out of their chairs when they see it," he continued. "Why? Because with Optimus when the GPU is not needed it is completely powered off automatically and seamlessly WHILE the rest of the system is up and running – the power to the PCI Express bus, the frame buffer memory, the GPU - everything. This is in contrast to switching the GPU to a low-power state or to ‘idle’, which would still draw power."
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Makes sense.
Wouldn't this shorten the lifespan of the GPU because of the added cooling/heating cycles?
I wonder if we'll ever reach a point when we can do this with any part of the system (i know SATA hdds are hot-swappable)
Wouldn't this shorten the lifespan of the GPU because of the added cooling/heating cycles?
depends how hot the chip gets if the temp variance is small it wouldn't matter too much.
ATi's megatron is gonna be pretty pissed about this...
maybe soon we'll see a PCI-e video daughter-card with multiple GPU sockets for SLI on demand
Optimus was the brand name of shitty products from Radio Shack back in the day...
Very cool.
pretty cool
I'd love it if this technology could be applied to allow GPU upgrades on notebooks.
Then they should have called it OFFtimus.
Ha! Get it? Get it?! See, I...Oh forget it.
ATi's megatron is gonna be pretty pissed about this...
ROFLMAOWTIME
does anyone know if/when they will apply the tech to desktops?
Kudos for nVidia for this, HOWEVER WHERE is ME FERMI!?!?!?
Isn't dynamic clocking almost the same(only for the saving energy part)? I think it will delay for a second or half a second to start rendering something.
Although this is great when you would have 4 seperate GPU's and 3 of them aren't in use. I am not sure how stable it will be for overclockers though...
I wonder if we'll ever reach a point when we can do this with any part of the system (i know SATA hdds are hot-swappable)
Some server boards can hot swap cpus/ram
another BS to put as a sticker on your video card when you buy it, i see no reason at all to remove my video card when my PC is running.
that's pretty neat to watch. when this hits notebooks I can imagine it'll make for great battery life no matter what you're doing
Some server boards can hot swap cpus/ram
Yeah, that's true, but only server mobos, not home mobos.
TH must be loving this tech when doing your benchmarks.
That's cool that you could take out the GPU with the system running, but what practical use could that be used for?
That's cool that you could take out the GPU with the system running, but what practical use could that be used for?
Imo, you DON'T need to remove the GPU, however, I think nVidia is just making the point of showing odd the difference between idle mode and completely off mode.
That's cool that you could take out the GPU with the system running, but what practical use could that be used for?
It was just an example on how the technology completely shuts off the GPU, rendering it "disabled" to the system's eyes.
What's great about this technology is that it's mostly software based. As long as you have an Nvidia GPU, and an Intel IGP, this technology could even be implemented on the desktop platform to help achieve lower idle power usage.
That's cool that you could take out the GPU with the system running, but what practical use could that be used for?
They are showing it is fully off, not just clocked down to save power its fully off. so you have Onboard power levels and dedicated performance(and power draw) when needed.
[citation]That's cool that you could take out the GPU with the system running, but what practical use could that be used for?[/citation]
I guess now you can swap GPU with your Grandma's GPU
Heh cool. Now the laptops should have a little latch that let's you open it and pull out the GPU without the need to open the whole case. Wish I had $1 for every laptop sold like that
Why dont they focus on fermi instead of this shitty thing!!!
Really very cool
Really awesome. Perhaps one day...they'll have a GPU "interface" on the laptop where one and unplug and upgrade the GPU. I have a laptop right now, it was great a year ago when I bought it...now...because of the graphics card, this laptop is just...mediocre.
They're gonna need it, since they've had some trouble with self-killing GPU:s... because of heat-issues...
They should bring this to the desktop. Let's say the NV fermi has a TDP of 280 watt and let's say 1 KWh costs about 15 cents. At best that would save you 0.28 KWh x 24 hours a day x 365 days a year = 2453 KWh per year means $368 per year. Even if this would only be half it would be nice. Just by energy savings money alone you could buy a new video card every 3 years