NVIDIA is preparing a pair of new technologies to help kick off the start of the Computex show in Taiwan. One leak uncovered this weekend has pointed to the launch of Synergy, a desktop equivalent to its Optimus graphics switching from the notebook space. The VR-Zone tip had it not just switching between integrated and dedicated video to save power but to simultaneously transcode video on the integrated video chipset while the dedicated hardware is working.
The implementation wouldn’t need any special mainboards or video cards but would be limited to systems with a 2011-era Intel Core processor and a matching mainboard. The P67 chipset would be ruled out, but the H61, H67, and the upcoming Z68 chipset would all work. A Z68 would be needed to use two dedicated cards in SLI mode alongside the integrated chip.
Simultaneously, a rumor on Monday has narrowed down the launch of a regular GeForce GTX 560 to May 17. The design would have 336 processing cores versus the 384 of the GTX 560 Ti but would have at least an 800MHz main clock speed and at least 56 texture units and 1GB of video RAM. EXPreview didn’t discern the price but would presumably slot it in at about $199, or between the $150 GTX 550 Ti and the $250 GTX 560 Ti.
Live graphics switching isn’t as vital on the desktop as it is for portables but could help improve heat levels and power consumption for smaller desktops as well as speed up graphics performance by freeing it from handling certain tasks.
