NVIDIA Optimus Graphics Technology to arrive for Desktops

Will support Intel H67/H61 and Z68 Express Chipset based motherboards

 Nvidia is planning to launch its Optimus Graphics technology for desktops at the COMPUTEX 2011 convention in Taipei, Taiwan starting May 31. The Optimus Graphics Technology, till now meant for notebooks, allows automatic switching between integrated GPU and discrete GPU as required for optimal performance. Thereby Optimus offers greater graphics performance and better battery life to the notebooks. VR-Zone reported that the same technology will be released for desktop platform as well.

Nvidia's Optimus Technology based laptops claim to have better battery life and better graphics performance. The Optimus technology is about automatic switching between integrated graphics on the motherboard and discrete graphics on the graphic card based on the requirement of the application. So whenever some program requires some graphics punch than Optimus technology switches resources from onboard graphics to discrete graphics.

Once the task is achieved and there's no requirement of extra graphics muscle, the system automatically switches resources from discrete to onboard. This way the battery life of the laptops is enhanced and also best performance can be extracted from the GPU.

As per the recent reports, Nvidia will be announcing same Optimus Technology for the desktop platform as well. Initially, the Optimus Technology will support only Intel H67/61 Express Chipset and Intel Z68 (due next month) based motherboards for Sandy Bridge processors. The Optimus technology also performs video transcoding job by using Intel Sandy Bridge Quick Sync technology.

Of course these recent motherboards would be dependent on updated BIOS as well as graphics drivers to make the best of Optimus technology. In case of laptops, it promises and offers longer battery life. So we'll have to wait for Nvidia to tell us what extra it would offer for desktops.