MicroATX with IGP + discrete GPU Question
Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2007 8:48 pm
Hi Everybody
I'm a French speaking guy from near Montreal, Canada, so please excuse my English.
My old Athlon 900 is showing signs of his age a little more everyday and I'm getting ready to build a new PC. I did my homework, read a lot of articles on hardware, including those that I found here in SPCR which are probably the best. In depth analysis the way I like it.
Half the time doing CAD, Photshop, playing a little game here and there I guess I should consider myself a Power user.
The other half of the time, chatting, surfing the net, using Word or Excell I'm not a power user at all.
Also I don't use 12 thousands hard drive, or peripheral device or anything like that. Just the regular stuff I suppose.
So I figured that the best fit for me would be a MicroATX, they all got an IGP as far as I can see, and add a discrete GPU powerfull enough for the 3D. With that I got the best of both world I said to myself, power saving disabling the GPU when not needed, and enabling the GPU for 3D when necessary right ??
Well maybe not, today I read this little article here ... oups it seems that I can't post a URL so....the article is on X-bit labs and the title is Nvidia Readies Hybrid SLI Technology...and from what I understand, it doesn't seems easy at all to switch from power saving mode to Performance mode as they call it, on an actual existing microATX motherboard.
It doesn't even seem easy to just disable the GPU for the sake of power saving!
I need some light on that subject please cause i'm a little bit in the dark since I read that article....and if it's realy so complicated to just switch mode, or if the power saving is minimum, then the idea of having a system like that is pointless.
Thanks for your help
I'm a French speaking guy from near Montreal, Canada, so please excuse my English.
My old Athlon 900 is showing signs of his age a little more everyday and I'm getting ready to build a new PC. I did my homework, read a lot of articles on hardware, including those that I found here in SPCR which are probably the best. In depth analysis the way I like it.
Half the time doing CAD, Photshop, playing a little game here and there I guess I should consider myself a Power user.
The other half of the time, chatting, surfing the net, using Word or Excell I'm not a power user at all.
Also I don't use 12 thousands hard drive, or peripheral device or anything like that. Just the regular stuff I suppose.
So I figured that the best fit for me would be a MicroATX, they all got an IGP as far as I can see, and add a discrete GPU powerfull enough for the 3D. With that I got the best of both world I said to myself, power saving disabling the GPU when not needed, and enabling the GPU for 3D when necessary right ??
Well maybe not, today I read this little article here ... oups it seems that I can't post a URL so....the article is on X-bit labs and the title is Nvidia Readies Hybrid SLI Technology...and from what I understand, it doesn't seems easy at all to switch from power saving mode to Performance mode as they call it, on an actual existing microATX motherboard.
It doesn't even seem easy to just disable the GPU for the sake of power saving!
I need some light on that subject please cause i'm a little bit in the dark since I read that article....and if it's realy so complicated to just switch mode, or if the power saving is minimum, then the idea of having a system like that is pointless.
Thanks for your help