Gaming laptops often face a major problem. How do they balance sufficient performance for graphically-intensive gaming, but maintain portability? It is a challenge manufacturers have struggled with; gaming laptops are often brutish pieces of hardware. NVIDIA’s newest technology aims to put an end to the performance vs. bulk compromise.
Thin laptops with innards of playing triple A titles at a solid framerate are becoming more common, but NVIDIA believes it is taking the next step. The company’s Max-Q architecture will change the game (no pun intended). NVIDIA says the design approach will help to create gaming laptops as thin as MacBook Airs.
If you are unsure about the reference, Apple’s MacBook Air is about 17 mm at its fattest point. However, the Air is certainly not tricked out enough for any serious gaming. So, how does NVIDIA think it can boost performance in a machine as thin and light as the MacBook Air?
The company says the Max-Q technology will allow laptops that are around 18 mm, but with the performance expected from a fat old gaming laptop.
Perhaps the terms Max-Q is alien to some, but it is a term widely used by NASA. The space agency uses the term to refer to the maximum pressure where aerodynamic stress is observed.
Of course, this has little meaning in terms of gaming laptops, but NVIDIA is putting a twist on the tech.
Launching Next Month
By applying the Max-Q concept, the company says it can deliver thinner machines. However, NVIDIA is keeping quiet on how this is achieved. Although, the chipmaker points out that it uses the Max-Q concept to deliver peak performance from hardware.
The result will be laptops running the Pascal-based GTX 10 GPUs. Max-Q design will act as an optimizer for delivering more performance from a lower voltage.
Naturally, it is one thing to talk a good product and another to deliver one. NVIDIA says the Max-Q laptops will arrive on June 27 in partnership with leading OEMs. The devices will be powered by the GeForce GTX 1080, 1070, and 1060 GPUs.
