NVIDIA Quietly Dropping Hybrid SLI

[Brian]

NVIDIA Quietly Dropping Hybrid SLI (http://www.thetechlounge.com/news/13477/NVIDIA-Quietly-Dropping-Hybrid-SLI/)

"[image]

More specifically, Nvidia essentially designed Hybrid Power to allow the user to turn off the discrete GPU when it is not being used. However, a great problem lies with the fact that running multiple digital displays in HybridPower mode is nearly impossible. The user's primary display needs to be connected directly into the motherboard so that it functions when the discrete GPUs are turned off. This is something Nvidia decided not to tell the press during CES 2008 for marketing purposes.

Nevertheless, several sources have confirmed that the company's latest discrete cards, GeForce GTX 285 and GeForce GTX 295, do not support any form of Hybrid SLI. Add the fact that Nvidia hasn't made plans for any new desktop chipsets, and this could bring light to the fact that the technology in the retail market is reaching an inevitable end. However, there might still be some hope for the OEM segment, as sales continue to prosper with the GeForce 8200 chipset.

I really had high hopes for this tech. In my testing, the performance losses were somewhere between unnoticeable and drastic, but that doesn't mean that the idea is totally worthless. Granted, with the way current 200-series cards sip juice when they're not running, it's not quite as important, but I'm always upset to see promising tech get pitched by the roadside.

Maybe this bodes poorly for Hybrid CrossFire, which I still have some issues with..."

Read full story here (http://www.fudzilla.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=11684&Itemid=1)

[Not the Case]

Dude,
This comment doesnt say that they'll stop Hybrid SLI.
If you check on their site, Hybrid SLI is available only with low cost/low perf cards.

You have GT2xx which has 200 cores with dedicated memory and that tiny mGPU with 8/16 cores using system memory, if you enable Hybrid SLI, i think that will drop perf.

So, what i feel is, 9200/9400/9500 are low perf card and if they are in Hybrid SLI then only perf boost looks noticeable.

[Max Slowik]

The part that gets to me is that this means with these high-end, high-power cards, that they're not going to be doing their hybrid power thing, the ability to turn off the discrete GPU, when it's not in use. On the other hand, NVIDIA's high-end consumes very little at idle, so maybe it's just moot.