Nvidia: External Laptop GPUs Are "Big Opportunity"

[liquidsnake718]

This is an old concept. About a year and a half ASUS brought out an external 8699gt for mobil devices(notebooks)... the problem was that it only used a 8x slot and not the full 16x pcie.

 

[fulle]

[citation][nom]tgiguere[/nom]anyway there isn't really anything new with the idea, look at the fujutsu-siemens amilo graphicbooster, an external radeon hd3870 if i'm not mistaken[/citation]

I was thinking the same thing. Its weird how when this was an idea utilizing ATI cards, people had a much more positive view on it.

Personally, I'd LOVE to see a computer dock that allows me to use desktop GPUs. I'd be able to have 1 machine that's relatively lightweight and good battery life, that I can take wherever I go, and when I get home, I can just dock it and use it as a primary work and gaming machine! I can't believe people can complain about a great idea like that!

This Gigabyte solution still sucks though, because its using a pretty underpowered GT220 (I'd be better off just buying an Asus laptop with an internal ATI graphics card), and you can't upgrade the graphics card. But, as a proof of concept, that might eventually morph into what I wish this was... I'm happy to see the step in this direction.

 

[schmich]

This would be great for those who use laptops as a "mobile desktop". Perfect for someone traveling a lot who likes gaming. Even better, wouldn't it be possible for the companies to put normal desktop GPUs in them? After all you'll be plugged in and the heat won't be an issue.

 

[ahslan]

I agree with Kittoes 100%...I would love to have just one machine that can do both mobility and performance without having to pay an arm and a leg...I currently have a laptop that I use for school work and have a separate desktop to play games...and there are so many times where I wish I could just take it to my friends' places conveniently to play games with them...

 

[zzrich]

i have an ibm t42p and the best docking station to go with it. You can add a pci card in the docking staion then hook to an external monitor. How is this a new idea from nvidia ?

 

[kingnoobe]

Necro you obviously don't travel then or you're just an idiot. Gaming laptops are not stupid by any means. I'm deploying to Afgan. Do you really thing their gonna let me take my desktop.. Let me answer that for you NO!. Can I take a laptop sure.. Well we have internet or anything where we're going.. Um no.. Not gonna be crap as we're the ones gonna be building it up. So I get me a decent laptop, and a crap load of single player games when there's nothing else to do.

There's nothing stupid about gaming laptops specially for people who have to travel a lot. Now when you buy you a gaming laptop just to use it as a desktop and the occasional road trip.. Ya, then there might be something wrong with you.

 

[masterjaw]

Nvidia sure do like to keep their noses pointed on something new. I think they should release first their uber late, over advertised, new product before doing all this talk? This is not hate, it's just a reality check. I own one of their re-badged chips anyway.

 

[masterjaw]

[citation][nom]astrodudepsu[/nom]I don't see this as a 'Big Opportunity' like Jen-Hsun does.[/citation]
No, this is indeed a big opportunity for JHH/Nvidia to talk (again).

 

[falchard]

I agree, this is a big oppurtunity. That is exactly what I thought a couple years ago when ASUS did it.

 

[ChrisRed]

NO ONE IS FORCING ANYONE TO WAIT FOR FERMI. GO FUCKING BUY ATI'S 5XXX FOR GOD'S SAKE.

IN EVERY NVIDIA TOPIC, ITS ALWAYS; "WHERE'S FERMI?". ITS NOT LIKE NVIDIA TOLD EVERYONE TO HOLD YOUR GPU PURCHASE TILL FERMI COMES. LOL.

 

[Gandalf]

Great idea. Will reduce the likelihood of overheating inside the case.
Of course, it will take five years for programming to make use of the new hardware.

 

[ubergeetar]

Dunno about you guys, but I'd buy this in a jiffy. As a gaming college student who doesn't have his rig at school, this could decrease the intensity of high-res withdrawals. Integrated graphics suck.

 

[Guest]

Give em a break Nvidia is the reason gamers can have fun and play games trouble free and driver free. Thanks Nvidia

 

[r3t4rd]

Since Nvidia bought out 3dFx, Nvidia got lazy. ATI jumped in and made them competitive for a while, but now? They are back to thier TNT days. 3dFx had supperior products and the first SLI (different SLI from current Nvidia SLI). I remember my two Voodoo 2 16MB Cards SLI'ed....would just decimate the competition. ATI has come a long way from thier Rage days and seems to be getting it right. Nvidia on the otherhand, just makes me scratch my head and balls.

Sad to say I own an 8800 GT and was one of the first to buy a 9800 GT for double the price of my 8800 GT...only find out they are just the same cards. I sold both those cards and got the 9800 GTX+ Core 216...only to buy the GTS 260+ Core 216...a couple of monhts later without doing research...only to find out again, its the same damn fracking card. I had money and just splurged. Will never do that again. First Lesson learned, never trust a Geek Squad member in giving advice on which Video Card to buy. Second Lesson learned, a quick 2 minutes research in what you want to buy on the Internet will save you from making a fool out of urslelf.

Fool me once....err fool me twice....I'll get fooled again...? I hope not.

 

[vaughn2k]

[citation][nom]apache_lives[/nom]Sure they do? They bring quality cards like the 8800GT, 9800GTX, GTS250... wait there all the same cards... Good point![/citation]

They're clones. 2nd one has single dots. the 3rd one has two.... uhm... I'm lost...

 

[vaughn2k]

nVidia: Thanks Gigabyte!

 

[eyemaster]

All the people asking for Fermi... Why are you still supporting a company that's not coming out with the product you want? Shit, I'm doing the same with PS3/GT5... ugh.

 

[davendork]

I don't always game on the couch, but I like sitting my laptop on my lap desk and gaming while my gf watches some "reality" TV show. If the laptop manufacturers go this way with external boxes, it seems I will lose that portability option and have to go through big setup and tear-down sessions to game on the couch. I accept the fact the laptop must be plugged in to use more than 45 minutes, but it defeats the reason I bought a gaming laptop.

 

[rooket]

non proprietary docking station would be great. just buy any laptop and go into any store and pick up a nice video card. I'm sure dell will come along and muck this up like they did with making a non-proprietary expansion port inside their own laptops proprietary... that's one thing I don't like about laptops is how you get shafted out of upgrading the video.

 

[old_newbie]

Wait. Didnt AMD/ATI already do this with their XGP? I'm pretty sure I saw one hooked up at AMD's booth at CES this year. It was a an external 5870 (called Broadway?) hooked up to a ferari netbook. It wasnt pretty looking...just a black brick, proprietarily cabled to the netbook. However, they had it running HAWX in eyefinity across 3 screens and it ran smooth!

*Troll question*
So is this another example of how NVIDIA is behind the powercurve of AMD innovation?

 

[Guest]

Old idea, all that was to do was to implement it and adopt it industry-wide; docking stations just weren't universal enough even within the same company; and nothing else today suggested to be foundation of GTX 280/Radeon 5870 setup on a laptop, best is ExpressCard and even that is like AGP-quality. Even if that magic gadget turns out to be no more than a buffered/bridged PCI Express enclosure such docking station would be better than this hot air.

 

[Guest]

i want bay a laptop externel gameing graphics card ple. give me details