NVIDIA refreshes notebook graphics with GeForce GTX 560M, attracts ASUS, MSI, Toshiba and Alienware
If you've enjoyed NVIDIA's fine tradition of merely bumping along its GPUs time and again and affixing a new badge, you'll like the GeForce GTX 560M -- it's much like last year's GTX 460M, but with more bang for the buck than ever. ASUS, MSI, Alienware, Toshiba and Clevo have all committed to new notebooks bearing the graphics processor in light of the potent performance NVIDIA claims it will bring: Namely, those same 192 CUDA cores (now clocked at 1550MHz) and up to 3GB of GDDR5 memory (now clocked at 1250MHz, with a 192-bit bus) should enable the latest games to run at playable framerates on a 1080p screen with maximum detail -- save antialiasing. Of course, that assumes you've also got a recent quad-core Sandy Bridge processor and gobs upon gobs of RAM, but NVIDIA also says that with the built-in Optimus switchable graphics, those same potent laptops should be able to manage five hours of battery life while idling.
If you're looking for some inexpensive discrete graphics, however, NVIDIA's also got a refresh there, as the new GeForce GT 520MX bumps up all the clock speeds of the GT 520M. When can you expect a mobile GPU to knock the GTX 485M off its silicon throne, though? Glad you asked: a chart shows a "Next-gen GTX" coming late this year. Meanwhile, see what NVIDIA says the GTX 560M's capable of in the gallery below and a video after the break.
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NVIDIA Gives Notebook Gamers New Levels of Power and Portability With GeForce GTX 560M
Gamers Have a New Reason to Restock Their Mobile Arsenal as GeForce GTX Gaming Comes to the 500M Series, Now With NVIDIA Optimus
TAIPEI, TAIWAN--(Marketwire - May 29, 2011) - COMPUTEX 2011 -- NVIDIA today unveiled the first gaming notebook graphics processing unit (GPU) in its award-winning GeForce® 500M Series of notebook GPUs.
The GeForce GTX 560M graphics processor hits the "sweet spot" for gaming notebooks by delivering a no-compromise gaming experience at full 1080p resolution in the hottest new DirectX 11 titles. For the first time, leading OEMs will also be offering GeForce GTX gaming GPUs with NVIDIA® Optimus™ technology.
"The GeForce GTX 560M and NVIDIA Optimus mean gamers get 50 frames per second in Duke Nukem Forever and five hours of battery life in Microsoft Office," said Rene Haas, general manager of notebook products at NVIDIA. "That's real power and real portability."
Available only with NVIDIA GPUs, NVIDIA Optimus technology enables extra-long battery life by automatically switching on and off the GPU so that it runs only when needed. The smart convenience of NVIDIA Optimus technology is designed into over 80 percent of GeForce 500M Series notebooks and is used by every major notebook OEM.
GeForce GTX 560M GPUs are "DirectX 11 Done Right," and offer even more performance-per-watt than the previous generation, with faster frame rates and more detail with the same battery life. The power of GeForce GTX GPUs means gamers can play at full 1080p high-definition resolutions with the advanced technology features that set GeForce GPUs apart from the competition, including:
NVIDIA 3D Vision™ technology support, the #1 3D technology for notebooks
NVIDIA PhysX® technology support, for in-game real-time physics effects
NVIDIA CUDA® architecture support, for GPU computing applications
GTX GPUs also support NVIDIA SLI™ technology, the industry's most scalable multi-GPU platform for doubling gaming performance, and are also supported by the highly-praised NVIDIA Verde™ notebook drivers.
For thin-and-light notebooks, NVIDIA also refreshed its entry-level GeForce GT 500M GPUs with the arrival of the new GeForce GT 520MX GPU. GeForce GT 520MX offers better performance, wider support and a more advanced feature set than integrated graphicsi and offers a step forward from the existing GeForce GT 520M GPU.
Alienware and Toshiba will be offering notebooks featuring GeForce GTX 560M and Optimus technology. ASUS, Clevo, MSI and others will be offering notebooks featuring GeForce GTX 560M. ASUS, Samsung and others will be offering notebooks featuring GeForce GT 520MX.
For more information on GeForce 500M Series GPUs, please visit www.nvidia.com.
i Compared to Intel HD Graphics 3000 in gaming performance.
