NVIDIA has just announced their new GeForce GTX Max-Q Design for high-performance gaming notebooks. NVIDIA GPUs utilizing the GeForce GTX Max-Q design will be delivering thinner, fast and quieter gaming notebook design for gamers and enthusiasts.
NVIDIA GeForce GTX Max-Q Design For High-Performance Gaming Notebooks Detailed
The GeForce GTX Max-Q initiative is to create really thin notebooks (just 18mm thick) with a series of fast GeForce GPUs that are available today. The GeForce Max-Q notebooks will come with a list of features that include a thickness of just 18mm, weighing in at just 5 LBs and delivers up to three times more performance compared to previous generation designs. Here, NVIDIA compared a GTX 880M class graphics card with their latest GeForce GTX 1080 graphics chip based notebook.
At Computex, Asia’s largest technology trade show, NVIDIA partners are taking efficiency and performance to new levels — extending a trend that’s seen gaming laptop sales soar 9x in the past five years to more than 10 million last year.
GeForce partners are unveiling more than 40 new gaming products. They include 15 dazzling new laptops that incorporate powerful new NVIDIA innovations like Max-Q — an innovative design approach that enables gaming laptops to be 3x thinner with 3x more performance than previous generations — and WhisperMode, for quieter laptops. via NVIDIA
Like the "Marvels of Pascal", NVIDIA is showcasing the "Marvels of Max-Q". These are some of the implementations on the Max-Q design notebooks that NVIDIA and their AIB partners have added to notebooks for higher performance at extreme efficiency. These include:
- NVIDIA GeForce GPUs @ Peak Efficiency
- NVIDIA Optimal Game Settings Through GeForce Experience
- Notebooks With Advanced Thermal Solutions
- Next Generation Voltage Regulator Efficiency
NVIDIA has stated that a GeForce GTX 1080 equipped Max-Q notebook will deliver up to 60% more performance compared to a PlayStation 4 console. It's worth mentioning that the laptop will be nowhere in the price range of current consoles but the added performance is there to justify the high pricing of GeForce notebooks.
This week’s announcements of Max-Q and WhisperMode go further still.
Our Max-Q technology allows a GeForce GTX 1080 to be used in an ultraportable gaming notebook by reducing the GPU power consumption by half.
It finds the most efficient tradeoff of performance and power for the GPU. Our software balances work done on the CPU and GPU, optimizing the game settings and using advanced system design techniques for thermal management and power regulation.
We also introduced WhisperMode. The new, ultra-efficient mode makes your plugged-in laptop run much quieter while gaming. It works by intelligently pacing the game’s frame rate while simultaneously configuring the graphics settings for optimal power efficiency. via NVIDIA
For the features, we are looking at GeForce 10 class GPUs that are optimized for peak efficiency. It was stated in a leak that such chips will feature lower clock speeds but further boost efficiency on notebooks. Notebook MXM boards will be equipped with top notch components including a next generation voltage regulator for increased regulator efficiency. The notebooks will also ship with an advanced thermal solution to deliver quieter and cooler performance when running games. In the end, you will not only get lighter, thinner, cooler and faster laptops but also gain battery times.
NVIDIA showcased a live demonstration of a Max-Q design notebook playing through Project Cars 2. The game ran pretty smoothly even without any plugged in power which looked great. The GeForce Max-Q design will be seen on 15 laptops from various notebook makers, featuring support for the latest NVIDIA tech such as G-Sync HDR, VR, 4K display and more. The GeForce GTX Max-Q powered notebooks with GeForce GTX 1080, GTX 1070 and GTX 1060 class graphics processors will start to ship on 27 June.
NVIDIA GeForce Pascal Mobility Family Comparison:
| Specification | GeForce GTX 980 Notebook | GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Notebook | GeForce GTX 1060 Notebook | GeForce GTX 1070 Notebook | GeForce GTX 1080 Notebook |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graphics Core | GM204 | GP107 | GP106 | GP104 | GP104 |
| Manufacturing process | 28nm | 14nm FinFET | 16nm FinFET | 16nm FinFET | 16nm FinFET |
| CUDA Cores | 2048 | 768 | 1280 | 2048 | 2560 |
| Transistors | 5.2 Billion | 3.3 Billion | 4.4 Billion | 7.2 Billion | 7.2 Billion |
| ROP units | 64 | 32 | 48 | 64 | 64 |
| TMUs | 128 | 48 | 80 | 128 | 160 |
| Core clock speed | 1064 MHz | 1490 MHz | 1404 Mhz | 1442 MHz | 1566 MHz |
| Max-Q Base Clock | N/A | N/A | 1063 - 1265MHz | 1101 - 1215MHz | 1101 - 1290MHz |
| Boost clock speed | 1228 MHz | 1624 MHz | 1670 Mhz | 1645 MHz | 1733 MHz |
| Max-Q Boost Clock | N/A | N/A | 1341 - 1480MHz | 1265 - 1379MHz | 1278 - 1468MHz |
| Memory clock | 7004 MHz | 7,008 MHz | 8,008 MHz | 8,008 MHz | 10,000 MHz |
| Memory interface | 256-bit | 128-bit | 192-bit | 256-bit | 256-bit |
| Total memory bandwidth | 224 GB/s | 112 GB/s | 192GB/s | 256GB/s | 320 GB/s |
| Total dedicated GPU memory | 8 GB | 4 GB | 6 GB | 8 GB | 8 GB |
| VRAM Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 | GDDR5 | GDDR5 | GDDR5X |
| TDP | ~150W | ~60W | ~80W | ~120W | ~150W |
| Max-Q Design TDP | N/A | N/A | 60 - 70W | 80 - 90W | 90 - 110W |
