14 DAY TRIAL // There once was a time when NVIDIA and Advanced Micro Devices had to provide their own means of switching between their GPUs and the integrated graphics chips of whatever CPUs acted as the heart of laptops. Maingear has joined a more recent movement.
The movement we are referring to is the one that several other makers of mid- to high-end laptops are giving a go: Lucid Virtu.
Virtu is a technology that Lucid developed. In essence, it acts like NVIDIA's Optimus, in that it lets the PC know when to use the CPU's iGP and when to activate the discrete GPU.
Energy efficiency is the entire goal of this method, and since the discrete GPU is completely inactive when unused, the power savings are considerable indeed.
Which brings us to Maingear: the company has decided to install Virtu on all its Nomad series mobile personal computers.
Maingear further claims that Virtu MVP software improves game performance by 30%, through a combination of Lucid Virtu MVP Mobile Virtual Vsync and Hyperformance features.
The former boost Vsync frame rates by up to 250% compared to standard rates, while the latter eliminates redundant tasks by predicting synchronization issues that may or may not arise between the integrated in discrete GPUs.
Thus, with both the integrated and the discrete GPUs collaborating, the game runs better and the peripherals (keyboard+mouse) are more responsive.
Maingear's Nomad series of laptops can be found here. Right now, there are two of them: the Nomad 15 (15-inch display) and the Nomad 17 (17.3 inches).
"Maingear Nomad series laptops with Lucid Virtu MVP Mobile technology will help give gamers a competitive edge by providing a smoother and more immersive gaming experience," said Wallace Santos, founder and CEO of Maingear Computers.
"By improving GPU efficiency, eliminating tearing and increasing response time, we determined that Virtu MVP Mobile is a must for serious gamers on the go."