14 DAY TRIAL // LucidLogix' Virtu on-the-fly graphics switching technology for Sandy Bridge motherboards has managed to gain a strong market acceptance, and Gigabyte is the latest company to announce that their upcoming Z68 solutions will feature support for this driver.
LucidLogix has designed the Virtu technology so that it would allow for on-the-fly switching between the Sandy Bridge on-die GPU and a discrete graphics card.
The switch is done seamlessly by the driver according to a preset list of applications, that can also be customized by the user.
This way, consumers will get an energy-efficient system and can also use the Quick Sync video transcoding technology that is embedded inside Intel's latest processors.
The Virtu driver is compatible with all the LGA 1155 chipsets that feature support for integrated graphics. Right now, the list includes only the H67 PCH, but this will be joined by the Z68 in a few days time.
This latest Intel chipset comes as a hybrid between the P67 and the H67 and packs an FDI interface, support for CPU multiplier adjustment as well as Intel's Smart Response SSD caching technology.
“We are excited about our new partnership with Lucid because of the huge potential for switchable graphics in the PC DIY market where Gigabyte motherboards enjoy considerable market share,” said Henry Kao, VP of R&D, at Gigabyte.
“We believe that Virtu will add considerable value to Gigabyte motherboards using Intel’s Sandy Bridge graphics and will provide our customers with the flexibility and choice they want from their system,” concluded the company's rep.
Gigabyte will offer Virtu support in the upcoming Z68X-UD3H-B3, Z68A-D3H-B3, Z68MX-UD2H-B3 and Z68MA-D2H-B3 motherboards.
All of these boards are based on the Z68 PCH and should become available on May 11, when Intel is expected to officially announce the chipset.