NVIDIA Announces Entire Line of DX11 Fermi-Based Mobile GPUs

NVIDIA has just taken the wraps off an entire line-up of Fermi-based GeForce GT and GTX 400M mobile GPUs—seven in total---and revealed a number of notebook design wins from major OEMs using the GPUs. Like their desktop-targeted counterparts, the mobile GeForce GT and GTX 400M series GPUs leverage technology from NVIDIA’s Fermi architecture, which debuted in the GF100 GPU at the heart of the company’s flagship GeForce GTX 480.

GeForce GT and GTX 400M series GPUs are DirectX 11 compatible and support all of NVIDIA’s “Graphics Plus” features, including PhysX, 3D Vision, CUDA, Verde drivers, and 3DTV Play. All of the GeForce GT and GTX 400M GPUs support NVIDIA’s Optimus technology as well.

NVIDIA Seven New GeForce 400M Mobile GPUs

As we’ve mentioned, the line-up consists of seven new GPUs; the GeForce GTX 470M and GTX 460M are the most powerful of the group and target enthusiasts and gamers, while the GeForce GT 445M, GT 435M, GT 425M, GT 420M and GT 415M target performance conscious, but more mainstream consumers. The GeForce GTX 480M, which is currently NVIDIA’s most powerful mobile GPU, debuted a few months ago and compliments the high-end 470M and 460M.

The complete list of specifications for the current line-up of GeForce GTX 400M mobile GPUs is outlined above. As you can see, the new GeForce GTX 470M and 460M feature much higher default frequencies than the GeForce GTX 480M, but have fewer CUDA cores and narrower memory interfaces. From a pure feature standpoint, however, all of the chips offer support for the same set of features.

The specifications for the more mainstream GeForce GT 445M, GT 435M, GT 425M, GT 420M and GT 415M GPUs are detailed in the chart above. All of the chips have varying default clocks and CUDA core configurations, but offer the same set of features, which doesn’t include SLI. Before asking why SLI isn’t supported, keep in mind it’s usually cheaper and more power efficient to use a single more powerful GPU in a notebook, than two lower-power ones.

We have already seen a number of upcoming notebooks in person based on NVIDIA’s new GeForce 400M series of mobile GPUs and are excited by the prospects. There are an assortment of thin and light, mainstream, and enthusiast class notebooks coming down the pipeline that leverage both these new GPUs and NVIDIA’s excellent Optimus technology, which makes switching between an integrated and discrete GPU seamless and transparent to the end user. Another interesting facet of some of these upcoming notebooks is integration of NVIDIA’s 3D Vision technology. There are a few notebooks available today that feature 120Hz LCD panels that are compatible with NVIDIA’s 3D Vision technology, but users are required to connect a 3D Vision USB emitter, just as they would on a desktop system. These new notebooks, however, have the 3D Vision emitter built into the notebook’s bezel, so users no longer have to carry around or contend with an external emitter.

But Wait, There's More! Asus Also Has an AIO PC Coming With Integrated 3D Vision

We hope to evaluate some of the new notebooks features NVIDIA’s GeForce 400M mobile GPUs in the not too distant future. For now, here’s the official release direct from NVIDIA...

NVIDIA Optimus and 3D Vision Notebooks Featuring New GeForce 400M Series GPUs Arrive for the Holidays

Six of Seven Top Vendors now shipping NVIDIA Optimus Notebooks

IFA--BERLIN--Sept. 3, 2010--NVIDIA today introduced the NVIDIA GeForce 400M series of graphics processing units (GPUs) – the building blocks for the next-generation of NVIDIA Optimus and  NVIDIA 3D Vision notebooks that are coming onto the market from leading vendors, including Acer, Asus, Dell, Lenovo, Samsung and Toshiba, with others set to announce soon.

The new series of NVIDIA GeForce 400M GPUs includes:

• For enthusiast users:  GeForce GTX 470M and GTX 460M.
• For performance users: GeForce GT 445M, GT 435M, GT 425M, GT 420M and GT 415M.

A critical component of the GeForce 400M Series is support for NVIDIA Optimus technology, which enables extra-long battery life by automatically switching on and off the GPU so that it runs only when needed.  It has been described by reviewers as among the most important notebook technologies to come to market in recent years.

The NVIDIA GeForce 400M series are the first notebook processors designed with NVIDIA’s Fermi architecture and built from the ground-up for Microsoft DirectX 11. They power notebooks with great battery life, and deliver the best high-definition (HD) experience, extensive Web browsing, immersive 3D and awesome gaming.  With up to 5X faster HD video uploads to Facebook and up to 10X the game performance on the year’s top title StarCraft II , GeForce, 400M GPUs are the ultimate notebook upgrade.

The GeForce 400M series is also able to deliver breathtaking stereoscopic 3D images for gamers, movie-lovers and photo enthusiasts when configured with NVIDIA 3D Vision glasses and a 3D display.  3D Vision supports the richest array of 3D content available, including over 425 games, Blu-ray 3D movies, photos and streaming Web video.  Notebook models featuring the GeForce 400M series and NVIDIA 3D Vision glasses will be available soon after launch, including the Acer Aspire 5745DG with GeForce GT 425M and the Asus G53Jw with GeForce GTX 460M.  In addition, by including support for NVIDIA 3DTV Play, consumers can attach their notebook to a brand new 3D TV and enjoy all the latest 3D content including the hottest games in the comfort of their living room.

Only NVIDIA GeForce GPUs offer “Graphics Plus” features such as:

• NVIDIA 3D Vision support, for eye-popping immersive 3D environments
• PhysX support, for experiencing games with realistic physics effects
• CUDA support, for GPU computing applications
• NVIDIA Verde notebook drivers, for system stability and optimal performance
• Support for NVIDIA 3DTV Play software, for connecting 3D Vision-based notebooks and desktops to a 3D TV.

Acer, Asus, Dell, Lenovo, Samsung, and Toshiba all announced today support for 400 Series GPUs, with more OEMs announcing soon.