Nvida Goes Mobile With GeForce 8M

The GeForce 8 series is breaking free from desktop gaming rigs and hitting the road in notebooks.

With Nvidia cranking out new versions of the GeForce 8 right and left, it should come as no surprise that their flagship GPU is finally shedding some weight and migrating to notebook computers. The company unveiled the GeForce 8M series on Wednesday, which will bring DirectX 10, HD video processing, and of course – higher performance – to laptops.

While gaming drives the demand for faster GPUs on desktops, notebook users will be able to find other uses for the extra pixel-pushing power. Windows Vista, for one, will take advantage of the GeForce 8M’s DirectX 10 capability with its spiffed-up (and more performance demanding) Aero Premium interface. High-definition movies in the H.264 codec can also use the GPU as a hardware decoder, taking the strain off the CPU.

"The new GeForce 8M Series GPUs are ushering in the new generation of Vista notebook PCs," said Rene Haas, general manager of Nvidia’s notebook GPU business, in a statement. "The new notebooks with support for Windows Vista’s Premium, DirectX 10 and HD video playback, will help consumers enjoy the new era of visually rich content as it was meant to be experienced."

The GeForce 8400M and 8600M will appear in HP, Toshiba, Acer, Samsung and Asus laptops.