With Intel’s ‘Haswell‘ computer processors promising better battery life and graphics performance for convertibles and tablet-Ultrabook hybrids due out in a couple of months, Nvidia is launching five new discrete graphics processors for laptops that will complement the new (and third-generation Ivy Bridge) Intel chips.
PC Gamers and creative professionals looking for a laptop with the portability of an Ultrabook but the graphics performance that only a discrete graphics chip can offer, should keep their eye out for the Nvidia GeForce GT 700M family of graphics processors when shopping for a new device.
There are five different chips in the 700M family: mainstream laptops at more affordable price points will use either the 720M or the 735M graphics, while the more expensive media powerhouses will use the 750M, 745M, or 740M graphics chips. Because all the chips from 730M and up are based on the Kepler architecture like its predecessors in the 500M family, the 700M lineup won’t blow your mind in terms of improvements in graphics performance, according to AnandTech. Overall, you can expect a 15-percent boost in graphics performance when playing the latest AAA titles like Borderlands 2, based on data provided by Nvidia.
Where this generation of GPUs really shines is in working smarter and more energy-efficient so it doesn’t suck all the power from the machine. After all, the Haswell-powered laptop is expected to last for up to 13-hours (at least that’s what Intel is touting). To help new laptops live up to their battery life billing, the Nvidia 700M GPUs do several key things automatically, without any user input.
As highlighted in Nvidia’s blog post, not only do they all feature Boost 2.0 technology that automatically adjusts GPU clock speed to max out graphics performance, the 700M chips also support Nvidia Optimus technology that automatically switches the GPU on and off when it is not needed (like when editing a Word document) to conserve power in a laptop. Gamers, in particular, will really appreciate GeForce Experience software, which automatically figures out and changes your in-game graphics settings based on what your laptop can handle rather than have you randomly guess what settings you should use to play each game.
Laptops with the Nvidia GeForce 700M discrete graphics chips will be making their way into stores soon, so we won’t know how much these discrete graphics will add to the price tag until new laptop models are introduced. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to upgrade your existing machine with these GPUs as they are only available to laptop manufacturers.
