Graphics technology company Nvidia has revealed the latest in its line of cutting edge mobile graphics chips, showing off the 800M series of laptop cards. This brings the laptop offerings closer to the desktop class, which saw the release of the GTX 750 last month.
The new chips offer significant improvements to speed and power on laptop setups. The new enthusiast level gaming-centric lineup includes the GTX 880M, GTX 870M, GTX 860M, and GTX 850M, while the middle level cards are the 820M, 830M, and 840M.
The increase over the last line of cards ranges from anywhere between 15% to 60% in terms of power, and the high end GTX chips are capable of running games at high settings and 1080p at a minimum of 30fps, according to Nvidia.
Laptop manufacturers are releasing new products or updating models to make use of the new hardware, including the Alienware 17, Lenovo Y50, MSI GT 70, GT 60, GS 70, and GS 60, and Razer's new Blade Pro.
Power and speed increases are not the only features boasted by the new chip set. Also coming to laptops are Nvidia's ShawdowPlay and GameStream features, which have only been available for desktops until now. ShadowPlay is a free 1080p capture tool, and GameStream allows remote play through the Nvidia Shield handheld device. These will be available on not just the new cards, but the 600M and 700M chips as well.
Nvidia is also improving its software, adding features such as Battery Boost to its GeForce Experience control panel. Battery Boost, alongside Optimus technology, optimize the use of your battery and saves juice when not plugged into a power source. New options will also allow you to choose performance levels and power consumption for specific programs.
Source: IGN
