The end may be near for discrete chipsets, at least if NVidia has its way, but does this mean an end for performance motherboards? Often considered the bane of performance computing, integrated graphics will soon be found on all of the firm’s products. If that idea sends chills down your spine, NVidia is hoping that today’s launch will change your mind.

Welcome to the era of Hybrid SLI, where mainstream discrete cards are to receive a small performance boost from an integrated controller, while systems with high-end graphics benefit from increased energy efficiency. Under the banner of GeForce Boost, GeForce 8400GS and 8500GT graphics cards benefit from the 3D power of NVidia’s onboard graphics processor, by sharing the workload. At the other end of the market, NVidia’s HybridPower technology allows onboard graphics to take over display needs in 2D applications, powering down 9800GTX and 9800GX2 processors when 3D performance isn’t needed. These technologies are mutually exclusive, and while NVidia has promised expanded support for Hybrid SLI in upcoming drivers READ MORE AT TomsHardware

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