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Date added: 05/06/2011 Bit-Tech - Gigabyte Z68 boards to use ‘virtual GPU’ software

Gigabyte has announced that at least four of its forthcoming Z68-based motherboards will use LucidLogix’s Virtu software to combine Intel’s Sandy Bridge processor graphics unit (PGU) with any add-in GPU, creating an all-in-one 'virtual' GPU.

Lucid previously made a name for itself with the Hydra chip, which aimed to combine the power of any graphics cards, regardless of the manufacturer. However, the company's Virtu technology takes the form of software.

Lucid claims that the software ‘will dynamically balance the advanced power-efficient, built-in media features of the Intel Core processor graphics with the high-end, DirectX 11 3D, anti-aliasing and performance features of discrete GPUs, while significantly reducing the power drain of traditional entertainment desktops.’

The idea is that the software will take advantage of the media-centric capabilities of the Sandy Bridge PGU, which Intel claims is capable of encoding video faster and with less power consumption than mid-range discrete GPUs. This might sound unlikely, but it is plausible.

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