Nvidia straightens out 39 question marks – requires clear specifications for laptop graphics cards

When laptops are developed, it is a balancing act between many aspects, such as battery life, performance and cooling capacity. Processors and graphics cards for installation therefore usually come with several parameters that the manufacturers can turn on to go into port with the computers. As a guideline for consumers, Nvidia has coined the two terms Max-Q and Max-P – stamps that in round throws reveal whether the graphics card under the laptop’s hood is energy efficient or high-performance.

The Geforce RTX 3000 series for laptops recently debuted and the situation became more complex, as manufacturers reportedly can choose from a total of 39 different performance and energy levels for RTX 3080, RTX 3070 and RTX 3060 respectively. Now The Verge writes that Nvidia eliminates the risk of to buy the pig in the sack, by demanding transparency from computer manufacturers.

We’re requiring OEMs to update their product pages to the Max-Q technology features for each GeForce laptop, as well as clocks and power — which communicates the expected GPU performance in that system

In the future, manufacturers will have to print out the full specifications of the RTX 3000 graphics cards. This includes clock frequencies and energy consumption, which results in the graphics performance of a laptop being easier to compare before purchasing. By just mentioning the model name, a lot is left to chance, where for example mobile Geforce RTX 3080 has a configurable power budget between 80 and north of 150 watts.

Furthermore, The Verge reports that Max-Q and -P names are given a place in the shadows and that they are no longer part of the complete product names. The former stamp now aims to clarify when graphics cards support features such as the silent mode Whisper Mode 2 and the hybrid mode Optimus, which means that the integrated graphics act as needed, to save energy.

Asus has already jumped on the bandwagon and for ROG Strix and TUF models such as the Zephyrus Duo 15 and Dash F15, respectively, the details can be read among the complete specifications. At first glance, however, the more fuzzy model names are still listed, which is why computer speculators are advised to take a closer look at the product pages before buying. More manufacturers are expected to join in the near future.

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