For a while now, NVIDIA has been offering a graphics technology that allowed the user to change between a discrete GPU and an integrated GPU in their notebook computer. The user had to initiate the change when they wanted to use either GPU and many users simply never used the feature. The goal was to give the notebook user a powerful GPU when needed, but allow for a power sipping discrete GPU when battery life was the main goal.

NVIDIA has today unveiled a new technology called Optimus that takes the dual GPU system NVIDIA already has and makes it much easier for the user. Optimus is able to optimize the performance of the notebook automatically without any input from the carbon-based life form in front of the screen. What that means is that the technology knows when the system needs the discrete GPU and will start it up automatically and when the discrete GPU isn’t needed, it turns it off automatically.

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