nVidia's HybridPower and Intel mobos

There's about 10 sites out there that have said, every month of 2008 up to about April, that "this summer" we will see nVidia mobo designs for INTEL chipsets (for AMD they already exist) that are compatible and work with a GeForce card with HybridPower (models 9800 up to GTX 280). HybridPower allows the user to flip a program's switch, telling the system to turn off your GPU when not in need of it for some insane 3d game, instead using the mobo's integrated graphics (i.e. when looking at HD, playing Starcraft 2, ordinary non-neede stuff).

It's nearly freakin' snowing by now!
Each time I think I have all the angles cornered on my first computer buy (others where gifts for studies), something new comes up. I started looking at the beginning of 2008, and it's nearly the end now, and new stuff keeps coming to the fore about the hardware I want to buy: GPU fan too noisy, Northbridge fan is noise tornado, no current Intel mobos support HybridPower to turn off that pesky GPU when not in use, etc etc. ARGHHH!

What do you think you can benefit form shutting off the GPU and using the integrated graphics?

NO other benefit besides sweet silence. The GTX 280 is supposedly quite noisy, and all reviews and comments I've read from users point to the card's fan not reducing its RPMs after - let's say - a game is shut down. So the card keeps on working, doing nothing, making lots of noise. Apparently it might be a bug in the drivers or whatnot.

If they can fix that in a later driver I won't need HybridPower.

Well i have one and can tell you thats not true. Its the complete opposite, its actually very quiet, way more quiet then my 8800 GTS. Also there is no noise difference from playing a game or just browsing the internet. The GTX280 doesnt get hot enough for the fan to kick into high rpm's. There is no fan bug for this card either and if the fan does speed up it doesnt get "stuck" at high rpm's. I have never even heard my video cards fan hit high rpm's once unless i did it manually. So none of that is true. But back to the thread... There is really no need in using integrated graphics unless your worried about saving energy. It will just bring your motherboad temp up and if your overclocked it already going to be a bit warm.

Mmm, valid points.

Last thing maybe: The new architecture for nVidia's next gen SLI mobos (post 790i) were supposed to be out this summer, but it's winter now. Am I to believe or at least hope in the hype some site's "reporters" have reported on their capabilities? Insane stuff like 10+USB connections, and a slew of other exagerated numbers for otpical audio, HDMI, stuff like that.

I.e., should I buy EVGA's 750i FTW now or not?

EVGA 750i? Why not 780i?

You may want to wait another week or 2. EVGA is supposedly going to release the 730i that have an integrated 9300 chip and supports hybridSLI. Only has one PCI-E x16 port though...
The new macbookpros have this option. Integrated 9300 and a 9600GT add on card that can use HybridSLI but only in windows since apple has no driver support for SLI.

There is also supposed to be a intergated 9400 chip available as well but I have not seen much on that yet.