NVIDIA : What Is Max-Q?

When SpaceX blasts a Falcon Heavy into orbit, it does more than just break payload records. It tests the rocket's ability to withstand maximum mechanical stress from the physical pressure of pushing against all that air in those first minutes.

In aerospace, that maximum dynamic pressure is referred to as Max-Q. Borrowing from the aerospace term, NVIDIA's Max-Q is a design approach for optimizing energy-performance benefits in laptops.

Shortly after takeoff, you might hear those in the launch control center saying, 'We're approaching Max-Q' or 'We've reached Max-Q.'

Rocket launches push the limits of engineering. And the rockets themselves are carefully monitored after launch to stay below Max-Q to avoid damaging equipment worth tens of millions of dollars.

What Is Max-Q for Laptops?

Similarly, ultra-high-resolution computing has pushed the traditional limits for mobile PC designs.

Portable gaming systems that deliver the best frame rates and highest level of detail push against heat and energy limits. As a result, they require their own approach to Max-Q.

NVIDIA has adopted Max-Q as a design approach for developing GeForce laptops. It's a standard for engineering to get maximum GPU performance from the thinnest possible designs consuming the least energy.

Achieving this balance requires tuning everything from thermal management to electrical design to software. The results are sleek, quiet laptops that are a small fraction of the weight of earlier generation devices while delivering much greater performance than similarly sized laptops without Max-Q.

Partners that have adopted the NVIDIA Max-Q design standards include Microsoft, Dell and its Alienware unit, Lenovo, Asus, Acer and MSI.