NVIDIA Max-Q tech makes gaming laptops ridiculously thin

The PC industry seems to have finally realized that while gamers want all the power they can squeeze out of a laptop, they don't necessarily want to carrry their desk on their backs. We are starting to see the emergence of thin and lightweight gaming laptops that, while definitely thinner than old bricks, are still not what you'd exactly consider "thin". NVIDIA is aiming to change all that with its new Max-Q design approach that aims to create gaming laptops that are as thin as MacBook Airs.

Consider that for a moment. A MacBook Air, which is around 17 mm at its thickest, is one of the lightest laptops around. Given that cramped space however, is it nowhere near capable for serious gaming. NVIDIA's Max-Q tech, however, will be making laptops that are about 18 mm thick, but still have the same muscle you'd find in bulkier gaming laptops today.

Max-Q is a term well-known to NASA. It refers to the maximum pressure, a.k.a."maximum Q", where aerodynamic stress is maximized. Of course, gaming laptops don't fly, but NVIDIA is applying the concept to the design of laptops. Of course, NVIDIA isn't spilling the beans on how that all applies, other than how the Max-Q idea drives the way they design and operate the hardware for peak performance.

These laptops will still use the same Pascal-based GTX 10 GPUs gamers have come to love, namely the 1080 and its more price-conscious siblings. Max-Q simply guides how the hardware is optimized for gaming performance with lower voltage. It also permeates the thermal design of such laptops, employing even more advanced solutions to keep gaming laptops from becoming ticking time bombs. These laptops are also equipped with all of NVIDIA's GeForce technologies, including WhisperMode.

Of course, to see, and feel, is to believe, and we won't have to wait too long. The graphics tech company promises that Max-Q laptops, with GeForce GTX 1080, 1070, and 1060 graphics, will be available starting June 27 from leading OEMs. How much this new tech will cost gamers, however, is something we'll also have to watch for.