On the American website of ASUS , at this address, is available a specific page for the new convertible notebook VivoBook Flip 14 . This is a classic 2-in-1 with screen connected to the base through two hinges that rotate by 360 °, so as to allow you to place the keyboard under the screen transforming it into a tablet.

The novelty is under the body, for now at least in the technical specifications indicated by the Taiwanese company. Next to the 11th Generation Intel Core processor from the Tiger Lake family, with Core i5 models – 1165 G4 or Core i7 – 1165 G7 depending on the configuration, ASUS has chosen to integrate a discrete video card. No GeForce MX, a classic for configurations of this type: we find in fact indicated a “ First Intel Discrete Graphics ” , which in fact corresponds to the card known as DG1 .

It is therefore the first discrete GPU developed by Intel for many years , based on Intel Xe Graphics architecture and expected to debut just for the end of 2020. ASUS is the first Intel notebook manufacturer partner to let leak the use of this GPU in its own product but it is conceivable that others may follow shortly.

The presence of a GPU discrete alongside the integrated GPU in the 11th generation Intel Core processor, both of the Intel Xe Graphics type, leaves to assume that the two chips can operate in parallel in a multi GPU configuration . In this case, even with the same clock frequency and number of Execution Units, the lion’s share belongs to the discrete GPU due to the presence of dedicated video memory; for the GPU integrated in the processor, the GPU component is in fact combined with the system memory.

It will be interesting to evaluate if this configuration allows to exploit the two GPUs in parallel with 3D applications and according to which approach. A lot of work will undoubtedly be required at the driver level to ensure full support from the different applications.