How to play Skyrim without a discrete GPU

LucidLogix has rolled out a utility dubbed “DynamiX” which allows 
certain high-performance games to be played on mainstream, low-end laptops and Ultrabooks equipped with only an integrated GPU.



Lucid is currently offering a free trial version of “DynamiX” for those interested in trying out the utility on Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.



”With DynamiX, a single embedded GPU is all you will need to enjoy your favorite high-performance titles on most new notebooks without reducing display resolution or minimizing game performance settings,” said Lucid exec Offir Remez.

So, how does DynamiX work?

Essentially, says Remez, the platform is a unique implementation of real-time dynamic resolution technique.

“DynamiX is designed to enable a tunable minimum performance level to increase the playability of a game by dynamically changing the render target resolution of objects in real time, without the need of the game developer to design it in advance,” he explained.



“With DynamiX, games such as Skyrim, which is virtually unplayable (running under 20 FPS), now is available for millions of mainstream laptop users. All game HUDs (heads up displays), menus and maps are unchanged and displayed in full resolution as high as HD on equipped laptops.”



As Remez points out, many first person shooter (FPS), adventure and role-playing games (RPGs) are designed for systems that employ high-performance discrete GPUs – usually in combination with embedded or integrated GPUs.

As such, most laptops lack the hardware to run games such as Skyrim.

 However, DynamiX attempts to make it possible for users to enjoy high-end games even on systems with single embedded GPUs – such as Core-i5 Ultrabooks, without compromising performance.

A free beta version of DynamiX can be downloaded here.