Apparatus and method for power management of a computing system

A power management device for a computing system, the computing system comprising:

• a multi-GPU graphics processing and display subsystem supporting multi-GPU application-division parallel modes of graphics processing in order to execute graphic commands and process graphics data and render pixel-composited images containing graphics for display on a display device during the run-time of the multiple graphics-based applications;
• a CPU for executing graphics based applications and supporting the multi-GPU graphics processing and display subsystem;
• an automatic mode control module for automatically controlling the mode of operation of the multi-GPU graphics processing and display subsystem during the run-time of the multiple graphics-based applications so as to ensure efficient power management and graphics processing resource allocation;
• wherein the automatic mode control determines application profiles, and based on the determined application profile, determines which GPU or GPUs in the multi-GPU graphics processing and display subsystem should be assigned to process the stream of graphics command and data of particular graphics applications running on the computer system, the determination of the application profile including determining the graphics based application is a low graphics based application or a high graphics based application, and based on such determination automatically sending the graphics commands and data associated with the graphics based application to the at least one internal GPU or the at least one external GPU.

A method of managing power consumption in a computing system, comprising:

• automatically controlling the mode of operation of a multi-GPU graphics processing and display subsystem during run-time of multiple graphics-based applications so as to ensure efficient power management and graphics processing resource allocation, comprising:
• for each of a plurality of graphics based applications, determining an application profiles for the graphics based application, including determining whether the graphics based application is a low graphics based application or a high graphics based application;
• for each graphics based application, determining which GPU or GPUs in the multi-GPU graphics processing and display subsystem should be assigned to process a stream of graphics command and data for the graphics application running on the computer system based on whether the graphics based application is determined to be a low graphics based application or a high graphics based application;
• and
• automatically sending the graphics commands and data associated with the graphics based application to the at least one internal GPU or the at least one external GPU based on the determination of which GPU or GPUs in the multi-GPU graphics processing and display subsystem should be assigned to process a stream of graphics command and data for the graphics application running on the computer system.