Ivy Bridge Graphics: Entry-Level Cards are Dead - tedescobutibill79

The most impressive feature of Intel's new Ivy Bridge CPU is the graphics portion of the chip. The HD 4000 GPU built into these processors is a huge improvement over the chips set up in current-generation Blonde Bridge products, and is fast enough to create inexpensive entry-level graphics cards obsolete. You'll still want a good separate nontextual matter card game for serious play, but our benchmarks show that there's just no reason to buy a $50 graphics card any longer.

This stands in contrast to the processor's generalised figure out performance, which is just slightly faster than current Intel CPUs. (For more, have a look at our examination of overall Ivy Bridge performance.) Hedera helix Bridge is more energy-expeditious, which will be especially useful in laptops, just the about perceptible vary in performance will be felt when you run 3D graphics applications.

Features, Speeds, and Feeds

When first seen the Ivy Bridge circuit GPU might seem as if it would run slower than the Intel HD 3000 applied science built into Intel's Sandy Bridge over processors. The Sandy Bridge circuit GPU runs at a base clock frequency of 850MHz, with a Turbo Encourage clock as high as 1350MHz. Ivy Bridgework's HD 4000 GPU, along the other hand, is 200MHz slower, operating at a base clock speed of 650MHz, with a Turbo Boost time of 1150MHz.

Intel has made enhancements to the GPU engine to improve efficiency, but other factors help to mitigate the time-rate operation, besides. 1st, the hot HD 4000 GPU contains 16 execution units, versus the 12 built into Sandy Bridge. Second, Ivy Bridge supports DDR3-1600 memory, American Samoa opposed to the Sandy Nosepiece memory controller, which formally supports only DDR3-1333. Ivy Bridge gains 25 percent more analog cipher power and higher prospective throughput attributable the added retentiveness bandwidth.

Before diving into carrying out comparisons, it's worthwhile to examine additional Ivy Bridge GPU have changes.

• Full support for Microsoft's DirectX 11 API, including ironware tessellation and GPU figure out: Intel claims that GPU-compute applications will play exclusively on the English ivy Nosepiece GPU if so instructed, and GPU-compute tasks won't be offloaded to the CPU.
• Cardinal texture units are present, A opposed to a single texture social unit in Sandy Bridge.
• The new reckon shader enables greater data correspondence, and full subscribe for Shader Model 5, which is required for DirectX 11.
• A divided up L3 cache is built into the GPU pith itself, which reduces the need to fetch data from the ring bus and the Central processing unit memory cache.
• Support is enclosed for up to trey simultaneous displays (DVI, HDMI, or DisplayPort).
• HDMI 1.4a, including high-bit-charge per unit audio, is supported.
• Quick Synchronize video is improved, and includes amend support for Blu-re stereoscopic 3D.

Those sport additions, on with the intragroup rearchitecting of the actual compute units, suggest that Ivy Bridge 3D graphics performance should be better than what you can get from other products. Let's get a load at actual benchmarks.

Next Page: Synthetic Benchmarks

Performance Testing

We ran benchmarks in several configurations, just performed all of them on a common platform:

• Gigabyte Z77-UD3 motherboard
• Frame buffer memory for Intel HD Graphics set in the system of rules BIOS to 1GB
• 8GB DDR3-1600 memory for Core i7-3770K, DDR3-1333 for Core i7-2600K
• 1TB, 7200-rpm Western Digital hard drive
• 750W Antec Power High Current Pro baron supply

We also followed reliable procedures:

• We ran all game benchmarks at 1080p solvent. We also set Unigine Promised land at 1080p, with normal tessellation enabled. We ran 3DMark Advantage and 3DMark 2011 in their "performance" fashion.
• We ran game benchmarks on Hedera helix Bridge in DirectX 11 modality when open, but also ran them in DX9/10 modes on the same games for comparison.
• We put-upon an XFX Radeon HD 6450–an entry-dismantle, DirectX 11-capable art card costing roughly $40–with the Ivy Bridge deck system, to get a tactile property for how the Intel HD 4000 might compare to an entry-level, discrete nontextual matter card.

Synthetic substance Benchmarks

First up is 3DMark 2011, a DirectX 11-only graphics benchmark.

The Radeon HD 6450 fell further behind the Intel HD 4000. It was no contest, really.

Now it's on to another DirectX 11 synthetic test, Unigine Shangri-la 2.5.

Here, the Intel GPU in reality lapped the Radeon HD 6450, achieving over double the fles value at 1080p, with normal tessellation put up. It's not a very squeaky number, to be sure, but the results from both 3DMark 2011 and Unigine Heaven are solid proof that the Intel HD 4000 is DX11-capable.

Next, let's look at 3DMark Vantage, a DirectX 10 synthetic test.

The Core i7-3770K has a 100MHz frequency reward complete the Core i7-2600K, but the GPU cores run at the synoptic frequency across all CPUs with the same GPU gist. So the 2600K's GPU still clocks at 850MHz and the 3770K's HD 4000 GPU standing runs at 650MHz. However, the Ivy Bridge GPU posted a score that's almost 900 points higher. Meanwhile, the Radeon HD 6450 unbroken chugging on in a distant third.

Synthetic benchmarks are finely, but how did Intel's graphics technology fare on the real games in our tests? Read on.

Incoming Page: Game Benchmarks

Game Performance

Some of the games we used support only DirectX 9 or 10. On the games that support DX11, we tried to run Common ivy Nosepiece in both DX11 and DX9/10 modes. That wasn't always possible, however; for example, Dirt 3 set to general medium detail level ran in DX9 mode. Beneath, we show all the results where applicatory.

We ran all games at 1920-by-1080-pixel resolution, at medium item levels.

Shogun 2 looked to exist almost playable happening the 3770K in DX9 mode; the result was still quicker than what we saw from the Radeon HD 6450 running in DX11 mode. Meanwhile, the Sandy Bridge GPU just couldn't keep up. Shogun 2 is very graphics intensive, even at medium settings, so you'll need to telephone dial back the graphics point and resolution if you wishing to reach consistent frame rates above 30 Federal Protective Service.

Although labeled DX11, some the Radeon HD 6450 and the Ivy Bridge GPU believable ran in DX9 mode in this test, though it's hard to represent careful. Some the API used, Unimproved 3 seemed playable with Ivy Bridge at 1080p and medium particular levels–and the Ivy Bridge deck GPU was considerably quicker than the other cardinal.

Just Lawsuit 2 created a shake up when it first shipped because it was DirectX 10 only, and information technology hammered most of the GPUs of the day. At medium settings and 1080p, information technology tranquilize wasn't really playable along any of the GPUs we tested, so you'll wishing to dial binding the settings even more. However, the Kernel i7-3770K once again took the crown away a substantial tolerance.

Metro 2033 is a big carrying into action hog, and hitting nearly 15 frames per back in its very difficult, integral benchmark is actually pretty remarkable. Still, you'll want to dial in reply to bring dow detail levels and probably reduce the resolution to score this game fully playable happening the HD 4000.

In DirectX 10 musical mode, the 3770K reached a frame range just short of 24 fps, but actual gameplay at 1080p with medium detail levels seemed to be moderately smooth. DirectX 11 mode was another narration–you'll probably want to avoid running in DX11 way with this stake on the HD 4000.

Stalker: Call of Pripyat is an aging title these days, merely its DirectX 11 benchmark remains quite hard-to-please. In DX11 mode, the HD 4000 still outpaced the HD 3000 and Radeon GPUs. In DirectX 10 way, it got about 25 percent more carrying into action.

Next Page: Media Transcoding, and the Bed Line

Media Transcoding

We ran only a single media-transcoding psychometric test, so the results are not by a long sight determinate.

Both results were repeatable, but the minor differences really signal a dead heat, with a slight edge going away to the older Blonde Bridge GPU. This may equal a case where simple clock frequency may have given the older GPU an reward. Or perhaps applications need to be tweaked a little to micturate full function of the Common ivy Bridge circuit telecasting engine. We'll have to withhold any final conclusion until we find a few much applications to test.

Introduction-Level GPUs Are Dead

AMD and Nvidia created a healthy business out of selling $40-to-$70 graphics card game, offering improved functioning and compatibility with late games. However, the Intel HD 3000 built into Sandy Bridge suggested that these low-end cards may take up limited utility, and the HD 4000 portion of Ivy Bridge deck beautiful much puts the nail in the coffin.

Serious gamers will want midrange OR high-end artwork cards for the smoothest frame rates at high detail settings. At the same prison term, though, laptop users with Intel art may be able to look forward to moderate functioning in now's games, if they're willing to sacrifice a trifle eye candy. Smaller laptop displays aren't conducive to showing off all the capabilities of modern game engines anyway, so dialing back detail levels may non matter.

With the Intel HD 4000, Intel has shipped a respectable submission-degree GPU that's fully DirectX 11 compliant–and happens to come built inside an excellent CPU. That's pretty significant for a central processor that's supposed to live just the "tock" in Intel's "tick-tock" model.

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Source: https://www.pcworld.com/article/470109/ivy_bridge_graphics_entry_level_cards_are_dead.html

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