Intel Core i7-3770K – Ivy Bridge and the 3D transistor is here

Game test: Integrated graphics performance

We will now take a closer look at one of Ivy Bridges main features, its new Gen 7 architecture and graphics circuit HD 4000. When making the comparisons we use their graphics circuit HD 3000, which can be found in several models for stationary computer and all the laptop models. Of course we’ve also chosen to compare it to the AMD A6-3650 and AMD A8-3850 to see where Intel stands in relation to it’s main competitor. We have also thrown in a Radeon HD 6450 that will be run together with the Core i7-3770K as a reference value.

Intel gets a head start in 3DMark Vantage and goes past every other model without any difficulties what so ever. We can immediately see that Intel has something that should be able to put up a fight against AMD’s integrated graphics.

In the more recent 3DMark 11 it doesn’t look as good for Intel, and it falls behind the AMD A8-3850 quite a bit. Although it places itself at approximately the same level as the A6.3650 with the built-in HD 6350D graphics, so we don’t have to put Intel in the corner.

When we look at Boarderlands we see that it’s a mixed crowd. If we take a look at the average frame rate the AMD A8-3850 take first place, while Intel gets a shared third place along with the AMD A6-3650. Judging by the minimum FPS though, there is no doubt of who the winner is and Intel can thank its powerful processor architecture for this.

In Civilization V Intel once again manages to snatch first place from AMD, who pushes very hard in its advertising for their integrated graphics.

In DiRT3 Intel places itself somewhere between the AMD A6 and A8, and manages to deliver very acceptable frame rates.

Intel HD 4000 gets in the top, with the AMD A8-3850 right behind it.

In the pouplar roleplaying game Skyrim we once again see Intel placing itself somewhere between the AMD A6 and the A8, and its powerful processor doesn’t help it to grab first place when we look at the tests minimum FPS.

In Battlefield 3 the Intel HD 4000 is so close it can smell the AMD A8-3850, but it don’t go all the way. However the difference is not big.

Discrete graphics cards in the low-end segment will have to watch out

Intel has improved quite a bit, and there’s no denying that their new integrated graphics is in a whole other league then before. We see how their HD 4000 often has performed better than AMD’s top model in the APU segment: the A8-3850, and that it also places itself somwhere between this model and the AMD A6-3650. Although AMD has it’s Trinity architecture just around the corner so what Intel has gained on AMD, they will loose in the next few weeks.

The markets cheapest graphics card will have a tough time in the future

Even if we count on Intel’s new graphics not being able to measure up to AMD’s upcoming Trinity, Ivy Bridge has officially turned the market for discrete graphics cards up-side-down. Now both AMD and Intel has integrated graphics that can compete with the graphics cards in the entry-level segment!

We can’t really see any reason to develop and manufacture this type of graphics cards, now when the bigger part of processors on the market comes with this level of performance. We assume that this is the reason for AMD and NVIDIA not have cared to make such graphics cards, but rather rebranding their older generation to cover a now dying market segment.