3rd Gen Intel Hd Graphics

The first generation of on-die Intel HD graphics, which was released with the Westmere compages, wasn't actually on-die as such, rather on-package. The on-package graphics engine was separate from the CPU. Furthermore, information technology was congenital using the 45nm process and non the same 32nm process used by the bodily CPU.

And then the second generation (Sandy Bridge) graphics changed all that by including the GPU on-die, meaning that information technology's also built using the same 32nm process equally the CPU. Even though both are now nether the aforementioned roof, the GPU is nonetheless contained of the CPU. It features its own clock domain, meaning that it can exist clocked independently and tin can be powered down as needed.

This same pattern principle has been used for the Ivy Bridge architecture, Intel has just added more than horsepower. At that place are again two different versions of the Intel Hard disk graphics and the Ivy Span processors can either employ the Hd 2500 or the faster Hd 4000 graphics engine.

They can be clocked up as loftier as 1350MHz and support a maximum resolution of 2560x1600. Rendering back up includes DirectX 11, OpenGL 3.1 and Shader Model Back up four.1. In contrast, the previous generation supported DirectX x.1 and OpenGL 3.0.

The shaders, cores and execution units are what Intel calls EUs (Execution Units) with HD Graphics 2500 featuring six and the speedier HD Graphics 4000 getting xvi. Interestingly, most Core i5 desktop processors utilise the slower Hd Graphics 2500 engine, while all mobile processors receive the 4000 engine.

Besides the increased resolution back up (up to 2560x1600 from 1920x1200 previously), the new Intel HD graphics now back up triple monitors. The Sandy Bridge processors were limited to dual displays much like Nvidia graphics cards. However the new Ivy Bridge graphics tin can simultaneously support three displays which is a nice upgrade.

Intel claims the 3rd Generation Core processor graphics delivers greater 3D functioning and API improvements over Sandy Bridge, such as 2x better performance in 3Dmark Vantage. Intel also says that the Ivy Bridge Intel Hd 2500 is expected to perform ~10-xx% college than Sandy Bridge Intel HD 2000 on 3D graphics workloads. Right off the bat, we recommend you focus more on features and encoding performance than gaming, as you lot volition see on our benchmarks later on this review.