Core i3/5 Series & i5/6 Series Graphics

BarkingGhostar

Diamond Member
Nov 20, 2009
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Morning All,

I am curious to learn more about the embedded graphics in the Core i3 5-Series and i5 6-Series Intel processors. Anyone know what they are capable of doing? Not looking for anything related to gaming, but maybe to drive a pair of 1920x1080P monitors and at least playback 1920x1080P24 Blu-ray.

If anyone has a handy dandy reference link explaining these embedded graphics cores it would be appreciated. Of course, any user experiences would be nice, too.
 

lopri

Elite Member
Jul 27, 2002
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Intel also claims support for DisplayPort with audio, but we've nothing yet in our lab to test this, and we've also yet to see any motherboard or portable device with dual HDMI ports too. Intel did firmly state Clarkdale can run two independent digital outputs, however on many motherboards we see the usual digital switcher that means you have to choose between DVI and HDMI. We'll have to keep an eye on this one because we suspect the second digital output is only available by using an external TMDS at extra cost.

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2010/01/25/intel-gma-hd-graphics-performance/1

Having said that, the improvement over previous IGP (GMA3500/4500) is visible from what I've seen. The problem with Intel IGP seems to always boil down to drivers/compatibility.
 

ther00kie16

Golden Member
Mar 28, 2008
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I recall seeing benchmarks showing that it's on par with 9300m, so about the fastest IGP you can get. However, drivers can be problematic and it's unclear if flash acceleration is fully supported.
 

BarkingGhostar

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Nov 20, 2009
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IntelUser2000

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Oct 14, 2003
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Here's a good guide: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1172451

HD Decode on CPUs THIS powerful are very overrated. It really doesn't matter if you are using 10% or 5%, its still ridiculously low enough not to care about GPU "acceleration".

That said, the iGPU supports Dual HD Decode on hardware with Bitstreaming. I hear they have a problem with 24p playback though, not sure if that's hardware problem or merely drivers.
 

exar333

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Feb 7, 2004
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lopri

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Jul 27, 2002
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I have heard the drivers are very good for the new i3/5 and i5/6 series chips. The HDMI uncompressed audio and video work great, and it apparently "just works".
I hope it's true. Others with positive experiences please report here. New Arrandale laptops I saw were very promising. But after being burned by G35/G45, I will need to be totally convinced before I pull the trigger.