Intel Extreme Graphics: What is the real video card equivalent

[Kwad Guy]

I've been helping out a few people at work who want a very low cost computer solution...surfing, low-end games, etc. Everyone is intrigued by the low prices on the Dell Dimension 2350 computers...which use integrated Intel Extreme Graphics. Yeah, yeah, I, you, and everyone else knows that these graphics are pretty poor compared to any current stand-alone video card you could buy.

BUT what's a fair comparison video card. I have read in different places that Intel Extreme Graphics are equivalent to TNT2 32mb card, a GeForce2 MX series card or (worst slam) a Matrox Millennium (8mb) card...

What's the fair comparison? A lot of the people looking at these new computers have older (and when purchased much more expensive) computers with things like the TNT2...If I could provide them with the comparison it would probably set their minds at ease (or else warn them off!)

Thanks,

Kwad

 

[dexvx]

Certainly not a Matrox Millenium 8MB. That card had virtually no 3D performance.

It most likely be the equivalent of a GeForce 2MX. And FYI, a Dimension 45xx series is not much more expensive.

 

[Mingon]

a geforce 2 mx200 even the 400 is better or an nforce running only 1 bank of memory

 

[SithSolo1]

IEG is equivalent to you drawing each frame on your monitor with magic markers.

I'd say its sub TNT2.

 

[dexvx]

Originally posted by: SithSolo1
IEG is equivalent to you drawing each frame on your monitor with magic markers.

I'd say its sub TNT2.

TNT2 ran at 125Mhz core with 150Mhz SDR SDRam. Its peak fill rate was 125 MPixels/s 250 MTexels/s, at 2.4GB/sec.
i845G runs at 200Mhz core with shared 166Mhz DDR SDRam. Its peak fill rate is 200 MPixels/s, 800 MTexels/s, at 2.7MB/sec

You do the math. And I also have to add since TNT2 technology, there has been a lot of emphasis on bandwidth saving algorithms (nvidia's LSA and ATI's Hyper-Z).

Link. As expected, in memory bandwidth bound situations, it tops out worse than a GF2MX200. Otherwise it'd be approximately onpar. An nForce 1 running on a single bank wouldnt perform better, it'd be more or less then same.

 

[Priit]

Looking how it runs Quake 3 slower than MX200, I'd still say it's in TnT2 Pro/Ultra level...

 

[bgeh]

i think it's somewhere between a GF 2 MX 200 and TNT 2 Ultra
anyway, the worst part imo is that Dell(in Malaysia) emboldens the Intel Extreme Graphics part in its newspaper ads like its such a big feature.........

 

[Batman5177]

believe it or not, their marketing strategy works! call it "Extreme" and people will buy it!

just check out the gamespot forums. you'll find lots of people wondering why their P4 3.06ghz with intel extreme graphics wont run games well.

 

[MadRat]

Its derived from Intel's own i740 graphics chip.

 

[AtomicAlien]

Originally posted by: Batman5177
believe it or not, their marketing strategy works! call it "Extreme" and people will buy it!

just check out the gamespot forums. you'll find lots of people wondering why their P4 3.06ghz with intel extreme graphics wont run games well.

LOL! I've seen those posts here also.

 

[ai42]

i think it's somewhere between a GF 2 MX 200 and TNT 2 Ultra

You guys seam to forget the Era of GeForce 256. My dad is still running it on his system (hey he dosen't play games so it's good enough). GF256 even had DDR or SDR options. I remember when I first got my GF2 MX and I smoked his 3D Mark 2000 scores, by a good 1500 points!

 

[ScrapSilicon]

Originally posted by: MadRat
Its derived from Intel's own i740 graphics chip.

very comforting...

 

[Ilmater]

Originally posted by: SithSolo1
IEG is equivalent to you drawing each frame on your monitor with magic markers.

I'd say its sub TNT2.

LOL! Oh, that's good. I'll have you know I can draw on my monitor pretty quickly.

My last video card was a TNT2, and that was SLOOOOOOOOW. I wouldn't wish that kind of speed on my worst enemy.

 

[Wiktor]

The i740 had it's own 8MB of RAM and I remember it ran Q3 at 20-30 fps with Lightmap and 30-40 with Vertex lightning at 800x600, then I switched it to TNT II MX64 and it is about the same performance.
I think we have that kind of dells at shool and when I once run Q3 demo - it wasn't very playable, definetly below any GF2, but for non 3D games it's no problem otherwise get at least GF4 MX.

 

[bluemax]

Most people are right saying between TNT2 (not M64) and MX-200 for performance.
For its design, that's not so bad....

Grab yourself a PCI GF4MX-440, Radeon 7500/9000 PCI, or the spiffy Visiontek Radeon 9100 PCI if you want some moderatly-high-end gaming power out of a decent lil' machine.

 

[Banana]

Originally posted by: Ilmater

Originally posted by: SithSolo1
IEG is equivalent to you drawing each frame on your monitor with magic markers.

I'd say its sub TNT2.

LOL! Oh, that's good. I'll have you know I can draw on my monitor pretty quickly.

My last video card was a TNT2, and that was SLOOOOOOOOW. I wouldn't wish that kind of speed on my worst enemy.

Aww come on--The TNT2 was good for its time. If you were using it for recent graphic intense applications, you have only yourself to blame!

BTW, do IT departments like integrated chips on motherboards because of the convenience/stability factor? I know this head of IT who swears by integrated components.

1YP

 

[Kwad Guy]

Integrated components have three values to IT:

1) Cheaper to manufacture means cheaper to buy. Keeps costs down.

2) Standardized. All the computers you buy from the same line will have the identical graphics.
This is much better for maintanance/putting a single image on all the supported machines.

3) Integrated graphics are typically well supported in following OS releases. This is particularly
true for Intel supplied integrated graphics. No driver headaches.

Kwad

 

[Whitedog]

My Wife still uses a TNT2 PCI card.




[edit] Then again, what else do you need for Surfing and Excel? Oh, once in a while she'll play a 2D game.

 

[Banana]

Originally posted by: Whitedog
My Wife still uses a TNT2 PCI card.

[edit] Then again, what else do you need for Surfing and Excel? Oh, once in a while she'll play a 2D game.

All my wife does (on the PC) is surf/shop/chat. And she has my hand-me-down GF2 Pro 64MB video card! That's overkill, but I love her so.

1YP

 

[onelin]

Kwad Guy: Despite it's bad rep, the integrated intel graphics should be more than enough for your coworkers. Beyond that, there are boards (like the one I am typing this to you on) that still have an AGP slot in case it isn't.

edit* obviously NOT the rig in my sig

If you care enough, I'll bench some games on a P4 2.53GHz w/ 512MB... IEG, Geforce DDR, and Geforce4 Ti4400... but with dual monitors & micro-atx it's a nuisance if you don't really need to know.

 

[XBoxLPU]

My mom still uses an Rage 128, a whopping 4mb

 

[0roo0roo]

Originally posted by: Whitedog
My Wife still uses a TNT2 PCI card.




[edit] Then again, what else do you need for Surfing and Excel? Oh, once in a while she'll play a 2D game.

heh yea nongaming its fine. but games are starting to reject that card cuz it lacks gpu it seems. u can't run newer games like splinter cell/bf1842/nolf 2.. they just plain reject the card. atleast it happened on my friends comp, game say no go hehe

 

[Macro2]

how would the intel extreme graphics compare to the IGP nForce2 graphics chip?

 

[Lonyo]

We have a TNT2 Ultra and 600MHz P3, runs Max Payne OK, not great with B&W, anything after isn't much of a hope :/

 

[merlocka]

There are some details in this thread.

I posted some results of the IEG on my laptop.


Oddly enough, I've recently benchmarked the Intel "Extreme" graphics on my laptop.

Dell C400 laptop
P3 1.2GHz
512MB PC133
Windows 2000
Intel 830M "Extreme" integrated graphics, driver version 12.1

Quake3Arena demo

Demo001 - Set to "high quality" then resolution/color depth changed
640x480x16/32bpp = 72/62FPS
1024x768x16/32bpp = 32/27FPS

Mad Onion

3DMark2001SE
640x480x16/32bpp = 1875/1714
1024x768x16/32bpp = 1017/985


In general, it's about TnT2 performance.