Ivy Bridge graphics - Possibly competitive against low-end discrete solutions?

[XX55XX]

I'm thinking about getting the new hypothetical Lenovo Thinkpad T430s, when that gets released in May/June/whatever. Most likely, discrete Nvidia graphics will be an option (most likely a Quadro NVS 4200M), but with Ivy Bridge promising an increase in performance over SB (and with the addition of more API support), would it be feasible for a casual gamer to ditch the Nvidia graphics, save a few bucks, and count on IB graphics instead?

I plan on playing BF3 on this laptop, at any rate.

 

[Olikan]

if ivy drivers actully work with bf3, i will be surprised...

but yes, it will be competitive in the low-end

 

[FalseChristian]

If your gonna plan on playin' Battlefield 3 no discrete graphics card will run it faster than a slide show. Even my 2 GTX 460 1GB in SLI are barely enough to play this great game.

 

[Arzachel]

The iGPU in Ivy should perform around the same as Llano, so no.

 

[notty22]

Here is a youtube video of the Lenovo Ultrabook with Nvidia discrete Optimus graphics.
It looks very nice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=cSw25N-p7bQ

 

[Olikan]

some ppl may get surprised here...an e-450 can run bf3
with llano is playable

e-450
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFHafdLAF90

llano
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YSLpPFgSpU

serious guys, OP is a casual gamer, ivy is going to be good for him...i would say, wait for trinity...but yes, an ivy will be decent

 

[WMD]

The HD3000 on Sandybridge plays BF3 low 1024x768 at about 15-20fps. With the 50% or so performance improvement on ivy bridge I would expect it to be semi playable at 20-30fps.

 

[XX55XX]

The HD3000 on Sandybridge plays BF3 low 1024x768 at about 15-20fps. With the 50% or so performance improvement on ivy bridge I would expect it to be semi playable at 20-30fps.

Crap. Still not quite as good as the NVS 4200M I have on my laptop now. At 1280x720, this thing can pump out a good 25-40 frames per second on low settings.

 

[BFG10K]

Integrated will never be viable for 3D gaming for the simple fact that it’ll always share system RAM.

 

[Arkadrel]

llano
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YSLpPFgSpU

1366x768 medium settings.
stock A8-3500M with DDR1333 ram, doing around ~25 avg with fraps.... doesnt seem so bad.

I suspect trinity + tiny overclock + not useing fraps = playable fps rates
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YSLpPFgSpU

 

[Barfo]

Integrated will never be viable for 3D gaming for the simple fact that it’ll always have crappy drivers.

Fixed.

 

[formulav8]

Intel will optimise mainly for the games anand uses to bench to make their junky igps look good. Of course anand will Not switch around any of the games they bench to see if Intel really does focus on things like that. Its to often that the hd3k does ok in the top 3 or 4 games and falls flat on its face in other not so popular games. Just my opinion on the matter.

 

[Raghu]

The ivy bridge optimus parts will be 28nm NVIDIA graphics cards. Should be better than iGPU.

 

[Stuka87]

The iGPU in Ivy should perform around the same as Llano, so no.

I doubt this. From what I have heard the GPU in Ivy is around 50% faster than an HD3000. This is not up to Llano performance.

 

[meloz]

I doubt this. From what I have heard the GPU in Ivy is around 50% faster than an HD3000. This is not up to Llano performance.

The other thing is that the discreet market is not standing still, either. Eventually AMD and nvidia will have new generation of entry level parts to replace their current entry level GPUs, so it is a moving target.

Ultimately it comes down to what applications are used and usage habits. For most non-gamer people, IVB is going to be adequate.

 

[bryanW1995]

If you want to play BF 3, at anything other than the lowest settings, I'd plan to get a decent discreet card like gt 555 or 6770m/7490m at a bare minimum. Dual gtx 460's will play it just fine, though perhaps not with every single detail setting on max at 1920x1080.

 

[shadowofthesun]

http://battlelog.battlefield.com/bf3/news/view/2832654778817797165/

Support for Intel’s new Ivy Bridge product line (as yet unreleased)

So, at least on paper, the answer is yes.

Will it be enjoyable? Another question entirely...