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If you’ve been following the recent release of Intel’s Core i3 and Core i5 processors (codenamed Clarkdale and Arrandale) then you know that they have an integrated GPU. This is one of the biggest features of the new processors as well as an important differentiator between them and the flagship Core i7 models.
The Inquirer has posted a good read about those GPUs and their usability for more demanding graphics applications, like gaming. Obvious a Core i5’s integrated graphics is going to have limited power, but it does surprisingly well. The article found that it can handle 1600×1200 gaming as well as basic 3D work.
From the article:
… the playability in the 3D games I tried was okay even at resolutions up to 1600×1200, the limit of the monitor I used with the platform. As long, of course, as the effects in the games were in the entry to mid level, rather than complex. That’s all fine for an entry-level platform, still being on average twice as fast in graphics runs as the previous Intel offering, the G45 chipset combined with the Core 2 8600 dual-core CPU. You’ve already seen a zillion different game benchmarks for the new CPUs all over the web, so I won’t repeat them here.
As well as the GPU did, the article goes on to point out that the graphics solution is not a replacement for an entry level graphics card, like the ATI 5570–even these affordable (sub-$100) options are a “couple of times faster” than integrated. Even so, the author remained enthusiastic about the graphics and their application on low-power and small form factor computers
