Intel HD Graphics 4000 Benchmarked

Whether it's an office notebook or budget offering, the current HD 3000 graphics can be found throughout the entire spectrum. The Sandy Bridge GPU is quick enough for most everyday tasks including Internet, HD video playback. 3D games or programs, however, will put the integrated GPU to a grinding halt. With the jump HD 4000, Intel is planning to mitigate this shortcoming to some extent by upgrading the video decoder (MFX), increasing the number of execution units from 12 to 16 and adding support for DirectX 11 Shader Model 5.0.

Still, the performance of the HD 4000 is dependent on several other factors. Since the GPU has no dedicated VRAM, it must operate in accordance with the main memory and its RAM clock. System RAM running at 1333MHz is common, but our test unit will be running a bit faster with RAM clocked at 1600MHz.

The integrated GPU now has a larger cache as well that is shared with the CPU L3, but how much cache it has will be dependent on the Ivy Bridge CPU. Dual-core and quad-core Ivy Bridge CPUs will have 3MB-4MB and 6MB-8MB of L3 cache, respectively, so the HD 4000 in quad-core processors should theoretically outperform its dual-core counterparts.

The GPU clock will also directly impact the performance, of course. Differing CPU models will have HD 4000 GPUs running at different maximum and minimum speeds, a common occurrence with Sandy Bridge notebooks and HD 3000 GPUs. For example, notebooks sporting a Core i7-3610QM will have their integrated HD 4000 GPUs operating 150MHz slower than the same GPU found in the i7-3720QM or i7-3820QM.

A general verdict on the HD 4000 is thus a bit difficult as performance will likely vary to some extent depending on the CPU. For example, in another Ivy Bridge notebook, the HD 4000 averaged about 10 percent slower compared to the below results from the MSI barebones. We can't go into detail on this other Ivy Bridge notebook just yet due to NDA reasons, but we can say that it included a 35W TDP dual-core Ivy Bridge CPU.

Mass Effect 3

The finale of the Mass Effect trilogy requires rather modest hardware. We select a resolution of 1366x768 pixels with all graphics options active, 4x texture filtering and we still rolled out 30 FPS from the integrated Intel GPU. In Comparison, the HD 3000 only mustered 22 FPS under identical settings.

Anno 2070

The strategy hit Anno 2070 can quickly bring the HD 4000 to its knees. At average presets and 1366x768 pixel resolution, the game is playable at first glance with a 28 FPS average. Once you hover the camera over major settlements, however, the FPS range can quickly drop to single digits. If on lower options, gameplay becomes much more fluid.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

The much-heralded Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is only playable on lower settings. We were able to hit 40 FPS under a resolution of 1280x720 pixels with disabled graphics options. Still, this is a 30-40 percent improvement in frame rates over the HD 3000, similar to what we saw in Mass Effect 3.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

The aging graphics engine of the Call of Duty series can especially benefit weaker graphics cards. Medium details with all graphical options active under 1366x768 pixel resolution can return a steady >40FPS average. We expect multiplayer gameplay to be even smoother when compared to the more graphic-intensive single player campaign. Users can play around with AA and SSAO settings as needed when in multiplayer maps.

Battlefield 3

EA's Battlefield 3 is notorious for its demanding requirements. Consequently, we suggest playing the title with mid-range or high-end GPUs only. The HD 4000 can barely crack the 30 FPS mark even at the lowest resolution and settings. Other low-end models, such as AMD's quad-core A8-3520M with integrated Radeon HD 6620G, perform even worse.

Fifa 12

Fifa 12 is probably the least demanding game on the list. We nearly reached 60FPS when at 1366x768 pixel resolution and maximum details with 2x AA. Close-up during replay movies, however, will drop the average frame rates by a noticeable amount. Entry-level discrete graphics options from AMD and Nvidia still perform better than the HD 4000 in this title, but at least they are all an improvement over the HD 3000.

StarCraft 2

Starcraft 2 will likely last for a few more years as it solidifies itself as the de facto RTS game. The HD 4000 is well-equipped to handle the Blizzard game (as is the HD 3000), although settings may have to be turned down to average or below, especially for big battles and single-player set pieces.

Overall, we are impressed by Intel's new integrated graphics core. The manufacturer has solidly improved over the previous HD 3000 by a rough average of 30 percent. This difference can be even greater at 30-40 percent if the GPU is paired with a powerful quad-core Ivy Bridge CPU like the i7-3610QM. Even the top AMD Llano chips cannot compete with the HD 4000, at least in our benchmark comparisons above. Intel has the upper hand by about 15 percent or more compared to AMD's Fusion Llano offerings.

Perhaps more impressively, the Intel GPU beats the now ancient Radeon HD 7450 handily. Because of this, one may have to ponder if low-end dedicated GPUs from AMD or Nvidia would be a viable alternative at all.

Casual gamers who can live with low resolution gaming, disabled AA and  subdued graphical eye candy may find the HD 4000 perfectly fine. The GPU is not future proof, of course, as users looking for a more middle-of-the-road offering should look towards systems with a  GeForce GT 640M or GT 650M.

Regardless, Intel has delivered admirably with the HD 4000, at least from an integrated GPU perspective. While obviously not a threat to anything higher than a mid-range dedicated GPU, low-end options from AMD or Nvidia can potentially be in serious trouble. Since integrated GPUs make up the vast majority of notebooks out there, Intel can essentially capture a large chunk of the graphics market away from competitors. With AMD Trinity rolling along in the next few months, however, the tides can turn just as easily if the new Fusion core can both impress and dethrone Intel from the Integrated graphics market.