Intel HD Graphics (Ivy Bridge)

The Intel HD Graphics is an integrated graphics card in the Ivy Bridge codenamed processors (Celeron and Pentium). It is the successor the the Intel HD Graphics 2000 in the Sandy Bridge CPUs and performs between the old HD 2000 and 3000 GPU

Compared to the faster HD Graphics 4000, the HD Graphics features less Execution Units (6 versus 16) and only one texture sampler. Therefore, the performance is clearly worse and only suited for low demanding gaming. Intel states a 10 to 15% higher performance compared to the old Sandy Bridge based HD Graphics 2000. Therefore, only casual games with low demand are playable.

A speciality of the Ivy Bridge GPUs is that 4x MSAA is supported in hardware now. However, 2x is only supported through software.  The algorithm to support 2x is going through the 4x pipeline with a software algorithm, so performance is similar to 4x MSAA.

The integrated video decoder called Multi Format Codec Engine (MFX) was also improved and should allow even simultaneus 4K video decoding. DXVAChecker lists MPEG2, VC1, WMV9, and H264 as supported codecs. QuickSync for fast transcoding of videos was also optimized for higher performance and better image quality.

Another new feature is the support for up to 3 independent displays (maybe only with a DisplayPort) as AMD offers with theirs Eyefinity support (up to 6 displays).

Due to the 22nm 3D Tri-Gate production process, the power consumption should be relatively low (the development was focused on performance per Watt). 

ManufacturerIntel
HD Graphics Series

HD Graphics 4600 20@400 - 1350MHz

HD Graphics 5000 40

HD Graphics 4400 20

HD Graphics 4000 16@350 - 1350MHz

HD Graphics 3000 12@350-1350MHz

HD Graphics 2500 6@650 - 1350MHz

HD Graphics (Ivy Bridge) 6@350 - 1000MHz

HD Graphics 2000 6@850 / 1100-1350MHz

HD Graphics (Sandy Bridge) 6@350 - 1100MHz

CodenameIvy Bridge GT1
ArchitectureIvy Bridge
Pipelines6 - unified
Core Speed *350 - 1000 MHz
Shader Speed *350 - 1000 MHz
Shared Memoryyes
DirectXDirectX 11.0, Shader 5.0
technology22 nm
Date of Announcement01.10.2012
* The specified clock rates are only guidelines for the manufacturer and can be altered by them.

Benchmarks

3DMark 11 - Performance 1280x720
0% 100%
min: 366     avg: 387 (4%)     max: 413 points
3DMark 11 - Performance GPU 1280x720
0% 100%
min: 313     avg: 329.7 (3%)     max: 352 points
3DMark Vantage - P Result no PhysX 1280x1024
0% 100%
min: 1478     avg: 1585.7 (4%)     max: 1691 Points
3DMark Vantage - P GPU no PhysX 1280x1024
0% 100%
min: 1202     avg: 1278.7 (3%)     max: 1360 Points
3DMark 06
0% 100%
min: 2894     avg: 3163.7 (11%)     max: 3461 Points
3DMark 05 - Standard 1024x768
0% 100%
min: 5186     avg: 5719 (16%)     max: 6252 Points
3DMark 03 - Standard 1024x768
0% 100%
min: 7451     avg: 8787.5 (6%)     max: 10124 Points
3DMark 2001SE - Standard 1024x768
0% 100%
min: 10349     avg: 10349 (17%)     max: 10349 Points
PCMark Vantage - Gaming Score 1024x768
0% 100%
min: 2774     avg: 2774 (11%)     max: 2774 Points
SPECviewperf 11 - Ensight 1920x1080
0% 100%
min: 1.27     avg: 1.3 (2%)     max: 1.27 fps
SPECviewperf 11 - Lightwave 1920x1080
0% 100%
min: 7.83     avg: 7.8 (10%)     max: 7.83 fps
SPECviewperf 11 - Maya 1920x1080
0% 100%
min: 8.71     avg: 8.7 (8%)     max: 8.71 fps
SPECviewperf 11 - Pro/ENGINEER 1920x1080
0% 100%
min: 0.91     avg: 0.9 (5%)     max: 0.91 fps
SPECviewperf 11 - SolidWorks 1920x1080
0% 100%
min: 4.68     avg: 4.7 (7%)     max: 4.68 fps
SPECviewperf 11 - Tcvis 1920x1080
0% 100%
min: 1.31     avg: 1.3 (2%)     max: 1.31 fps
SPECviewperf 11 - Siemens NX 1920x1080
0% 100%
min: 0.75     avg: 0.8 (1%)     max: 0.75 fps
Cinebench R11.5 - OpenGL 64Bit
0% 100%
min: 9.23     avg: 10.1 (11%)     max: 11.32 Points
Cinebench R10 - Shading 32Bit
0% 100%
min: 3534     avg: 3844.3 (35%)     max: 4037 Points
- Range of benchmark values for this graphics card
- Average benchmark values for this graphics card

Game Benchmarks

The following benchmarks stem from our benchmarks of review laptops. The performance depends on the used graphics memory, clock rate, processor, system settings, drivers, and operating systems. So the results don't have to be representative for all laptops with this GPU. For detailled information on the benchmark results, click on the fps number.

StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm
low:
80.8 112 ~ 96 fps      Compare
med.:
19.3 24 ~ 22 fps      Compare
high:
10.8 15 ~ 13 fps      Compare
ultra:
4  fps      Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings low.
SimCity (2013): Not playable with a weaker graphics card. - more...
Tomb Raider
Tomb Raider (2013)
low:
21.5 24 ~ 23 fps      Compare
med.:
10.5 11 ~ 11 fps      Compare
high:
8  fps      Compare
» The benchmarks indicate that the game is not playable in the tested settings.
Dead Space 3
Dead Space 3 (2013)
low:
42  fps      Compare
med.:
17  fps      Compare
high:
12  fps      Compare
ultra:
6  fps      Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings low.
Hitman: Absolution
low:
13  fps      Compare
med.:
11  fps      Compare
high:
4  fps      Compare
» The benchmarks indicate that the game is not playable in the tested settings.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (2012): Not playable with a weaker graphics card. - more...
Fifa 13
Fifa 13 (2012)
low:
69.7 90 ~ 80 fps      Compare
med.:
42.7 54 ~ 48 fps      Compare
high:
20.9 29 ~ 25 fps      Compare
ultra:
13  fps      Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings med..
F1 2012
F1 2012 (2012)
low:
20 25 ~ 23 fps      Compare
med.:
18 20 ~ 19 fps      Compare
high:
16 16 ~ 16 fps      Compare
ultra:
12  fps      Compare
» The benchmarks indicate that the game is not playable in the tested settings.
Torchlight 2 (2012): Not playable with a weaker graphics card. - more...
Guild Wars 2
Guild Wars 2 (2012)
low:
30  fps      Compare
high:
8  fps      Compare
ultra:
5  fps      Compare
» The benchmarks indicate that the game is not playable in the tested settings.
Counter-Strike: GO
med.:
37  fps      Compare
high:
20  fps      Compare
ultra:
11  fps      Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings med..
Anno 2070
Anno 2070 (2011)
low:
37.1  fps      Compare
med.:
16.8  fps      Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings low.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
low:
16.9  fps      Compare
med.:
9.4  fps      Compare
» The benchmarks indicate that the game is not playable in the tested settings.
CoD: Modern Warfare 3 (2011): Playable with a weaker graphics card in detail settings low. - more...
Fifa 12
Fifa 12 (2011)
med.:
55.8  fps      Compare
high:
21.2  fps      Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings med..
F1 2011 (2011): Playable with a weaker graphics card in detail settings low. - more...

For more games that might be playable and a list of all games and graphics cards visit our Gaming List

Notebook reviews with Intel HD Graphics (Ivy Bridge) graphics card

Toshiba Satellite C850-1LX: Intel Celeron 1000M, 15.6", 2.3 kg
  Review » Review Toshiba Satellite C850-1LX Notebook

» Comparison of GPUs
Detailled list of all laptop GPUs with a short description. Classified and sorted by performance.

» Benchmark List
Sortable and restrainable list of all GPUs with benchmarks (e.g. 3DMarks).

» Notebook Gaming List
Which game can be played with my graphics card.

Class 1
GeForce GTX 590
Radeon HD 7970
GeForce GTX 660 Ti
Radeon HD 7870
GeForce GTX 580
Radeon HD 6970
GeForce GTX 570
GeForce GTX 480
GeForce GTX 560 Ti
Radeon HD 6870
Radeon HD 5850
Radeon HD 7770
Radeon HD 7770
GeForce GTX 460 768MB
Radeon HD 6790
Radeon HD 5770
GeForce GTX 550 Ti
Class 2
GeForce GTS 450
Radeon HD 4850
Class 3
Radeon HD 5670
GeForce GT 240
GeForce GT 430
Radeon HD 5570
GeForce GT 220
Radeon HD 6450 GDDR5
Class 4
Class 5
Radeon HD 4350
GeForce G 107M *
Chrome9HD *
PowerVR SGX554MP4 *
Mali-T604 *
Class 6
PowerVR SGX543MP4 *
Adreno 320 *
PowerVR SGX543MP3 *
PowerVR SGX543MP2 *
PowerVR SGX545
PowerVR SGX544 *
Adreno 305 *
Adreno 225 *
Vivante GC4000 *
Mali-400 MP4 *
VideoCore-IV *
Adreno 220 *
Vivante GC1000+ Dual-Core
Mali-400 MP2 *
PowerVR SGX540 *
Adreno 205 *
Adreno 203 *
GC800 *
PowerVR SGX535
PowerVR SGX531
PowerVR SGX530
Adreno 200 *
Mali-200 *
unknown *

* Approximate position of the graphics adapter

> Notebook / Laptop Reviews and News > FAQ / Tips / Technics > Comparison of Laptop Graphics Cards > Intel HD Graphics (Ivy Bridge)
Author: Klaus Hinum (Update: 2013-01-17)