Intel HD Graphics 5600 vs NVIDIA Quadro K3000M vs Intel HD Graphics 3000

Intel HD Graphics 5600

The Intel HD Graphics 5600 (GT2) is an integrated graphics card of the Broadwell generation. It can be found in standard voltage CPUs (47 W) and offers 24 EUs (Execution Units). The clock range may depend on the model it is built into (Core i7-5700HQ: max. 1050 MHz with Turbo Boost).

Architecture and Features

Broadwell features a GPU based on the Intel Gen8 architecture, which has been optimized in various aspects compared to the previous Gen7.5 (Haswell). Inter alia, the shader arrays called "subslice" have been reorganized and now offer 8 Execution Units (EUs) each. Three subslices form a "slice" for a total of 24 EUs. Combined with other improvements such as larger L1 caches and an optimized frontend, the integrated GPU has become faster and more efficient than its predecessor.

The HD Graphics 5600 represents the mid-range version of the Broadwell GPU family and consists of one slice with 24 EUs. Beyond that, there is also a low-end variant (GT1, 12 EUs) as well as higher-end models (GT3/GT3e + eDRAM, 48 EUs).

All Broadwell GPUs support OpenCL 2.0 and DirectX 12 (FL 11_1). The video engine is now able to decode H.265 using both fixed function hardware as well as available GPU shaders. Up to three displays can be connected via DP 1.2/eDP 1.3 (max. 3840 x 2160 @ 60 Hz) or HDMI 1.4a (max. 3840 x 2160 @ 24 Hz). HDMI 2.0, however, is not supported.

Performance

Thanks to its improved architecture and the additional EUs, the HD Graphics 5600 is about 20 percent faster than the Haswell-based HD 4600 (20 EUs), but still somewhat slower than dedicated low-end GPUs like a GeForce 920M or Radeon R7 M360. Most games as of 2014/2015 will be playable only in low settings (and sometimes not even that).

Power Consumption

The whole Broadwell chip is specified at 47 W TDP (i7-5700HQ) and therefore best suited for notebooks 14-inches in size and above. We tested the power consumption of the GPU with HWInfo sensors in a Core i7-5600HQ (MSI GP62). Idle on the Windows desktop the HD 5600 needed on average 0.04 Watt. Running World of Warships in high details, 9.6 Watt were used by the graphics card (whole CPU needed 41 Watt). In comparison, when we activated the dedicated GeForce 940M, the GPU part needed 0.4 Watt and the whole CPU 29 Watt.

NVIDIA Quadro K3000M

The NVIDIA Quadro K3000M is a performance-class, DirectX 11.1-compatible graphics card for mobile workstations. It is a Kepler-based GPU built on the GK104 chip (but using only 576 shader cores) and is manufactured in 28nm at TSMC. The Quadro K3000M is built for the Intel Chief River generation (Ivy Bridge) and is the successor to the Fermi-based Quadro 3000M (Huron River platform).

The Quadro series offers certified drivers that are optimized for stability and performance in professional applications like CAD or DCC. OpenGL performance, for example, should be significantly better than GeForce graphics cards of similar specifications.

Architecture

The Kepler architecture is the successor to the Fermi architecture that first appeared in laptops with the GeForce 400M series. The GK104 Kepler core offers eight shader blocks, called SMX, that are clocked at the same speed as the central core. In the K3000M, 3 blocks are active leading to the 576 CUDA cores. Although more shader cores are available in the Kepler architecture as compared to the Fermi design, the Kepler shaders are still expected to be up to twice as power efficient. However, due to the missing hot clock of the shader domain, two shaders of a Kepler chip provide similar performance to just one shader of a Fermi chip (as the latter is clocked twice as fast). 

PCIe 3.0 is now supported by the mobile Kepler series and an optional Turbo mode can automatically overclock the Nvidia card by a theoretical 15 percent if the laptop cooling system allows it. The implementation of this boost mode is done in the BIOS, but it is ultimately dependent upon the manufacturer of the laptop.

Performance

The performance is slightly above the older Quadro 4000M based on the fermi architecture. Compared to consumer cards, the K3000M performs similar to the GeForce GT 750M. Games of 2013 can be played fluently in medium or high detail and resolution settings.

Features

The improved feature set now includes support for up to 4 active displays. Furthermore, high resolution monitors of up to 3840x2160 pixels can now be connected using DisplayPort 1.2 or HDMI 1.4a if available. HD-Audio codecs, such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD, can be transmitted via bitstream mode through the HDMI port. However, as most laptops will feature Optimus, the integrated GPU will likely have direct control over the display ports and may limit the feature set available by the Nvidia Kepler cards.

The 5th generation PureVideo HD video processor (VP5) is also integrated in the GK107 core and offers hardware decoding of HD videos. Common codecs such as MPEG-1/2, MPEG-4 ASP, H.264 and VC1/WMV9 are fully supported up to 4K resolutions while VC1 and MPEG-4 are supported up to 1080p. Two streams can be decoded in parallel for features such as Picture-in-Picture. Another novelty is the inclusion of a dedicated video encoding engine similar to Intel QuickSync that can be accessed by the NVENC API.

The power consumption of the K3000M is rated at 75 Watt (TGP according to Nvidia) and is therefore suited for medium-sized notebooks 17-inches or greater.

Intel HD Graphics 3000

The Intel HD Graphics 3000 (or Intel Graphics Media Accelerator HD 3000, GMA HD 3000, Intel HD Graphics 200) is an integrated graphics card in the Sandy Bridge codenamed processors. The HD Graphics 3000 has no dedicated memory but shares the Level 3 / LLC Cache with the CPU cores and also part of the main memory. Due to TurboBoost, the GPU can be overclocked depending on the current CPU load and power consumption. The base speed and the turbo boost speed of the HD Graphics 3000 depend on the processor:

• ULV processors Core ix-2xx7 (base 350MHz, Turbo 900-1000MHz)
• LV processors Core ix-2xx5 (base 500MHz, Turbo 1000MHz)
• Mainstream and high-end Dual und Quad-Core Core ix-2xx0 (base 650MHz, Turbo 1100-1300MHz)
• Desktop K processors (base 850, Turbo 1100-1350MHz)

The HD 3000 offers 12 Execution Units (EUs) like the old Intel GMA HD but due to architectural changes each EU is now faster. The slower HD Graphics 2000 uses only 6 Execution Units. The EUs can be accessed using DirectX 10.1,  OpenGL 3.0 and DirectCompute 4.1. OpenCL is not supported (the media SDK only uses the CPU).

Our performance tests with the high clocked mainstream version of the HD Graphics 3000 in quad-core processors showed a performance level on par with older entry level generations from NVIDIA (e.g. GeForce 310M) and AMD (HD 5450). In comparison with AMD's APU models, the HD 3000 can only compete against the C-and E-series, but not the faster Llano and Trinity models. The quality of the Intel drivers has been improved over the years, so most games are flawlessly playable (if the minimum requirements are fullfilled).

We could measure smooth frame rates in games like Dead Space 3, World of Tanks, Fifa 13, Torchlight 2, Counter-Strike: GO reach, Diablo 3, and many older games, though usually only in minimal detail settings. For accurate performance analysis and gaming benchmarks, read our article "Intel HD Graphics 3000" or scroll down in this article.

Altought 2x Antialiasing (AA) is supported, the chip is as fast as when rendering 4x AA. In the Unigine Valley benchmark a i7-2637M for example reached the same score with 2x AA and 4x AA.

In addition to the GPU, the chip also houses some dedicated units for decoding and encoding HD videos. On the IDF Intel demonstrated the encoding of a 3 minute long 1080p video to an iPhone compatible format in 640x360 in only 14s. Another novelty of the Sandy Bridge GPU is the embedded DisplayPort eDP to connect internal Displays.

Due to the integration in the 32nm built CPU, the power consumption of the GPU should be quite low.