question about GPU being better with CPU

[sebTeggy]

Got a question about the Intel HD 4000 GPU

How much of a difference will there be between a dual core 4gb ram intel i5 and quad core 8gb ram i7 processor when running an HD 4000 GPU?


Many people say that CPU has no affect on GPU, some say it does, some say its minimal? It's hard to believe the two above would react the same, for example, when playing starcraft 2


need pro feedback pls thx

[Razor Ramon HG]

The higher up the model is, the higher the clocks will be. Differences should be minimal in most cases, but potentially noticeable depending on big the gap is, and what kind of applications you're benching with.

e.g. I saw smoother rates on DOTA2 with the i5-3427U on my MBA vs the i5-3317U on my Zenbook. This is due to the 3427U having a higher max clock.

This is all information gathered from first-hand experience, so I can't explain all the technicalities.

[SkinnyPupp]

With a GPU like that, it won't make any difference at all. It is already just barely usable in games (if that.. depends on the game)

And the i5 isn't dual core, it's quad core just like the i7. The only differences between the two are Hyperthreading and clock speed.

[belaud]

The HD4000 is an amazing integrated GPU, a big improvement over the HD3000, and replaces the need to buy a low end graphics card in desktops, only needed when you are planning to run 3+ monitors for business purposes.

It can play any modern games at a low-mid setting @ low res, or a very low setting @ 720p+ res.

The only game it won't play are the ones that demand the most from your hardware, i.e BF3, MASS UNITs (200 supplied on all front) in SC2. Other then that, they're a pretty god damn good integrated GPU.

If you are concerned about graphics, I would suggest looking for a laptop with a low-mid graphics card such as the GT640M, or 7740M.

If you're purchasing a desktop, the new AMD APU's offer the very best in terms of on board graphics (56/5800k's), beating out the Intel's and old 3870k's by a huge margin.

The downside to the new APU's are, they do not offer the same processing power as the Intel's, and are about 2% faster then the old APU's, but are offered at an extremely fantastic price.

[SkinnyPupp]

The new Trinity APUs keep up fine with Intel chips in the same price range. They just use more power to do it.

And the difference between Llano and Trinity is a lot more than 2% lol... unless you meant 20% and made a typo

With Trinity, you are looking at playing top games at 720p in medium settings, where Intel can't do it at all. Llano would have to go one step lower in quality to play at the same resolution smoothly.

There is only one Intel chip under $190 that has HD4000, and that is the Core i3 3225. If you are looking at spending $130 on a chip to use its integrated graphics, it would be foolish to choose this over the A10.

[belaud]

The processing power itself (excluding GPU) realy is only about 2-4%, switching from the old K10 architecture to the piledriver architecture allows for the ability to overclock higher too., the big difference is it's IGPU.

[FerrariEnzo]

the best cheap gaming CPUs/GPU are the new AMD Fusion APU's, no doubt about it..

If you do more applications, Intel is the better route...

[SkinnyPupp]

Originally Posted by belaud

The processing power itself (excluding GPU) realy is only about 2-4%, switching from the old K10 architecture to the piledriver architecture allows for the ability to overclock higher too., the big difference is it's IGPU.

It depends on the workload. It is a much more modern CPU architecture, so on loads other than pure simple math, it is a lot faster. Up to 20% in float performance when AVX can be used, or 180% in integer performance, or up to 300% when encrypting with AES.

As for most real world loads, it is probably somewhere between 5-15% depending on workload. In any case, calling it a 2% overall increase is misleading.

[sebTeggy]

Just wondering about the specific graphics card, thanks for all the input

The computer I buy will have it regardless (New Mac Mini - no options for graphics)

I am just wondering how much 4g ram vs 8g ram will make, and dual core vs quad core, etc.

Questions answered, thansk guys

[SkinnyPupp]

[dton13]

IIRC the 4000 w/ 8GB can allocate up to 786 mb ram as opposed to whatever it is with the 4GB. 512 or lower.

So yes having the extra RAM will marginally help

[Traum]

The extra RAM (8GB vs 4GB) will primarily help with the general operation of the computer, instead of the working speed of the Intel HD 4000. Minimal swapping to disks means significantly faster operations.