Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge Processor Review

Name: Intel Core i7-3770K Processor
Brand: Intel

by Marco Chiappetta — Monday, April 23, 2012, 12:01 PM EDT

For this next set of tests, we pit the integrated processor graphics incorporated into the Ivy Bridge-based Intel Core i7-3770K against a couple of the least expensive, current-generation discrete GPUs from NVIDIA and AMD, the GeForce GT 430, Radeon HD 6450 and Radeon HD 5550, respectively. A couple of Sandy Bridge-based processors with integrated Intel HD 3000 series graphics are thrown into the mix as well.

Intel HD Graphics vs. Discrete GPUs

Gaming Benchmarks

Intel's HD 4000 series graphics engine offers significantly better performance than the HD 3000 and HD 2000 engines built into previous-generation Sandy Bridge processors. In addition to supporting DX11, the HD 4000 engine offers almost double the performance of the HD 3000 according to 3DMark Vantage. And it's able to outrun the Radeon HD 6450 here too.

Our in game tests also show the Intel HD 4000 series graphics engine significantly outpacing the HD 3000 and 2000 of Sandy Bridge, but it couldn't quite keep pace with the low-end discrete GPUs from AMD or NVIDIA.

For the sake of reference, we've also included a couple of scores with anti-aliasing disabled, which show the Intel HD 4000 graphics engine putting up semi-playable framerates with high-quality graphics settings in these games, even at the relatively high 19200x1200 resolution. Fast Anti-Aliasing requires plenty of memory and memory bandwidth. Enabling AA on the Intel HD 4000, which leverages system memory, significantly impacts framerates, which is why disabling AA results in such a large performance boost.

Tags: Intel, CPU, processor, corei7, 22nm, Ivy-Bridge, 3770K

Marco Chiappetta

Marco's interest in computing and technology dates all the way back to his early childhood. Even before being exposed to the Commodore P.E.T. and later the Commodore 64 in the early ‘80s, he was interested in electricity and electronics, and he still has the modded AFX cars and shop-worn soldering irons to prove it. Once he got his hands on his own Commodore 64, however, computing became Marco's passion. Throughout his academic and professional lives, Marco has worked with virtually every major platform from the TRS-80 and Amiga, to today's high end, multi-core servers. Over the years, he has worked in many fields related to technology and computing, including system design, assembly and sales, professional quality assurance testing, and technical writing. In addition to being the Managing Editor here at HotHardware for close to 15 years, Marco is also a freelance writer whose work has been published in a number of PC and technology related print publications and he is a regular fixture on HotHardware’s own Two and a Half Geeks webcast. - Contact: marco(at)hothardware(dot)com