The term 'Integrated Graphics' is something of a bogeyman. Anyone who can remember the older Intel parts from 5-10 years ago will especially have flashbacks. (Like taking seconds to render a single screensaver frame)
I don't know about you, but the latest Kaveri APU's from AMD seem to be set to turn that on its head. At least partially.
I celebrated my first paycheck ia few weeks ago by buying and building a brand new desktop centred around one of AMD's A10 processors. (A 7700k). I didn't spec a dedicated GPU because I didn't expect to use the system for gaming, just for playing films and the like quietly... and maybe some BD ripping. I used the money I saved on an SSD, and some faster RAM (2400mhz).
For shit's and giggles, I loaded up an older game that I remember giving my last desktop some troubles, STALKER... and was amazed at how well it ran on a system that was still technically 'Integrated graphics'. It ran smooth and crisp on near maximum quality. Maybe that says more about the march of hardware, but I remember it being a challenge to run for a long time.
Even Metro 2033, which - although 4 years old at this stage - is still a pretty hefty graphics muncher, looks amazing and plays amazing on a system that doesn't have a dedicated graphics card.
Needless to say, lighter games like Source games run well enough - while I haven't exactly tried anything more modern because I'm not that much of a PC gamer, the fact that it manages so well even with older games is nothing short of amazing. For a 140 euro part, doubly so. I'd say it's definitely better than an Intel i3, and cheaper than an i3 with a dedicated cheap graphics card.... it blows anything from the Leixlip chocolate factory in it's price band out of the water.
And yet, it seems woefully under-appreciated. Most people just don't buy AMD parts anymore. I think I'm almost unique amongst the people I know in having an AMD system.
Which is a shame because the new Kaveri series definitely deserve better than being relegated to the bargain bin. For such a cheap part, it's more than exceeded my expectations as to its capability. It'[s definitely something to look at if you're on a tight budget. And if the OpenCL API becomes more common, it could be a force to be reckoned with.
The only dowsides are a slight tendancy to eat power, and being very sensitive to RAM speed. Fast RAM makes a lot of difference to the performance of the system, far more than an Intel system, because the graphics are integrated.
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--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?
I don't know about you, but the latest Kaveri APU's from AMD seem to be set to turn that on its head. At least partially.
I celebrated my first paycheck ia few weeks ago by buying and building a brand new desktop centred around one of AMD's A10 processors. (A 7700k). I didn't spec a dedicated GPU because I didn't expect to use the system for gaming, just for playing films and the like quietly... and maybe some BD ripping. I used the money I saved on an SSD, and some faster RAM (2400mhz).
For shit's and giggles, I loaded up an older game that I remember giving my last desktop some troubles, STALKER... and was amazed at how well it ran on a system that was still technically 'Integrated graphics'. It ran smooth and crisp on near maximum quality. Maybe that says more about the march of hardware, but I remember it being a challenge to run for a long time.
Even Metro 2033, which - although 4 years old at this stage - is still a pretty hefty graphics muncher, looks amazing and plays amazing on a system that doesn't have a dedicated graphics card.
Needless to say, lighter games like Source games run well enough - while I haven't exactly tried anything more modern because I'm not that much of a PC gamer, the fact that it manages so well even with older games is nothing short of amazing. For a 140 euro part, doubly so. I'd say it's definitely better than an Intel i3, and cheaper than an i3 with a dedicated cheap graphics card.... it blows anything from the Leixlip chocolate factory in it's price band out of the water.
And yet, it seems woefully under-appreciated. Most people just don't buy AMD parts anymore. I think I'm almost unique amongst the people I know in having an AMD system.
Which is a shame because the new Kaveri series definitely deserve better than being relegated to the bargain bin. For such a cheap part, it's more than exceeded my expectations as to its capability. It'[s definitely something to look at if you're on a tight budget. And if the OpenCL API becomes more common, it could be a force to be reckoned with.
The only dowsides are a slight tendancy to eat power, and being very sensitive to RAM speed. Fast RAM makes a lot of difference to the performance of the system, far more than an Intel system, because the graphics are integrated.
________________________________
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?