Intel Haswell GT3e GPU Performance Compared to NVIDIA's GeForce GT 650M
by Anand Lal Shimpi on January 9, 2013 4:22 PM EST- Posted in
- CPUs
- Intel
- Haswell
- Trade Shows
- CES 2013
Haswell isn't expected to launch until the beginning of June in desktops and quad-core notebooks, but Intel is beginning to talk performance. Intel used a mobile customer reference board in a desktop chassis featuring Haswell GT3 with embedded DRAM (the fastest Haswell GPU configuration that Intel will ship) and compared it to an ASUS UX15 with on-board NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M.
Despite the chassis difference, Intel claims it will be able to deliver the same performance from the demo today in an identical UX15 chassis by the time Haswell ships.
The video below shows Dirt 3 running at 1080p on both systems, with identical detail settings (High Quality presets, no AA, vsync off). Intel wouldn't let us report performance numbers, but subjectively the two looked to deliver very similar performance. Note that I confirmed all settings myself and ran both games myself independently of the demo. You can be the judge using the video below:
Intel wouldn't let us confirm clock speeds on Haswell vs. the Core i7 (Ivy Bridge) system, but it claimed that the Haswell part was the immediate successor to its Ivy Bridge comparison point.
As proof of Haswell's ability to fit in a notebook chassis, it did have another demo using older Haswell silicon running Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 in a notebook chassis.
Haswell GT3e's performance looked great for processor graphics. I would assume that overall platform power would be reduced since you wouldn't have a discrete GPU inside, however there's also the question of the cost of the solution. I do expect that NVIDIA will continue to drive discrete GPU performance up, but as a solution for some of the thinner/space constrained form factors (think 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display, maybe 11-inch Ultrabook/MacBook Air?) Haswell could be a revolutionary step forward.
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jjj - Wednesday, January 9, 2013 - link
You know very well that they'll downclock the sh*t out of it and just saying GT3 means nothing without clocks but why mention it.Spunjji - Wednesday, January 9, 2013 - link
Given that Intel's current chips are already thermally constrained in thin form factors, I'm not inclined to believe for one minute that their CPU will perform as well inside an Ultrabook as it does set up in that tower chassis...That said, I am still intrigued. Could be good.
CeriseCogburn - Thursday, January 10, 2013 - link
Well the article did contain the caveat "by the time" it is shipped in such a configuration, so that admits in my book, that optimizations and power containment tweaks are still needed to accomplish that.I believe that, on the other hand though there is no laptop to show right now, even though it is mentioned it's a laptop vendor board (in testing for production it seems).
So not really too shabby.
Spunjji - Friday, January 11, 2013 - link
There is always room for that sort of optimisation, it's true. Their process should have matured somewhat by now. I've just been left wary by how much the Ultrabook form factor hobbled HD4000 performance. The early reviews led with desktop chips and desktop cooling and made it look very competitive to discrete solutions, but that didn't hold out in power-constrained environment.I guess we'll wait and see. Call me cautiously optimistic about this? Anything that makes AMD/nVidia raise their game is good in my book.
CeriseCogburn - Friday, January 11, 2013 - link
nVidia is already winning the game, and so is Intel cpu side.Anything that makes AMD raise from pathetic is good.
FTFY
Spunjji - Monday, January 14, 2013 - link
...and you call me the fanboy? :/CeriseCogburn - Tuesday, January 15, 2013 - link
You got the truth from me, what did we get, continuously from you ?We did not get the truth. Fanboy.
Batmeat - Wednesday, January 9, 2013 - link
I really don't care about the graphics performance as I will always have in independent card for gaming. However, mobile gaming will be interesting as currently any nvidia based mobile graphic chipset will run you some serious $$$. What will pricing really be like?Spunjji - Wednesday, January 9, 2013 - link
Brutal, is the answer. Unless there's a sea-change at Intel, GT3 is only going to appear on the "high-end" i7 chips with the accordingly inflated price tags for 200Mhz extra clock speed and some features not disabled.I would *like* to believe otherwise, but I do not.
refurb82 - Wednesday, January 9, 2013 - link
how about showing me open gl as well as dx9 stuff... i feel the past year or 2 for intel has been more driver issues than it has been strictly performance of their IGP's....