Intel GMA

The Intel Graphics Media Accelerator, or GMA, is Intel's current line of integrated graphics processors built into various motherboard chipsets.

These integrated graphics products allow a computer to be built without a separate graphics card, which can reduce cost, power consumption and noise. They are commonly found on low-priced notebook and desktop computers as well as business computers, which do not need high levels of graphics capability. 90% of all PCs sold have integrated graphics.^[1] They rely on the computer's main memory for storage, which imposes a performance penalty, as both the CPU and GPU have to access memory over the same bus.

Contents 1 History 2 Graphics cores 2.1 GMA 900 2.2 GMA 950 2.3 GMA 3000 2.4 GMA 3100 2.5 GMA X3000 2.6 GMA X3100 2.7 GMA X3500 2.8 GMA X4500 2.9 GMA 500 2.10 HD Graphics (GMA HD) 3 Specifications 4 Software support 4.1 Mac OS X 4.2 FreeBSD 4.3 Linux 4.3.1 intel_hal.so 4.3.2 GMA 500 on Linux 4.4 Solaris 4.5 Microsoft Windows 4.5.1 GMA 900 on Windows 4.5.2 GMA 950 on Windows 4.5.3 GMA X3000/X3100 on Windows 4.5.4 GMA 500 on Windows 5 Modern gaming 6 Microsoft Windows performance reviews 6.1 GMA X3000 review 6.2 GMA X3500 review 6.3 GMA X4500 review 6.4 Sandy Bridge IGP 7 See also 8 References 9 External links

[edit] History

The GMA line of GPUs replaces the earlier "Intel Extreme Graphics", and the Intel740 line, which were discrete units in the form of AGP and PCI cards. Later, Intel integrated the i740 core into the Intel 810 chipset.

The original architecture of GMA systems supported only a few functions in hardware, and relied on the host CPU to handle at least some of the graphics pipeline, further decreasing performance. However, with the introduction of Intel’s 4th generation of GMA architecture (GMA X3000) in 2006, many of the functions are now built into the hardware, providing an increase in performance. The 4th generation of GMA combines fixed function capabilities with a threaded array of programmable executions units, providing advantages to both graphics and video performance. Many of the advantages of the new GMA architecture come from the ability to flexibly switch as needed between executing graphics-related tasks or video-related tasks. While GMA performance has been widely criticized in the past as being too slow for computer games, the latest GMA generation should ease many of those concerns for the casual gamer.

Despite similarities, Intel's main series of GMA IGPs is not based on the PowerVR technology Intel licensed from Imagination Technologies. Intel used the low-power PowerVR MBX designs in chipsets supporting their XScale platform, and since the sale of XScale in 2006 has licensed the PowerVR SGX and used it in the GMA 500 IGP for use with their Atom platform.

[edit] Graphics cores

[edit] GMA 900

The GMA 900 was the first graphics core produced under Intel's Graphics Media Accelerator product name, and was incorporated in the Intel 910G, 915G, and 915Gx chipsets.

The 3D architecture of the GMA 900 was a significant upgrade from the previous Extreme 3D graphics processors. It is a 4 pixel per clock cycle design supporting DirectX 9 pixel shader model 2.0. It operates at a clock rate ranging from 160 to 333 MHz, depending on the particular chipset. At 333 MHz, it has a peak pixel fill-rate of 1332 megapixels per second. However, the architecture still lacks support for hardware transform and lighting and the similar vertex shader technologies.

Like previous Intel integrated graphics parts, the GMA 900 has hardware support for MPEG-2 motion compensation, color-space conversion and DirectDraw overlay.

The processor uses different separate clock generators for display and render cores. The display unit includes a 400 MHz RAMDAC, 2 25–200 Mpixel/s serial DVO ports, and 2 display controllers. In mobile chipsets, up to 2 18-bit 25–112 MHz LVDS transmitters are included.

[edit] GMA 950

The GMA 950 is Intel's second-generation graphics core, which was also referred by Intel as 'Gen 3.5 Integrated Graphics Engine' in datasheets. It is used in the Intel 940GML, 945G, 945GU and 945GT system chipsets. The amount of video-decoding hardware has increased; VLD, iDCT, and dual video overlay windows are supposed to be handled in hardware.^[2] However in a feature comparison document^[3] it is noted, that VLD and iDCT are not supported until GMA 3100 (on G33 chipsets only). The maximum core clock is up to 400 MHz (on Intel 945G, 945GC, 945GZ, 945GSE), boosting pixel fill-rate to a theoretical 1600 megapixels/s.

The GMA 950 shares the same architectural weakness as the GMA 900: no hardware geometry processing. Neither basic hardware transform and lighting,^[4] nor more advanced vertex shaders are handled in the GMA hardware.

[edit] GMA 3000

The 946GZ, Q965, and Q963 chipsets use the GMA 3000 chip.^[5][6] The GMA 3000 3D core is very different from the X3000, despite their similar names. It is based more directly on the previous generation GMA 900 and GMA 950 graphics, and belonging to the same "i915" family with them. It has pixel and vertex shaders which only support Shader Model 2.0b features, and the vertex shaders are still only software-emulated. In addition, hardware video acceleration such as hardware-based iDCT computation, ProcAmp (video stream independent color correction), and VC-1 decoding are not implemented in hardware. Of the GMA 3000-equipped chipsets, only the Q965 retains dual independent display support. The core speed is rated at 400 MHz with 1.6 Gpixel/s fill rate in datasheets, but was listed as 667 MHz core in the white paper.^[7]

The memory controller can now address a maximum of 256 MB of system memory, and the integrated serial DVO ports have increased top speed to 270Mpixel/s.

[edit] GMA 3100

The G31, G33, Q33 and Q35 chipsets use the GMA 3100, which is DirectX 9 capable. The 3D core is very similar to the older GMA 3000, including the lack of hardware accelerated vertex shaders.

[edit] GMA X3000

The GMA X3000 for desktop was "substantially redesigned" when compared to previous GMA iterations^[8] and it is used in the Intel G965 north bridge controller.^[9] The GMA X3000 was launched in July 2006.^[10] X3000's underlying 3D rendering hardware is organized as a unified shader processor consisting of 8 scalar execution units. Each pipeline can process video, vertex, or texture operations. A central scheduler dynamically dispatches threads to pipeline resources, to maximize rendering throughput (and decrease the impact of individual pipeline stalls.) However, due to the scalar nature of the execution units, they can only process data on a single pixel component at a time.^[11] The GMA X3000 supports DirectX 9.0 with vertex and pixel Shader Model 3.0 features.

The processor consists of different clock domains, meaning that the entire chip does not operate the same clock speed. This causes some difficulty when measuring peak throughput of its various functions. Further adding to the confusion, it is listed as 667 MHz in Intel G965 white paper, but listed as 400 MHz in Intel G965 datasheet. There are various rules that define the IGP's processing capabilities.^[11]

Memory controller can now address maximum 384 MB memory according to white paper, but only 256 MB in datasheet.

[edit] GMA X3100

Information: The GMA X3100 is the mobile version of the GMA X3000 used in the Intel GL960/GM965 chipsets and also in the GS965 chipset. The X3100 supports hardware transform and lighting, up to 128 programmable shader units, and up to 384 MB memory. Its display cores can run up to 333 MHz on GM965 and 320 MHz on GL960. Its render cores can run up to 500 MHz on GM965 and 400 MHz on GL960. The X3100 display unit includes a 300 MHz RAMDAC, two 25–112 MHz LVDS transmitters, 2 DVO encoders, and a TV encoder. In addition, the hardware supports DirectX 10.0,^[3] Shader Model 4.0 and OpenGL 1.5.^[12]

[edit] GMA X3500

GMA X3500 is an upgrade of the GMA X3000 and used in the desktop G35. The shaders support shader model 4.0 features. Architecturally, the GMA X3500 is very similar to the GMA X3000,^[13] with both GMAs running at 667 MHz. The major difference between them is that the GMA X3500 supports Shader Model 4.0 and DirectX 10, whereas the earlier X3000 supports Shader Model 3.0 and DirectX 9.^[13] The X3500 also adds hardware-assistance for playback of VC-1 video.

[edit] GMA X4500

The GMA X4500 and the GMA X4500HD for desktop^[14] were launched in June 2008.^[15] The GMA X4500 is used in the G43 chipset^[16] and the GMA X4500HD is used in the G45 chipset.^[14] The GMA X4500 is also used in the G41 chipset,^[17] which was released in September 2008.^[18]

The GMA 4500MHD for laptops was launched on July 16, 2008. Featurewise, the 4500MHD is identical to its desktop cousin, the X4500HD.^{[citation needed]} It had been previously rumored that a cost-reduced version, the GMA 4500, was to be launched in late 2008 or early 2009^[19] and was to be used in the upcoming Q43 and Q45 chipsets.^[17] But in practice the Q43 and Q45 Chipsets also use the GMA X4500.^[20]

The difference between the GMA X4500 and the GMA X4500HD is that the GMA X4500HD is capable of "full 1080p high-definition video playback, including Blu-ray disc movies",^[14][21]

Like the X3500, X4500 supports DirectX 10 and Shader Model 4.0 features. Intel designed the GMA X4500 to be 200% faster than the GMA 3100 (G33 chipset) in 3DMark06 performance^[22] and 70% faster than the GMA X3500 (G35 chipset).^[23]

[edit] GMA 500

The Intel SCH (System Controller Hub; codenamed Poulsbo) for the Atom processor Z5xx series features a GMA 500 graphic system. Rather than being developed in-house, this core is a PowerVR SGX 535 core licensed from Imagination Technologies.^[24] Intel describes this as "a flexible, programmable architecture that supports shader-based technology, 2D, 3D and advanced 3D graphics, high-definition video decode, and image processing. Features include screen tiling, internal true color processing, zero overhead anti-aliasing, programmable shader 3D accelerator, and 32-bit floating-point operations."^[25]

[edit] HD Graphics (GMA HD)

With the introduction of Arrandale-based Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7 processors, graphics cores were now built into the processor package itself. The integrated graphics chips are built on a 45 nm process and are much more power efficient than previous generation GMA cores. The graphics chips on the mobile Arrandale processors include a feature similar to Turbo Boost called dynamic frequency scaling, which allows it to gain a little extra headway.

[edit] Specifications

Graphics	Market	Chipset/CPU	Code Name	Device ID	Core Render Clock (MHz)	Pixel Pipelines	Shader Model (Vertex/Pixel)	API Support			Memory Bandwidth (GB/s)	DVMT (MB)	Hardware Acceleration
								DirectX	OpenGL	OpenCL			MPEG-2	VC-1	AVC
Intel740	Desktop	stand-alone GPU	Auburn	7800
i752	Desktop	i810/i815	Whitney/Solano
IEG	Desktop/Mobile	i830G/i845G	Brookdale
IEG2	Desktop/Mobile	i852G/i855G/i865G	Springdale/Morgan Hill/Tulloch/Montara
GMA 900	Desktop	910GL	Grantsdale	2582 2782		4	2.0 (SW) / 2.0	7.0	1.4	—	3.2	128	MC[26]	No	No
		915GL
		915GV									8.5
		915G
	Mobile	Mobile 915 Family	Alviso	2592 2792
GMA 950	Desktop	945GZ	Lakeport	2772 2776		4	3.0 (SW) / 2.0	9.0c			8.5	224[3]	MC[3]	No	No
		945GC			400						10.7
		945G
	Mobile	Mobile 945 Family	Calistoga	27A2 27A6 27AE	224[27]
GMA 3000	Desktop	946GZ	Broadwater	2972 2973		4			1.4		10.7	256	MC[3]	No	No
		Q963		2992 2993							12.8
		Q965
GMA 3100	Desktop	Q33	Bearlake	29D2 29D3					1.5		12.8	256[28]	MC[3]	No	No
		Q35		29B2 29B3
		G31		29C2 29C3
		G33									12.8 (DDR2) 17 (DDR3)		Full[3]
GMA 3150	Nettop	Atom D410 Atom D510	Pineview	A001 A002	400[29]	2			1.5 on Windows 2.0 on Linux[30]		6.4	384	Full	No	No
	Netbook	Atom N4x0 Atom N550		A011 A012	200						5.3
Graphics	Market	Chipset/CPU	Code Name	Device ID	Core Render Clock (MHz)	Execution Units	Shader Model (Unified Shader)	API Support			Memory Bandwidth (GB/s)	DVMT(MB)	Hardware Acceleration
								DirectX	OpenGL	OpenCL			MPEG-2	VC-1	AVC
GMA 500	MID	UL11L	Poulsbo	8108 8109	100	4	3.0	9.0c	2.0		4.2	256	Full	Full	Full
		US15L			200
		US15W
GMA 600	MID	Atom Z6xx	Lincroft	4102	400[citation needed]	4	3.0	9.0c	2.1				Full	Full	Full
Graphics	Market	Chipset/CPU	Code Name	Device ID	Core Render Clock (MHz)	Execution Units	Shader Model (Unified Shader)	API Support			Memory Bandwidth (GB/s)	DVMT (MB)	Hardware Acceleration
								DirectX	OpenGL	OpenCL			MPEG-2	VC-1	AVC
GMA X3000	Desktop	G965	Broadwater	29A2 29A3	667[6]	8[6]	3.0	9.0c	2.0	—	12.8	384	Full[3]	MC + (LF - WMV9 only)	No
GMA X3500		G35	Broadwater	2982 2983	667[31]		4.0	10						MC + LF
GMA X3100	Mobile	GL960	Crestline	2A02 2A03	400[32]				2.1		8.5			MC + (LF - WMV9 only)
		GLE960
		GM965		2A12 2A13	500[32]						10.7
		GME965
GMA 4500	Desktop	B43	Eaglelake	2E42 2E43 2E92 2E93		10					12.8 (DDR2) 17 (DDR3)[33]	1700
		Q43		2E12 2E13
		Q45
GMA X4500		G41		2E32 2E33	800								Full	MC + LF	MC + LF
		G43		2E22 2E23
GMA X4500HD		G45												Full	Full
GMA 4500MHD	Mobile	GL40	Cantiga	2A42 2A43	400[34]						12.8
		GS40
		GM45			533[34]						12.8 (DDR2) 17 (DDR3)
		GS45
HD Graphics (GMA HD)	Desktop	Pentium G6950	Clarkdale GMCH Die:Ironlake	0042	533	12					17	1720	Full	Full	Full
		Core i3-5x0 Core i5-6x0			733						21.3
		Core i5-661			900
	Mobile	Core i5-520UM Core i7-620UE Core i7-6x0UM	Arrandale GMCH Die:Ironlake	0046	500						12.8
		Core i7-620LE Core i7-6x0LM			566						17.2
		Core i3-3x0M			667
		Core i5-430M Core i5-520E Core i5-5x0M Core i7-610E Core i7-620M			766
HD Graphics 2000	Desktop	Non-K edition Core i3, Core i5, Core i7	Sandy Bridge	0102 0106 0112 0116 0122 0126 010A	650–1250 (Turbo)	6	4.1	10.1	3.0		21.3	1720	Full	Full	Full
HD Graphics 3000	Desktop	Core i5-2x00K Core i7-2x00K			650–1350 (Turbo)	12					21.3
	Mobile	Core i3, Core i5, Core i7			350–1300 (Turbo)						21.3
			Ivy Bridge	0080			5.0	11
Graphics	Market	Chipset/CPU	Code Name	Device ID	Core Render Clock (MHz)	Execution Units	Shader Model (Unified Shader)	API Support			Memory Bandwidth (GB/s)	DVMT (MB)	Hardware Acceleration
								DirectX	OpenGL	OpenCL			MPEG-2	VC-1	AVC
Knights Ferry	Desktop	stand-alone GPU	Larrabee

This table is derived from these sources:^{[3][4][5][6][11][26][28][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56]}

Notes:

• VLD: Variable-length code (sometimes referred to as slice-level acceleration)
• iDCT: Inverse discrete cosine transform
• iMDCT: Inverse modified discrete cosine transform
• MC: Motion compensation

• LF: In-loop deblocking filter
• WMV9: Windows Media Video 9 codec
• Full hardware acceleration:
  • MPEG-2: VLD, iDCT, and MC
  • VC-1: VLD, iMDCT, MC, and LF
  • AVC: VLD, iMDCT, MC, and LF

[edit] Software support

[edit] Mac OS X

Mac OS X 10.4 supports the GMA 950, since it was used in previous revisions of the MacBook and 17-inch iMacs.^[57] It has been used in all Intel-based Mac minis (until the Mac Mini released on March 3, 2009).^[58] Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard contains drivers for the GMA X3100, which were used in a recent revision of the MacBook range.^[59]

Late-release versions of Mac OS X 10.4 also support the GMA 900 due to its use in the Apple Developer Transition Kit, which was used in the PowerPC-to-Intel transition. However, special modifications to the kext file must be made to enable Core Image and Quartz Extreme.

Although the new MacBook line no longer uses the X3100, Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) ships with drivers supporting it that require no modifications to the kext file. Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard), which includes a new 64-bit kernel in addition to the 32-bit one, does not include 64-bit X3100 drivers.^{[citation needed]} This means that although the MacBooks with the X3100 have 64-bit capable processors and EFI, Mac OS X must load the 32-bit kernel to support the 32-bit X3100 drivers.^{[citation needed]} November 9's 10.6.2 update ships with 64-bit X3100 drivers.^{[citation needed]}

For a while MacBook and MacBook Pro notebooks instead shipped with a far more powerful^[60] NVIDIA GeForce 9400M,^[61] and the 15" and 17" MacBook Pro notebooks shipped with an additional GeForce 9600GT supporting hybrid power to switch between GPUs. The NVIDIA GeForce 9400M chipset implemented in Apple Macbooks did not support composite or S-video output.^[62]

Current (Mid 2010) Macbook Pro Models have an on-board Intel HD (GMA HD) graphics chip as well as a discrete Nvidia 300M series card that supports hybrid power to switch the output.^[63]

[edit] FreeBSD

FreeBSD 8.0 supports the following Intel graphic chipsets: G945/GME945/G965/Q965/GM965/GL960/GME965/G31/G33/Q33/Q35/G35/G41/G43/G45/Q43/Q45.^{[citation needed]} GMA3150, to date, is unsupported by version 2.7 of the driver which ships with FreeBSD 8.0, 8.1RCs, and 9.0.

[edit] Linux

Intel has had a long history of producing or commissioning open source drivers for its graphics chips, with all chipsets (except the GMA 500) dating back to the i810 having open 2D and 3D drivers for Linux. Intel is the only major graphics hardware vendor to do so. (For an analysis by company see Graphics hardware and FOSS.)

In August 2006, Intel added support to the open-source X.Org/XFree86 drivers for the latest 965 series that include the GMA (X)3000 core.^[64] These drivers were developed for Intel by Tungsten Graphics.^[65]

In May 2007, version 2.0 of the driver (xorg-video-intel) was released, which added support for the 965GM chipset. In addition, the 2.0 driver added native video mode programming support for all chipsets from i830 forward. This version added support for automatic video mode detection and selection, monitor hot plug, dynamic extended and merged desktops and per-monitor screen rotation. These features are built in to the X.Org 7.3 X server release and will eventually be supported across most of the open source X.Org video drivers.^[66] Version 2.1, released in July 2007, added support for the G33, Q33 and Q35 chipsets.^[67] G35 is also supported by the Linux driver.^[68]

As is common for X.Org drivers on Linux, the license is a combination of GPL (for the Linux kernel parts) and MIT (for all other parts).^[69]

The drivers were mainly developed by Intel and Tungsten Graphics (under contract) since the chipsets' documentation were not publicly available for a long time. In January 2008, Intel released the complete developer documentation for their, at the time, latest chipsets (965 and G35 chipset), allowing for further external developers’ involvement.^[70][71] In April 2009, Intel released documentation for their newer G45 graphics (including X4500) chipsets.^[72] In May 2009, Intel employee Eric Anholt stated Intel was "still working on getting docs for [8xx] chipsets out."^[73]

[edit] intel_hal.so

The driver source contains references to a currently-unavailable binary named "intel_hal.so". It is entirely optional, and the advantages are not clear; ostensibly they are increased performance and/or additional features. References in the open source code indicate that it contains or contained (at least) Macrovision support and some minor, optional 3D optimization routines. Calls to the Macrovision code inside the binary were later removed from the 2D driver.^[74][75]

[edit] GMA 500 on Linux

GMA 500 support on Linux is not optimal. The driver is developed by Tungsten Graphics, not by Intel, and the graphic core is not an Intel one, but is licensed from PowerVR. This has led to an uncertain mix of open and closed source 3d accelerated drivers, instability and lack of support.

Ubuntu is the Linux distribution that best supports GMA500 (Poulsbo), through the use of the ubuntu-mobile and gma500 repositories on Launchpad. Support is present for 8.04, 8.10, 9.04, 9.10 and in an experimental way for 10.04 and 10.10, but the installation procedure is not as simple as other drivers and can lead to many bugs.^[76]

Jolicloud, a Linux based OS optimized for netbooks, has a driver for the GMA500 built in.

PixieLive, a GNU/Linux live distribution optimized for GMA500 netbooks, it can boot from USB Pendrive, SD Card or HardDisk.

Intel releases official Linux drivers through the IEGD (Intel Embedded Graphic Driver) supporting some Linux distributions dedicated to the embedded market.

GMA500 is capable of running well in Ubuntu 9.10 with Compiz visual effects activated.^[77]

In November 2009, the Linux Foundation released the details of a new, rewritten Linux driver that would support this chipset and Intel's other upcoming chipsets. The Direct Rendering Manager and X.org parts would be free software, but the 3D component (using Gallium3D) will still be proprietary.^[78]

[edit] Solaris

Solaris may possibly have support for these chipsets.^{[original research?]} Scant information can be found on the Opensolaris DRI page.^[79]

[edit] Microsoft Windows

[edit] GMA 900 on Windows

The GMA 900 is theoretically capable of running Windows Vista’s Aero interface and is certified as DirectX 9 compliant. However, no WHQL certified WDDM driver has been made available. Presumably this is due to the lack of a "hardware scheduler" in the GPU.^[80]

Many owners of GMA900 hardware believed they would be able to run Aero on their systems as early release candidates of Vista permitted XDDM drivers to run Aero. Intel, however, contends that Microsoft's final specs for Aero/WDDM certification did not permit releasing a WDDM driver for GMA900 (due to issues with the hardware scheduler, as mentioned above), so when the final version of Vista was released, no WDDM driver was released.^[81] The last minute pulling of OpenGL capabilities from the GMA drivers for Windows Vista left a large number of GMA based workstations unable to perform basic 3D hardware acceleration with OpenGL and unable to run many Vista Premium applications such as Windows DVD Maker. To get OpenGL acceleration, users must use third party drivers, like the freeware TitaniumGL.

[edit] GMA 950 on Windows

This IGP is capable of displaying the Aero interface for Windows Vista. Drivers have shipped with Windows Vista since beta versions were made available in mid-2006. It can also run Windows 7's Aero interface since Intel released drivers for Windows 7 in mid-June 2009.

The GMA 950 is integrated into many netbooks, such as the Acer Aspire One, and is able to display a resolution up to 2048×1536 at 75 Hz and up to 224 MB of video memory.^[82]

Most of the reviews about this IGP were negative, since many games (such as Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory or Oblivion) need both Pixel Shader 2.0 or higher, which the GMA supports, and Vertex Shader 2.0, which is not supported in hardware on the GMA and is software-driven. Other games such as Crysis will run but may not work at frame rates fast enough to make the game playable.

[edit] GMA X3000/X3100 on Windows

T&L and Vertex Shaders 3.0 are supported by Intel's newest 15.6 drivers for Windows Vista as of September 2, 2007. XP support for VS3 and T&L was introduced on August 10, 2007. Intel announced in March 2007 that beta drivers would be available in June 2007.^[83][84] On June 1, 2007 "pre-beta" (or Early Beta) drivers were released for Windows XP (but not for Vista).^[85] Beta drivers for Vista and XP were released on June 19.^[86] Since hardware T&L and vertex shading has been enabled in drivers individual applications can be forced to fall back to software rendering,^[87] which raises performance and compatibility in certain cases. Selection is based on testing by Intel and preselected in the driver .inf file.

Intel has released production version drivers for 32-bit and 64-bit Windows Vista that enable the Aero graphics. Intel introduced Direct X 10 for the X3100 and X3500 GPUs in the Vista 15.9 drivers, though any release of DX10 drivers for the X3000 is uncertain. WDDM 1.1 is supported by X3100 but DXVA-HD is not.

OpenGL 2.0 support is available since Vista 15.11 drivers^[88] and XP 14.36 drivers.^[89]

[edit] GMA 500 on Windows

As of September 2010, the latest available driver revisions from the Intel website for Windows XP, Vista and 7 are:^[90]

• Version 3.3.0 for Windows XP.
• Version 4.0.2 for Windows Vista.
• Version 5.0.0.2030 for Windows 7.

[edit] Modern gaming

The performance and functionality of GMA processors are limited relative to discrete GPUs. Some features of games and other 3D applications may be unsupported by GMAs, particularly older ones. The GMA X3x00's unified shader design allows for more complete hardware functionality, but the line still has issues with some games and has significantly limited performance.^[91]

Intel has put up a page with 'Known Issues & Solutions' for each version.^[92] For Intel Graphics Media Accelerator Software Development concerns, there is the Integrated Graphics Software Development Forum.^[93]

[edit] Microsoft Windows performance reviews

[edit] GMA X3000 review

A review conducted in April 2007 by The Tech Report determined that the GMA X3000 had performance comparable to the Nvidia GeForce 6150.^[94] During that review the GMA X3000 was unable to run the PC games Battlefield 2 and Oblivion.^[95] However, the ExtremeTech review found that games which aren't as graphically demanding, such as Sims 2 and Civilization 4, "look good" when the GMA X3000 is used to run them.^[96]

Reviews performed by The Tech Report, by ExtremeTech and by Anandtech all concluded that the AMD's Radeon X1250 integrated graphics solutions based on the AMD 690G chipset was a better choice than the GMA X3000 based on the G965 chipset, especially when considering 3D gaming performance and price.^[94][97][98]

[edit] GMA X3500 review

In a review performed by Register Hardware in December 2007,^[13] author Leo Waldock argued that because the GMA X3500 is not capable of running any PC game that requires DirectX 10, the addition of DirectX 10 support to the GMA X3500 was "irrelevant".^[99] During that same review, the GMA X3500 was used to run the PC games Crysis and FEAR Extraction Point, where it was able to render only 4 and 14 frames per second respectively for each game.^[100] In the end the review concluded that overall the X3500 made "minimal advances" over the GMA X3000.^[99]

[edit] GMA X4500 review

In a review published in May 2008, the GMA X4500 showed a superior game performance to the lowest-end 1-year-older GeForce 8400M graphics card in some CPU-bound tests, while losing to the still low-end GeForce 8400M GS with a slower CPU.^[101]

[edit] Sandy Bridge IGP

In a review released by Anandtech in August 2010, the as-yet unnamed IGP in the upcoming Sandy Bridge CPUs was over two times faster than the previous GMA HD part, beating the ATI Radeon 5450 in some tests.^[102]

[edit] See also

• Graphics hardware and FOSS
• Larrabee
• Comparison of AMD graphics processing units
• Comparison of Nvidia graphics processing units

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Intel Graphics: Homepage
• Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3000 and 3000 White Paper
• Windows Vista* support FAQ, Intel.
• Linux Graphics Drivers from Intel
• Contemporary Platforms with Integrated Graphics (page 12), X-bit labs.
• The Register: Intel vs AMD - integrated graphics shoot-out
• Blu-Ray Performance - Intel X4500HD Versus Radeon HD 4830

v · d · eIntel processors Discontinued BCD oriented (4-bit) 4004 · 4040 pre-x86 (8-bit) 8008 · 8080 · 8085 x86-16 (16-bit) 8086 · 8088 · 80186 · 80188 · 80286 x87 (external FPUs) 8/16-bit databus: 8087 · 16-bit databus: 80287 · 32-bit databus: 80387 · 80487 x86-32/IA-32 (32-bit) 80386 (SX · 376 · EX) · 80486 (SX · DX2 · DX4 · SL · RapidCAD · OverDrive) · Pentium (Original · OverDrive · Pro · II · II OverDrive · III · 4 · M) · Core · Celeron M · Celeron D · A100/A110 x86-64/EM64T (64-bit) Pentium 4 · Pentium D · Pentium Extreme Edition · Celeron D · Core 2 Other iAPX 432 — RISC: i860 · i960 · StrongARM · XScale Current x86-32: EP80579 · Intel CE · Atom — x86-64: Atom (some) · Celeron · Pentium (Dual-Core) · Core (i3 · i5 · i7) · Xeon — Other: IOP · Itanium Lists CPU sockets · CPU power dissipation · Chipsets · PCHs · SCHs · ICHs · PIIXs · Microarchitectures · Processors · Future Processors · Codenames · GMA · Atom · Celeron · Core (2 · i3 · i5 · i7) · Itanium · Pentium (Pro · II · III · 4 · D · M · Dual-Core) · Xeon Microarchitectures P5  P5 based cores 800 nm P5 600 nm P54C 350 nm P54CS · P55C 250 nm Tillamook P6  P6 / Pentium M / Enhanced Pentium M based cores 500 nm P6 350 nm P6 · Klamath 250 nm Mendocino · Dixon · Tonga · Covington · Deschutes · Katmai · Drake · Tanner 180 nm Coppermine · Coppermine T · Timna · Cascades 130 nm Tualatin · Banias 90 nm Dothan · Stealey 65 nm Tolapai · Yonah · Sossaman NetBurst  NetBurst based cores 180 nm Willamette · Foster 130 nm Northwood · Gallatin · Prestonia 90 nm Tejas and Jayhawk · Prescott · Smithfield · Nocona · Irwindale · Cranford · Potomac · Paxville 65 nm Cedar Mill · Presler · Dempsey · Tulsa Core  Core / Penryn based cores 65 nm Merom-L · Merom · Conroe-L · Allendale · Conroe · Kentsfield · Woodcrest · Clovertown · Tigerton 45 nm Penryn · Penryn-QC · Wolfdale · Yorkfield · Wolfdale-DP · Harpertown · Dunnington Bonnell  Bonnell based cores 45 nm Silverthorne · Diamondville · Pineview · Lincroft · Tunnel Creek · Sodaville Nehalem  Nehalem / Westmere based cores 45 nm Clarksfield · Lynnfield · Jasper Forest · Bloomfield · Gainestown (Nehalem-EP) · Beckton (Nehalem-EX) 32 nm Arrandale · Clarkdale · Gulftown (Westmere-EP) Sandy Bridge  Sandy Bridge / Ivy Bridge based cores 32 nm Sandy Bridge Future Larrabee · Haswell / Rockwell