IGP Performance (Part 1)
Now we are going to test the integrated graphics performance of each platform. For this test we will be using the AMD Athlon II X4 635 and Intel Core i3 530 processors. Both cost roughly $120, so it is a fair comparison despite the fact that one is dual-core and the other a quad-core CPU.
The AMD 890GX chipset will be tested with the GPU at its default clock frequency of 700MHz as will the 790GX. The 785G operates at 500MHz and this is the frequency that we will be testing it at. Then the Intel GMA HD will be tested at both the standard 733MHz clock speed as well as the 900MHz frequency of the Core i5 661 processor.
Company of Heroes was tested with the lowest possible quality settings enabled. Although the game looked terrible, it was playable on most of the IGP solutions. The 890GX was a few frames per second faster than the 790GX taking the top spot. With an average of 68.9fps users could probably afford to increase the quality settings here.
Unreal Tournament 3 which is now a little over 2 years old was tested using maximum visual quality settings with AA/AF disabled. The results are not good, though the new 890GX chipset impressed when compared to the rest of the pack. Still none of the IGP solutions were capable of delivering playable performance using these quality settings.
Street Fighter IV was tested using the lowest possible quality settings. The 890GX again looks to be pulling ahead when compared to the other IGP chipsets as it beat the 790GX by a 27% performance margin at 1366x768. Given the specifications we are not sure where this extra performance is coming from.