On-die GPU Performance

Despite the various improvements it's undergone, the Intel HD 4000 graphics solution is still very underwhelming for gaming purposes. The Core i7-2600K couldn't be used for direct comparison in 3Dmark 11 as that requires DirectX 11. With a score of 1486pts the Core i7-3770K was almost 20% slower than the AMD A8-3850, and 23% slower than a GeForce GT 430 graphics card (currently a $50 affair).

The Core i7-3770K provided a 77% performance increase at 1280x800 in Splinter Cell Conviction when compared to the i7-2600K. This is an impressive performance gain, though it still meant that the Core i7-3770K was almost 40% slower than the AMD A8-3850.

When testing with Crysis Warhead the Core i7-3770K was 133% faster than the i7-2600K, yet still 22% slower than the AMD A8-3850.

With Just Cause 2 we found that the Core i7-3770K was 3fps faster than the Core i7-2600K. The AMD A8-3850 meanwhile proved to be ~48% faster.

The Core i7-3770K provided a 64% performance boost over the i7-2600K in Civilization V with an average of 23fps. Though compared to the 36fps of the AMD A8-3850, the Core i7-3770K was 36% slower.