Benchmarks: IGP - Part Two
| Intel Core i7-4770K 720p Performance Gain/Loss |
Quality | Intel Core i7-3770K | Intel Core i7-2700K | AMD A10-5800K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 720p | + 22.9% | + 109.2% | - 29.9% | |
| 1080p | + 24.2% | + 134.3% | - 28.7% |
Synthetic benchmarks are all well and good, but real-world games - where driver support tends to play an integral role - can tell a different story. When playing BioShock Infinite, the Core i7-4770K is on average 23 per cent faster than a Core i7-3770K, but it still struggles to deliver a smooth experience, even at 720p. More importantly, Intel's IGP is still no match for AMD's soon-to-be-superseded Radeon HD 7660D.
| Intel Core i7-4770K 720p Performance Gain/Loss |
Quality | Intel Core i7-3770K | Intel Core i7-2700K | AMD A10-5800K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 720p | + 50.6% | + 66.7% | - 19.4% | |
| 1080p | + 42.1% | + 62.5% | - 29.0% |
DiRT Showdown reveals a sizeable performance increase. At a 720p resolution with medium-quality settings, the Core i7-4770K delivers a nice, smooth gameplay experience. AMD's Radeon HD 7660D still has the edge, though, particularly in the demanding 1080p test.
| Intel Core i7-4770K 720p Performance Gain/Loss |
Quality | Intel Core i7-3770K | Intel Core i7-2700K | AMD A10-5800K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 720p | + 39.2% | + 86.2% | - 49.5% | |
| 1080p | + 33.9% | + 92.3% | - 51.0% |
40 per cent faster than the previous generation but still 50 per cent slower than the AMD option. The HD 4600 is a step up, but there's a reason why this particular IGP wasn't given Iris branding. Intel continues to assume that desktop users will want to pair its processors with a dedicated third-party graphics card.
