Intel HD Graphics 3000 performance, specs and review
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) HD 3000 or for the short we call it Intel HD Graphics 3000, sometimes it is also called HD Graphics 200, is integrated graphics card. Intel embed this HD Graphics 3000 into its processor codenamed Sandy Bridge. Because it has no video memory, it shares the Level 3 / LLC Cache with the CPU cores and also gains some from the RAM. The GPU itself can be overclocked, thanks to the TurboBoost. Still it depends on current CPU load and power consumption. There are also some regulations on this GPU’s base and TurboBoost speed, which is based on the type of the processor. Including ULV processors Core ix-2xx7 with base speed of 350MHz and Turbo with 900-1000MHz, LV processors Core ix-2xx5 which has the base speed 150MHz more than ULV and Turbo with max of 1000MHz, the faster mainstream, high-end Dual-core and Quad-core Core ix-2xx0 offer the base 650MHz speed, TurboBoosted between 1100 to 1200MHz, and the Desktop K processors, which has the fastest base speed of 850 MHz with Turbo speed of 1100-1350MHz. Compared to the slower HD Graphics 2000, the HD 3000 offers 12 Execution Units (EUs) while HD Graphics 2000 uses only 6 Execution Units.
Using quad-core processors’s version of HD Graphics 3000 (with TurboBoost enabled) the tests showed a comparable performance to NVIDIA GeForce 310M and AMD HD 5450. There are also some driver glitch issues (like too dark scenes in Left 4 Dead and Supreme Commander, or Mafia 2 which cannot start at all). Some games tested by Andandtech using a desktop version without TurboBoost indicate a gaming performance has a same level with a desktop AMD Radeon HD 5450. The framerates were always high enough to be playable in low details and 1024 x 768 resolution settings. Some games even ran faster than the AMD’s, like Batman Arkham Asylum and Dragon Origins. The test also showed us some older games like Half-life 2 and Quake 4 which ran fluently in high-ultra detail settings. For other words, this Intel’s HD Graphics 3000 should be able to run most of older games with medium-high detail settings, and some of current games with low (mostly) to medium detail settings.
Some other test were published at inpai.com.cn. The HDGraphics 3000 in a Core i7-2600K desktop cpu was clocked at 850 – 1350 MHz (Turbo boost enabled) and was able share 8MB level 3 cache. Civilization 5, Left 4 Dead 2, and Star Craft 2 were comparable with AMD Radeon HD 5450 desktop version. Intel’s Graphics card even ran faster in Far Cray 2, Mass Effect 2, Dirt 2, CoD Black Ops and Bad Company 2. However, Hawx2 and NBA 2K11 ran slower and Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 did not run. Results of these tests showed us most of games should be playable in low detail settings. Decoding and encoding HD videos also supported by the processor, thanks to the dedicated units in the chip, as addition to the GPU. The power consumption of the GPU should be quite low, due to the integration in the 32nm built CPU. Therefore, the GPU will mostly be used in small and light laptops.
Intel HD Graphics 3000 performance, specs and review