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Intel not only catches up but surpasses AMD in graphics performance, thanks to advancements in integrated graphics processing.
1. Intel's Breakthrough in Integrated Graphics Performance Against AMD's 7nm
Advancements in integrated graphics processing enable Intel to catch up and even outpace AMD in graphics performance.
AMD's 7nm Ryzen 4000 chips are reshaping the laptop processor market. Shortly after a wave of laptops with AMD's Ryzen 4000 hit the market, Intel introduced its new Tiger Lake Gen 11th chips this month, claiming them to be the best processors for ultrabooks.
Built on the 10nm process, similar to the Gen 10th chips, the Tiger Lake Gen 11th series features a new SuperFin design, delivering faster speeds and lower energy consumption than its predecessor. Moreover, it incorporates Intel's new weapon, the Xe integrated graphics processor, boasting double the performance of the previous generation.
Intel's Reference Device for Core i7-1185G7 Processor
While laptops equipped with this new chip are yet to hit the market, The Verge journalist Monica Chin has experienced the power of the latest Gen 11th processor on Intel's prototype laptop, featuring the most powerful chip in the Gen 11th lineup, the Core i7-1185G7. This 4-core, 8-thread processor has a base clock of 3.0 GHz, capable of single-core turbo boost up to 4.8 GHz or an all-core turbo boost up to 4.3 GHz along with the Xe graphics.
With a slew of technological advancements, Intel's Gen 11th processors clearly outperform its own 10th Gen Ice Lake lineup. However, The Verge decides to compare Intel's current most powerful laptop chip with its equally matched competitor, the Ryzen 7 4800U with AMD's integrated Vega 8 graphics, found in the Lenovo Ideapad Slim 7, a device that effectively leverages the power of this chip.
Lenovo Ideapad Slim 7, showcasing the peak performance of the Ryzen 7 4800U.
The test results are genuinely impressive. The significant power of the Xe Gen12 graphics on the Core i7-1185G7 has enabled Intel to surpass AMD for the first time in integrated graphics performance on a processor.
Specifically, a device with an Intel chip can play Overwatch at 1080p resolution with Ultra settings (average 89fps) and Epic settings (average 59fps). In contrast, its competitor, the R7-4800U, can only achieve a speed of 46fps at Ultra settings.
Similar scenarios unfold with other games like Final Fantasy XV, XIV, and World of Tanks, where the Intel Core i7-1185G7 consistently outperforms its rivals in frame rates. Notably, for titles such as Final Fantasy XIV and World of Tanks, the Intel Core i7-1185G7 even edges past its competition in frame rates at a 15W power level, instead of requiring the higher 28W.
However, in games like F1 2019 and Civilization 6, Intel's chip falls slightly behind in frame rates compared to its counterparts. Nevertheless, this marks the first time Intel's integrated graphics processor truly catches up and surpasses AMD's competition. With this power, users may not even need to seek laptops equipped with basic GPUs like the Nvidia MX350 for regular gaming anymore.
Yet, the graphics prowess is the most impressive highlight in the race between the Core i7-1185G7 and the Ryzen 7 4800U. In the CPU score competition, Intel's processor is consistently lagging behind AMD, even when increasing power consumption from 15W to 28W. This is not surprising as the Ryzen 7 4800U boasts double the cores and threads compared to the Intel chip.
In tests conducted by Tom’s Hardware using Geekbench 5.2 and Handbrake Video Editing tools, AMD's superiority in performance over Intel is evident, especially in multi-core performance tests. Intel's processor only manages to outpace AMD in the Geekbench 5.2 single-core performance test.
Similarly, this holds true for the Cinebench R20 test, where the Core i7-1185G7 surpasses the 4800U in the single-core test but falls behind in the multi-core test.
Another noteworthy test focuses on tasks related to encoding and decoding, emphasized by review sites. These tasks are frequently used while browsing the web to safeguard sensitive user information such as credit card details or online login information from online hackers.
Testing the encryption and decryption capabilities between Core i7 Gen 11th and Ryzen 7 4800U.
Examining the neural network processing capabilities between Intel and AMD chips.
In addition, there are tests on image processing capabilities as well as artificial intelligence tasks. The results of these tests, as well as encoding and decoding capabilities, consistently favor Intel's processor.
Even though these tests were conducted on Intel's reference device, where the new processor's power is maximized, they still demonstrate significant improvements in performance and strength within Intel's new chip. Despite remaining on the 10nm process and having fewer processing cores and threads compared to the competition, remarkable enhancements in graphics and other tasks showcase Intel's commendable efforts in recent times.
These tests reveal how eagerly anticipated laptops equipped with Intel's new Gen 11th processors are, as they prepare to make their debut in the near future.
