Intel’s Iris Xe still leagues behind discrete mobile GPUs

Intel recently migrated to the refined 10nm chipsets and introduced its next-gen Tiger Lake processors to the world. The new SoCs from the tech giant is excitingly powerful and packs in plenty of features. But the most exciting of them all is the Intel’s Iris Xe graphics module.

Teased by the Silicon giant as the first integrated GPU to deliver performance that matches many of the discrete GPUs. Many OEMs have already launched their new notebooks sporting the Tiger Lake, and some have even upgraded their already existing notebooks to sport Intel’s latest Silicon.

According to sources, the 3DMark benchmark places the Iris Xe graphics for mobile on par with Nvidia’s GeForce MX350. Intel has already advertised its GPU to be an alternative for the Nvidia’s famous MX series.

But is Intel’s Iris Xe really powerful?

While running actual games, however, NBC found that Nvidia’s GPU still outperforms Intel’s Iris Xe by a margin of 80 percent on some games.

Games that NBC claims to have tested include the following:

• GTA V
• DOTA 2
• X-Plane
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider
• Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
• Division 2
• Borderlands 3
• Far Cry New Dawn
• Anno 1800
• Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order

There could be many reasons for poor performance from Intel. Nvidia is a long-time player in the GPU market. The company has amassed experience over the years which allowed them to develop their graphics drivers to meet the various demands of high-end games.

The most common reason for Intel’s poor performance might be the most obvious one. The TDP pool is shared with CPU which results in the lack of VRAM. Unlike GeForce MX350, which is a discrete GPU, Intel’s Iris Xe being an integrated graphics has to always share resources with the CPU all the time.

Tiger Lake’s performance is, without a doubt, will be extremely satisfying, but the Iris Xe still has a long way to go. Its performance might improve with every driver update, which the intel provides. Considering this is Intel’s first major take on Nvidia’s GPU, soon, Intel might launch an Integrated GPU that actually matches or even crosses discrete GPU’s in performance. As of now, discrete GPU’s are a must to enjoy games with satisfying performance.

source

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