Intel HD Graphics 5600 vs Intel HD Graphics 6000 vs Intel HD Graphics (Braswell)

Intel HD Graphics 5600

The Intel HD Graphics 5600 (GT2) is an integrated graphics card of the Broadwell generation. It can be found in standard voltage CPUs (47 W) and offers 24 EUs (Execution Units). The clock range may depend on the model it is built into (Core i7-5700HQ: max. 1050 MHz with Turbo Boost).

Architecture and Features

Broadwell features a GPU based on the Intel Gen8 architecture, which has been optimized in various aspects compared to the previous Gen7.5 (Haswell). Inter alia, the shader arrays called "subslice" have been reorganized and now offer 8 Execution Units (EUs) each. Three subslices form a "slice" for a total of 24 EUs. Combined with other improvements such as larger L1 caches and an optimized frontend, the integrated GPU has become faster and more efficient than its predecessor.

The HD Graphics 5600 represents the mid-range version of the Broadwell GPU family and consists of one slice with 24 EUs. Beyond that, there is also a low-end variant (GT1, 12 EUs) as well as higher-end models (GT3/GT3e + eDRAM, 48 EUs).

All Broadwell GPUs support OpenCL 2.0 and DirectX 12 (FL 11_1). The video engine is now able to decode H.265 using both fixed function hardware as well as available GPU shaders. Up to three displays can be connected via DP 1.2/eDP 1.3 (max. 3840 x 2160 @ 60 Hz) or HDMI 1.4a (max. 3840 x 2160 @ 24 Hz). HDMI 2.0, however, is not supported.

Performance

Thanks to its improved architecture and the additional EUs, the HD Graphics 5600 is about 20 percent faster than the Haswell-based HD 4600 (20 EUs), but still somewhat slower than dedicated low-end GPUs like a GeForce 920M or Radeon R7 M360. Most games as of 2014/2015 will be playable only in low settings (and sometimes not even that).

Power Consumption

The whole Broadwell chip is specified at 47 W TDP (i7-5700HQ) and therefore best suited for notebooks 14-inches in size and above. We tested the power consumption of the GPU with HWInfo sensors in a Core i7-5600HQ (MSI GP62). Idle on the Windows desktop the HD 5600 needed on average 0.04 Watt. Running World of Warships in high details, 9.6 Watt were used by the graphics card (whole CPU needed 41 Watt). In comparison, when we activated the dedicated GeForce 940M, the GPU part needed 0.4 Watt and the whole CPU 29 Watt.

Intel HD Graphics 6000

The Intel HD Graphics 6000 (GT3) is an integrated Broadwell graphics card revealed in Q1 2015. It can be found in several ULV SoCs (15 W TDP) such as the Core i5-5250U or i7-5650U. The so-called GT3 GPU offers 48 EUs (Execution Units) and therefore somewhat more shader power than the previous HD 5000 (40 EUs). Depending on the specific CPU, the maximum GPU frequency varies between 950 and 1000 MHz.

Architecture and Features

Broadwell features a GPU based on the Intel Gen8 architecture, which has been optimized in various aspects compared to the previous Gen7.5 (Haswell). Inter alia, the shader arrays called "subslice" have been reorganized and now offer 8 Execution Units (EUs) each. Three subslices form a "slice" for a total of 24 EUs. Combined with other improvements such as larger L1 caches and an optimized frontend, the integrated GPU has become faster and more efficient than its predecessor.

The HD Graphics 6000 represents the top-end version of the Broadwell GPU family and consists of two slices with 48 EUs. Beyond that, there is also a low-end (GT1, 12 EUs), a mid-range (GT2, 24 EUs) and a high-end variant (GT3e, 48 EUs + eDRAM).

All Broadwell GPUs support OpenCL 2.0 and DirectX 12 (FL 11_1). The video engine can now decode H.265 using both fixed function hardware as well as available GPU shaders. Up to three displays can be connected via DP 1.2/eDP 1.3 (max. 3840 x 2160 @ 60 Hz) or HDMI 1.4a (max. 3840 x 2160 @ 24 Hz). HDMI 2.0, however, is not supported.

Performance

Depending on the specific CPU, the maximum GPU frequency varies between 950 and 1000 MHz. Due to the low TDP, however, the average clock in 3D applications will be significantly lower. Overall, the HD Graphics 6000 outperforms the previous HD 5000 by 20 - 25 percent and offers a performance slightly below a dedicated GeForce 820M.

Games as of 2014/2015 will usually run fluently only at (very) low settings.

Power Consumption

Utilizing a new 14 nm process, the Broadwell ULV chips are specified at just 15 W TDP and therefore suited for thin ultrabooks. The TDP is flexible and can be further reduced (9.5 W), which has a significant impact on performance.

Intel HD Graphics (Braswell)

The Intel HD Graphics (Braswell)  is an integrated graphics card in the low end SoCs of the Braswell series (e.g. Pentium N3700). It is based on the same architecture as the integrated GPU of the Broadwell graphics cards (e.g. HD Graphics 5300), but offers less shader cores and slower clock speeds.

The performance depends on the processor. The fastest models offer 16 EUs (shader cores) at 400 - 700 MHz. It should be about twice as fast as the old HD Graphics in Bay Trail SoCs. At the time of announcement in Q1 2015 the following models exist:

• Pentium N3700: 16 EUs @ 400 - 700 MHz, Dual-Channel Memory
• Celeron N3150: 12 EUs @ 320 - 640 MHz, Dual-Channel Memory
• Celeron N3050: 12 EUs @ 320 - 600 MHz, Dual-Channel Memory
• Celeron N3000: 12 EUs @ 320 - 600 MHz, Dual-Channel Memory

In the first CPUs the graphics card was only called Intel HD Graphics. Later (e.g. in the Celeron N3060) Intel renamed it to Intel HD Graphics 400 (Celeron with 12 EUs) and Intel HD Graphics 405 (Pentium with 16 EUs).

Gaming performance ist still only suited for older or less demanding games. Often also the processor is limited gaming performance (e.g. in the dual-core N3000).

The SoC also integrates a video decoding engine that should be able to handle 4K H.265 videos.