Intel HD Graphics (Broadwell) vs Intel HD Graphics 400 (Braswell)

Intel HD Graphics (Broadwell)

The Intel HD Graphics (Broadwell) (GT1) is an integrated Broadwell graphics card revealed in Q1 2015. It can be found in several low-end CPUs such as the Pentium 3805U or Celeron 3755U. The so-called GT1 GPU offers 12 EUs (Execution Units) and therefore somewhat more shader power than the previous HD Graphics (Haswell). The clock range may depend on the specific model it is built into.

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). In case of the GT1 version, the shader arrays called "subslice" have been reorganized and now offer 6 Execution Units (EUs) each. Two subslices form a "slice" for a total of 12 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 (Broadwell) represents the low-end version of the Broadwell GPU family and consists of one slice with 12 EUs. Beyond that, there is also a mid-range variant (GT2, 24 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 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

Even though the HD Graphics (Broadwell) is clocked a bit lower, the performance should be clearly above the HD Graphics (Haswell) and similar to the HD Graphics 4000. Nevertheless, only a few games as of 2014/2015 will run fluently at (very) low settings, e.g. Dota 2 or Sims 4.

Power Consumption

Utilizing a new 14 nm process, the HD Graphics (Broadwell) can be found in ULV models (15 W) as well as regular dual core CPUs (37 W, not yet presented). The TDP is flexible and can be further reduced, which has a significant impact on performance.

Intel HD Graphics 400 (Braswell)

The Intel HD Graphics 400 (Braswell)  is an integrated graphics card in the low end SoCs of the Braswell series (2016 Celeron models). 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.

It is a rename from the Intel HD Graphics (Braswell) card that included the faster 16 EU model in the Pentium SoCs. See the Intel HD Graphics Braswell graphics card page for benchmarks.

The performance depends on the processor (different boost speed for the GPU) and the used memory.

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.