Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 vs Intel HD Graphics P630

Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640

The Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 (GT3e) is a processor graphics card for Kaby Lake models announced in January 2017. As the successor to the Intel Iris Graphics 540 (Skylake), the Iris Plus Graphics 640 is used for 15-Watt ULV models and is equipped with 64 MB eDRAM cache. There should not be any big changes compared to the Iris Graphics 540.

The so called GT3e version of the Kaby Lake GPU still has 48 Execution Units (EUs), which can reach up to 1050 MHz depending on the model. Besides eDRAM cache, the Iris 640 can also access the system memory (2x 64 Bit DDR3L-1600/LPDDR3-1866/DDR4-2400) via processor interface.

Compared to the Iris Plus 650 from the 28-Watt models, the Iris 640 only has a slightly lower maximum clock as well as the lower TDP, so the utilization of the Turbo Boost potential should be worse.

Performance

The exact performance of the Iris Plus Graphics 640 depends on the CPU model, because maximum clock as well as the size of the L3 cache can differ a bit. The system memory (DDR3/DDR4) will influence the performance as well.

The fastest chips are high-clocked Core i7 models like the Core i7-7660U. Depending on the game, the Iris Plus 640 will probably be similar to the previous model somewhere between a dedicated GeForce 920M and GeForce 940M and is usually limited to low settings in modern games.

Features

The reworked video engine now fully supports hardware decoding of H.265/HEVC videos. Contrary to Skylake, however, Kaby Lake can now also decode H.265/HEVC Main 10 with a 10-bit color depth as well as Google's VP9 codec. The video output is possible via DP 1.2/eDP 1.3 (up to 3840 x 2160 @60 Hz), whereas HDMI is also supported in the older 1.4a standard. An HDMI 2.0 output can be added via converter from DisplayPort. The GPU can drive up to three displays simultaneously.

Power Consumption

The Iris Plus Graphics 640 is used for 15-Watt ULV processor and therefore thin notebooks and Ultrabooks.

Intel HD Graphics P630

The Intel HD Graphics P630 (GT2) is an integrated graphics unit, which can be found in various Xeon workstation processors of the Kaby Lake generation. The "GT2" version of the Skylake GPU offers 24 Execution Units (EUs) clocked at up to 1050 MHz (depending on the CPU model). Due to its lack of dedicated graphics memory or eDRAM cache, the P630 has to access the main memory (2x 64bit DDR3L-1600 / DDR4-2133). It uses the same silicon as the consumer HD Graphics 630 in Kaby-Lake-H processors but features optimized drivers for workstaion and CAD software. According to Intel it is certified for 15 applications (see list).

Performance

According to Intel, the performance of the P630 is identical to the Intel HD Graphis P530 (Skylake predecessor) processor graphics card and 1.94x faster than the old Intel HD Graphics P4000. Compared to consumer cards, the gaming performance should be on a similar level to the dedicated GeForce 920M and will handle old games (as of 2015) in low or medium settings.

Features

The revised video engine in the Kaby Lake chips now supports H.265/HEVC Main10 profile at 10-bit color depth and also the VP9 codec in hardware. Furthermore, HDCP 2.2 is also supported in all chips, which allows Netflix 4K videos, for instance.

Power Consumption

The HD Graphics P630 can be found in mobile quad-core Xeon processors with 45 W TDP and also desktop processors of the Xeon range with higher TDPs.

Source: http://www.intel.com/content/dam/www/public/us/en/documents/guides/hd-graphics-performance-guide.pdf