Intel’s Westmere IGP vs. NVIDIA’s GF 9300

With Intel’s Clarkdale processor set for launch very shortly, there’s a lot of speculation as to the performance of the integrated GPU. To recap Clarkdale, this Westmere-based processor is built on a 32nm node, and includes an IGP on the same substrate. Both the CPU and GPU are separate (the GPU is 40nm), but both are still located right beside each other on the same chip.

Intel has had a notorious history when its come to its integrated GPUs, and for what I consider to be good reasons. I have never enjoyed using the company’s IGPs, as I’ve found them to require a lot more work than I want to put in. When I want to use a GPU, I like to install a driver and know that it will work, even if performance will be lacking. It’s no fun trying to run a 3D application and not have it run at all.

But, with the GPU located so close to the CPU, it can be surmised that there may be a chance that it will perform a lot better than if it were located in the Northbridge, or as a single chip elsewhere on the board. According to tech site OCWorkbench, that seems to be true, but it still falls short when compared to NVIDIA’s popular GF 9300.

What’s interesting, though, is that the test was done on a Pentium G6950, which has its IGP clocked at 533MHz. Since Pentium is Intel’s lowest-end processor model, it’s not unreasonable to believe that the mainstream models, such as Core i3 and Core i5, would have much higher clocked GPUs which could end up beating out NVIDIA’s GF 9300.

But personally, as far as I’m concerned, IGP doesn’t equal a “gaming” processor, because the performance is just far too lacking. What Intel stresses most about its Westmere IGP is the ability to run “mainstream” titles, which for example includes Sims 3, and also handle HD content. Given that Intel’s recent chipsets have been able to handle HD content fine, there’s no reason to believe Westmere would be any different. Of course, we’ll have a definitive answer to this at next week’s launch, so stay tuned.