Author Topic: Intel (Integrated) Graphics: Are They Really That Bad for Gaming?  (Read 1490 times)

Lately I've been seeing people bashing Intel graphics because they are incompatible with Blockland's shaders. Many people seem to imply that Intel graphics are completely useless for gaming. These assumptions are mostly false, because I am able to Source games smoothly on medium settings on my sister's 2-year-old laptop with Intel Graphics. She is able to run her newer Sims 3 games at low settings with decent performance.

I'm not saying that integrated graphics are any good for gaming, I'm just saying that you can make a modern integrated chipset work.

I would like to get some opinions from more informed people, I don't really know what I'm talking about and can only provide anecdotal evidence.


Lately I've been seeing people bashing Intel graphics because they are incompatible with Blockland's shaders. Many people seem to imply that Intel graphics are completely useless for gaming. These assumptions are mostly false, because I am able to Source games smoothly on medium settings on my sister's 2-year-old laptop with Intel Graphics. She is able to run her newer Sims 3 games at low settings with decent performance.

I'm not saying that integrated graphics are any good for gaming, I'm just saying that you can make a modern integrated chipset work.

I would like to get some opinions from more informed people, I don't really know what I'm talking about and can only provide anecdotal evidence.

Define "decent".

Meaning you can barely see whats going on, or smooth enough to trick the eye? Many people have low standards for playing their games on their cheap disposable $300-500 laptops, as I called them for various reasons.

from what my dad has been telling me, the main purpose of dedicated graphic cards is to process graphics and don't have to share the power of the motherboard like integrated graphic cards.

plus, intel doesn't support GLSL shaders :S

Define "decent".

Meaning you can barely see whats going on, or smooth enough to trick the eye? Many people have low standards for playing their games on their cheap disposable $300-500 laptops, as I called them for various reasons.
My 500$ laptop has a nice dedicated 6650 1gb and 6gb of ram...i dont consider it disposable lol

My 500$ laptop has a nice dedicated 6650 1gb and 6gb of ram...i dont consider it disposable lol
What it is name?

I call them disposable because not only has every laptop we've had failed in a year but the part about interchangable parts is completely missing from the Laptop design and is therefore NOT maintainable once a critical part goes kaput.

For us, they are disposed every year and thus, replaced.
« Last Edit: August 13, 2012, 03:25:08 AM by Randomness »

intel GPUs are bad
I'm pretty sure any integrated GPU is going to be no good
people haven't only been bashing intel graphics lately
just all the other people who don't play any real games never knew how much their computer sucked before this update

I've had the misfortune to have never used a computer that didn't have an integrated GPU before


It depends on which Intel integrated chip you're talking about.  Mid/lower end "GMA" or "Graphics Media Accelerator" series ones are absolute garbage and can barely handle mediocre 3D.

The newer ones, i.e. Intel HD 3000, are okay.  They don't do intense 3D really well but they can get some basic low end 3D gaming done.  At least they can handle high resolution videos and etc. though.

Lately I've been seeing people bashing Intel graphics because they are incompatible with Blockland's shaders. Many people seem to imply that Intel graphics are completely useless for gaming. These assumptions are mostly false, because I am able to Source games smoothly on medium settings on my sister's 2-year-old laptop with Intel Graphics. She is able to run her newer Sims 3 games at low settings with decent performance.

Intel Graphics cards are not designed for gaming, they are designed for Internet and basic multimedia. Many Intel cards, especially the older GMA ones, can't even support newer versions of DirectX.

If that wasn't bad enough many (if not all) Intel cards are integrated which isn't ideal to put it kindly. You don't buy a computer that only has Intel graphics if you want to game. These cards often have low memory capability. They simply can't process game graphics efficiently. Some of the newer HD cards are OKAY but again you aren't going to get good gaming performance. You might get mediocre gaming ability with some games. Some.

Being able to play games on them does't make them good. It just means you were lucky enough to find a game that can be stretched to run on it. You can play Portal with an older Intel card, but only on low settings.



It's integrated.
has integrated and dedicated lol switchable graphics, look it up :o?

has integrated and dedicated lol switchable graphics, look it up :o?
what's the point
I mean wtf? why would you ever need or want to switch to an integrated GPU
just seems like a waste of space/money to me

what's the point
I mean wtf? why would you ever need or want to switch to an integrated GPU
just seems like a waste of space/money to me

They are designed for high-end laptops. When running on battery and doing basic processes like web browsing, the integrated card is used. When playing games or doing intense work the dedicated card activates.

Its to save power.