Published in Graphics

Arrandale CPU+IGP graphics is GMA HD

by on25 August 2009

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Graphics Media Accelerator HD


Intel plans launch its new mobile dual-core that supports four threads, Turbo overclocking and has IGP graphics on the same socket in Q1 2010, probably in early January. Intel calls it Arrandale if you talk about notebooks, and it's Clarksdale in the desktop environment.


Part of this new CPU is a graphics core that will end up in many Calpella platform based notebooks. The fun part is that Intel brands Arrandale as Core i7 or Core i5, even though it would be more fair to users to brand it as Core i3, but since Intel can get away with it, it will use more powerful brands for less powerful CPUs with key goal to boost its sales.

Intel promises “great 3D experience for mainstream consumer usage” which does mean that this IGP will be faster than GM45, but it’s very hard to make any IGP worse than any of the Intel’s legacy ones.

Intel also promises high quality Windows 7 experience and DirectX 10 and OpenGL 2.1 support, but we would not bet that you will be able to play any modern DirectX 10 games in this environment. The first tests indicate that Nvidia’s ION eats Arrandale's GMA HD graphics alive, and remember, Nvidia should have Ion 2 by the end of the year. In all fairness, Arrandale GMA HD does score much better than GM45.

You will be able to play HD including Blu-ray and Intel promises perfect HQV and HD-HQV scores, but fails to back this up with any facts.

Last modified on 25 August 2009
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