In this short article, the entry-level Intel HD Graphics 520 will be considered in stages. The characteristics of this device, the feedback from the owners of personal computers based on it, the real performance of such a computing video subsystem, are what this article will be devoted to.
What tasks is this adapter aimed at?
Intel HD Graphics 520 is oriented towards solving software problems with the lowest level of complexity. The characteristics of such an integrated accelerator only confirm this. These include various office suites, multimedia playback, web surfing and other low-demanding hardware applications.
Of course, you can run games on such an accelerator. Some of them will go without problems at all on such an accelerator, and some not at all. In the latter case, you will have to forcibly degrade the quality of the picture, and this will allow you to play almost all modern toys. Therefore, the accelerator in question can be called universal, but with some reservations.
Main settings
The chip model GT2 is the basis of Intel R HD Graphics 520. Its characteristics distinguish the presence of 24 stream processors. Its silicon base is manufactured with tolerances of 14 nm, this is the most advanced process for the production of semiconductor crystals to date. It should also be noted that this adapter belongs to the generation of the Skylake architecture. The frequency of this product may vary during operation from 350 MHz to 1050 MHz. The value of the latter directly depends on the level of complexity of the executed code. The harder it is, the greater the frequency.
But there is also one more limitation - this is the temperature of the silicon substrate. If it approaches a critical value of 73 ° C, then the frequency of the chip automatically decreases. The layout of the ports for connecting a monitor depends on the specific model of the motherboard, but as a rule, they are equipped with VGA, DVI and HDMI.
Memory
A separate video buffer is not provided in the layout of the computing system for Intel HD Graphics 520. The characteristics of the accelerator under consideration indicate that part of the system’s fast volatile memory is used to store the processed information in this case. That is, it can be either DDR3 or DDR4. Its size is set in the BIOS, and the maximum amount that can be used for these purposes by the GPU is 2 GB.
Another important component of the memory subsystem is the RAM controller. In this case, it is common for both the video card and the processor cores. The capacity of the RAM bus declared for this device is 64 bits. To increase the performance of the graphics subsystem, Intel engineers envisaged the possibility that the accelerator, like computing cores, can store information in the third level of fast cache memory.
Real performance
Good results in modern gaming applications are shown by the Intel HD Graphics 520 graphics card discussed in this article. Its characteristics are very modest, but it still allows it to run most of this software. The results in tests in conjunction with the Core i5-6200U CPU, 1366X768 resolution and low detail of the displayed image are as follows:
Alien: Isolation - 32.8 fps. This is a very comfortable level of gameplay. Of course, the image is very, very modest, but you can’t expect more from the built-in kernel anyway.
Battlefield Hardline - 30.6 fps. In this case, the smallest playability margin is obtained.
BioShock Infinite - 56.4 fps. Now, this accelerator shows itself in all its glory and allows you to play quite comfortably in this application.
F1 2014 - 48 fps. Another game that you can comfortably play. And it’s quite comfortable.
FIFA 16 - 36.9 fps. The speed of the graphics accelerator is reduced, but it is still enough for this football simulator.
Reviews, price and conclusion
According to reviews, the most affordable CPU with this accelerator is the Pentium G4500 line. Its price is 3000 rubles. The most expensive processor with such an integrated video adapter is the i7 - 6700K. The market value of the latter is 20,000 rubles. It is in this range that the cost of chips with the accelerator Intel HD Graphics 520 under consideration varies. Features, reviews and the level of performance indicate its balance. The main area of its use is entry-level programs, and it works great for their excellent work. Moreover, the composition of both desktop and mobile processors can be found Intel HD Graphics 520. Its characteristics allow both the first and second use.