Intel Iris Xe: All about the 3D component that will make our ultraportable players of player PCs

For the technical part, the Xe Max Iris is based on a GPU engraved in 10 Nm and which includes 96 execution units for 768 calculation units. Operating at a maximum of 1.65 GHz, the chip is supported by 4 GB of LPDDR4X type graphic memory on 128 -bit bus for a bandwidth of 68 GB/s – far from 300 to 900 GB/s of conventional graphics cards. The thermal envelope is announced at 25 W. The GPU works on a PCIe 4 interface.0 and offers HDMI 2 support.0b and DisplayPort 1.4.

Intel Iris Xe Max: a first dedicated graphics card for laptops

After the integrated graphic circuits, Intel unveils its first dedicated graphics card using its XE architecture. Called Iris Xe Max (formerly DG1), it is intended for laptops.

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Intel is indeed back on the GPU segment. After more than two years of teasing and a first approach in the form of integrated graphic circuits, its XE architecture now takes place in a first dedicated graphics card. Not enough, however, come and tickle the GeForce RTX 30 and other RADEON RX 6000: The Xe Max IRIS is intended for laptops and presents itself as an entry -level solution.

The Xe Max iris is based on the graphic microarchitecture XE-LP. In the hierarchy established by Intel, this is the entry -level offer, like the NVIDIA GeForce MX for example. This graphics card will therefore not equip computers gaming, but rather “fine and light” multimedia configurations. Its video engine can be used to speed up certain treatments. Intel also promises an acceleration of treatments related to artificial intelligence.

Full HD video games, but it’s not the priority

The games are not excluded by Intel, which did not fail to confront its solution with the MX350 card of Nvidia which would be beaten. In practice, the Xe Max Iris would be able to operate most games in Full HD (1080p), with graphic details set on average for the least delicious and low titles for others and the most recent.

Some advanced graphic functions are available for video games, such as the VRS and the adaptive that allow the monitor’s frequency to be varyed according to the flow (such as freesync and g-sync). We also note the presence of the Game Sharpening to increase the sharpness of the game rendering, or the moment game tuning to automatically adjust the graphic options of the titles so as to obtain a fluid rendering. Two options found in the new Intel control center, the Graphics Command Center.

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Improved images processing

With its Deep Link technology, Intel offers to combine the XX max performance with the integrated graphic circuit of Tiger Lake processors, but only for office tasks. This offers the possibility of accelerating photo treatments or video encodings for example (H.264, HEVC or AV1), provided that applications support the Intel solution.

For the technical part, the Xe Max Iris is based on a GPU engraved in 10 Nm and which includes 96 execution units for 768 calculation units. Operating at a maximum of 1.65 GHz, the chip is supported by 4 GB of LPDDR4X type graphic memory on 128 -bit bus for a bandwidth of 68 GB/s – far from 300 to 900 GB/s of conventional graphics cards. The thermal envelope is announced at 25 W. The GPU works on a PCIe 4 interface.0 and offers HDMI 2 support.0b and DisplayPort 1.4.

A desktop graphics card on rails

The first laptops with the Xe Max IRIS card will be put on the market in November 2020. Several partners are already on the ranks like Acer with its Swift 3x, Asus and its VivoBook Flip TP470, or Dell and its Inspiron 15 7000 2-in-1. All are accompanied by 11th generation Intel Core processors (Tiger Lake).

Intel plans to market a version of this dedicated graphics card for office computers. However, it will be necessary to wait for the first half of 2021 to discover this solution which, once again, will be positioned as an alternative to the GeForce and entry -level raft. This should then be of interest to the players but the creators, if the acceleration in this area is really at the promised level. The fact remains that this desktop graphics card will not be sold individually (retail), but only distributed to Intel partners, for integration into computers.

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Intel Iris Xe: All about the 3D component that will make our ultraportable players of player PCs

This is the great novelty of the 11th generation Intel Core processors: the integrated graphic part which is called Iris x E . This is only the first version of a long series of 3D components that Intel is about to let go of the market, to compete with Nvidia and AMD.

You will play games, in full HD, in excellent conditions on your ultraportable equipped with a Tiger Lake processor “. Here is the promise that Intel spokesperson made during the 11th generation Intel Core processors presentation conference.
On the nine processors formalized last night, five embark the IRIS X E graphic controller, the latest Intel innovation in terms of 3D. And on paper, he will clearly reshape the cards and put some records on time, especially with AMD but also with Nvidia.

It took more than two years of development to the teams led by Raja Koduri (ex-responsible for AMD Radeon) to set up this circuit compatible with DirectX 11 and 12 but also the Vulkan API. And this first representative of X e will soon be joined by companions, more strong.

A few weeks ago, Intel announced that he was able to deliver the first dedicated graphics cards for our office computers in 2021. According to these same declarations, more powerful variations for laptops are also on the menu for next year or by 2022 at the latest.

Quick and simplified anatomy of the IRIS X E

We will not go into technical details, but it seemed important to you to quickly show you what the most elaborate version of the IRIS X E looks like . It has 96 execution units (EU) and can turbine up to 1.35 GHz on the Core i7-1185g7 and up to 1.1 GHz on the core i7-1130g7.

As on traditional graphics cards, the EU-the workers-are stored in “boxes” (three on each side below), in equal quantity and all these “containers” are identical. They all have the same type of units (sampler, media sampler, etc.) and communicate with each other.

Next layer: The four large motor units and generation of triangles, shaders etc. who dominate all our boxes and ensure that everyone does their job well while centralizing and (re) distributing the tasks to the workers.

Above, in the middle, it is the hide of the chip. This is the place that serves both to storage data and places for the exchange of information between the processor and the GPU mainly.
On both sides of the cache are several other units including a devoted to video flow treatments which deserves that we linger a little on his case.

This big component can facilitate the work of the processor when it is a question of playing … and streaming your games ! According to Intel spokespersons, it is also possible even if the X e is not inflated to steroids.

Used in its primary function, the material part dedicated to video decodes all the latest fashionable formats. HDR or not, 4k or full HD, nothing scares him.
It can even participate in encoding work if necessary, with – also – the support of all the instructions relating to the AI ​​engraved on the X E (DL Boost: DPA4A). As the graphic below shows, it would even be paid for the luxury of being X4 faster than the Ryzen 7,4800u of AMD on the MLPERF test, according to intel measurements.

But truce of learning, encoding, decoding and chatter: we are here to speak gaming and more precisely, to play on an ultraportable PC which – originally – is not at all cut for that !

According to Intel, playing on an ultraportable will be possible

Intel would be about to realize an old ultraportable PC user dream: playing a recent game, simply using the integrated processor controller of its machine.

Until now, it cannot be said that the intel dirts have distinguished themselves in the matter. But the Tiger Lake have everything to change the situation as we explained to you briefly above. And to illustrate his point, for his part, Intel has put the package.

Below is the comparison between the old ICE Lake controller, the Iris Plus, and the new Iris X E of Tiger Lake on a fairly important and very varied game panel.

According to the test protocols provided by Intel, the titles all run in 1080p with, in the majority of details set to Medium. Advertising, for its part is in Low, And CS: Go in High. The column of numbers on the left represents the number of images per second noted on average.

If we believe these data, the 30 framebar per second is reached, out of nine of the 14 control titles. Some scores are even above 40 IPS. Clearly, it is graphically acceptable and playable.

The most observers will note that the mention Vrs is present right next to Gears Tactics. The X E actually supports the Rate Shading variable which, as we recall, manages to intelligently dose the computing power to be used according to the textures that are displayed on the screen. We use it a lot in auto racing games: the GPU focuses its power on what the player sees in front of him and not on the decor that scrolls at full speed.

To discover also on video:

By the way, note that the display controller (the Display Engine) also supports the A-Sync, the screens with very high refresh levels (up to 360 Hz, according to Intel) connected to HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4, Thunderbolt 4 or even in USB4 type-C.
The management of HDR10 and the Dolby Vision is also listed in the controller, a way to evacuate the disadvantages caused by a possible software overlay which would require permanent optimizations.

Intel is attacking AMD, of course, but in Nvidia too

It is not frankly in Intel’s habits to show muscles and teeth during its presentations. It is even rare that he makes frank comparisons with competing solutions during his launches. However, during the presentation of the IRIS X E, the founder did not deprive it. As if to put the points on the “I” with AMD and also show Nvidia what he was capable of and, no doubt also, what this version of X e architecture prefused for the rest.

As Intel spokespersons told us, for their comparisons, they took the best machine in AMD Ryzen 7,4800u they could find and, of course, applied the same settings on their platform and that of competition. We are still in 1080p to believe Intel documentation, with the same levels of detail.

The piece of AMD Radeon architecture present in the low -consumption processor of AMD is outclasssed. At no time does he seem to be able to resume the ascendant on the iris xe. The fact remains that in a large majority of games, the Ryzen chip defends itself well and that – just like on the Tiger Lake – launching a game is quite possible from time to time.

• Intel vs nvidia

Unaccustomed to ending up on Intel’s presentation tables, Nvidia was also entitled to her small comparison graphic ! Of course, as the designer of graphic chips does not have a general public CPU X86, Intel had to measure its iris x e in a machine with a low consumption processor (1065g7 of the Lenovo Xiaoxin Air 14) and a GeForce MX350, 4 GB of video memory.
As the MX450 has only released very recently and that it is not yet found on market PCs, Intel has not been able to rub it.

We would not have thought that the graphics would have this look. You expected to see green bars dominating with all their height the small blue segments ? We too, to be honest. And yet, it is largely the opposite that occurs. On 12 games tested, the new Intel graphic controller does better in 66% of cases. It must sometimes be played in a few images per second but, all the same, the feat is beautiful on paper.

It will be more so if, during our future tests, we see these results by ourselves without any problem of heating or noise coming to spoil our experience.