Intel graphic cards are though not heavy duty and are mostly not liked by the gamers, but intel is still trying to improve them. A considerably improved version that Intel launched of its graphic card is the Intel HD Graphics 4600 that can run some heavy games at good FPS. To see how much Intel has improved its graphic technology I have reviewed Intel HD Graphics 4600 in detail.
Specification of Intel HD Graphics 4600
Intel always provides integrated graphic cards that use some memory of the CPU as well which is a plus in terms of battery heath and no heating issues and negative in case of display quality. However, the discrete type of graphics card is separate from the CPU as they have their own processor and memory as a result, they provide better graphic experience though they generate less heat and use more power. Below in the table there are the specifications of the Intel HD Graphics 4600:
| Graphic card specifications | Intel HD Graphics 4600 |
| GPU name | Haswell GT2 |
| Architecture | Gen. 7.5 Haswell |
| GPU base clock | 200 MHz |
| Power consumption | 45 Watts |
| Core clock speed: | 350 MHz |
| Memory | Shared |
| Direct X | 12 |
| Bus Interface | PCIe 1.0 x16 |
Reviewing the Intel HD Graphics 4600
To get to know about the potential of a graphic card it is imperative to test it by getting scores based on different parameters:
Pixel fill rate
Before jumping to the score first one should know what is pixel fill rate, so the main definition of it is the number of pixels the graphic card can generate per second. So, we can say that the faster the graphic card the more will be the pixel generation per second and as a result better display quality.
The pixel fill rate is calculated by multiplying the number of raster operations with the clock frequency of the graphic card and is usually measured in gigapixels and megapixels per second. The fill rate of Intel HD Graphics 4600 is approximately 2.2 which is not good as compared to other dedicated graphic cards but is a lot more than its predecessors.
Texture fill rate
Another feature that plays an important role in determining the performance of a graphic card is its capability to fill the display screen with pixels or in other words it is called the rendering speed. To calculate it just multiply the clock frequency of the graphic card with the texture mapping units.
The score for the texture fill rate of the Intel HD Graphics 4600 is 22 which is average when compared with discrete graphic cards whereas again this is a good improvement in the score as compared to its predecessors.
FP32 rating
The single precision floating format is also an important parameter that decides whether the performance of the graphic card is satisfactory or not, it is also called by the name FP32 (FP16 for half precision). This performance parameter indicates how many floating operations can be performed by a graphic card in a second. In the case of Intel HD Graphics 4600 the score for FP32 is 352 which is again average when compared with dedicated graphic cards and much better score when compared with its predecessors.
Below in the table I have provided the score for all the performance parameter:
| Performance parameters | Score |
| Pixel fill rate | 2.2 |
| Texture fill rate | 22 |
| FP 32 | 352 |
Important tip: To get such scores regarding any graphic card there are a whole bunch of softwares available that are easy to install and use.
Games you can play on Intel HD Graphics 4600
The list of the games which you can play in this graphic card is long, but I have given some of the most popular of all times:
- Sims 4
- Counterstrike: global offensive
- Call of duty modern warfare 3
- DOTA 2
- Minecraft
- League of Legends
- Call of duty black
- Battlefield 4
Conclusion
Graphic card is kind of a backbone of display of a laptop the higher the performance of the graphic card the higher is the quality of display. Overall, the Intel HD Graphics 4600 is low on performance; but this can be the issue only when you are playing games but for normal work it’s fine.
