I used to play PUBG PC Lite on my Intel i3 8th Gen laptop with its Intel HD Graphics 520. I would say that the performance was very bad but still, I was playing my favorite game on a 350$ laptop. But, after the 520, Intel named its inbuilt graphics cards UHD. So, in this article, we are going to discuss whether the intel UHD processors are good for gaming or not.
Well, the Intel UHD graphics is good enough for casual gaming. You can easily play older games at 720P at decent FPS (30-60). The FPS will vary depending on the type of game and the processor specifications. The newer and advanced games with high-end graphics are generally non-playable with integrated graphics. Intel UHD is supposed to work great inside laptops. But, you can also pick Intel’s desktop-based processors with UHD graphics.
The latest and advanced UHD graphics series is Intel UHD 770 which you will find in the 12th generation Intel processors. As we all know that the graphics card prices are pretty high. And I know what you are looking to know here.
So, yes, you can play games with the Intel UHD graphics without using any dedicated graphics card. But, as you can understand, this inbuilt graphics engine will never be able to give you that high-end gaming performance as you get with your 2060 Super. UHD is specifically there to help you watch up to Ultra HD resolution content on your monitor. But, still, this engine has enough power to let you play some games on extremely low settings.
What kind of gaming performance to expect from Intel UHD Graphics 770?
The Intel UHD Graphics 770 is based on a 10 nm processor size with a 12.2 architecture. This graphics engine has a 300 MHz base clock. The boost clock will vary depending on the processor family. But, the maximum boost clock with the Intel i9-12900 and i9-12900K is 1550 MHz.
If we talk about gaming in Intel UHD Graphics 770, you can play up to 1600×900 resolution games perfectly. So, if you set your games at 720P, this card can run almost all the games. Again, the FPS and overall performance will vary on the type of game and the processor configurations.
In simple words, if you are playing CS: GO 2012 on 720P resolution, you can easily reach up to 80 FPS just with the Intel UHD Graphics 770. On 1080P, the FPS will be within 35-40.
What kind of gaming performance you can expect from Intel HD Graphics 520?
As I discussed earlier, my laptop has Intel Graphics 520 graphics engine. This integrated GPU has 128 MB VRAM. So, you can expect what kind of games you can play with this card. I used to play many games on 720P settings such as PUBG and CS: GO. It has terrible performance on low settings as well.
Again, your processor’s generation will also make a difference here. But, the FPS is always going to be bad if you have HD Graphics 520. But, if you are playing games like Chess, Overwatch, and CS: GO on extremely low settings, you can run these low-end titles. But, don’t expect any kind of good experience in any way.
I have also tried Far Cry 4 on low settings and I just got 10 FPS on an average. The same case with Tomb Raider offered me with around 20 FPS.
Intel UHD 620 vs RX Vega 8 Performance difference
As compared to Intel’s popular UHD 620 graphics, Vega 8 tends to give you better performance in most areas. You can see this comparison and you will find that the RX Vega 8 gives better results in terms of gaming. This card can offer you around 60 FPS on CS: GO 1080P settings.
Also, when we talk about Multi-rendering and reflection-handling, RX Vega 8 gives a better performance as compared to UHD 620. Even the overclocking performance is better in RX Vega 8 graphics. But, still, Vega 8 isn’t enough to provide you with the desired gaming results which you will get with a dedicated graphics card.
However, if you do any kind of comparison between these both, the Vega 8 is going to win all the battles.
If UHD Graphics is so bad then why Intel offer it?
Inbuilt graphics cards are given for users who don’t want to install dedicated graphics cards. These are the normal users who don’t play games or run graphics-heavy software. They may include officers, students, etc.
You should understand this concept first.
You can get the video output on your monitor even without any GPU on the board. But, if you want to play games or do 3D-related tasks, you can’t do that without a GPU. So, an inbuilt GPU will give you the ability to handle normal graphics tasks without the need for an external graphics card.
You can play normal games but the purpose of UHD graphics in Intel or Vega graphics in AMD processors is to allow the users to use basic 3D functionalities on their computers even without the dedicated graphics cards.
The reason why Intel UHD is so popular is that there are plenty of people who just want their favorite titles to be playable on their computers without spending a lot of money on graphics cards.
Who should be worried about the integrated graphics performance?
In my opinion, nobody should be worried about the integrated graphics performance.
This is because if you are a hobbyist or professional gamer, you can’t play your games without a dedicated graphics card. We can say that if you want to enjoy gaming, you must have a dedicated graphics card.
Now, if you are not a gamer and just want to buy a computer for internet surfing, media consumption, studying, text-editing, or other general tasks, you don’t need any kind of external graphics card. Also, you should not worry about the integrated graphics because you don’t want to use that as well. The video input will be there
Which games can you play with Intel UHD Graphics? (With FPS)
Well, there are a lot of games you can play with Intel UHD graphics inside your CPU. I am going to suggest some games here. But, I am supposing that you have at least Intel HD Graphics 620 inside your CPU. If you have a better UHD graphics engine, you can expect better results as well.
| Game Title | Year | Settings | FPS |
|---|---|---|---|
| CS:GO | 2012 | Low | 40-50 |
| Fortnite | – | Low | 50-60 |
| Overwatch | 2016 | Low | 30-40 |
| Valorant | 2020 | Medium | 30-40 |
| Outriders | 2021 | Low | 20-25 |
Again the FPS and overall performance will depend on your CPU cores, generation, etc. Also, the amount of RAM on your computer can impact game performance. However, these all are playable games if you have at least Intel 620 graphics CPU on your computer. You can check more about the Intel UHD Graphics 620 and its gaming performance here.
Should you buy an Intel processor with Integrated UHD Graphics?
Definitely, you should go for an Intel UHD Graphics processor if you have no plans to install a dedicated graphics card later on. If you are building a gaming computer with a dedicated graphics card, you can simply buy a CPU without any inbuilt graphics.
But, still, if you have a dedicated graphics card and the CPU also has the integrated UHD graphics, those graphics will help you in many ways without letting you know. So, it is always a win-win situation whenever you buy an Intel processor with UHD graphics.
Thanks for reading!
I am Anshul Rana, an experienced author specializing in PC gear reviews and Windows 10 software tutorials. With a strong passion for technology and an in-depth understanding of the PC industry, I provide insightful and detailed analyses of computer peripherals, gaming gear, and software solutions. My writing style is concise yet informative, making complex topics accessible to both beginners and advanced users. Through my reviews and tutorials, I aim to offer valuable guidance, helping readers make informed decisions to enhance their PC experience and explore the vast possibilities of Windows 10 software.
