AMD 785G Chipset IGP Video Performance Preview: Part 2 - PAGE 1

Today we are taking another look at the new AMD 785G chipset. This time around, we'll be taking a closer look at lower how the 785G performs on some games with mid-range GPU requirements.

If you not familiar with the AMD 785G chipset, it is budget minded design, primarly made for the motherboards that are able to handle the higher frequencies of the Phenom II processor, but with less bells-and-whistles you might find in more expensive options. The most notable selling point of this chipset is the capability for integrated graphics. While the IGP isn't enough to move GPU mountains, it is enough to keep Window's Vista Aero interface running smoothly, and will give you a bit of a chance to get into gaming. How much of a chance? That's a big thing we'll take a look at today.

If you'd like more info on the 785G, you are invited to read my previous article on the new chipset.

If you did read my previous article, you might have found that I was a little harsh on the integrated HD 4200, as I ran our standard gaming tests, although at lower settings. The framerates delivered were very low, unsurprisingly. Which is understandable -- the HD 4200 is not made to play Crysis.

However, I can admit I am a bit thick-headed at times. So I decided to run once again some of these graphics-intensive games to see if I would ever be able to get some playable framerates.

With an additional 128MB sideport memory and the 100% overclock I achieved on the graphics processing core, the new scores I got were much better. At the same lowest settings I previously used, at 1280x1024, I got some decent results:

• Bioshock: 33.12
• Far Cry 2: 28.95
• Left 4 Dead: 33.34

This time however the setup used is quite different than in Part 1:

• ASUS 785TD-V EVO motherboard
• HD 4200 IGP w/ 128MB sideport
• AMD Phenom II X2 550 BE processor
• 2X2GB Mushkin DDR3-1600 memory
• Seagate 7200.11 750GB w/ 32MB cache hard drive

Overclocked Settings:

• HD 4200 @ 1000MHz
• Sideport Memory @ 1550MHz

This time around for testing, I decided to bench less intensive games on the 785G. So without wasting anymore time, let's get to testing.