An interesting feature that first appeared on the desktop environment with the Sandy Bridge architecture was the integrated graphics on the CPU. This meant that regardless of the presence of a discreet graphics solution you always had the ability to use “Built in” processing power to watch movies, view 3D content and take part in some casual gaming.

Even with this entry-level dual-core processor, Intel has included the onboard graphics and this particular features delivers full DX11 functionality. G3258’s GPU capabilities are very similar in specification to that of the HD-4600 – found on the Core-i7 4790K. G3258 has a GPU base clock of 350MHz and a GPU turbo clock of 1100MHz. All of this allows the end user to indulge in 1080p movies, playing more complex gaming titles and rendering out 3D imagery.

Testing procedure

In order to test the effectiveness of the integrated graphics capabilities we have tested DIRT 3 and 3DMark 11 in our reviews of previous Intel generation processors – therefore, for this review we’ll continue with these two benchmark tests.

3DMark 11 Settings: Performance Preset – 720p
DIRT 3 Settings: 1680x1050 – Low settings (4xMSAA)

For this test AMD’s A8-3870K iGP along with Intel’s 2500K, 3570K and 3770K will be compared plus we will observe the performance advantage to combining integrated graphics with a discreet solution – XFX 7970 Black Edition.

With 3DMark 11 being DX11 only – the 2500K results could not be obtained, hence no score.



G3258 matched the performance of other Intel chips and gave us some impressive results in both the benchmark tests – proving that the integrated graphics can be relied upon for light gaming and multimedia purposes.