Gigabyte Demonstrates 4K on Intel HD4000 via Dual Thunderbolt

By Marcus Yam
published

4K from Intel HD4000 graphics.

4K (or Ultra HD) is all the rage at this year's CES, but it's not just for high end televisions. We stopped by Gigabyte's suite to check out the GA-Z77X-UP5 TH motherboard. Hasn't this motherboard been available since summer of 2012, you ask? Yes, but it has learned a new trick: outputting a 4K video signal.

Thanks to a new Intel driver feature called Collage, Gigabyte was able to demonstrate 4K video output from the Intel HD4000 integrated graphics. This was made possible through the dual Thunderbolt outputs that were further split through a pair of multi-monitor dongles connected to four 1920x1200 monitors. The four displays combined created an overall resolution of 3840x2400.

This new feature will be available in a driver update that should be available at the end of January for both the UP5 and UP4.

While even more extreme resolutions are possible through other discrete graphics options, this is a first for the Intel HD4000 and could prove to be an attractive alternative for those seeking a more energy efficient solution.

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Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam served as Tom's Hardware News Director during 2008-2014. He entered tech media in the late 90s and fondly remembers the days when an overclocked Celeron 300A and Voodoo2 SLI comprised a gaming rig with the ultimate street cred.
21 Comments Comment from the forums
  • davidgermain
    With all the 4k UHD screens all over the place why are they using 4 displays??
    Reply
  • f-14
    The four displays combined created an overall resolution of 3840x2400.

    so another 2 years before they make a 42" monitor at 4k resolution? sweet

    if it requires lightpeak to transfer that much data at 1ms i guess that's alright.

    just stop calling it ultra HD. 10-15 years from now it's all going to look like 8 bit nintendo graphics anyways
    Reply
  • ohim
    WOW ! Thanks intel for giving us multiple displays from one single card! this is so unheard of till now! wonder why AMD and Nvidia couldn`t of think at this till now. ... oh wait!

    /sarcasm
    Reply
  • SlitelyOff
    YAY...I have always wanted to watch TV just like I am looking out the window, obstructions and all!
    Reply
  • Marco925
    Yet, No solution remains for those of us who actually might want to use dedicated graphics solutions

    I'm looking at you Asus as well, hurry up with that thunderboltEX
    Reply
  • alvine
    now we need 4k computer monitors that don't cost an arm and a leg :P
    Reply
  • It is the type of output (UltraHD), not multiple monitors you idiots. They are using dual Thunderbolt to drive that much data output. It is a nice low cost solution to ultra high definiton output. Did you have another solution you would like to provide for us? Oh wait, you don't have a clue what you're talking about.
    Reply
  • will it work with 2560x1440 monitors? Can you guys at TomsHardware test it please? =D
    Reply
  • deksman
    In 10 to 15 years, we hopefully won't have pixel based graphics anymore.

    Scientific research already surpassed that... and even today it would be applicable to certain degree (in a year or 2, complete practical implementation).

    Capitalism on the other hand operates on market based cost-efficiency.
    They will only switch to that new technology when it becomes cheap enough to produce (nevermind we have more than enough resources and technology to do it in abundance several times over), and only when they instill planned obsolescence into it.

    Reply
  • bigdog44
    How about more supporting facts? You cant even tell if they're talking about a static image.
    Reply