Benchmark Results: 3DMark 11, Integrated Vs. Entry-Level Discrete
We see four very different things in these charts.
First, the fastest solution (according to the Performance suite score) is a Core i7-3770K with a Radeon HD 6570. Without question, it’s better to get a low-end discrete card than to rely on any integrated solution.
Then, the A8-3850 with built-in Radeon HD 6550D graphics comes in second place in the graphics benchmarks. Where AMD’s A8 really suffers is the Physics suite. Lackluster processor performance hammers the rate at which this threaded test renders frames, yielding a dead-last finish.
As we might expect, the Core i7-3770K with its native HD Graphics 4000 engine places third in the graphics test, achieving half the score of the discrete card. It’s also interesting to note that the same CPU sheds more than 2000 points in the Physics suite, depending on whether its GPU is turned on or not. Remember that the graphics core shares resources like cache and system memory bandwidth.
Lastly, the HD Graphics 2500 solution simply underperforms.