Intel GMA 950: Features, Review, Overclocking

One of the first integrated graphics accelerators from Intel - GMA 950. This solution was introduced in 2008. At that time, this video accelerator was great for creating personal computers of entry level. Even some demanding hardware resources of the graphics adapter three-dimensional toys on it were run at a resolution of 640 x 480 and at the same time it was possible to get even 50-60 frames per second. It is this product that will be discussed in this article.

Who are the users of this accelerator?

The Intel GMA 950 is an entry-level personal computer with minimal graphics performance requirements. Such a system block is perfect for working with office applications, watching videos and running the most simple toys (for example, step-by-step strategies). But there is nothing more to get from him in terms of performance will not work. For such PCs, the availability of a discrete accelerator is mandatory, and this will allow launching resource-intensive tasks: three-dimensional games, design packages or graphics processing programs.

A set of system logic and a socket

The Intel GMA 950 graphics card was part of the G45 system logic set for the LGA775 processor connector. This solution is focused on the mass segment and had a fairly low cost. The presence of an integrated graphics system allowed in this case to collect excellent office system units. Also, this platform was also perfect for creating a basic multimedia system. The presence of the PCI-Express 16X slot allowed installing discrete graphics solutions in such a personal computer and getting a full-fledged gaming PC. But more often for these purposes the chipset P45 was used, which cost much less and did not have an integrated video card, but at the same time it was almost as effective as the G45. To date, from a performance standpoint, LGA775 is an obsolete socket and it's not advisable to build a new system unit based on it.

Modes of operation

The maximum resolution of the displayed image on the PC display for this solution is 2048px X 1536px. Also supported modes 1920px X 1080px (1080p, Full HD), 1280px X 720px (720i). All this makes this accelerator compatible with any modern monitor or TV. That is, it can be connected to any such device and output a picture to it in any of the previously mentioned modes. Also in the list of supported modes of this video card there are also image output modes, like 1024px X 768px, 800px X 600px, 640px X 480px. In the latter case, you can even run quite demanding toys by the standards of 2008.

Technical specifications

At a clock speed of 250 MHz, the Intel GMA 950 graphics processor functions. Indicate that it can at the same time process 256 bits of information per clock cycle of its work. The device includes 4 independent processing units for pixels. The thermal solution package is 7 W, and its semiconductor crystal is manufactured according to the technical process standards, which corresponds to 130 nm.

Memory

Intel GMA 950, like any other integrated graphics accelerator, does not have its own RAM. For its needs, a part of the total RAM that is installed in the computer system is reserved. And this nuance is the most bottleneck, which limits the capabilities of the adapter. In discrete graphics solutions for the exchange of information with RAM, a separate bus with an increased frequency and with a higher bit capacity is used. It is due to this that the significant increase in speed is obtained in the latter case. The maximum amount of RAM that a video accelerator can use for its needs is 224 MB. The adapter itself can work with both DDR2 and DDR3 modules. The type of RAM depends on the capabilities of the motherboard.

Drivers

Officially, under any operating system of the NT family, the Intel GMA 950 graphics card could function. The drivers for this video solution pointed to this. But for Windows 9X and even for Windows Me specialized drivers from Intel were not presented. As a result, it was possible to put some unified software for such a plan, but at the same time the functionality of the graphic solution was significantly reduced.

Overclocking

Certain possibilities for increasing productivity were provided by the developers for Intel GMA 950. Overclocking in this case required the installation of an additional program GMA Booster. This small utility allowed to increase the frequency of the integrated accelerator of this model, and this, in turn, made it possible to obtain a small increase in performance. The difference was so small that it made no sense. Therefore, if you could meet a PC with such an overclocked graphics processor, it is extremely rare.

Analogues

GeForce 9300 from NVidia and Radeon X300 from ATI are the main competitors in the integrated graphics market at the time of Intel GMA 950 release. The characteristics of these graphics accelerators are given in the table.

Obviously, the most productive product due to the clock speed of the graphics processor is GeForce 9300, then Radeon X300 and only then - GMA 950. But the cost of the hero of this review was significantly lower.

Games and performance

According to the results of tests conducted by independent laboratories it was established that on such a graphics accelerator, toys such as DOOM3 or even HALF LIFE 2, in 1024px X 768px mode, can be launched, but the frame refresh rate will drop to 10. More Detailed test results are given in the table.

According to their results, it can be noted that this is a typical integrated accelerator that perfectly copes with the simplest tasks, including office ones. To run more demanding applications, the computer needs to be completed with discrete graphics.

Results of the review. Reviews

Of course, the number of game graphics solutions can not include Intel GMA 950 Even by the standards of 2008. Its performance is clearly not enough for comfortable gameplay. But the simplest tasks (Internet, office, multimedia) on such a video accelerator will go without any problems. Intel GMA 950 is aimed at this part of the market. Overview Reviews on relevant Internet portals, this once again confirms. Well and for the decision of more serious problems the personal computer should be without fail is completed with a discrete video card.