Intel Intros Next-Gen 'Iris' Integrated Graphics

Intel on Thursday announced a new generation of integrated graphics products called Iris, which will begin appearing in ultrabooks, mainstream notebooks, and all-in-one PCs later this year.

Iris will be incorporated in certain fourth-generation Intel Core chipsets, code named Haswell, and provides "up to a 2X 3D performance improvement over today's fastest mobile Intel HD Graphics solutions," according to the chip giant.

"The performance improvements will amaze even the hardcore computer geek," Intel said in a blog post.

Among the improvements over current-generation Intel integrated graphics solutions Iris provides, Intel is touting gains such as:

•A 2X 3D performance increase over Intel HD Graphics for the high performing U-series processors designed specifically for Ultrabooks, with Intel Iris graphics.
•A 2X 3D performance increase for Mobile H-series processors (designed for more robust notebook PCs) compared to Intel HD Graphics with Intel Iris Pro graphics and High Speed Memory (eDRAM).
•A 3X 3D performance increase for desktop R-series processors with Intel Iris Pro graphics and High Speed Memory (eDRAM).

The Iris generation of graphics products features Intel technologies and accelerators like Quick Sync Video and MJPEG* acceleration, while supporting OpenCL, DirectX 11.1, OpenGL4.1, 4K UltraHD display resolution, and collage mode display.

Intel said ultrabooks and laptops using a fourth-generation Intel Core i5 4200U processor with Intel Iris would be twice as thin and half the weight as a four-year-old notebook with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, while providing "17X faster video conversion" for purposes like "optimizing a video for a social media site."

:story: PC Magazine