Intel HD 520 (Review) – Graphics of 6th Gen Core U-Series CPUs

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    • dan
      Keymaster
        #3427

        Intel HD 520 Graphics GPU-Z The Intel HD 520 is a graphics processor you can find integrated in the 6th Generation Intel Core U-series “Skylake” CPUs, such as the popular Core i5-6200U and i7-6500U. These chips are typically used in the mainstream notebooks, ultraportables, and select lower-end gaming laptops.

        The GPU brings a slight performance improvement over the previous generation Intel HD 5500, primarily thanks to a bit higher clock speeds of 1,000 or 1050 MHz (depending on CPU model) instead of 900 MHz, as well as doubled number or ROP and TMU units. What’s not visible in graphics rendering benchmarks, such as 3D Mark 11 below, is improved support for 4K content decoding, resulting in lower CPU use when you play these high-resolution videos. As expected, 4K, Full HD, and lower resolution videos run perfectly smooth on the Intel HD 520.

        Intel HD 520 3D Mark 11 Benchmark

        Intel HD 520 3D Mark 11 Benchmark

        Game Benchmarks

        For this review, we used an HP Pavilion 15 15.6-inch Full HD laptop with the mid-range Intel Core i5-6200U processor with the Intel HD 520 graphics, 8GB of dual-channel system memory (2 x 4GB modules), and a standard 5,400rpm mechanical hard drive with 1TB capacity. The tested machine had Windows 10 Home operating system and Intel HD 10.18.15.4281 drivers installed. Keep in mind that laptops with single channel memory setups, with one RAM module instead of two or more, won’t have as good integrated graphics performance as the dual-channel ones. Also, different processor models like the i3, i5 and i7, different thermal designs of laptops’ chassis, as well as BIOS settings, can influence performance of the Intel HD 520 and other integrated graphics processors.

        Gameplays were recorded with help of a specialized capture card on another computer instead of using software recorders which can degrade system performance.

         

        The world’s most popular MMORPG League of Legends on maximal graphics detail settings and 1080p 1920×1080 resolution runs flawlessly, with around 50 frames per second. If you primarily play this hardware non-demanding game, the HD 520 IGP is an almost equally good choice as some high-end dedicated video card.

         

        DOTA 2 is another famous MMORPG title. It requires better hardware resources than LoL and you won’t be able to play it on maximal settings and Full HD with the Intel HD 520. Instead an optimal choice appears to be 720p HD-class resolutions like 1280×720 and lower-mid detail settings. Frame rates in this case are around 45. If you increase settings to higher-medium, fps will drop to around 35 mark.

         

        The Intel HD 520 can render PC game classic Minecraft effortlessly on the highest settings. Frame rates were somewhere between 60 and 70 fps most of the time.

         

        Counter Strike: Global Offensive – the most played first person shooter game, isn’t a graphics-rich title. On the positive side, it doesn’t require gaming-class hardware. On the Intel HD 520 graphics, you can play it on 720p resolution and high settings, with around 65 fps most of the time.

         

        The latest iteration of Grand Theft Auto – GTA 5, isn’t so integrated graphics-friendly as the CS:GO. One can say the game is barely playable on the reviewed GPU. With all settings set to minimum and 720p resolution, frame rates vary between 20 and 25 fps.

         

        Battlefield 4 works quite smooth, if you’re willing to make a compromise and dial down resolution to 720p and put settings on medium. However, there was a glitch with displaying ground textures, which we weren’t able to fix by changing graphics settings or reinstalling graphics drivers and the game.

         

        A similar story is with Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. Frame rates varied greatly, depending on scene, but generally they were mostly between 30 and 50 fps on minimal settings and 720p resolution. Unfortunately, a serious graphics rendering glitch on a part of the first level was very annoying, as you can see in the first part of the video. Again, we weren’t able to fix it.

         

        Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim runs very well on low / 720p settings, with mostly 50 – 60 fps.

         

        FIFA 2016 is easily playable, but the settings need to be put on minimum to achieve gameplay without stutter. During standard camera shots of the matches, frame rates are around 55 fps, while during zoomed in scenes like goal celebrations, when the objects are bigger, they drop to around 30 fps.

        For a list of laptops with the Intel HD 520 click here.

      • Eomera
        Keymaster
          #3477

          Amazing review, also quite impressed by the performance of such a tiny integrated gpu

        • Scott
          Keymaster
            #3476

            I am researching laptop computers and your thorough review helped me understand the specs of the 520 chip. As the first reviewer said the performance of such a tiny integrated chip is impressive. Thanks for the review!
            Scott

          • vignesh
            Keymaster
              #3475

              may i know how unrealengine4 fps works in intel hd 520 and also the comparison of intel hd 520 vs nvidia 930m???

            • Mike
              Keymaster
                #3474

                Does the 520 Rely totally on system ram? Thanks

              • dan
                Keymaster
                  #3473

                  Yes, it does. It doesn’t have its own memory.

                • Jessi
                  Keymaster
                    #3472

                    Will this graphics card be sufficient for small amounts of solidworks use? I know that things like zebra stripes won’t run perfectly…I have a dedicated PC but need a light, portable laptop for travel which can handle Adobe, solidworks and renderings software such as keyshot.

                  • Kevin Maldonado
                    Keymaster
                      #3471

                      Would you be able to run an oculus rift on a laptop with these exact specifications??

                    • Rick J
                      Keymaster
                        #3470

                        Do you think that the HD 520 will handle the latest world of warcraft legion?

                      • Sam
                        Keymaster
                          #3469

                          Definitely not. The rift requires far, far more GPU power. Laptops that can run a rift today are huge beasts with full-sized discrete GPUs and battery life best measured in minutes.

                        • aashish
                          Keymaster
                            #3468

                            what is the difference between 520m and. 4gb graphics

                          • Anton
                            Keymaster
                              #3467

                              BS.. I run a i5-6200U with the Intel HD 520 card on DOTA 2 with full graphics and 1920-1080 res.

                              No problems what so ever… If you want screenshot, then I would be very pleased to contribute.

                            • Shrinivas Survase
                              Keymaster
                                #3466

                                Is the intel HD 520 graphics card enough for working with software programs of Civil Engineering

                              • Shrinivas Survase
                                Keymaster
                                  #3465

                                  Is the intel HD 520 graphics card enough for working with 3D software programs..??

                                • theo
                                  Keymaster
                                    #3464

                                    Hey I was playing Full HD movie, but it’s blur, it’s like the pixel gone crack,why is that?
                                    Thank you

                                  • cash
                                    Keymaster
                                      #3463

                                      Hello!

                                    • Imbron
                                      Keymaster
                                        #3462

                                        spesifikasi intel memang Lebih baik / FungsioanaL.
                                        Tidak di peruntukan bagi Gaming,
                                        Rentan
                                        Error maLahan..
                                        Multimedia memang memboroskan
                                        High Spek,High Risk

                                      • jorge
                                        Keymaster
                                          #3461

                                          Do you think that the HD 520 can handle gunbound sesson 4?
                                          I have a problem with this game

                                        • JAY PARMAR
                                          Keymaster
                                            #3460

                                            Will it support ddr4 ram ?
                                            As i have a dell inspiron 15 3567 and it had a 4gb ddr3 ram which i’ll be replacing by 8gb ddr4.
                                            PLZ reply

                                          • dan
                                            Keymaster
                                              #3459

                                              Hi, you can’t replace DDR3 RAM with DDR4, because they are not compatible. I have made a post about that here: https://laptoping.com/ddr3-and-ddr4-laptop-memory-compatible-no.html
                                              Regards.

                                            • aldo
                                              Keymaster
                                                #3458

                                                yo tengo un i3 6006u a 2.0 ghz con intel hd 520 12 gb de ram ddr4 1tb disco duro y corro gta 5 en graficos medios altos y wachdogs call of duti ghost y corren perfectos cero lag en todas circuntancias el unico juego viejo que si le subo las texturas y se cuelga un poco es el puto gta4 no entiendo pero e probado mas juegos y tiene un rendimiento perfecto para lo que uso mi laptop que es una dell inspiron 15 series 3000

                                              • Abeer
                                                Keymaster
                                                  #3457

                                                  Acer Aspire E 15, 15.6″ Full HD, 8th Gen Intel Core i3-8130U, 6GB RAM Memory, 1TB HDD, 8X DVD, E5-576-392H
                                                  Plz,,,I buy or no

                                                • Maximus
                                                  Keymaster
                                                    #3456

                                                    Yes it is , it will conveniently run PTC creo and other cad softwares

                                                  • Frank King
                                                    Keymaster
                                                      #3455

                                                      I have the HD Graphics 520 on my Lenovo. I can’t run Gopro Quick software to edit my videos. The software does not respond.
                                                      Is there a better driver than my current version 26.20.100.6998

                                                    • Christopher
                                                      Keymaster
                                                        #3454

                                                        I have a Lenovo thinkpad t460s with the intel hd 520 graphics. I noticed you was talking about ddr3, well my thinkpad has 4gb onboard ddr4 and 1x 16gb ddr4 making it 20gb, shouldn’t the memory speed and amount help the hd 520 play games better?

                                                      • Dan
                                                        Keymaster
                                                          #3453

                                                          Hi, DDR4 RAM doesn’t significantly improve gaming performance over DDR3. What helps a lot is having dual-channel RAM instead of single channel. Now, it is questionable whether having different module sizes of 4GB and 16GB in your case actually allows dual-channel operation and I can’t tell whether that’s the case here. I know that on some older systems different RAM sizes of two used sticks actually cause RAM to operate in a slower single channel mode instead of faster dual-channel. I don’t know whether your notebook’s motherboard supports dual-channel with different-sized RAM modules like 4 and 16GB, but many newer motherboards can do that. They allow for instance 4GB of one RAM module and 4GB of the second module to run in dual-channel, while the rest of the larger RAM runs in single channel.

                                                          I can only suggest you to check if your laptop’s RAM runs in dual-channel by using utilities like CPU-Z app (it has a Channels # info in the Memory section of the app). If it runs in dual-channel then your RAM configuration is the best possible regarding your laptop. If it is single-channel then, matching the built-in 4GB with another 4GB should 99% likely allow dual-channel operation and increased gaming performance in most games.

                                                        • SAAD
                                                          Keymaster
                                                            #3452

                                                            can call of duty 4 and pubg mobile be played smoothly on 520 without lag?

                                                          • Dan
                                                            Keymaster
                                                              #3451

                                                              I would say no, because it’s a very basic graphics processor. You can maybe play them on the lowest graphics settings, but even then they can’t run smoothly.

                                                            • Md Rakib
                                                              Keymaster
                                                                #3450

                                                                sir, I have Lenovo ideapad 300 with intel hd graphics 520, no dedicated graphics. which game can i run in 45-60 fps?low resolution doesn’t matter .

                                                              • dan
                                                                Keymaster
                                                                  #3449

                                                                  I found this video of Terminator Resistance. Looks quite playable on the old Intel HD 520 of the Core i5 CPU at 720p / Low / 60% resolution scale. This means its also playable on the newer Core i3, i5, i7 processors with newer Intel HD and UHD graphics series.

                                                                • Jan
                                                                  Keymaster
                                                                    #3448

                                                                    I have i3-6100U with 4GB DDR4 RAM and hd520, does upgrading RAM to 16GB will improve speed and usability significantly or 8GB will be enough. How it may impact HD520 with this small processor?
                                                                    Would this card allow work on multiple screens FHD or perhaps UHD 4K?
                                                                    Love the article, thanks for good work!

                                                                  • BikeHelmet
                                                                    Keymaster
                                                                      #3447

                                                                      If you have a single 4GB stick, upgrading to 8GB total is a good cheap upgrade path. If you have 2x2GB, I would go for 16GB myself since you are replacing two sticks anyway. Your CPU does not appear to turbo, limiting your upper performance level. That may possibly make 4K streaming unattainable. The GPU should be able to manage it for local video, but my 6600U has significantly higher CPU usage for 4K Netflix/YouTube, and it’s much faster than your 6100U.
                                                                      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skylake_(microarchitecture)#Mobile_processors

                                                                      Normally I’d recommend configuring ThrottleStop when on wall power for maximum performance, but I’m not sure if anything can be done in this case since your CPU lacks Turbo. Maybe it can bump your power limits up, which would help avoid throttling when under full CPU+GPU load, as long as you have adequate cooling. Search some videos/articles on ThrottleStop and you’ll find some good info.

                                                                      As far as I know the HD520 can only output 4K to a single output at once, and it must be DisplayPort – not HDMI. Most HD520 laptops run HDMI 1.4, 1080p max. This would only be useful for office work, not games.

                                                                    • PJ Brunet
                                                                      Keymaster
                                                                        #3446

                                                                        Yes, that seems to be true for 4K, “and it must be DisplayPort.” There is a tease in one specfications document that says 4K is possible on HDMI with a “converter” but I think they are talking about a DisplayPort (male) -> HDMI (female) converter for monitors without DisplayPort. My particular laptop only has an HDMI connection. I just tried HDMI 2 -> HDMI 2 on a 4K monitor and the highest I get is 1080p. Still I am curious if there’s a workaround, since HD520 internally supports 4K.

                                                                      • Andy
                                                                        Keymaster
                                                                          #3445

                                                                          Thank you very much for creating this post – very informative. I’m a Linux user, I have the T470 with an Intel HD 520. I’m going to buy an eGPU as I have a Thunderbolt 3 port.

                                                                        • Danny
                                                                          Keymaster
                                                                            #3444

                                                                            GTA IV, Sleeping dogs, Just Cause II, Mafia II. These are some realy good open world games for intel hd graphics 520 with 4 gb RAM and i3 processor

                                                                          • Shaheer
                                                                            Keymaster
                                                                              #3443

                                                                              I have Core i3 7th gen and intel hd 520. can i run GTA 4?

                                                                            • Shaheer
                                                                              Keymaster
                                                                                #3442

                                                                                and what about Rise of Tomb Raider, Resident Evil 2, 3.

                                                                              • Chandan Rai
                                                                                Keymaster
                                                                                  #3441

                                                                                  I was thinking about upgrading my laptop display to a full HD screen. Is it possible with Intel HD graphic 520 6th gen chipset?
                                                                                  If it is possible, please let me known.

                                                                                • Richard
                                                                                  Keymaster
                                                                                    #3440

                                                                                    yes it is, but 1920 x 1080 is max

                                                                                  • Richard
                                                                                    Keymaster
                                                                                      #3439

                                                                                      One extra comment, with HDMI you can have max HD (1920×1080), with a display port you can have max UHD (3840×2160)

                                                                                    • Swati
                                                                                      Keymaster
                                                                                        #3438

                                                                                        I have Intel(R) HD Graphics 520 without any external GPU. Can I run my OPenCL program on it?

                                                                                      • Cole
                                                                                        Keymaster
                                                                                          #3437

                                                                                          I have a i5-6300U CPU w/ 2.4 ghz 2 core processor. What processor would fit my computer while giving me around 4Ghz (not too expensive) and could i ever have a dedicated gpu?

                                                                                        • dana
                                                                                          Keymaster
                                                                                            #3436

                                                                                            Hi .. My laptop is Aspire3 A315-53-55Y1.Has got Intel core i5 1.6 Ghz with turbo boost upto 3.4 Ghz. intel Integrated HD Graphics 520, and 4gbram.Display resolution 1366×768 pixels. Can you please advise if Ram could be increased to 16gb with 512 ssd would make it usable for Adobe Illustrator. Can display be enhanced anymore? Kindly suggest the maximum workarounds to get Adobe working. Thanks so much.

                                                                                          • saharsh
                                                                                            Keymaster
                                                                                              #3435

                                                                                              yes,gta 5 can run easily if yu only upgrade ram to 8gb or 16gb

                                                                                            • M. Duren
                                                                                              Keymaster
                                                                                                #3434

                                                                                                The Intel i5-6300U is a BGA1356 processor (ball grid array). BGA packages are used to permanently mount devices such as microprocessors and soldering of BGA devices requires precise control and is usually done by automated processes.

                                                                                                As a result you are not able to upgrade your I5-6300U CPU.

                                                                                                Sources:
                                                                                                https://www.cpu-upgrade.com/CPUs/Intel/Core_i5_Mobile/i5-6300U.html
                                                                                                https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ball_grid_array

                                                                                              • M. Duren
                                                                                                Keymaster
                                                                                                  #3433

                                                                                                  @dana I assume you have the version with the i5-8250U CPU. The motherboard has 2 RAM slots, one 4G soldered on that is not upgradeable and one free DDR 4 slot.
                                                                                                  According to different sources you could upgrade your RAM maximal up to 12GB by adding one 8GB RAM stick. Make sure to purchase DDR4 RAM with a maximum speed of 2400MHz (DDR4-2400).

                                                                                                  To swap your HDD to a SSD, you need to know that your HDD is connected with a SATA3 (Serial ATA-600) connection. I have not yet experience with replacing an HDD to a SSD, so I would love to hear about your experiences.

                                                                                                  Sources:
                                                                                                  https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/devices-systems/laptops/standard/acer-aspire-3-a315-53-55y1-H55500249.html
                                                                                                  https://www.cnet.com/products/acer-aspire-3-a315-53-55y1-15-6-core-i5-8250u-4-gb-ram-1-tb-hdd-us-international/
                                                                                                  https://www.cpu-upgrade.com/CPUs/Intel/Core_i5_Mobile/i5-8250U.html#specs
                                                                                                  https://www.ubergizmo.com/products/lang/en_us/devices/intel-i5-8250u/

                                                                                                • nouman Ahmad
                                                                                                  Keymaster
                                                                                                    #3432

                                                                                                    – September 26, 2020

                                                                                                    I have Intel(R) HD Graphics 520 without any external GPU. Can I add external GPU

                                                                                                  • Dan
                                                                                                    Keymaster
                                                                                                      #3431

                                                                                                      Hi, you can’t put a dedicated video card into a laptop, except some high-end gaming laptop models with replaceable video cards. However, there are external video cards / GPU enclosures that can be connected to laptops, mostly via Thunderbolt port.

                                                                                                    • Tippa Maddick
                                                                                                      Keymaster
                                                                                                        #3430

                                                                                                        Too late for the one who asked.. but make sure you don’t need change other parts when upgrading display. Up to HD+ it takes one eDP lane, full HD needs two. The wiring might need changed as well. So, make sure you can source all the parts needed before buying a panel.

                                                                                                      • jeff
                                                                                                        Keymaster
                                                                                                          #3429

                                                                                                          why does this site say to get the ddr3 1600 then?

                                                                                                        • Blessed
                                                                                                          Keymaster
                                                                                                            #3428

                                                                                                            Will fifa 19 play on Intel HD graphics 520-6200u, 8gb ram DDR4-2133 and a turboost of 2.8GHZ

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