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Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EU

Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EU: Compact Graphics for Universal Tasks

Analysis of the integrated solution for laptops and compact PCs (April 2025)

Introduction

The Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EU is an integrated graphics solution that appeared in 2020 as part of the Tiger Lake processors. By 2025, it remains relevant for budget laptops, ultrabooks, and mini-PCs, offering a balance between performance and energy efficiency. In this article, we will explore what this graphics card is capable of and who it is suitable for.

Architecture and Key Features

Xe-LP: Miniature Yet Modern

The Iris Xe architecture is based on Xe-LP (Low Power), optimized for mobile devices. The chips are manufactured using Intel's 10nm SuperFin process, which ensures low power consumption.

Unique Features:

- XeSS (Xe Super Sampling): Similar to NVIDIA's DLSS, it uses AI to enhance resolution with minimal quality loss. Supported in 50+ games (e.g., Cyberpunk 2077, Horizon Zero Dawn).

- Hardware AV1 Decoding: Accelerates 8K streaming video.

- Quick Sync Video: Accelerates rendering in video editing software (Adobe Premiere, DaVinci Resolve).

Ray tracing (RTX) is not supported at the hardware level, but may be attempted through software methods with a significant drop in FPS.

Memory: System Resource Instead of VRAM

The Iris Xe G7 uses the system's RAM (up to 32GB DDR4/LPDDR4x in dual-channel mode).

- Bandwidth: Depends on the type of RAM:

- DDR4-3200: Up to 51.2 GB/s (dual-channel mode);

- LPDDR4x-4266: Up to 68 GB/s.

Impact on Performance:

- In games with high texture requirements (e.g., Red Dead Redemption 2), frame drops may occur due to limited bandwidth.

- To minimize "bottlenecking," it is recommended to use dual-channel memory (2×8 GB or 2×16 GB).

Gaming Performance: Modest Yet Honest

The Iris Xe G7 is aimed at 1080p (Low-Medium) and 720p (Medium-High). Examples of FPS (2025, drivers 31.0.2025.1):

Settings:

- CS:2: Low

- Fortnite: Medium (XeSS Performance)

- GTA VI: Low

- Overwatch 2: High

Resolution:

- CS:2: 1080p

- Fortnite: 1080p

- GTA VI: 720p

- Overwatch 2: 1080p

Average FPS:

- CS:2: 55-60

- Fortnite: 45-50

- GTA VI: 30-35

- Overwatch 2: 60-70

Resolution Support:

- 4K is only achievable in less demanding projects (e.g., Stardew Valley) or when using XeSS.

Ray Tracing: Enabling RT in Cyberpunk 2077 drops FPS to 10-15 frames, making the feature impractical.

Professional Tasks: Not Just Gaming

Video Editing

Thanks to Quick Sync, rendering H.264/H.265 in Premiere Pro is accelerated by 3-4 times compared to the CPU. Rendering a 10-minute 1080p clip takes about 8-10 minutes.

3D Modeling

In Blender (OpenCL mode), the Iris Xe G7 shows modest results:

- BMW Scene: ~12 minutes compared to 3-4 minutes with the NVIDIA RTX 3050.

Scientific Computing

Supports OpenCL 3.0, but for tasks like machine learning, it is better to choose a discrete GPU with CUDA.

Power Consumption and Thermal Output

- TDP: 15-28 W (depends on CPU model).

- Temperatures: Up to 75°C under load.

- Recommendations:

- For laptops: Systems with active cooling (e.g., ASUS ZenBook 14).

- For mini-PCs: Cases with ventilation holes (Intel NUC 12).

Comparison with Competitors

AMD Radeon 780M (Ryzen 5 8640U)

- Better in gaming (+15-20% FPS), but more expensive (laptops from $900).

- Supports FSR 3.1.

NVIDIA GeForce MX570

- Dedicated GDDR6 (2 GB), higher performance in 3D applications (+30%), but TDP of 25 W.

Conclusion: The Iris Xe G7 is optimal for systems priced up to $700.

Practical Tips

1. Power Supply: For laptops — standard adapter (65 W). For PCs — PSU from 300 W.

2. Compatibility: Only with Intel 11th-14th generation processors (Tiger Lake, Alder Lake, Raptor Lake).

3. Drivers: Regularly update via Intel Driver & Support Assistant. Avoid "beta" versions.

Pros and Cons

✓ Pros:

- Energy efficiency.

- Support for modern standards (XeSS, AV1).

- Low cost of systems based on it (laptops starting at $600).

✗ Cons:

- Limited gaming performance.

- Dependence on RAM speed.

- No hardware RT.

Final Thoughts: Who is the Iris Xe G7 For?

This graphics card is a choice for those looking for a versatile solution without overpayments:

- Students: For studying, streaming video, and light gaming.

- Office Users: Working with browsers and office applications.

- Mobile Devices: Ultrabooks with 8-10 hours of battery life.

If you plan to play AAA titles or engage in 3D rendering, consider discrete GPUs (NVIDIA RTX 4050, AMD Radeon 7600S). However, for the money, the Iris Xe G7 remains a worthy option in 2025.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Integrated

Launch Date

September 2020

Model Name

Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EU

Generation

HD Graphics-M

Base Clock

300MHz

Boost Clock

1100MHz

Bus Interface

Ring Bus

Transistors

Unknown

TMUs

Texture Mapping Units (TMUs) serve as components of the GPU, which are capable of rotating, scaling, and distorting binary images, and then placing them as textures onto any plane of a given 3D model. This process is called texture mapping.

Foundry

Intel

Process Size

10 nm

Architecture

Generation 12.1

Memory Specifications

Memory Size

System Shared

Memory Type

System Shared

Memory Bus

The memory bus width refers to the number of bits of data that the video memory can transfer within a single clock cycle. The larger the bus width, the greater the amount of data that can be transmitted instantaneously, making it one of the crucial parameters of video memory. The memory bandwidth is calculated as: Memory Bandwidth = Memory Frequency x Memory Bus Width / 8. Therefore, when the memory frequencies are similar, the memory bus width will determine the size of the memory bandwidth.

System Shared

Memory Clock

SystemShared

Bandwidth

Memory bandwidth refers to the data transfer rate between the graphics chip and the video memory. It is measured in bytes per second, and the formula to calculate it is: memory bandwidth = working frequency × memory bus width / 8 bits.

System Dependent

Theoretical Performance

Pixel Rate

Pixel fill rate refers to the number of pixels a graphics processing unit (GPU) can render per second, measured in MPixels/s (million pixels per second) or GPixels/s (billion pixels per second). It is the most commonly used metric to evaluate the pixel processing performance of a graphics card.

26.40 GPixel/s

Texture Rate

Texture fill rate refers to the number of texture map elements (texels) that a GPU can map to pixels in a single second.

52.80 GTexel/s

FP16 (half)

An important metric for measuring GPU performance is floating-point computing capability. Half-precision floating-point numbers (16-bit) are used for applications like machine learning, where lower precision is acceptable. Single-precision floating-point numbers (32-bit) are used for common multimedia and graphics processing tasks, while double-precision floating-point numbers (64-bit) are required for scientific computing that demands a wide numeric range and high accuracy.

3.379 TFLOPS

FP64 (double)

An important metric for measuring GPU performance is floating-point computing capability. Double-precision floating-point numbers (64-bit) are required for scientific computing that demands a wide numeric range and high accuracy, while single-precision floating-point numbers (32-bit) are used for common multimedia and graphics processing tasks. Half-precision floating-point numbers (16-bit) are used for applications like machine learning, where lower precision is acceptable.

422.4 GFLOPS

FP32 (float)

An important metric for measuring GPU performance is floating-point computing capability. Single-precision floating-point numbers (32-bit) are used for common multimedia and graphics processing tasks, while double-precision floating-point numbers (64-bit) are required for scientific computing that demands a wide numeric range and high accuracy. Half-precision floating-point numbers (16-bit) are used for applications like machine learning, where lower precision is acceptable.

1.656 TFLOPS

Miscellaneous

Shading Units

The most fundamental processing unit is the Streaming Processor (SP), where specific instructions and tasks are executed. GPUs perform parallel computing, which means multiple SPs work simultaneously to process tasks.

768

L2 Cache

1024KB

TDP

15W

Vulkan Version

Vulkan is a cross-platform graphics and compute API by Khronos Group, offering high performance and low CPU overhead. It lets developers control the GPU directly, reduces rendering overhead, and supports multi-threading and multi-core processors.

1.3

OpenCL Version

3.0

OpenGL

4.6

DirectX

12 (12_1)

Shader Model

6.4

ROPs

The Raster Operations Pipeline (ROPs) is primarily responsible for handling lighting and reflection calculations in games, as well as managing effects like anti-aliasing (AA), high resolution, smoke, and fire. The more demanding the anti-aliasing and lighting effects in a game, the higher the performance requirements for the ROPs; otherwise, it may result in a sharp drop in frame rate.

Benchmarks

FP32 (float)

Score

1.656 TFLOPS

3DMark Time Spy

Score

1268

Compared to Other GPU

FP32 (float) / TFLOPS

Arc A350M

1.801 +8.8%

Radeon Vega 7 Mobile

1.736 +4.8%

Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EU

1.656

FirePro M6100

1.618 -2.3%

Radeon R9 M380

1.567 -5.4%

3DMark Time Spy

Arc A550M

5182 +308.7%

Radeon RX 580 2048SP

3906 +208%

Radeon 780M

2755 +117.3%

GeForce GTX 1050

1769 +39.5%

Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EU

1268