Intel UHD Graphics 16EU (Alder Lake-HX)

Intel UHD Graphics 16EU (Alder Lake-HX)
Intel UHD Graphics 16EU (Alder Lake-HX) graphics card review

Intel UHD Graphics 16EU (Alder Lake-HX): Testing Integrated Graphics of Core i5-12450HX

Intel UHD Graphics 16EU (Alder Lake-HX) is a small integrated graphics core of the Core i5-12450HX with 16 execution units. The maximum frequency is 1.3 GHz, and the performance is noticeably lower than that of mobile Iris Xe and Intel Arc. In laptops with a discrete graphics card, this iGPU is used for desktop tasks, browsing, and video playback.

Which Laptops Feature UHD Graphics 16EU

The Core i5-12450HX has been found in budget gaming laptops even a few years after its release. A characteristic example is the Lenovo LOQ 15IAX9 and its related versions 15IAX9E and 15IAX9I.

  • Lenovo LOQ 15IAX9
  • Lenovo LOQ 15IAX9E
  • Lenovo LOQ 15IAX9I

These models were equipped with discrete GeForce RTX or Intel Arc graphics cards.

Results in Real Devices

There are several results for the Core i5-12450HX specifically testing the UHD Graphics 16EU available in Geekbench 6 Compute.

Device Memory OS API Geekbench 6 Compute
Lenovo LOQ 15IAX9 (83GS) 16 GB Windows 11 OpenCL 3365
Lenovo LOQ 15IAX9 (83GS) 16 GB Windows 11 OpenCL 3394
Lenovo LOQ 15IAX9E (83LK) 16 GB Windows 10 OpenCL 3461
Lenovo LOQ 15IAX9 (83GS) 16 GB Windows 11 Vulkan 3959
Lenovo LOQ 15IAX9 (83GS) 30.6 GB Ubuntu 25.04 Vulkan 2920

In three runs under Windows, the OpenCL score ranged from 3365 to 3461.

The Vulkan results show a greater variance. The result under Windows was 3959, while on Ubuntu, it dropped to 2920. This difference is linked not just to the amount of memory; the OS and drivers also influence the results.

Geekbench sometimes misidentifies this iGPU. In some results under Windows, it is listed as Intel UHD Graphics 770. However, these laptops contain the Core i5-12450HX, and Geekbench shows 16 compute units and a frequency of up to 1300 MHz. This is indeed the 16EU graphics of Alder Lake-HX, not the more powerful desktop UHD Graphics 770.

Performance

The theoretical performance is around 0.33 TFLOPS FP32. This is a low figure even for integrated graphics: the capabilities of the 16EU are insufficient for modern games and heavy graphical computations.

The Radeon 680M, Radeon 780M, and contemporary Intel Arc belong to a significantly more powerful class of integrated graphics.

For desktop, browsing, office applications, and video playback, the performance is adequate. When playing video, the integrated media block allows for the discrete graphics card to remain idle.

What About Gaming

Sixteen execution units are insufficient for demanding games. Lowering the resolution and settings helps only in older and less demanding titles.

Older games can be launched, but buying a laptop with a Core i5-12450HX solely for its integrated graphics is not advisable. Such models typically come with a discrete graphics card that is used for gaming.

Role of Integrated Graphics

The UHD Graphics 16EU serves primarily for operation without a discrete GPU. It produces the desktop and video output and allows for browsing and office applications without the need to constantly engage a separate graphics card.

The Core i5-12450HX features a small graphics block, and most laptops with this processor utilize a discrete graphics card.

Conclusion

Intel UHD Graphics 16EU (Alder Lake-HX) is a supplementary iGPU for the Core i5-12450HX, not a replacement for a discrete graphics card.

In Lenovo LOQ, the results hover around 3,400 points in Geekbench 6 OpenCL and up to 3959 points in Vulkan under Windows. This performance is insufficient for modern games but adequate for desktop use, browsing, and video playback.

GPU Comparison

Compare UHD Graphics 16EU (Alder Lake-HX) with other GPUs

Please select GPU from the dropdown list.

Basic

Label Name
Intel
Platform
Integrated
Launch Date
May 2022
Former Codename
Alder Lake GT0.5
GPU Lithography
Intel 7
Model Name
Intel UHD Graphics 16EU (Alder Lake-HX)
Generation
Alder Lake-HX
Base Clock
300 MHz
Boost Clock
1300 MHz
Bus Interface
Ring Bus
RT Cores
No
Compute Units
16
Tensor Cores
?
Tensor Cores are specialized processing units designed specifically for deep learning, providing higher training and inference performance compared to FP32 training. They enable rapid computations in areas such as computer vision, natural language processing, speech recognition, text-to-speech conversion, and personalized recommendations. The two most notable applications of Tensor Cores are DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) and AI Denoiser for noise reduction.
No
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.
8
Foundry
Intel
Process Size
10 nm
Architecture
Xe-LP (Generation 12.2)
Used in CPUs

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
System Shared
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

Display and Media

AV1 Encode/Decode
Decode Only
DisplayPort Extensions
1.4a
H.264 Hardware Encode/Decode
Yes
H.265 HEVC Hardware Encode/Decode
Yes
HDMI Version
2.1
Intel Quick Sync Video
Yes
Max Resolution DP
7680 x 4320 @ 60Hz
Max Resolution eDP
5120 x 3200 @ 120Hz
Max Resolution HDMI
4096 x 2304 @ 60Hz
Number of Displays Supported
4
Outputs
eDP 1.4b, DP 1.4a, HDMI 2.1

Theoretical Performance

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.
0.3328 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.
128
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.
1.4
OpenCL Version
3.0
OpenGL
4.6
CUDA
No
DirectX
12.1
Power Connectors
None
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.
4
Shader Model
6.6

Benchmarks

FP32 (float)
Score
0.3328 TFLOPS
Vulkan
Score
3959
OpenCL
Score
3461

Compared to Other GPU

FP32 (float) / TFLOPS
1.007 +202.6%
0.988 +196.9%
0.92 +176.4%
OpenCL
A2
35144 +915.4%
20836 +502%
12393 +258.1%
8849 +155.7%