Thursday, January 18th 2018
Intel Core i7-8705G with Vega M Obliterates 8th Gen Core + GeForce MX 150
It looks like Intel has achieved the design goals of its new Core i7-8705G multi-chip module, built in collaboration with AMD. Combining a 4-core/8-thread "Kaby Lake" CPU die with an AMD "Vega" GPU die that has its own 4 GB HBM2 memory stack, the ruthless duo put similarly-priced discrete GPU setups to rest, such as the combination of an 8th generation Core processor + NVIDIA GeForce MX 150. More importantly, entry-level discrete GPU combinations with high-end mobile CPUs have a similar power/thermal envelope as the i7-8705G MCM, but at significantly higher PCB footprint.
Dell implemented the Core i7-8705G on one of its latest XPS 15 2-in-1 models. The device was compared to an Acer Swift 3 (SF314-51), which combines a Core i5-8250U processor with GeForce MX 150 discrete graphics; and a Dell XPS 13 9370, which implements an 8th generation Core processor that has Intel's workhorse graphics core, the HD 620. The three devices squared off against each other at "Rise of the Tomb Raider" game benchmark. The i7-8705G averaged 35 frames per second (fps), while the MX 150 barely managed 24 fps. The HD 620 ran a bored intern's PowerPoint slideshow at 9 fps.
Source:
HotHardware
Dell implemented the Core i7-8705G on one of its latest XPS 15 2-in-1 models. The device was compared to an Acer Swift 3 (SF314-51), which combines a Core i5-8250U processor with GeForce MX 150 discrete graphics; and a Dell XPS 13 9370, which implements an 8th generation Core processor that has Intel's workhorse graphics core, the HD 620. The three devices squared off against each other at "Rise of the Tomb Raider" game benchmark. The i7-8705G averaged 35 frames per second (fps), while the MX 150 barely managed 24 fps. The HD 620 ran a bored intern's PowerPoint slideshow at 9 fps.
50 Comments on Intel Core i7-8705G with Vega M Obliterates 8th Gen Core + GeForce MX 150
Waiting for that Ryzen/Vega mcm to pull the trigger.
Let's compare it to a pineapple next since finding a similar laptop with a similar form factor is impossible.
AMD are the most affordable option to collaborate with. What is an MX 150 anyway? Apart from an Nvidia ultra low performance GPU.
Also, were these tests run under DX11 or DX12? What settings?
So, there is i7 8705g, a $503 CPU/GPU with 65W TDP. Note that GPU on that package is 150-ish mm².
On the other hand, there is $297 i5-8250U processor with GeForce MX 150. 15W (configurable 10-25W) CPU and a 30W GPU. GPU is 74mm². There is no public MSRP for MX150 but it's likely to be <$100.
At half the size and lower TDP, MX150 is not doing half bad. Wasn't the real competition supposed to be 1050? 1050 should be almost twice as fast in RoTS compared to MX150.
Edit:
Looking at prices, that Acer Swift 3 with 8250U and MX150 starts at $800. Dell XPS15 2-in-1 with 8705g is officially stated to start at $1300.
Why not put a desktop 8100 CPU + GTX 1050 while at it
@btarunr article states they are similarly priced, but I find that hard to believe. Core i7 vs. Core i5 vs. Core i3 vs. iGPU vs. dGPU vs. whatever. Is TPU the source for this actual article?
I wanted to see the performance of the strongest version "Vega M GH" :P
Intel's numbers were comparing 1060 MaxQ with GPU in 8809G that has 100W TDP which makes things comparable enough.
Is it more expensive? Sure. But so is a slim GTX 1050 design, and you don't get those this thin and light. The Acer Spin 5 is a 15" 8550U+GTX 1050 2-in-1, but comes in at 2.3kg and is probably far larger (at least it's far larger than the Yoga 720 2-in-1, which has slim bezels like the XPS), and it draws ~75W under load. It does 31.2 FPS in NotebookCheck's RotR 1080p high test (4xAF, FXAA), but of course we don't know how this compares here.
Would this have been a "more fair" comparison? Depends what you're looking for. Absolute performance? Sure. Performance per weight or size? No. Performance per watt? Possibly, but not necessarily.
The article mentions 35 vs 24 fps respectively, but from the other articles online, I believe these are at different settings. On the same settings it is 29 vs 24, which when considering the respective TDPs, the 8705G is good but not that impressive.
While i see it as foot in the door it still exceeds with the intended target for this release. I foresee this doing very well in future releases but who knows.