A dedicated graphics card is the bare minimum for being able to play certain video games. But more often than not, laptops and some desktop PCs aren’t exactly well-equipped to have one. Laptops with their own graphics card end up being more expensive than those without, so you’re often choosing the latter to save up on money.
Laptops with integrated graphics take their processing power from the CPU, but it doesn’t take away a lot from it. Integrated graphics cards, or iGPUs, are enough to help the laptop display images and videos based on their minimum specifications. For the newest CPUs, you can play video games with the integrated graphics, but don’t expect top notch gaming performance.
But when you’re PC gaming, you need more than just a CPU with integrated graphics.
Why Are We Even Talking About Integrated Graphics Card?
Not every PC or laptop is equipped with the best graphics card, and there are people all over the world who don’t really play video games. It wouldn’t make sense for these people to get a PC or laptop with a discrete GPU unless they’re planning to do some video editing or graphic design.
In some cases, there are people who’ll shop around intentionally for a laptop with CPU with integrated graphics because it’s more affordable than a laptop with a discrete graphics card.
A CPU with integrated graphics is also a great lifeline to have if your dedicated graphics card decides to give up. The CPU can pick up the processing workload, but again, don’t expect too much.
Are CPUs With Integrated Graphics Worth It?
From a personal and professional point of view, there’s some value to getting CPUs with integrated graphics. They’re worth it so as long as you know what you’re getting out of it. People with integrated graphics are people on a limited budget, so they want to make sure they get everything, from affordable PC cases to graphics cards.
Desktops that use CPUs with integrated graphics tend to be more power-efficient as there’s no dedicated graphics card. Nowadays, an integrated graphics processor is capable of powering through old video games, at least those that aren’t graphically intensive. You definitely won’t use integrated graphics on high-end prebuilt gaming PCs.
Laptops that use CPUs with integrated graphics also end up being more affordable and accessible, as well as being more portable than their gaming laptop counterparts. These newer laptops are equipped with the latest AMD and Intel processors that are more than capable of playing old video games and allowing you to watch videos in HD.
With that being said, we’ll look at our handpicked selection of the best CPUs with integrated graphics. In case you’re looking for a laptop or prebuilt PC with an integrated GPU, then you’ll need to keep an eye out if they have one of these five processors.
The Top 5 CPUs with Integrated Graphics
AMD Ryzen 5 5600G
Best Overall CPU with Integrated Graphics. Hands Down.
We’re inclined to give this title to the AMD Ryzen 5 5600G as the best CPU with integrated graphics. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600G is a 6-core and 12-thread CPU desktop processor along with Radeon integrated graphics to boost your system’s performance.
Being an AMD CPU, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600G is relatively more affordable compared to Intel CPUs. We also dubbed this as one of the best integrated graphics processors because of its capability to play Counter-Strike: Global Offensive at 165FPS and up to 165Hz at low to medium settings. That’s more than enough for integrated graphics card, if you ask me.
Laptops powered by an AMD Ryzen 5 should also be able to enjoy similar levels of gaming performance compared to a desktop.
Intel Core i5-9400
2nd Runner Up For Best CPU with Integrated Graphics
Amongst the Intel CPUs, the Intel Core i5 9400 is probably the one that stands out. We’re talking about a 9th generation Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost Technology, allowing you to do more than just gaming. You’ll be able to do some video editing at 4K resolution and even watch 4K movies.
The Intel Core i5 9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread CPU and is packed with 9MB cache memory. The Intel Core i5 9400 has an Intel UHD Graphics 630, so gaming performance is also at par compared to the AMD Ryzen 5 5600G.
What’s interesting to note here is that the Intel Core i5-9400 is based on a Hexacore architecture and supports LGA 1151 socket, so it’s no wonder why this is a popular choice for those who want to build a gaming PC on a budget or pair it with a midrange graphics card such as an Nvidia RTX 2060 or RTX 2070.
The bottom line: if the AMD CPU above won’t cut it, the Intel Core i5-9400 is a solid pick from the rest of the CPUs with integrated GPU.
Intel Core i7-6700K
Best Midrange CPU with Integrated Graphics
If we’re talking about the best CPU with integrated graphics at midrange specifications, then the Intel Core i7-6700K is a solid contender. It has a lot to offer, and it’s faster than the Intel Core i5 processor listed above.
The Intel Core i7-6700K runs on a Skylake architecture and runs at a base clock speed of 4.0GHz and maximum clock speed of 4.2 GHz. The Intel Core i7-6700K comes with an 8MB L3 Cache and a lot of tuning options. Definitely not the best gaming performance from this processor, but the Intel Core i7-6700K is capable of handling high-end productivity apps.
AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
A Premium CPU With Integrated Graphics
If money is not an issue, and if you want the best multi core performance that money can buy, then you’re going to want to buy the AMD Ryzen 5 5700G. The AMD Ryzen 5 5700G is an 8-core and 16-thread CPU. It has a 3.8Ghz base clock speed and a max clock speed of 4.6Ghz. As you can see, that’s a powerful CPU.
With the Zen 3 Architecture, the AMD Ryzen 5 5700G is capable of gaming at decent enough frame rates. The Vega-based integrated graphics card actually makes it feel like you have a low end dedicated GPU.
The AMD Ryzen 5 5700G is only a bit less expensive than the Ryzen 9 models, but it’s as powerful.
AMD Athlon 3000G
The Best Budget Pick
Repeat after me: budget does not mean terrible.
And there’s nothing terrible about using a budget CPU with integrated graphics. If you do decide to go this route, you’re going to want the AMD Athlon 3000G. I know what you’re thinking: wasn’t Athlon like something that came from the 90s or early 2000s?
You’re right to assume that, and yes, it’s an old line of AMD CPU. AMD Athlon competed for head to head against Intel Pentium, back when both processors were at their peak popularity. But even with Ryzen as the flagship of AMD CPUs, Athlon CPUs are still being produced.
At $50. the AMD Athlon 3000G is more than enough for basic office and computing tasks, but it struggles with the other high-end productivity programs.
