Will Ivy Bridge matter if I'm looking for a notebook with discrete graphics?

I did some quick googling about the benefits of Ivy Bridge and it seems the consensus is a big jump in graphics performance.

Will this matter at all if I'm looking at something with discrete graphics (like nVidia Kepler) ?

 

It won't make a huge difference if you have a dGPU.

 

It will make a difference even if you're not using the HD4000 graphics, although it won't be quite the leap you might be hoping for. Current benchmarks are that the CPU should see a 10-15% increase over an equivalent Sandy Bridge core, battery life should increase slightly (how much remains to be seen), and you'll have to worry less about heat in ultrabooks.

The other thing that seems to be happening in the new generation (although it's not really an Ivy Bridge thing) is that screen resolutions are ramping up in 13.3 and 14" screens, probably in part because the iPad 3 has really raised the bar. This is what I am looking forward to most.

My suggestion is that if you're planning to go with discrete graphics, look for a good Sandy Bridge laptop with all the sales starting now.

 

IMO, that remains to be seen. The iPad is out, but I have yet to see any new bumps in resolution anywhere yet... planned or otherwise, aside from the Asus UX. And that was announced far ahead of the iPad.

 

Some have even said the difference between current sandy bridge and ivy could be as low as 5% difference. Really ivy is for those who want a slightly cooler and slightly more battery life (real world will be minimal at best).

Sent from my PG06100 using Tapatalk

 

Some sites claim ivy puts out more heat...

 

^ where did you read that?

 

Ivy has bigger IGP with higher clock, that is why generate more heat than Sandy. However if IGP can be turned off using discrete graphics, it won't be issue.

 

Yes. 28nm Keplar is a significant performance and efficiency improvement over 40nm Fermi. 22nm Ivy Bridge is also a noteworth performance and efficiency improvement over 32nm Sandy Bridge, with 35W ultraportable chassis now being able to accomodate the low end 35W i7 IVB quad.

Upon release of IVB expect SB stock to depreciate a good 10-20%.

 

thats not conclusive at all.....ivy bridge is built on 22nm vs sb's 32nm for both graphics and cpu(obviously)

 

Perhaps it is just anecdotal - from my research into getting an ultrabook sometime in Q3 there seem to be more 900p and 1080p 13.3 and 14" screens hitting the market around the same time as IvB. Asus, Samsung, Sony (of course), Acer, and Lenovo all seem to be getting past the annoying 768 barrier.

I'm not saying we'll see pixel densities on par with the iPad3 on a computer screen near you any time soon, I'm just saying that it looks like some manufacturers are beginning to realize that consumers have good enough eyes to not have to put up with anything less than 900p on a sub 15" screen.

 

@OP that's a weird question. The vast majority of Kepler and Southern Islands equipped notebooks will be released with Ivy Bridge CPUs. On its own it won't bring much but since it basically comes in a package, why do you even care ? Gotta wait for Ivy Bridge if you want more powerful GPUs.

 

"Good things are worth the wait."

-me

 

lol im pretty sure someone has said that b4

 

You'll be waiting forever then...

 

According to Dictionary.com, "good" is defined as, "of high quality".

Ivy Bridge is of high quality, sir

 

I'm ignoring the fact that ivy bridge is also a cpu upgrade (that also affects the overall performance) because that's not your question.

The fact that is a big, or small jump in graphic performance, if you are solely looking to use discrete graphics, it won't matter whatsoever.
if you are just using discrete graphics it won't matter what integrated graphics ivy bridge will have because you will never use it.
IF you plan to use something like nvidia optimus or lucid logic virtu, it will matter because you'll be using the integrated graphics.