Intel GMA X3500

The Intel GMA X3500 is an integrated graphics processor built on the Bearlake chip using a 90 nm process at Intel's foundry. It belongs to the GMA Graphics generation, specifically the GMA 3500 IGP, and was released in 2007. The part is now end-of-life, and its database profile shows a 50th percentile standing among all GPUs, with no recorded benchmark scores. As an IGP, it relies entirely on system resources, which shapes every aspect of its performance profile. The X3500 is a product of the mid-2000s, and its specifications reflect that transitional period.

Benchmark Performance

The GMA X3500's database entry lists an average benchmark score of 0, meaning no standardized benchmarks have been recorded. Its percentile rank of 50 places it at the median of all GPUs in the database, but this rank must be interpreted with caution given the absence of actual benchmark data. The pixel rate is 667.0 MPixel/s and the texture rate is 5.336 GTexel/s, figures that reflect the fixed-function units: 8 texture mapping units and 1 raster operation unit. These rates are modest, and the single ROP is a significant bottleneck for fill-rate-bound workloads.

The 8 TMUs deliver a texture rate adequate for basic 2D composition and very light 3D scenes, but the 1 ROP limits pixel throughput to 667.0 MPixel/s. In practical terms, resolutions above basic desktop levels will quickly saturate the pixel pipeline. The architecture is Generation 4.0, Intel's fourth-generation integrated graphics design. The data suggests the X3500 was designed for office productivity, video playback, and windowed GUI acceleration rather than gaming or compute workloads. The 8-to-1 ratio of TMUs to ROPs indicates a design that prioritizes texture operations over pixel output. This implies that the intended workloads are texture-bound, such as 2D compositing and video decoding, rather than pixel-bound 3D rendering.

Because no benchmark scores are recorded, direct quantitative comparisons against other parts are not possible from the database. The percentile rank of 50 indicates a median position, but this is a static rank that does not reflect any measured workload performance. The absence of a nearestRivals list further underscores the difficulty of positioning this part relative to discrete GPUs or even other integrated solutions. The 0 average benchmark score is a placeholder that signals the absence of any recorded test results, rather than a literal performance measurement.

Memory Subsystem

The GMA X3500 uses system-shared memory for all graphics operations. The memory size, type, and bus width are all listed as "System Shared," meaning the IGP has no dedicated VRAM. Instead, it borrows from the host system's main memory, and the bandwidth is described as "System Dependent." This is a critical limitation: the performance of the graphics subsystem is entirely contingent on the speed and configuration of the system RAM, which varies from one motherboard and memory kit to another. A system with fast dual-channel memory will provide better graphics performance than one with a single stick of slow RAM, but the X3500 itself cannot compensate for a weak memory subsystem.

In high-resolution scenarios, the shared memory architecture becomes a severe constraint. Because the GPU and CPU contend for the same memory bus, memory-intensive tasks will experience contention and increased latency. The system-dependent bandwidth means that the X3500's effective throughput cannot be characterized in isolation; it must be evaluated in the context of the host platform. The bus interface is FSB (Front Side Bus), the standard interconnect for Intel platforms of this era. The FSB connects the IGP to the memory controller, and its bandwidth is shared with the CPU. This means that any graphics operation that requires significant data transfer will directly compete with CPU memory traffic, potentially slowing down the entire system.

For high resolutions, the lack of dedicated memory means that frame buffers must be allocated from system RAM, and the available bandwidth determines how quickly pixels can be written. The 667.0 MPixel/s pixel rate is the theoretical maximum, but actual performance will be lower once memory contention and system overhead are accounted for. The system-shared design also means that the amount of memory available for graphics is dynamic; the operating system and drivers decide how much system RAM is allocated to the IGP, which can change based on system load. This unpredictability makes the X3500 unsuitable for applications that require consistent memory bandwidth, such as real-time 3D rendering or high-resolution video editing. The "System Dependent" bandwidth figure is a direct admission that the part's memory performance is not a fixed property but a function of the host system.

Power and Cooling

The GMA X3500 has a TDP of 13 W, remarkably low for any graphics processor. This figure reflects its integrated nature: the GPU is embedded within the chipset (Bearlake) and shares the thermal envelope of the motherboard. The slot width is listed as IGP, confirming that there is no expansion card; the graphics processor is part of the motherboard itself. No power connectors are required, and no PSU recommendation is provided in the database, consistent with an integrated solution that draws its power from the motherboard's existing rails. The 13 W figure is the total thermal design power for the graphics portion, and it is low enough that it does not meaningfully affect the system's overall power budget.

The 13 W TDP means that cooling requirements are minimal. A passive heatsink or even a bare chipset cooler is sufficient to dissipate the heat generated by the IGP. The absence of a suggested PSU rating indicates that the X3500 does not add any meaningful load to a system's power supply. This is a stark contrast to discrete GPUs of the same era, which often required dedicated power connectors and substantial cooling solutions. The low power draw also means that the X3500 is well-suited for small form factor systems or industrial motherboards where thermal headroom is limited. The 90 nm process node is relatively large by modern standards, but the low transistor count and low clock frequencies keep power consumption in check. The FSB interface does not require additional power beyond what the chipset already consumes. Overall, the power profile of the X3500 is one of its few unambiguously positive attributes: it is extremely power-efficient, and thermal management is trivial.

How It Compares

The database lists no nearest rivals for the GMA X3500, which is itself informative. The absence of comparable parts in the nearestRivals array indicates that the X3500 does not have a clear peer group in the benchmark database. This is likely due to its status as an end-of-life integrated processor from 2007, a category sparsely represented in modern GPU databases. Without rival scores or delta percentages, any comparative analysis must rely on the architectural characteristics listed in the fact pack.

The X3500's 13 W TDP and system-shared memory place it in a fundamentally different class from discrete graphics cards, which have dedicated memory and significantly higher power envelopes. The 50th percentile rank suggests that, within the database's overall GPU population, the X3500 sits exactly at the median, but this rank is not derived from any benchmark scores, so it should be read as a positional placeholder rather than a performance measure. The lack of rivals also means that there are no deltaPct values to cite. The only quantitative comparisons available are the internal specifications: 8 TMUs, 1 ROP, 667.0 MPixel/s pixel rate, and 5.336 GTexel/s texture rate. These figures, when considered together, paint a picture of a very low-end part that is adequate for 2D acceleration but not for any serious 3D workload.

The DirectX 9.0c and OpenGL 2.0 API support further confirms that the X3500 was designed for a software ecosystem that predates modern graphics features. Its position in the database is unique: it is one of the few integrated parts from the mid-2000s that remains catalogued, and its 50th percentile rank places it in the middle of a distribution that is heavily weighted toward discrete GPUs. This means that the X3500's median rank is not a reflection of its performance relative to its contemporaries, but rather a consequence of the database's composition.

Ray Tracing and Feature Set

The GMA X3500 has no ray tracing cores and no tensor cores; both fields are null in the database. This is consistent with a 2007 integrated processor built on Generation 4.0 architecture. The feature set is defined entirely by its fixed-function pipeline and its API support. The absence of dedicated RT and tensor cores means the part cannot accelerate ray-traced effects or AI-based operations.

The API support is limited to DirectX 9.0c and OpenGL 2.0. Vulkan is not supported. These APIs define the maximum software compatibility for the X3500. The lack of Vulkan support means that any application relying on that API is incompatible. The fixed-function pipeline, combined with the 8 TMUs and 1 ROP, limits the part to rasterization workloads. The texture rate of 5.336 GTexel/s is the ceiling for texture fetch operations, and the pixel rate of 667.0 MPixel/s is the ceiling for pixel writes.

The display outputs are motherboard dependent, meaning that the available video connectors are determined by the motherboard manufacturer, not by Intel. The X3500's feature set is therefore constrained both by its silicon and by the motherboard it is soldered to. The 50th percentile rank in the database is a neutral placement that reflects the absence of both benchmark data and direct rivals, rather than any measured performance achievement. The part's 13 W TDP and system-shared memory make it a low-impact component, but its 667.0 MPixel/s pixel rate and 5.336 GTexel/s texture rate are the hard ceilings that define what it can actually do.