Intel i852GM Graphics

The Intel i852GM Graphics is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) built on the Montara chip, implementing Intel's Generation 2.0 architecture on a 130 nm process at Intel's own foundry. Released on December 2, 2003, this part holds a 50th percentile position among all GPUs tracked in the database, with an average benchmark score of 0. The data set lists no nearest rivals, meaning direct numerical comparisons against competing parts are not available; the analysis below instead relies on the chip's own specifications and the limited benchmark metadata. The production status is recorded as end-of-life, and the device belongs to the Graphics-M (IGP) generation, which frames its role as a mobile-oriented integrated solution rather than a discrete accelerator.

How It Compares

The nearestRivals array in the database is empty, so no direct competitor names, scores, or deltaPct values can be cited. The only positional information available is the percentile field, which reads 50. This places the i852GM at the exact median of all GPUs in the database, a position that is unusual for a part with an average benchmark score of 0. The zero score suggests that no benchmark runs have been recorded for this device, so the percentile likely reflects the distribution of other parts rather than any measured performance from this chip. Without rival data, the comparison must rest on architectural context. The chip's 266.0 MPixel/s pixel rate and 266.0 MTexel/s texture rate, combined with a single TMU and a single ROP, indicate a very low throughput design. In the context of the database's median position, this suggests the i852GM is representative of the low end of the performance spectrum, but the absence of rival entries prevents any quantitative statement about how far ahead or behind it sits relative to specific products. The 50th percentile could also be an artifact of the database's ranking methodology, given that the average score is 0; the data does not clarify the criteria.

Power and Cooling

The FACT PACK does not include a TDP figure for the i852GM, nor does it list a suggested PSU wattage or any power connector requirements. The slot width is recorded as "IGP," which means the chip is an integrated graphics processor rather than a discrete expansion card. As an IGP, it does not occupy a standard slot width, requires no auxiliary power connectors, and draws its power from the motherboard's regulated supply. The bus interface is FSB (front-side bus), typical for an integrated solution that shares the system's memory controller. The process node is 130 nm, a mature fabrication technology for the era; while no wattage number is provided, the combination of a 200 MHz base clock and a 266 MHz boost clock, along with a single TMU and a single ROP, implies a very modest power envelope. The data shows no cooling requirements, and given the integrated nature of the part, passive cooling or a simple heatsink would be expected, though the FACT PACK does not specify any cooler. The absence of a TDP field means the database does not characterize the thermal load; the only relevant numbers are the clocks and the process node. The base clock of 200 MHz provides a lower operating point, while the boost clock of 266 MHz is the maximum, and both operate without any dedicated memory clock because the memory is system-shared.

Benchmark Performance

The average benchmark score for the i852GM is 0, and the benchmarks array is empty. There are no recorded scores to analyze, so the performance section must be built from the fixed-function rates. The pixel rate is 266.0 MPixel/s, and the texture rate is 266.0 MTexel/s; both values are derived from the 266 MHz boost clock. With exactly 1 texture mapping unit and 1 raster operations unit, the chip can process one texel and one pixel per clock cycle at most. The base clock of 200 MHz provides a lower operating point, while the boost clock of 266 MHz is the maximum. The lack of FP32 and FP16 throughput fields means the database does not record shader compute performance; this aligns with the DirectX 7.0 feature level, which predates programmable shaders in the modern sense. The 50th percentile position is the only relative metric available. It is notably a percentile of 50 with an average score of 0 is ambiguous: if the database ranks by score, a zero score would normally place a part at the bottom, not the median. This suggests the percentile may be based on other criteria, such as the number of entries or the release date. Benchmark results indicate that no measured performance data exists for this part, so any assessment of speed must be qualitative and grounded in the clock rates and the single TMU/ROP configuration. The 266.0 MPixel/s fill rate is the theoretical ceiling, and with only one ROP, any pixel-heavy workload will be severely constrained.

Who Should Consider It

Given the 266 MHz boost clock, the single TMU, the single ROP, and the 266.0 MPixel/s pixel rate, the i852GM is suited only for basic display output and very light 2D workloads. The DirectX 7.0 support means it cannot accelerate modern 3D applications; games and software requiring DirectX 8 or later will not run with hardware acceleration. The system-shared memory and system-dependent bandwidth further limit its utility, as the GPU competes with the CPU for the same memory bus. For high resolutions, the pixel rate of 266.0 MPixel/s is the ceiling: the chip can fill 266 million pixels per second, which is adequate for low-resolution desktop compositing but insufficient for high-resolution 3D rendering. The data does not specify a maximum resolution, so this analysis avoids any specific resolution numbers. Users who require hardware acceleration for video playback or 2D graphics might find the i852GM acceptable for legacy systems, but the end-of-life production status and the lack of recorded benchmarks indicate that it is not a candidate for modern workloads. The 50th percentile position, if taken at face value, suggests it sits in the middle of the database's GPU population, but the zero average score contradicts that interpretation, so the recommendation is to treat this part as a basic display adapter with no 3D pretensions. The single TMU and single ROP configuration means that even at the boost clock, the chip cannot sustain complex scenes.

Ray Tracing and Feature Set

The FACT PACK lists no RT cores and no tensor cores for the i852GM. This is consistent with the chip's 2003 release date and its DirectX 7.0 support, which predates hardware ray tracing by more than a decade. The API support is limited to DirectX 7.0 and OpenGL 1.3; Vulkan is not listed, and there is no entry for any other modern API. The absence of tensor cores means no AI-accelerated features such as DLSS or similar technologies. The architecture is described as "Generation 2.0," which is an early iteration of Intel's integrated graphics; the chip is built on the Montara die. The feature set is therefore minimal: no ray tracing, no tensor operations, and no support for shader models beyond what DirectX 7.0 and OpenGL 1.3 provide. The pixel rate and texture rate of 266.0 MPixel/s and 266.0 MTexel/s, respectively, are the only throughput indicators, and they reflect a fixed-function pipeline rather than a programmable one. For any workload requiring ray tracing or advanced shading, this part has no hardware support whatsoever. The data shows that the i852GM is a legacy product with a feature set that was already dated at its release. The DirectX 7.0 and OpenGL 1.3 versions are the highest API levels supported, and both are far below the requirements of contemporary software, which further confines this chip to basic 2D output.

Memory Subsystem

The memory configuration of the i852GM is entirely system-shared. The memory size is listed as "System Shared," the memory type is "System Shared," and the bus width is "System Shared." The bandwidth is described as "System Dependent." This means the chip does not have dedicated VRAM; it uses a portion of the host system's main memory, and the effective bandwidth depends on the system's memory architecture and speed. The FACT PACK does not provide a specific bandwidth number, so no figure can be cited. The implications for high resolutions are significant: because the GPU shares the memory bus with the CPU, any increase in resolution or pixel workload directly competes with system memory traffic. The 266.0 MPixel/s pixel rate is the theoretical fill ceiling, but the actual achievable rate will be lower if the system memory bandwidth is insufficient. The system-dependent nature of the bandwidth means that two systems with the same i852GM could exhibit different performance based on their memory configurations. The memory clock is also listed as "System Shared," meaning there is no dedicated memory clock; the GPU operates at the base clock of 200 MHz and boost clock of 266 MHz, but the memory access speed is determined by the host platform. For high-resolution output, the shared memory subsystem is a bottleneck: the data shows no dedicated VRAM capacity, no dedicated bus width, and no fixed bandwidth, so the chip's memory performance is entirely a function of the surrounding system. This design choice reduces cost and complexity but caps the effective performance, making the i852GM a poor fit for any workload that demands sustained memory throughput.