Intel UHD 750 iGPU — Unexpectedly Good For Light Esports Gaming

Gaming on a budget is a topic we’ve covered many times in the past, and it’s a subject matter that is basically inexhaustible. New technological advancements come along at a fairly frequent basis so the ways in which we can game — without spending a small fortune — change and evolve as well. This time around, we’ll take a look at the UHD 750 integrated graphics from Intel, an iGPU that’s a lot more potent than one would expect.

You can find them “bundled” in with Intel’s 14nm Rocket Lake processors like the i5-11600. Now, whether purchasing any Rocket Lake CPU makes sense at this point in time is up for debate (especially with Alder Lake being right around the corner), but if you don’t need the latest and greatest piece of tech — and happen to be partial to “team blue” — then it’s definitely a good choice, especially if you can snag one up at a good price.

The UHD 750 integrated graphics from Intel might not be as potent as the ones found on Tiger Lake mobility chips, but they can still “pack a punch.” Obviously, the bar has been set low but the point still stands. Moreover, if you happen to buy an i5-11600K or an i7-11700K, you’ll be able to overclock this iGPU and attain even more performance. It’ll only suffice for light esports titles, but that’s already an order of magnitude better considering the fact that Intel didn’t really have anything to offer in this particular segment of the market for what felt like an eternity.

So, with that out of the way, let’s talk performance!

Intel UHD 750 | Surprisingly Solid For Esports

All things considered, for an iGPU that was never really designed to take on AMD’s Vega graphics or to leave a mark in any way, shape, or form, we’re quite impressed with the results!

• Overwatch — At 1080p, with a mix of Medium and Low settings you’ll get around 80 FPS on average.
• Counter-Strike: Global Offensive — At 1080p, with settings set to Medium/Low, you’ll get around 80 FPS. Not that impressive overall but still more than enough for an enjoyable experience.
• VALORANT — At 1080p, Medium settings, you’ll get well over 120 FPS. Perfectly fine for even a bit of ranked play! Now sure, the game itself is superbly optimized but it’s still nice to know that you can achieve such a respectable frame rate with an iGPU!
• Rocket League — At 1080p, Performance mode, you’ll get around 70 FPS. You can adjust in-game settings even further so as to attain higher graphical fidelity, but it’s definitely playable as is!
• Street Fighter V — At 900p, Medium settings, you’ll get a constant 60 FPS. This means that most fighting games (including Tekken, BlazBlue, Dragon Ball Fighterz, Guilty Gear, etc.) will all run fairly well.
• Rainbow Six Siege — At 1080p, Medium settings, you’ll get around 45 FPS which makes RSS more than playable!
• Fortnite — At 1080p, Performance Mode, you’ll get around 125 FPS. Not that we expected anything worse given just how well Fortnite is optimized and the fact that it can basically run on any kind of build.
• League of Legends — At 1080p, Very High settings you can expect well over 100 FPS. No surprises here.
• Apex Legends — At 1080p with the lowest possible settings you’ll be able to reach the 30 FPS mark, but the experience itself probably isn’t going to be all that enjoyable. You can lower the resolution down to 900p, but you probably won’t get more than 10 to 15 FPS as a result. It’ll be smoother, but it still won’t be anything worth writing home about.
• GTA V — At 1080p, Normal settings, you’ll get around 40 FPS. A respectable result, no doubt. You can even crank it up to High and cap the FPS to 30 for a smooth, console-like experience.
• World of Warcraft — At 1080p, Medium (5 on the Graphics slider), you’ll be able to reach a constant 60 FPS, but you might have to lower the resolution down to 900p and tinker with the settings depending on what you’re doing in game. Still, WoW is playable which is quite a nice surprise.

Closing Remarks

As already mentioned, this particular iGPU isn’t going to replace your spec’d out gaming rig, but it could come in handy while you wait for GPU prices to revert back to normal. The UHD 750 graphics from Intel might not be good enough to dethrone AMD’s Vega iGPUs, but they’re nonetheless a great option for those who want an Intel processor and don’t mind limiting themselves to light, undemanding esports titles.

All in all, it’s definitely a step in the right direction, and we appreciate the fact that esports gaming is now possible on both Intel and AMD CPUs without the need of a dedicated graphics card. What a time to be alive if you’re a budget conscious buyer!