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What GPU is in the MacBook Pro 2017 13"?
- Thread starter hajime
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No external GPU. There is a GPU integrated into the CPU package. It an Intel Iris Plus series GPU. The i5 version of the 13" comes with the Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640.
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Only core 2 and core duo MBPs had a discrete GPU. Intel introduced igpu with the introduction of their i3, i5, and i7 processors.
About 10 years ago, there were no processors with an integrated GPU.
After the fiasco with the 15" 2010 and 2011 MBPs, I'm not sure whether an iGPU with less processing power or dGPU with more processing power and possible heat issues is the better choice.
After the fiasco with the 15" 2010 and 2011 MBPs, I'm not sure whether an iGPU with less processing power or dGPU with more processing power and possible heat issues is the better choice.
If you need maximum graphics performance this is still way to go. But in many normal use cases there is little advantage to having a discrete GPU.
In 2003, I bought a Thinkpad X series ultraportable with integrated GPU without discrete GPU. It could not play back some videos smoothly.
2003 is a long time ago and today's iGPUs are many times more powerful than a dedicated GPU of that era.
If you have a concern about playing videos or other media, stop by a store and try out a 13" on the videos you play.
Just to add my .2: the iGPU integrated in the i5 is not bad for light task. I've done some light 3D modeling work, Unity 3D level design and 4K Affinity Photo projects without an issue. A discrete GPU would obviously be better but the 15" MBP was a little too large for my travel needs and I didn't want to pay the higher price.
Luckily, the world is no longer so black and white... we now live in an era of external GPUs. Right now, I have a GTX 1060 hooked up to my 13" which gives me enough GPU power to do VR and play most modern games on medium to high settings. It also gives me some upgradability since I can throw out my 1060 for something better when the need arises. So don't worry too much about the GPU unless you absolutely NEED a powerful GPU built in.
Luckily, the world is no longer so black and white... we now live in an era of external GPUs. Right now, I have a GTX 1060 hooked up to my 13" which gives me enough GPU power to do VR and play most modern games on medium to high settings. It also gives me some upgradability since I can throw out my 1060 for something better when the need arises. So don't worry too much about the GPU unless you absolutely NEED a powerful GPU built in.
It depends on what you are looking to do. AAA gaming? Not going to work out too well for you.
Having said that, the future in definitely bright. The pressure AMD is putting on INTEL may actually yield some more powerful CPUs and integrated GPUs. Even then, you are still looking at at least a year away.
The 2017 has integrated Intel GPUs not separate discrete GPUs. The nonTB has the Intel Iris 640 and the TB has 650. They are the same with only a tiny increase in frequency, no genuinely different architecture.
The early integrated GPUs shared memory with main RAM and had very little acceleration capability.
Newer ones have small amounts of dedicated fast memory (edram). The iris didn't and the iris Pro did. The 2017 models do. This helps a lot.
For video all recent GPUs can do hardware accelerated video encode/decode .. 2017 models can do all popular formats.
I used the 2015 macbook pro 13 with a professional 4K display at 60hz over displayport. That worked. Just about. The 2017 models make it finally smooth.
If you play games with any moderate to high level of rendering needed... Integrated GPUs won't work. I play supertuxkart and it's beautifully smooth.
Also discrete GPUs will burn your battery way more than integrated ones.
The early integrated GPUs shared memory with main RAM and had very little acceleration capability.
Newer ones have small amounts of dedicated fast memory (edram). The iris didn't and the iris Pro did. The 2017 models do. This helps a lot.
For video all recent GPUs can do hardware accelerated video encode/decode .. 2017 models can do all popular formats.
I used the 2015 macbook pro 13 with a professional 4K display at 60hz over displayport. That worked. Just about. The 2017 models make it finally smooth.
If you play games with any moderate to high level of rendering needed... Integrated GPUs won't work. I play supertuxkart and it's beautifully smooth.
Also discrete GPUs will burn your battery way more than integrated ones.
My 2015 plays back youtube 4K no problem, highly doubt 4K video or external 4k will bog it down. Despite the constant barrage, the computer does have a GPU, albeit whether it has the performance one would expect from an Nvidia 1050 TI is another story. While the Iris 650/640 is no AMD 550, its far more powerful than what people give it credit for. Currently my 2015 with an Iris 6100 has no issues editing photos through pixelmator, edit movies through iMovie, or play occasional games like War Thunder. The 650 is built on a platform with a larger TDP so if the program you are using is heavy on both CPU and GPU, the 650 will have better performance.
My own personal experience is that the 2015 macbook pro 13 can drive a 4K display at ,60hz but only just. My own experience is that often this would not be smooth. My 2017 nonTB 13 can do it fluidly with some capacity to spare.
For 2015 anything having the h.264 codec works smoothly, 4K HEVC was jittery on 60 Mbps.