Is Intel 630 Integrated Graphics any good?

[xpersimmon]

I am looking at building a system. I don't game at all and use my system for browsing, streaming and videos, photo editing (photoshop and lightroom), and youtube. Ill be using an i5-7500, 7600, or i7 processor. I doubt I will overclock. My current graphic card is a Radeon 7850. I can either reuse that (would make my working system inoperable), use integrated graphics, or purchase an inexpensive card. I'd like my system to remain as quiet as possible.

It seems like the vast majority of people building systems use a gaming card. It seems strange that every motherboard I looked at includes graphics and the associated ports. This wasn't the case when I built my last system 7 years ago. Why don't some manufacturers just skip the graphics on the motherboard? I know that Intel includes the capability but just adding the connectors and associated space must contribute to extra cost. Just curious.

 

[imsqam]

Okay, was going along on your uses thinking that you don't need much until I saw photo editing. That will take more and will not have the same requirements as a gaming system.

First, the integrated graphics engine is found on the CPU and not on the motherboard, it just has the connectors. And that leads to integrated graphics vs a discreet video card. Here is a performance comparison of the integrated graphics on the i5-7500/7600/7600K or any Kaby Lake i7 versus your current GPU. So HD 630 vs HD 7850.
http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-HD-630-Desktop-Kaby-Lake-vs-AMD-HD-7850/m178724vs2182

So 2.5 times faster. And the HD 7850 is 2.25 times slower than current GPU's. So integrated graphics are fine for surfing, text editing, watching videos and even low level gaming. But higher gaming and photo editing will require more than just the HD 630. And maybe more than the 7850, depending on your how serious of a photo editor you are.

Last point, if your video card fails having the integrated graphics can be a god send to enact repairs. And the cost to add it to the mobo is pretty small.

If you want to provide a budget I could put together a list of parts for you to consider. If you could provide your country of purchase, any preferred vendors that would be good and any parts you might want to salvage. But at 7 years old it is not likely.

 

[xpersimmon]

Thank you. Well my current system (i5-750, 8GB, 1TB SSD, 7850) did undergo 2 upgrades, Samsung 1TB 850 SSD and the 7850 (Gigabyte 4550 died). It runs reasonably well, especially for a 7 year old system. My complaints are lags when photo editing and other times, plus the noise. I'm assuming that a processor upgrade and moving the SSD to SATA3 will fix these.

Here's what I am considering:
Keep: SSD and 7850
Add:
Intel i7-7700 - $300
ASRock H270-ITX - $95
2x8GB Ballistic Stort LT DDR4 2400 - $105
1TB WD Blue - $50 (store video and music on this drive)
Fractal Design Nano-S - $65
Corsair CX 450W - $50
Cryorg H7 - $30

So for about $700 I'd have a nice system that could be upgraded in a few years w/ an M.2 SSD and Graphics Card.

I considered getting an unlocked processor w/ the Z270 motherboard and faster memory. The extra cost would be about the same as an upgrade from the i5-7500 to the i7-7700 but I expect that it would be noisier and hotter. I could also reuse the 1TB WD hard Drive and Corsiar PS from my old system, but they are 7 years old, and perhaps would be unreliable long term. My current case is a CoolerMaster 341 which I also considered reusing. I like the size but it's a bit noisy -- primarily because of the stock CPU fan, but the 120mm intake and exhaust fans are also clearly audible. mATX cases are much larger now then they were back when I put this system together.

Thanks for any suggestions you have to offer.

 

[dontlistentome]

You could work with integrated graphics. Your current CPU is too old and slow for modern photo editing, that's why it lags. A new i7 will fix that problem, a new i5 would probably do fine but if you can afford the i7 then why not?

I see that noise is a big thing to you. A new videocard can help, since something like an RX 550 or GTX 1050 would run cooler than your 7850, and thus quieter. The i7 would do most of the work, so if you do buy a videocard then an entry level one is all you need.

A new power supply is also going to help, since if you choose a good one it will also run cooler and quieter than the old one. HINT: The Corsair CX is not what you want. You want to buy an i7 then pair it with the cheapest line of Corsair power supplies? Come on.

Your case fans can be replaced with quieter ones. You might investigate using some kind of fan control if you don't already have one. There's no reason why you shouldn't be able to keep things as quiet as you want.

 

[xpersimmon]

You could work with integrated graphics. Your current CPU is too old and slow for modern photo editing, that's why it lags. A new i7 will fix that problem, a new i5 would probably do fine but if you can afford the i7 then why not?

I see that noise is a big thing to you. A new videocard can help, since something like an RX 550 or GTX 1050 would run cooler than your 7850, and thus quieter. The i7 would do most of the work, so if you do buy a videocard then an entry level one is all you need.

A new power supply is also going to help, since if you choose a good one it will also run cooler and quieter than the old one. HINT: The Corsair CX is not what you want. You want to buy an i7 then pair it with the cheapest line of Corsair power supplies? Come on.

Your case fans can be replaced with quieter ones. You might investigate using some kind of fan control if you don't already have one. There's no reason why you shouldn't be able to keep things as quiet as you want.

Thank you. The nice thing about the integrated graphics is that it's the lowest noise solution. My 7 year old system has a $40 Cooler Master 460 RS. It's worked fine, but I guess I just don't hear it because the CPU fan and case fans mask any other sources of noise. Heck, I didn't even noticed the 4850 w/ fan compared to the fanless 4550. With minimal hardware installed and no overclocking I don't think I stress the power supply much. Do you have a suggestion for a better model?

The FD Nano-S comes with two good fans. One is even 140mm. The problem is that the motherboard only has 1 header, so any automatic fan control would apply equally to both fans. I'm not sure that will be balanced but I can't find any mid range iTX boards with 2 fan headers. Many mATX boards have 2, but that would require moving up to a larger case, which I'd like to avoid. Since the largest source of noise (by far) in my system is the stock CPU cooler I will go w/ an aftermarket upgrade and expect the noise to be low, especially w/ an i7 and no overclocking.

 

[imsqam]

Just wanted to let you know that you can buy a fanless RX 460
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/4j7CmG/xfx-radeon-rx-460-4gb-heatsink-true-oc-video-card-rx-460p4hfg5

Perhaps I overstated, you could run iGPU but some functionality will not be available and image size will be limited.
https://forums.adobe.com/thread/2061557

I also second the statement about the PSU, for a few bucks more you can get much better units than the CX series.

For the fans a possible option is a fan controller.
https://pcpartpicker.com/products/fan-controller/#sort=a7&page=1
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2185344/fan-controller-work.html

Or this mobo has two fan headers
https://www.asus.com/ca-en/Motherboards/ROG-Strix-Z270I-Gaming/specifications/

 

[xpersimmon]

Thank you both. I'll order a better PS and look for a fan controller. I only saw 1 sys fan on that ASUS-ROG board....

 

[imsqam]

Thank you both. I'll order a better PS and look for a fan controller. I only saw 1 sys fan on that ASUS-ROG board....

You are correct, I thought you were looking for a CPU fan header and a system fan header.