Not long ago, a computer without a dedicated graphics card almost automatically meant compromises in gaming. In 2026, the situation has changed noticeably: powerful integrated GPUs are now capable of running not only simple online games, but also demanding AAA titles. Still, you should not expect maximum settings and high resolutions.

Modern iGPUs are especially interesting for compact PCs and laptops, where installing a discrete graphics card is impossible or impractical. Among the most powerful solutions right now are the AMD Radeon 780M and 890M, as well as the Intel Arc 140V. In suitable games, they can deliver 40–50 FPS in Full HD, and in esports titles, significantly higher frame rates.

At the same time, integrated graphics is very sensitive to system configuration. It uses not its own video memory, but the computer’s RAM, so its speed and operating mode directly affect performance.

Radeon 890M and Arc 140V: integrated graphics has approached entry-level gaming performance

AMD has remained one of the main players in the high-performance integrated graphics segment for several years. The Radeon 780M based on the RDNA 3 architecture has already shown that a modern iGPU can be quite suitable for serious gaming. It is used, among other things, in the Ryzen 7 7840HS and 8845HS processors.

The newer Radeon 890M solution is built on the updated RDNA 3.5 architecture and delivers an additional performance boost.

Intel has also significantly strengthened its integrated GPUs. The Arc 140V graphics in Core Ultra processors based on the Lunar Lake architecture comes close in some gaming tests to the performance of AMD’s top solutions in this class.

Both manufacturers also use image upscaling technologies. AMD offers FSR, while Intel offers XeSS. The idea is the same: the game renders the image at a lower internal resolution, after which the algorithm reconstructs it to the target resolution. This significantly reduces the load on the GPU and increases FPS.

Such technologies are especially important for integrated graphics. Without them, a demanding game in Full HD may prove too heavy, whereas with upscaling the frame rate becomes noticeably higher.

What happens in demanding AAA games

Real-world results depend heavily on the processor, settings, power mode, and the specific game, so the values given should be seen as a reference point rather than a universal characteristic of every computer.

In Full HD, the Radeon 780M can deliver about 35–42 FPS in Cyberpunk 2077 on low settings with FSR enabled. The more modern Radeon 890M and Intel Arc 140V reach roughly 45–55 FPS.

In Baldur’s Gate 3, results are around 32–38 FPS for the 780M and 40–48 FPS for the newer solutions. In Ghost of Tsushima, the Radeon 780M shows about 35–40 FPS, while the Arc 140V delivers around 40–45 FPS.

In Elden Ring, the performance of today’s flagship iGPUs is roughly in the 42–52 FPS range at 1080p and medium settings.

If we summarize the results, the picture looks roughly like this:

Game

Radeon 780M

Radeon 890M / Intel Arc 140V

Cyberpunk 2077, 1080p, low + FSR/XeSS

35–42 FPS

45–55 FPS

Baldur’s Gate 3, 1080p, medium + FSR

32–38 FPS

40–48 FPS

Ghost of Tsushima, 1080p, low/medium

35–40 FPS

around 40–45 FPS

Elden Ring, 1080p, medium

42–52 FPS

around 42–52 FPS

For the most demanding modern games, this still means lowering settings and using upscaling. But the ability to get around 40–50 FPS in such titles without any discrete graphics card at all would have been more of an exception until recently.

In esports games, the performance headroom is much greater

The situation is quite different in competitive games. They are usually designed for a much wider range of hardware, so their demands on the graphics processor are noticeably lower than those of modern single-player blockbusters.

In Counter-Strike 2, modern Radeon 780M, 890M, and Intel Arc 140V solutions are capable of delivering roughly 80–120 FPS in Full HD at low esports settings.

In Dota 2, frame rates can be around 90–120 FPS at high settings. Even during large-scale battles, integrated graphics has enough performance to provide a fairly smooth image.

In Apex Legends and Fortnite, you can expect about 60–80 FPS at low or medium settings.

Thus, if a user’s main library consists of Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, Fortnite, and other relatively undemanding online games, buying a separate graphics card is no longer always a mandatory requirement.

But integrated graphics depends heavily on RAM

A discrete graphics card has its own VRAM with high bandwidth. An integrated GPU has no such memory: it uses part of the system RAM.

That is why the RAM configuration in a computer with a powerful iGPU matters much more than in a regular system with a separate graphics card.

The first rule is to use dual-channel memory. A single stick can significantly limit the available bandwidth and, accordingly, the performance of the graphics core.

The second factor is memory speed. For modern platforms with powerful integrated graphics, high-speed DDR5 and LPDDR5X are especially important. The faster data reaches the GPU, the less time the graphics core spends waiting.

That is why a configuration of “powerful processor + one slow RAM stick” can noticeably spoil the experience even with a very good iGPU. When choosing such a computer, memory characteristics effectively become part of the graphics card’s specifications.

Power mode also matters

There is another feature of integrated graphics: it shares the power budget with the CPU cores.

The manufacturer may limit the chip’s power consumption to a relatively low level for longer battery life or lower heat output. When the available thermal and power budget is increased, the graphics part can maintain high clock speeds for longer.

That is why the same processor can show different gaming performance in different devices. A laptop running on battery in power-saving mode and a mini PC with a higher power limit are effectively different usage scenarios for the same iGPU.

At the same time, increasing power consumption inevitably raises cooling requirements. If the system cannot dissipate heat effectively, a short-term performance boost will quickly give way to lower clock speeds.

A graphics card is still needed — but no longer by everyone

Modern integrated graphics has not turned discrete GPUs into an unnecessary class of devices. If you need to play at 1440p or 4K, use maximum settings, heavy ray tracing, or achieve high frame rates in demanding games, a separate graphics card remains a fundamentally more powerful solution.

But the line between a “computer for work” and a “computer for gaming” has become much less clear.

The Radeon 780M already makes it possible to play modern AAA titles in Full HD with reasonable settings, while the Radeon 890M and Intel Arc 140V can push performance even higher. In less demanding games, the headroom is much greater — up to 80–120 FPS.

So today, a computer without a discrete graphics card is not necessarily a non-gaming machine. If you choose the right processor, provide fast dual-channel memory, and do not constrain the system with an overly strict thermal limit, integrated graphics can already meet the needs of quite a broad range of players.