Up to 1.8x FASTER DirectX 9 gaming with Intel’s latest Arc GPU driver
Great news for PC gamers targeting high-FPS 1080p.
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What you need to know
Intel has released beta driver 31.0.101.3959 for the Arc series of GPUs, including improvements for games targeting DirectX 9 and above. This latest update supports its A-series desktop cards and mobile chips, including the Intel Arc A750 and A770 that launchedas recently as October 2022.
Compared to the v3490 launch driver, the top-end Arc 770shows a significant improvement(via Intel) in testing benchmarks, including anaverage of 318 FPSin Counter-Strike: Global Offensive running DirectX 9 in 1080p with the new v3953 driver, an impressive increase from 177 FPS average in the same game previously.
In a video presentation, Intel confesses its dissatisfaction with DirectX 9 performance upon the launch of the Arc GPUs. They continue demonstrating improvements in this new driver, including the claimed 1.8x faster performance for average FPS versus the previous version.
Side-by-side footage shows overall improvements to smoothness during CS: GO gameplay, thanks to2.3x faster performanceon the 99th percentile of FPS with the new driver, at least on the Arc 770 Limited Edition GPU. Closing out its video shows the configuration of its test bench, and it’s no slouch.
Taking only these components into account would run a budget ofaround $2,400 minimum(via PC Part Picker,) somewhat separating it from the intended marketing of Intel Arc 700-series GPUs being great value for mid-range gaming versus theNVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060. Still, the improvements are something to behold and should reflect on practically any suitable system using these affordable graphics cards.
Not entirely focusing on DirectX 9 legacy titles, this latest driver also includes improvements for DirectX 11 and 12 titles. NewIntel Game Onsupport includes modern titles such asWorld of Warcraft: Dragonflightand The Callisto Protocol, which recently launched a flawed PC version, requiringtweaks to improve performance.
“We won’t be stopping here; we still have more work to do! Further improvements for games based on legacy APIs and general driver enhancements are on their way and future drivers will continue our march to a refined and more performant product,” says Ryan Shrout, senior director of graphics marketing at Intel.
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Performance improvements of this magnitude to GPUs only two months after release are impressive, and Intel claims they are committed to the future of its Arc range. You can download the new beta driver fromthe official Intel website.
Enjoy high-performance gaming with XeSS AI upscaling tech from Intel and improved support for DirectX 9 with the latest drivers.
Ben is a Senior Editor at Windows Central, covering everything related to technology hardware and software. He regularly goes hands-on with the latest Windows laptops, components inside custom gaming desktops, and any accessory compatible with PC and Xbox. His lifelong obsession with dismantling gadgets to see how they work led him to pursue a career in tech-centric journalism after a decade of experience in electronics retail and tech support.
