New Intel Arc GPU driver boosts frame rates in 20 DX11 and DX12 games by up to 119%

Intel has unleashed yet another new driver for its Arc gaming GPUs claiming major performance boosts. There are 20 DirectX 11 and DirectX 12 games are on the list, with performance increased by up to 119%.

The big winner from driver version 31.0.101.4885 is Deus Ex: Human Revolution running DX11 mode and 1080p High settings, which gets that headline-grabbing 119% claimed boost. 

However, it's not the only game to get a huge boost. 

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, again running in DX11, is 90% faster at 1080p Extra, while Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 DX11 at 1080p High is said to be 88% faster. Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition DX11 is another notable title, with 42% more performance at 1080p Ultra.

Here's the full list of games:

• Forza Motorsport (DX12) - 19% uplift at 1440p High 
• Resident Evil 4 (DXR) - 27% uplift at 1080p High Ray Tracing 
• The Last of Us Part 1 (DX12) - 12% uplift at 1080p Ultra 
• War Thunder (DX11) - 9% uplift at 1080p Maximum 
• Payday 3 (DX11) - 37% uplift at 1080p Ultra 
• Naraka: Bladepoint (DX11) - 5% uplift at 1080p Highest 
• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege (DX11) - 32% uplift at 1080p Ultra 
• Final Fantasy XIV Online (DX11) - 7% uplift at 1080p Ultra 
• Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition (DX11) - 42% uplift at 1080p Ultra 
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 (DX11) - 88% uplift at 1080p High 
• Total War: Warhammer 2 (DX11) - 10% uplift at 1080p Ultra 
• Tomb Raider (DX11) - 10% uplift at 1080p Ultra 
• Mad Max (DX11) - 6% uplift at 1080p Very High 
• Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor (DX11) - 14% uplift at 1080p Ultra 
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (DX11) - 90% uplift at 1080p Extra 
• Deus Ex: Human Revolution (DX11) - 119% uplift at 1080p High 
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (DX11) - 8% uplift at 1080p Very High 
• BeamNG.drive (DX11) - 10% uplift at 1080p High 
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance (DX11) - 22% uplift at 1080p Ultra High 
• Divinity: Original Sin – Enhanced (DX11) - 9% uplift at 1080p Ultra

Intel doesn't provide actual frame rates. What's more, Intel's test rigs use 32GB of RAM and a 13500F CPU for the DX12 games and a 13900K for the DX11 games. Make of that what you will. But your CPU, memory and other factors may dictate whether you actually see the performance boosts claimed. 

Oh and for the record, Intel has listed a new fix for Starfield, resolving "sporadic instability in some areas of the game". However, it drivers notes say that "corruption when using Dynamic Resolution Scaling" and "texture corruptions on certain objects and light sources" remain ongoing issues with the game.

But the main take away here is that Intel continues to optimise its drivers and provide substantial gains with iterative driver releases. Arguably, this matters more for future GPU releases than the existing Arc A750 and A770 GPUs.

Fair to say those graphics cards haven't been a huge success. So, what we really want to see is Intel carrying over these driver improvements to its next-gen GPUs, codenamed Battlemage and due out next year.

If that happens, there's much more chance of Intel hitting the ground running with truly competitive GPUs and actually giving Nvidia and AMD a run for their money in the gaming graphics market. 

Anyway, if you are one of those brave souls running an Intel A750 or A770, you can download the driver here.