Intel Graphics Driver 30.0.101.1325 is the launch driver for Intel Arc A370M and A350M Graphics.
Drivers often include optimizations for popular games to improve performance and compatibility with low-level graphics hardware. These optimizations can range from simple tuning for efficient memory use to complete shader replacement.
For the launch of Intel Arc A380, A370M and A350M Graphics processors, Intel has been optimizing its software stack for a wide range of real-world workloads, especially top games and content creation workloads. Before releasing this driver, Intel informed us that they included 3DMark benchmarks in this optimization process.
The Intel Arc graphics products are a new entrant to the discrete GPU landscape, and a lot of shader programs assumed certain characteristics about the underlying GPU architecture that simply don’t match well with the Xe HPG architecture.
Our approach uses shader replacement to ensure games and workloads run smoothly on Intel Arc graphics. This technique detects when specific shader programs are loaded and modifies the shaders directly – while preserving bit accurate output. By modifying the shader program, we can greatly improve compatibility and sometimes performance for older titles.
As part of our effort to optimize software capabilities, we tested some application-specific optimizations in popular benchmarks from UL, including 3DMark Time Spy and Port Royal, and then applied some of those optimizations to benefit real-world games. But other optimizations have not yet scaled into general game performance uplift and remain applicable only to Time Spy and Port Royal for now.
Read the full post from Intel.
UL works closely with all hardware vendors to ensure that their platforms can be benchmarked according to our policies. Intel let us know that these 3DMark-specific benchmark optimizations are enabled in Intel Graphics Driver 30.0.101.1325 and later drivers listed below. They are aware that benchmark-specific optimizations are not allowed under our benchmark rules, which is why 3DMark results using the Intel Graphics Drivers listed below display the "Graphics driver not approved" warning message.
The Intel Graphics Driver 30.0.101.1325 driver also introduces the Intel Arc Control interface, an all-in-one hub that puts you in control of your graphics settings and experience. By the end of April 2022, Intel plans to add a UI option to the Arc Control interface that will let you toggle the benchmark-specific optimizations on and off. When the toggle is in place, and with the benchmark optimizations disabled by default, new drivers for Arc A380, A370M, A350M Graphics and other Intel hardware will be eligible for approval by UL.
The following Intel drivers are not approved for use with 3DMark
Please note that this list includes only public driver releases. The non-approved status also applies to Arc Graphics Drivers made available through other channels.
- Intel Arc Graphics Driver 30.0.101.1736
- Intel Arc Graphics Driver 30.0.101.1735
- Intel Arc Graphics Driver 30.0.101.1732
- Intel Arc Graphics Driver 30.0.101.1330
- Intel Arc Graphics Driver 30.0.101.1325