Intel is maintaining momentum with its latest driver stack, specifically targeting the expansion of its AI-powered upscaling technology. The new Intel Arc GPU Graphics Drivers 101.8509 WHQL have officially landed, and the headline feature is the widened reach of XeSS 3 and its Multi-Frame Generation capabilities.
Intel XeSS 3: Now for Everyone
The big news here is that XeSS 3 is no longer just for the newest kids on the block. Intel has extended support for Multi-Frame Generation across a much broader range of hardware. Whether you are running a dedicated desktop card or integrated graphics on a laptop, you’re likely covered, which may be a bin win for the blue team.
Supported Hardware for XeSS 3 Multi-Frame Generation:
- Intel Arc B-Series: Discrete GPUs (Battlemage).
- Intel Arc A-Series: Discrete GPUs (Alchemist).
- Intel Core Ultra Series 3: Built-in Arc GPUs.
- Intel Core Ultra Series 2: Integrated graphics (Lunar Lake and Arrow Lake H).
- Intel Core Ultra Series 1: Integrated graphics (Meteor Lake).
Squashing Bugs in Ghost of Tsushima
Aside from the feature updates, Intel has been busy tidying up some nagging performance issues. If you’ve been wandering through feudal Japan and noticed the ground looking a bit “funky,” this update is for you.
Key Fixes in this Release:
- Ghost of Tsushima (DX12): Resolved colour corruption on terrains across Core Ultra Series 2, 3, and B-Series GPUs.
- Mount & Blade II Bannerlord (DX11): Fixed a crash occurring during game launch on Core Ultra Series 3.
- Task Manager: Fixed inconsistent 3D utilisation metrics for B-Series and Core Ultra Series 2 hardware.
- Display Settings: Fixed an issue where “Combined Display” wouldn’t function correctly when resetting settings.
Changelog
This release extends support beyond the Intel Arc GPUs in Intel Core Ultra Series 3 listed products to include:
- Intel Arc B-Series discrete GPUs (Codename Battlemage)
- Intel Arc A-Series discrete GPUs (Codename Alchemist)
- Intel Arc GPUs in Intel Core Ultra 2 series processors (Codename Lunar Lake and Arrow Lake H)
- Intel Arc GPUs in Intel Core Ultra processors (Codename Meteor Lake)
Fixed Issues:
Intel Core Ultra Series 3 with built-in Intel Arc GPUs:
- Ghost of Tsushima (DX12) may exhibit color corruption on terrains during gameplay.
- Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord (DX11) may experience an application crash during game launch.
Intel Arc B-Series Graphics Products:
- Ghost of Tsushima (DX12) may exhibit color corruption on terrains during gameplay.
- GPU 3D utilization in Task Manager may show inconsistent metrics.
Intel Core Ultra Series 2 with built-in Intel Arc GPUs:
- Ghost of Tsushima (DX12) may exhibit color corruption on terrains during gameplay.
- GPU 3D utilization in Task Manager may exhibit inconsistent metrics.
Known Issues:
Intel Core Ultra Series 3 with built-in Intel Arc GPUs:
- John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando (DX12) may experience an application crash during gameplay.
- Naraka Bladepoint (DX12) may experience an application crash with Ray Tracing settings enabled.
- The Finals (DX12) may experience an intermittent application crash.
- No Man’s Sky (VK) may exhibit corruptions on certain terrains during gameplay.
- Star Citizen (VK) may experience an application crash on game launch.
- PUBG: Battlegrounds (DX12) may exhibit intermittent flickers in the game menu.
- Mafia: The Old Country (DX12) may experience an application crash during gameplay.
- Topaz Video AI may experience visual artifacts when using certain AI models.
Intel Arc B-Series Graphics Products:
- John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando (DX12) may experience an application crash during gameplay. Recommendation is to use Intel Arc Graphics Driver 32.0.101.8331 or older.
- Naraka Bladepoint (DX12) may experience an application crash with Ray Tracing settings enabled.
- Call of Duty Black Ops 6 (DX12) may exhibit intermittent corruptions on certain water surfaces during gameplay.
- Dune: Awakening (DX12) may exhibit flickering corruptions during gameplay.
- Star Citizen (VK) may experience an application crash on game launch.
- PugetBench for Davinci Resolve Studio may experience an intermittent application crash while running the benchmark. Recommendation is to change the timeout slider to 1500 seconds or higher, to wait for each test to complete, in PugetBench benchmark settings.
- PugetBench for Davinci Resolve Studio may experience an intermittent application crash while running the benchmark. Recommendation is to change the timeout slider to 1500 seconds or higher, to wait for each test to complete, in PugetBench benchmark settings.
- Battlefield 6 (DX12) may exhibit intermittent corruptions on certain maps during gameplay.
Intel Arc A-Series Graphics Products:Intel Core Ultra Series 1 with built-in Intel Arc GPUs:Intel Core Ultra Series 2 with built-in Intel Arc GPUs:
- John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando (DX12) may experience an application crash during gameplay. Recommendation is to use Intel Arc Graphics Driver 32.0.101.8331 or older.
- Call of Duty Black Ops 6 (DX12) may exhibit intermittent corruptions on certain water surfaces during gameplay.
- Battlefield 6 (DX12) may exhibit intermittent corruptions on certain maps during gameplay on some notebooks with Intel Core
Ultra Series 2 with built-in Intel Arc GPUs:
- No Man’s Sky (VK) may exhibit corruptions on certain terrains during gameplay.
- Topaz Video AI may experience visual artifacts when using certain AI models.
- Combined Display may intermittently not function as expected while combining displays or resetting settings.
Intel Graphics Software Fixed Issues:
Tell Me More
While this driver brings numerous fixes, there are still a few known issues to be aware of. Players of John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando might experience crashes on newer hardware; Intel currently recommends rolling back to driver 32.0.101.8331 for that specific title. Similarly, Star Citizen and Naraka Bladepoint (with Ray Tracing) are still seeing some intermittent stability issues that are being tracked for future updates.
What We Think
It is great to see Intel bringing XeSS 3 Multi-Frame Generation to older Alchemist (A-Series) cards and the first generation of Core Ultra chips. Frame generation is a massive help for integrated graphics, especially where every extra frame counts for a smooth experience. While the list of “Known Issues” is still a bit long for some of the latest AAA titles, the consistent cadence of driver updates shows Intel is serious about competing with the green and red teams.
Where to Buy
You can download the Intel Arc GPU Graphics Drivers 101.8509 WHQL directly from the Intel Support website. As always, we recommend a clean installation to ensure everything runs as smoothly as possible.
