With a graphics driver update, Intel improves the performance of the XE2 graphics units in its Lunar Lake processors. The integrated GPUS ARC 140V and 130V receive a power boost of solid 10 percent, which particularly benefits laptops and gaming handhelds.
Increase new drivers
Intel has published a graphics driver update for its Core Ultra 200V processors (Lunar Lake), which significantly improves the performance of the integrated graphics units. According to the company, users can expect an average performance increase of 10 percent in the frame rate (FPS). Also to be emphasized is the performance of the “99th percentile”, which increases by up to 25 percent.
The performance increases in particular affect the integrated GPUS ARC 140V and ARC 130V, which are based on Intel’s XE2 architecture (BattleMage). Depending on the model, these GPUs have up to eight XE cores, XMX-Ki accelerators of the latest generation, Intel’s second generation Ray tracing units and a dedicated 8-MB-load level cache.
Optimization for gaming handhelds relevant
Intel confirms in one official notification that the performance improvements primarily come into play when the power consumption of 17 watts or less – exactly in the area in which gaming handheld operates. Devices such as the MSI Claw 8 AI+ and the Claw 7 AI+, which are already equipped with the Lunar Lake CPUs, benefit in particular.
The improvements were measured on the basis of nine game titles, including both e-sports titles such as Counter-Strike 2, Fortnite and Dota 2 as well as demanding AAA games such as cyberpunk 2077, Hogwarts Legacy, and Black Myth Wukong. The biggest performance increases at Fortnite with 17.9 percent, Dota 2 with 16 percent and Black Myth Wukong with 13.8 percent.
Driver rollout and future prospects
The performance improvements are available from the driver version 32.01,6734. Currently is already Version 32.0.101,6739 Available, which also contains the optimizations for Lunar Lake. As Intel reports, the drivers are initially provided for various handhelds, while other manufacturers will roll out the validated drivers “in the coming months”. Lunar Lake takes a special position in Intel’s processor roadmap.
These are the only Intel processors with integrated memory on the CPU package and the only ones with a neural processing unit (NPU) that meet Microsoft’s Copilot+requirements. The processors have been designed from the ground up for mobile applications and are intended to offer an optimal balance between performance and energy efficiency. The ARC 130V and 140V GPUs in the Lunar Lake chips also represent Intel’s most powerful integrated graphics units.
You can keep up with up to eight XE cores and a clock rate of up to 2.3 GHz in many games with older dedicated entry-level graphics cards. The XE2 architecture brings numerous improvements compared to the previous generation, including higher efficiency per watt and improved driver support.
