Intel CPU from the sixth to the tenth generation: graphics drivers practically at the end of the line

Processors with integrated graphics Intel Core 6th to 10th generationas well as those of the Xeon, Atom, Pentium and Celeron series based on the same architectures, they will no longer be supported with constant driver updates. Involved a wide range of architectures that respond to the names of Skylake, Apollo Lake, Kaby Lake, Amber Lake, Coffee Lake, Whiskey Lake, Comet Lake, Gemini Lake, Ice Lake, Lakefield, Jasper Lake, Elkhart Lake.

Intel, in a noteannounced that the various models will move to a support cycle “legacy“, that is, they will receive only critical or security-related fixes. Consequently, the chips involved will receive drivers with quarterly or simply “when necessary”.

The FAQ on the page reads that the DCH driver package for Windows will contain two drivers, one for the 10th generation and earlier chips and one for the 11th and later ones. The installer will automatically choose the appropriate graphics driver for your platform. Intel 11th generation and later processors will continue to receive regular updates monthly or more frequently based on the support of new securities.

Intel’s decision should not create discontent, we are talking about iGPUs with mostly insufficient performance to play modern titles. In this way Intel frees development resources to fine-tune drivers for dedicated Arc “Alchemist” GPUs which debuted in China a few weeks ago, within a progressive “rollout” in the rest of the world. The first tests, in fact, showed that the Santa Clara house still has a long way to go to extract maximum performance from the new chips.