With as much attention as is being paid to the high end of the GPU market, particularly given the impact of cryptocurrency mining on the availability of the best gaming graphics, you’d think the low end might be given short shrift. That’s not at all the case, however, as both Intel and AMD have been focused even more on the needs of entry-level gamers. Now, Intel has even released a new tool to help optimize games for its own integrated GPU options.
If you’re running a thin and light notebook, which likely sports some variant of Intel HD graphics, then the company’s new utility will likely be particularly welcome. As PC World reports, as of Intel Graphics for Windows driver version 15.65, users can access the new feature — which is much like similar capabilities provided by Nvidia and AMD for their own GPUs — in the Graphics Control Panel that loads along with the drivers.
The feature is automatic, and it configures optimal settings for a variety of games depending on the Intel graphics chip that’s installed in a system. The feature works with both Intel HD integrated graphics on sixth-generation processors and later as well as with the upcoming Kaby Lake-G processors that mate an eighth-generation quad-core Intel CPU with an AMD Radeon RX Vega GL GPU.
Right now, the optimization functionality is in beta testing, and supports the following games:
- Battlefield 1
- Battlefield 4
- American Truck Simulator
- Call of Duty WWII
- Destiny 2
- Dota 2
- Grand Theft Auto V
- League of Legends
- Overwatch
- World of Tanks
In addition, systems with an Intel HD 620 graphics chip or later will see the following games automatically optimized:
- Fortnite: Battle Royale
- They Are Billions
- Lost Sphear
- Age of Empires: Definitive Edition
- Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age HD
- OK KO: Let’s Play Heroes
- Subnautica
- Legrand Legacy: Tale of the Fatebounds
- Dragon Ball FighterZ
If you’re lucky enough to be running a system with the higher-end Iris Pro GPU, then you’ll have Kingdom Come: Deliverance, Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition, and Metal Gear Survive automatically optimized. Overall, chances are that any system produced in the last couple of years will benefit from the feature.
You’ll want to make sure that you’ve updated your Intel graphics driver to receive the optimization. If your drivers are provided by your PC’s manufacturer, as is the case with Microsoft Surface devices, then you might have to wait a little longer to receive the feature.