Intel released an update to its line of GPUs this December. This update is for Windows 10 version 1709 and above platforms only, as these are DCH Driver packages that are meant to run on Universal Windows Platform (UWP) based editions of the OS.
The driver version for the supported GPUs will change to 27.20.100.9030 after installing this update.
It is important to keep your system’s drivers up to date for bug fixes and performance enhancements. Let us see what the new update has to offer and what devices are supported.
Table of contents
Supported hardware
Intel was kind enough to provide us with a list of the hardware that supports this new update. Check to see if your hardware includes:
- 11th Generation Intel® Core™ Processors with Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics (Tiger Lake).
- 10th Generation Intel® Core™ processors with Intel Iris Plus graphics (Ice Lake).
- 10th Generation Intel® Core™ processors with Intel UHD Graphics (Comet Lake).
- 9th Generation Intel® Core™ processors, related Pentium®/Celeron® processors, and Intel Xeon® processors, with Intel UHD Graphics 630.
- 8th Generation Intel® Core™ processors, related Pentium/ Celeron processors, and Intel Xeon processors, with Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 and Intel UHD Graphics 610, 620, 630, P630.
- 7th Generation Intel® Core™ processors, related Pentium/ Celeron processors, and Intel Xeon processors, with Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640, 650 and Intel HD Graphics 610, 615, 620, 630, P630.
- 6th Generation Intel® Core™, Intel Core M, and related Pentium processors with Intel Iris Graphics 540, Intel Iris.
- Graphics 550, Intel Iris Pro Graphics 580, and Intel HD Graphics 510, 515, 520, 530.
- Intel Xeon processor E3-1500M v5 family with Intel HD Graphics P530.
- Pentium/ Celeron processors with Intel HD Graphics 500, 505 and Intel UHD Graphics 600, 605.
- Intel® Core™ Processors with Intel® Hybrid Technology (Lakefield).
Intel GPU drivers update December 2020 Changelog
Here is a list of all the significant changes and improvements this new GPU driver update has to offer to its users:
- Improvements have been made to the playability of Fortnite on 7th Gen Intel Core processors and higher.
- The gaming experience on Intel Iris Xe graphics or better has been enhanced for the following games:
- Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition*
- Twin Mirror
- Football Manager 2021
- The gaming experience on Intel Iris Plus graphics or better has been enhanced for the following games:
- Empire of Sin
- World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
- Halo 4
- Haven
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege crashing and hanging on 11th Generation Intel Core Processors with Intel Iris Xe graphics has been addressed.
- The issue of Shadow of the Tomb Raider crashing and hanging on 10th Generation Intel Core processors with Intel Iris Plus graphics has been addressed.
- Minor graphic anomalies on 11th Generation Intel Core Processors with Intel Iris Xe graphics have been fixed for the following games:
- Hitman 2
- Rise of the Tomb Raider
- Forza Motorsport 6
- Battlefield V
- The flickering and resizing of the Red Dead Redemption 2 window on 11th Generation Intel Core Processors with Intel Iris Xe graphics has been addressed.
- The issue of the video getting corrupted when hovering the mouse over the progress bar on PowerDVD20 during local playback on 11th Generation Intel Core Processors with Intel Iris Xe graphics has been fixed.
- The problem of visible garbage seen when playing a video with PowerDVD18 on 11th Generation Intel Core Processors with Intel Iris Xe graphics has been fixed.
- The issue of the external display not enumerating after Hot-plug/unplug with mDP -DP cable on 11th Generation Intel Core Processors with Intel Iris Xe graphics has been addressed.
- The problem of corruption seen with Microsoft Excel and Powerpoint on 11th Generation Intel Core Processors with Intel Iris Xe graphics has been addressed.
Known issues
With each release comes many known problems, which are sometimes new and sometimes continuing from previous releases. Here is a list of known issues with the new update you should check out before you consider installing it:
- Iris Xe Graphics: Users may experience the following games crashing or freezing:
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Hunt: Showdown
- Dark Souls III
- Tom Clancy’s The Division 2
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
- Dirt 5
- Watch Dogs: Legion (when the new campaign starts)
- Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
- Halo 3: ODST (during mission loading).
- Iris Xe Graphics: Users may experience minor graphic discrepancies in the following games:
- World of Warcraft
- Star Wars Battlefront 2
- Wolfenstein: Youngblood (Vulkan)
- Gears of War – Inmate Edition
- Fortnite (Battle Royale mode)
- Far Cry: New Dawn (when starting from a saved file)
- Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout
- Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint.
- Iris Plus Graphics and higher: Users may experience the following games crashing or freezing:
- Destiny 2 (with anti-cheat enabled)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
- Iris Plus Graphics and higher: Users may experience minor graphic discrepancies in the following games:
- Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord
- Yakuza Like a Dragon
- Iris Xe Graphics:
- Panel Self Refresh may be disabled while plugging or unplugging AC power during video playback.
- Minor Graphic Anomalies may be seen in ARK: Survival Evolved and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare when Image Sharpening is enabled in Intel Graphics Command Center.
- YouCam Camera Preview & Video Playback may be black.
- Intel Core Processors with Intel Hybrid Technology: Intermittent crash or hang may be seen in Paladins Steam game.
- 10th Generation Intel Core processors with Intel UHD Graphics: Screen shows garbage when changing resolution from the OS with a 1366*768 panel.
- 11th Generation Intel Core Processors with Intel Iris Xe graphics: Corel WinDVD corrupts BD playback.
For more information, see the release notes by Intel.
Download Intel GPU driver update for December 2020
The update can be downloaded and installed through Intel’s Support Assistant or as a standalone driver.
Use the links below to download the driver:
Intel Graphics DCH Driver update x64 27.20.100.9030 (.exe) [427.47MB]
Intel Graphics DCH Driver update x64 27.20.100.9030 (.zip) [417.94MB]
To automatically detect which drivers your device may require, use the guide below:
- Download Intel’s Support Assistant.
- Double-click on the downloaded package to install the Support Assistant. On the first screen, agree to the terms and conditions and click Install.
- On the next screen, choose whether to Accept or Decline an Invitation to Intel’s Computing Environment Program. This will not affect the installation.
- Once the installation is complete, click on Launch.
- The Support Assistant will now take you to a web browser where you can see your computer’s details, as well as any recommended drivers to be installed. Click Download/Install beside the recommended driver.
If, for some reason, you are unable to update to the new driver version, refer to this guide by Intel for troubleshooting tips.
Closing words
It is recommended to update all your system drivers frequently, and not just for GPU. These often include fixes and other minor improvements that you might not normally see when playing a game or performing heavy rendering tasks.
Intel releases an update for their trending GPUs every month of the year. You can keep track of their changelog and issues to make an informed decision on whether it is the right time to update your driver to play your game with max performance and detail.
