Nearly eight and a half years ago,
Intel launched its 4th Generation Intel Core Processors,
codenamed Haswell. In that time, researchers have discovered a number of security vulnerabilities that can typically be addressed via software and firmware updates. Unfortunately, Intel must ad one more to the list that requires a fairly significant driver change. Beginning with driver 15.40.44.5107, applications that run exclusively with the
DirectX 12 API will no longer work on Haswell's iGPU.
Recently, Intel created a
support article answering why “DirectX 12 Applications No Longer Work[ed] on 4th Generation Intel Processor Graphics.” This article explains that a potential
security vulnerability leading to privilege escalation was discovered in Intel Graphics on 4th Gen Intel Core processors. To mitigate the issue, “DirectX 12 capabilities were deprecated,” on the following Intel Graphics Controllers:
- 4th Generation Intel Core Processors with Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200
- 4th Generation Intel Core Processors with Intel Iris Graphics 5100
- 4th Generation Intel Core Processors with Intel HD Graphics 5000/4600/4400/4200
- Intel® Pentium and Celeron Processors with Intel HD Graphics based on 4th Generation Intel Core
Thankfully, this is only a problem for people who use DirectX 12 applications on
Haswell without a dedicated GPU. If this does prove to be a problem for you, though, Intel suggests users can downgrade their driver to version 15.40.42.5063 or older. However, we would recommend simply installing a graphics card of some sort (system permitting) or upgrading your PC soon, especially since Intel’s new Alder Lake processors have
come out swinging.
