Every graphics card gets new drivers on a regular basis these days. Chip giant Intel has just released a new set with improved performance for various games, one of which is Dragon's Dogma 2. So we put it to the test.

We have already tested how well the Arc A770 graphics card handles Dragon's Dogma 2 in our performance analysis of the game, but all of these results were compiled using maximum image quality settings, interlaced rendering mode, and the previous 101.5333 driver The results were tabulated using the previous 101.5333 driver. The new 5379 set promises performance gains of up to 36% at 1080p and 31% at 1440p when using the high quality settings and progressive rendering mode.

Since I am still in the process of collecting DD2 performance data, it made sense to double check Intel's claims. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much, but as long as it doesn't spoil the game or the graphics, an increase in fps is a good thing. So I packed the A770 into a Ryzen 5 5600X gaming PC with 16GB of DDR-3200 RAM. Not a super high-end machine, but perfect for handling today's games.

Because of the CPU limitations of the A770, we didn't bother to check for new drivers. Therefore, we concentrated on testing an open world with lots of rolling hills, trees, and grass, a short distance from the main city. For quality settings, I clicked on the "high" preset and enabled the progressive rendering mode.

And here are the results, shot in 1080p, 1440p, and for giggles, 4K.

Oh. Disappointing. With the new drivers, the game felt a bit smoother at 1080p, and there was none of the stuttering that was sometimes seen with the previous set. So how can Intel claim such a huge improvement? Well, the devil is in the details, and the release notes point out that the testing was done on a Core i9 14900K system.

Unfortunately, I do not have a 14900K system, nor did I intend to delve into the 14700KF setup that I use for work. Instead, I put the A770 into a Ryzen 7 8700G platform with 32GB of DDR5-6400, which is obviously different from the 14900K, but thanks to two more cores, higher clocks, and a new architecture, it is considerably faster than the Ryzen 5 5600X. [After waiting endlessly for the shaders to finish compiling, I wanted to jump into the game and see. I was very pleased, because even with the latest drivers, the game would hard-lock and crash at the main menu every time on that platform.

Oh well. If you have a Core i9 14900K gaming PC and an Intel Arc graphics card (and you do), you should upgrade to the 5379 driver: Assassin'sCreedOrigins, Detroit: Become Human," "Fortnite," "God of War," "Sons of the Forest," and the upcoming "Horizon: Forbidden West."