If your PC is running on a 4th-generation Intel Core processor, applications that run exclusively on the DirectX 12 API are going to stop working.
As Tom’s Hardware reports, Intel has taken the decision to disable DirectX 12 across the following ranges of Haswell processors:
- 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
The reason is one of security. As Intel explains in its report, “A potential security vulnerability in Intel Graphics may allow escalation of privilege on 4th Generation Intel Core processors.” A software update released by the company will deprecate the capabilities of DirectX 12 on these chips in order to close the security hole.
If you need DirectX 12 content to keep running on any of the above processors, Intel advises downgrading the graphics driver to 15.40.42.5063 or older, which can be downloaded from Intel’s support website. The first graphics driver to have DirectX 12 disabled is 15.40.44.5107.
On such old chips the impact should be minimal, but they are so widely used it’s bound to cause problems for a small subset of users. If you have one of the affected chips, but paired it with a separate graphics card, you should be fine as you aren’t using the integrated GPU. For others, it may be the excuse they needed to invest in a new gaming rig and grab one of the new Alder Lake processors everyone is excited about.
