50% FPS Drop in PUBG across ALL maps - Driver 8425 Regression (Core Ultra 5 125H laptop)

[AXeVN]

System Information:

• Laptop Model: ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED UX3405

• Processor: Intel Core Ultra 5 125H (Integrated Intel Arc Graphics)

• Graphics: Integrated GPU Only (NO Discrete GPU/dGPU)

• Memory: 16GB LPDDR5x

• Power: 28W Sustained, Performance Fan Mode, Plugged-in

• Driver Version: 32.0.101.8425 (Buggy) vs. 32.0.101.8331 (Stable)

Issue Description: I am reporting a massive performance regression in PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS specifically on an integrated-graphics-only system. After updating to driver 8425, the framerate dropped by 50% compared to the previous stable driver 8331.

Key Details:

• Total Performance Loss: The 50% drop occurs across ALL maps and even in Training Mode, making the game unplayable on this ultra-portable device.

• Resource Conflict: Since this system lacks a discrete GPU, the integrated Arc graphics must share the 28W power envelope with the CPU. Driver 8425 seems to have broken this power-sharing balance or GPU frequency scaling on the Core Ultra platform.

• No Workaround: Lowering in-game settings or clearing the DirectX cache does not recover the lost performance.

[Mike_Intel]

Hello AXeVN,

Thank you for posting in Intel community Forum.

For me to better understand and diagnose the issue further, let me ask you to provide detailed responses to the following questions. This information will help me isolate the problem and determine the most appropriate course of action moving forward.

1. How did you update the driver?
2. What will happen if you rollback the driver?
3. What are the troubleshooting steps that you tried so far?
4. For me to review the hardware and the driver installed, please help generate the SSU logs. Kindly refer to the link below for the steps:

How to get the Intel® System Support Utility Logs on Windows*

If you have questions, please let us know. Thank you.

Best regards,

Michael L.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[AXeVN]

1. How did you update the driver?

Answer: I initially updated to version 32.0.101.8425 using the Intel® Driver & Support Assistant to play Arknights: Endfield. When I noticed the massive FPS drop in PUBG, I tried manually downloading and installing the latest versions available on the official Intel website—32.0.101.8425 / 32.0.101.8362 (WHQL Certified)—hoping they would contain a fix. I want to emphasize that installing these latest drivers did NOT resolve the issue; the FPS remained halved until I performed a manual rollback to an older version.

2. What will happen if you rollback the driver?

Answer: Rolling back to version 32.0.101.8331 (WHQL Certified) completely resolved the issue. My lobby FPS returned to its normal range of 90-100 FPS (up from 40-50 FPS on the newer driver), and the in-game FPS across all maps more than doubled using the exact same graphics settings. I have tested the game for several hours after the rollback and confirmed that the performance is back to being stable.

3. What are the troubleshooting steps that you tried so far?

Answer:

• Adjusted in-game resolution and graphics settings.

• Toggled Windows 11 "Optimizations for windowed games" on and off.

• Switched between different fan cooling modes (Performance mode).

• Restarted the system multiple times.

• Performed a clean manual installation of the latest driver from the Intel website before deciding to roll back.

• None of these steps had any effect until I reverted to driver version 8331.

[Mike_Intel]

Hello AXeVN,

Thank you for the quick reply.

Regarding this issue, please try to install the latest driver using DDU method.

Kindly refer to the link below for the steps on how to perform DDU and the direct link of the latest driver:

How to Use the Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) to Uninstall a...

Intel® Arc™ Graphics - Windows*

If you have questions, please let us know. Thank you.

Best regards,

Michael L.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Mike_Intel]

Hello AXeVN,

I hope this message finds you well. 

Were you able to check the previous post?

Please let us know if you still need assistance.

Best regards,

Michael L.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[AXeVN]

Hello Michael L.,

First, please accept my apologies for the delay in getting back to you. I missed your previous message.

Today, I followed your suggestion and performed a clean installation using DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) in Safe Mode, then installed the latest driver 32.0.101.8425 / 32.0.101.8362 (WHQL Certified).

After testing for a while, unfortunately, the FPS drop persists. The only difference is that instead of a 50% drop, I am now losing about 30% of my FPS compared to the stable version :))).

To verify this further, I also tested another title, War Thunder, and recorded a similar performance degradation (approx. 30% drop).

Consequently, I have once again rolled back to version 32.0.101.8331, and everything has returned to normal (stable FPS).

Anyway, hope this info helps you guys fix the optimization for Core Ultra in the next update. Let me know if you need anything else from my end.

Best regards,

AXeVN.

[Mike_Intel]

Hello AXeVN,

Thank you for the quick reply.

Intel is aware of the issue, let me share this link:

Performance Issues in PUBG: Battlegrounds* with Intel® Arc™ Graphics

As per the link, you may also try to contact the game developer for further checking of the issue.

If you have questions, please let us know. Thank you.

Best regards,

Michael L.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Mike_Intel]

Hello AXeVN,

I hope this message finds you well. 

Were you able to check the previous post?

Please let us know if you still need assistance.

Best regards,

Michael L.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Mike_Intel]

Hello AXeVN,

I hope you are having a good day.

I am sending another follow up and hoping that you are now talking to the game developer. 

Since we have not heard back from you, I need to close this inquiry. 

If you need further assistance, please post a new question as this thread will no longer be monitored. 

Thank you and have a great day. 

Best regards,

Michael L.

Intel Customer Support Technician