Questions regarding Intel Driver Support Agent, Intel Graphics Software, Intel XTU

[Mikedistizike]

Good Evening Heroes at Intel!

I have a few questions regarding the Intel Driver Support Agent (DSA), Intel Graphics Software (IGS), and the Intel Extreme Tuning Utility (XTU).

A little history about me, I've been gaming and working strictly on Intel computers since 1995, and have built several computers this year using the Intel i7 14700k. I have built 4 computers for friends and myself this year alone.

I used the i7 14700k in all of my builds. At first, before the microcode update, I was in a hell of a lot of trouble with them. They doubted my capabilities and wanted me to return everything and switch to AMD. I held strong believing that Intel would save its CPU with the microcode, and dealt with all the negativity and doubt I had been given for months.

It wasn't until Intel saved the day with the 0x129 microcode that this CPU really started to shine. I went from getting calls every other day about their computers crashing to NONE at all in a single bios update from GIGABYTE.

So I thank you heroes at Intel for fixing the microcode. I am extremely grateful that I stuck to the Intel name I grew up on. I am a disabled man, and I saved up for years to build my dream pc, I wanted the i9 but I digress, the i7 is a beautiful CPU, and I cannot be more grateful for the update.

With all that being said, I apologize I got off topic a little bit.  I had an update today regarding the Intel software, and I updated it from IGS. Although, I got the message from DSA and IGS.

So my question is do I need DSA anymore? Since IGS showed me I needed to update it as well? I know DSA updates my wifi and bluetooth drivers as well. Is there a way to combine DSA and IGS? Many questions a fellow programmer has for the greats at Intel.

I also started updating it from IGS, and clicked on the DSA notification and updated it from there as well?? It said it failed in the last screenshot. Restarted my computer and theres no more update in IGS? Sorry I sound a little coo coo but yeah I think having both is unnecessary and can create a conflict.

I'm sure, the greatest CPU builders of all time, can figure out a way to combine DSA and IGS and have one less process running in the future. Thats what we engineers do, less is more right guys?? And before I tell my 3 friends to uninstall DSA, and I uninstall it myself, I want to know do I need DSA for Wifi and Bluetooth updates anymore? Or is IGS going to handle everything?

Another problem im having with IGS is it not playing nice with with windows snapping. It only lets me minimize it about 40% and I cant make it smaller than that. I analyze my system when I am doing any sort of gaming and I have my main monitor connected to my EVGA 2080xc, and I have my secondary monitor connected to the Gigabyte Z790 Eagle Ax motherboard display port. I use my secondary iGpu to display my task manager and IGS, and IGS overlaps task manger everytime I use windows snapping. Not sure what the issue is there. Its really not important.

Thank you for bearing with me. I apologize this is a very long thread.

Another question about XTU, do all these numbers look correct? Did I screw something up? Can I improve the performance of my CPU without having it crash? What I do to my computer, I do to 3 other computers I manage for my friends. So I'd like professional help with tuning if thats possible. I am going to start a PC building company and I'd like to know more about what I can do to improve on any little detail I might have missed.

Another problem with XTU im having is startup. I had to go and put the XTU perf.exe in the startup folder to make sure XTU started with windows. Something that can get annoying though is XTU not starting minimized into the system tray like IGS and DSA. Is there a way to add a start minimized option in the future?

Thank you very much for bearing with me. I am Xtremely grateful (get it?) that Intel has continued to be the leader in Work and Gaming CPU's throughout decades of ingenuity. I look forward to building more Intel computers and appreciate the extended warranty intel provided with their current customers.

If my questions need to be directed elsewhere, dont hesitate to point me in the right direction!

Have a blessed day,

~Michael

[JeanetteC_Intel]

Hello Mikedistizike,

Thank you for posting in Intel Communities.

We'd like to thank you for your valued patronage to Intel products all throughout these years. Your feedback and suggestions are highly appreciated as it is our way to continue in making our product and service better.

Let me check all the details and screenshots you've shared, and I will post an update to address your questions, once it's available. 

Best regards,

JeanetteC.

Intel® Customer Support Technician

[Mikedistizike]

Good Morning Jeanette,

Thank you very much for looking into this matter for me.

Have a good day,

~Michael

[DhannielM_Intel]

Hello Mikedistizike,

Allow me to answer your questions. Intel Graphics Software (IGS) is a different application that can only be used for graphics-related tasks. Technically speaking, IGS is an upgraded version of Arc Control. On the other hand, the Intel Driver Support Assistant (IDSA) is a tool that helps you see updated drivers for your other components, such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. However, I would highly advise you to stick to using your motherboard manufacturer's drivers for components like your iGPU, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth.

Regarding the Intel Extreme Tuning Utility (XTU), it does not have a feature to automatically start up. You can try using the Windows shell:startup feature. For more information on this, I recommend contacting Microsoft support. As for the numbers, please check if your system is set to Intel Default Settings. This will help you confirm that the numbers are correct, as XTU will automatically sync with the BIOS configuration. Additionally, if you wish to achieve more performance from the processor, be aware that this will be on the borderline of overclocking. Please note that if the processor is overclocked, including adjustments to voltage or frequency beyond the supported specifications, the processor's warranty will be voided.

Let me know if you need some clarification on this matter. I am looking forward for your response.

Best regards,

Dhanniel M.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Mikedistizike]

Good Evening Dhanniel,

Thanks for the reply. Ok so I guess keep DSA as it still does updates.

The problem with using Motherboard software driver updates from manufactures like Gigabyte, is that it creates a conflict with XTU and Bios settings, because it has its own performance section that does it own thing like XTU.

I really think intel needs to push these motherboard manufactures to not have any tuning related software and let XTU run everything related to the K processors, while they continue to update whatever drivers they have alone. I personally deleted all the gigabyte software because I noticed it would create stability issues with my XTU profile, even though I never used the Motherboard software. It runs perfectly fine now without it.

I have all my Pcores set too 52x, my Ecores set to 40x, so im not overclocking, but I understand that I cant get any suggestions for XTU.

I already did the shell:startup like 6 months ago, and was hoping to get intel to add an option for it next XTU update to support this feature for customers around the world. If not, I understand completely.

Thank you very much for your help today,

~Michael

[JeanetteC_Intel]

Hello Mikedistizike,

Thank you for sharing your feedback with us. Your input is valuable, and we take all customer feedback seriously as we strive to improve our products and services. Let me share your inputs internally and see if we can add this feature suggestion for the XTU. I'll post an update once available.

Best regards,

JeanetteC.

Intel® Customer Support Technician

[Ernesto_C_Intel1]

Hello @Mikedistizike,

Thanks for sharing your feedback. Intel is working closely with all motherboard manufacturers to ensure the correct function on our products. Regarding your feedback with Intel XTU, it has been raised by one of my agents on the other thread that you've created. Kindly note that your feedback is still subject for deliberation and we

I'll proceed to close this case now. Feel free to create a new thread or contact Intel Customer Support directly for assistance.

Regards, 

Ernesto C. 

Intel Customer Support Engineer