Microsoft* Windows 8* Intel Graphics support FAQ
Topics:
• How to identify your Intel® graphics controller.
• Which Intel® graphics products have drivers for the Windows 8 operating system available from Intel Download Center?
• Will Intel release Windows 8 graphics drivers for older graphics controllers?
• Where can I download Intel® HD Graphics drivers that support the Windows 8 operating system?
• What is Microsoft Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM)?
• What Graphics Driver Models are supported on Windows 8?
• Does Intel provide WDDM 1.2 graphics drivers for older graphics controllers?
• How do I get WDDM 1.2 graphics drivers for my Intel® graphics controller?
• I have installed Windows 8 and the Intel HD Graphics driver and the Windows AERO feature is not working.
• What are the Windows 8 system requirements?
How to identify your Intel® Graphics Controller
Please see How to Identify your Intel Graphics Controller or Intel® Chipset Identification Utility to assist you in identifying your Intel Graphics Controller.
Which Intel® graphics products have drivers for the Windows 8 operating system available from Intel Download Center?
The following Intel® processor graphics and integrated graphics have drivers for the Windows 8 operating system available on Intel Download Center:
2nd Generation Intel® Core™ Processors with Intel® HD Graphics 3000/2000
3rd Generation Intel® Core™ Processors with Intel® HD Graphics 4000/2500
See the following table for complete operating system support on Intel HD Graphics 4000/2500 and 3000/2000.
Graphics | Windows XP* | Windows Vista* | Windows 7* | Windows 8* |
Yes | No | Yes | Yes | |
Yes | No | Yes | Yes | |
Yes | No | Yes | Yes | |
Yes | No | Yes | Yes | |
Yes | No | Yes | Yes | |
Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Will Intel release Windows 8 graphics drivers for older graphics controllers?
Intel has no plans to release Windows 8 graphics drivers for the following older Intel graphics controllers. However, updates for older graphics controllers may be available through Microsoft Windows Update.
Desktop graphics
• Intel® Core™ Processors with Intel® HD Graphics
• Intel® 82G965 Graphics and Memory Controller Hub (GMCH)
• Intel® 82Q963 Graphics and Memory Controller Hub (GMCH)
• Intel® 82Q965 Graphics and Memory Controller Hub (GMCH)
Laptop graphics
• Intel® Core™ Processors with Intel® HD Graphics
• Mobile Intel® 4 Series Express Chipset Family
• Mobile Intel® 965 Express Chipset Family
• Mobile Intel® 945GM Express Chipset Family
Netbook and Tablet Graphics
• Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 3600 Series
• Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 (Intel® GMA 3150)
• Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 600 (Intel® GMA 600)
• Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 500
Where can I download Intel® HD Graphics drivers that support the Microsoft Windows 8 operating system?
Beginning with the 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ Processors with Intel® HD Graphics 3000/2000, Intel makes available generic versions of the Intel HD Graphics drivers for Windows 8 operating system (OS). These drivers are also intended for the 3rd Generation Intel® Core™ Processors with Intel® HD Graphics 4000/2500.
Intel recommends getting the latest drivers for your computer from your computer manufacturer. Some computer manufacturers require drivers specifically customized and validated for your specific computer model. The best resource for the latest graphics driver is your computer or motherboard manufacturer. Generic versions of the Intel graphics drivers are available to you. But, your computer or motherboard manufacturer could have altered the features, incorporated customizations, or made other changes to the graphics driver software or software packaging to support your computer. Intel recommends downloading the latest driver from your computer or motherboard manufacturer to avoid potential problems. Some computer manufacturers offer latest graphics drivers through Microsoft's Windows Update.
You can choose not to use the driver from your computer manufacturer and install an Intel generic driver. Generic graphics drivers are available from the Intel Download Center or the Intel Driver Update Utility for automatic detection of the latest drivers for your system. If you encounter a problem while using the generic graphics drivers, Intel recommends reinstalling the graphics driver from your computer manufacturer.
Note | To avoid potential installation incompatibilities, Intel recommends checking with your computer manufacturer to see if Windows 8 is a supported operating system and a driver update is available. Some computer manufacturers require that their customized and validated drivers be used for your specific computer model. |
What is Microsoft Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM)?
WDDM is the graphic driver architecture for graphics drivers for Microsoft Windows beginning with Windows Vista. It is a replacement for the Windows XP Display Driver Model (XPDM) resulting in better graphics performance and new graphics features. The XP Display Driver Model (XPDM or XDDM) is not supported on Windows 8.
The Microsoft Windows 8* operating system supports two driver models: WDDM 1.1 and WDDM 1.2. Drivers based on WDDM 1.2 provide the 3D graphical Windows 8 user interface experience. WDDM 1.1 drivers supply a user interface that visually resembles the Windows* 7 user interface, but they do not support the Windows Aero desktop theme or user interface as AERO has been removed from Windows 8.
• WDDM Enhancements in Windows 8
What Graphics Driver models are supported on Windows 8?
Graphics drivers for Microsoft Windows 8 support two different graphics driver models:
• Windows Display Driver Model WDDM v1.1
• Windows Display Driver Model WDDM v1.2
Note | Windows XP* Driver Model (XPDM): Windows 8 will not support XPDM drivers. Intel has not tested XPDM graphics drivers on the Windows 8 operating system. If you have the Intel® 945, 946, 965, 3, or 4 Series Express chipset, only drivers provided on the Windows 8 installation media are available for these chipsets. |
Does Intel provide WDDM v1.2 graphics drivers for older graphics controllers?
No, WDDM v1.1 compatible graphics drivers are available only on the Windows 8 installation media for the following older Intel® graphics controllers:
• Intel® Core™ Processors with Intel® HD Graphics
• Intel® G45, G43, & G41 Express Chipsets
• Intel® Q43 & Q45 Express Chipsets
• Mobile Intel® 4 Series Express Chipset Family (Mobile Intel® GM45 Express Chipset)
The graphics architecture and design of older Express Chipset families (with the Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 900 or Intel® GMA 900 graphics engine and older) was finalized before Microsoft released the WDDM 1.2 specifications. These hardware limitations in older Intel GMA architecture constrained the graphics performance and memory capabilities when attempting to run WDDM 1.2 on Windows 8.
However, updates for these graphics controllers may be available through Microsoft Windows Update.
How do I get WDDM 1.2 graphics drivers for my Intel® graphics controller?
WDDM v1.2 graphics drivers are available on Intel Download Center only for the following graphics controllers:
• 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ Processors with Intel® HD Graphics 3000/2000
• 3rd Generation Intel® Core™ Processors with Intel® HD Graphics 4000/2500
Intel offers generic versions of the Intel graphics drivers for the Windows 8. If you choose not to use the validated drivers from your computer manufacturer and want to install the Intel generic driver, they are available from the Intel Download Center or the Intel Driver Update Utility for automatic detection of the latest drivers for your system. . If available, this utility offers a download link to install the new driver. If the utility detects a customized computer or motherboard manufacturer graphics driver is installed, see: Customized computer manufacturer graphics driver is detected.
I have installed Windows 8 and the Intel HD Graphics driver and the Windows AERO feature is not working.
The AERO feature has been removed by Microsoft on the Windows 8 OS.
What are the Windows 8 system requirements?
These are the minimum system requirements for Windows 8.
• Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster (with PAE, NX and SSE2 support)
• RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) (32-bit) or 2 GB (64-bit)
• Hard disk space: 16 GB (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
• Graphics card: Microsoft DirectX* 9 graphics device with WDDM driver
Additional requirements to use certain features:
• To use touch, you need a tablet or a monitor that supports multi-touch.
• To access the Windows Store and to download and run apps, you need an active Internet connection and a screen resolution of at least 1024 x 768.
• To snap apps, you need a screen resolution of at least 1366 x 768.
• Internet access
Please see this Wikipedia Article for additional information on Windows 8 hardware requirements.
Additional information on product specific compatibility with Windows 8 can be found at the Microsoft Compatibility Center for Windows 8 Release Preview website.