Latest Intel display drivers enable Dynamic Refresh for Surface Pro 8, Laptop Studio
While not officially signed by Microsoft, Intel’s latest drivers show that the new dynamic refresh feature is very close.
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What you need to know
In June, we noted a new feature in Windows 11 calledDynamic Refresh Rate, which would allow PCs with high-refresh displays to jump dynamically between low and high-refresh based on scrolling, inking, or inactivity. We strongly hinted that new Surface products would likely embrace such technology, and sure enough, Surface Pro 8 andSurface Laptop Studioboth have 120 Hz screens.
Despite the underlying technology being present, Dynamic Refresh Rate is not enabled on either new Surface is something coming later via an update. Today, userson redditspottedIntel’s latest generic display driversand noticed that upon installation, a new option now appears enabling this new display option.
We’ve confirmed onSurface Pro 8that the new drivers add the option for dynamic refresh rate found underSettings > Display > Advanced Display > Choose a refresh rate. Instead of just 60 Hz or 120 Hz, there is now a third option forDynamic (60 Hz or 120 Hz)that was not present earlier.
The feature seems to work quite well, although more testing is needed for stability and to see any oddities with the drivers.
The drivers need to be manually installed (extract drivers from the zip file, upgrade driver through Device Manager) as the .exe installer will not work.
Microsoft releases its own “Surface-approved” graphics drivers through Windows Update after it has signed off on the drivers as being stable. It also removes things like the Intel Graphics Panel, which is auto-installed with these drivers.
As a rule of thumb, most users should hold off until Microsoft releases its Surface-approved drivers. These new Intel ones could cause unforeseen issues, especially if someone picks the wrong driver to update or the drivers themselves cause a conflict.
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However, the good news is it seems Dynamic Refresh Rate forWindows 11devices (those with 90Hz or higher displays) is right around the corner. We’ll likely see many more laptops announced in the coming months that support this feature, which improves inking (reduced latency) and makes scrolling and OS animations a bit smoother while also helping to mitigate the hit on battery life.
Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central. He is also the head reviewer,podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007, when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and watches. He has been reviewing laptops since 2015 and is particularly fond of 2-in-1 convertibles, ARM processors, new form factors, and thin-and-light PCs. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, watched people sleep (for medical purposes!), and ran the projectors at movie theaters because it was fun.
