Frequently Asked Questions about Intel® Endurance Gaming Mode

Documentation

Troubleshooting

000099273

08/12/2024

I’ve launched games and enabled Endurance Gaming, but it doesn’t always work. What should I do to make the feature work consistently?
The Endurance Gaming setting must be set to Auto, and the system must be unplugged (running on battery) before launching a game. The best power-saving results are seen on game titles using the DX11 API.

I’m seeing lower frame rates not consistently throttled after unplugging from AC power. Is this expected with some non-DX-11 games?
Yes. If enabled by the OEM, Endurance Gaming opportunistically saves power by throttling the SoC, even for non-DX11 games, while maintaining the frame rate above the target.

Will Endurance Gaming Mode extend play time for all games and game settings?
No, the feature is designed to optimize gameplay experiences with battery life. As a result, there are tradeoffs between framerate and system-level power such that native performance typically needs to be above a certain threshold (ex, 60 FPS).

I don’t see the Endurance Gaming Mode feature in Intel Arc Control. Why not? How do I fix this?
There are numerous platform prerequisites for Endurance Gaming Mode. If Endurance Gaming Mode is not showing up in Intel Arc Control, the design may not meet the requirements for enablement. Refer to What Is Endurance Gaming in the Intel® Core® Ultra Platform? for Endurance Gaming requirements.

I’ve set Endurance Gaming Mode to Auto, but my game’s FPS is getting an unusual number.
To minimize the latency, FPS is adjusted based on the native refresh rate of the laptop’s display panel. Certain panel refresh rates, such as 165 or 144 Hz, can often result in frame-rate targets of 33 or 36 fps.

How does a user enable Endurance Gaming Mode?
User downloads the Intel® Arc™ & Iris® Xe Graphics bundle from Intel.com. For supported platforms, the Endurance Gaming Mode UI is accessible through Arc Control.

How much additional play time can I get for a game? I’m not seeing a lot of power savings even though Endurance Gaming Mode is set to Auto.
The additional playtime that Endurance Gaming Mode produces heavily depends on system design factors. The feature dynamically adjusts power to the Intel processors based on the game’s actual frame rate during play. However, other system design factors, such as the display subsystem and its power design for different screen brightness levels, can greatly affect the overall battery life of a system.

Does Endurance Gaming Mode work for systems with discrete graphics?
Currently, no. Intel Arc Control may install Endurance Gaming Mode on systems with integrated graphics from Intel and discrete graphics. Still, the Endurance Gaming Mode background process will not perform power management in such configurations. Intel is still investigating whether this capability can be reliably enabled for systems with discrete graphics.

I’m pushing the ALT+i hotkey and not seeing the Intel Arc Control overlay.
Please ensure Intel Arc Control is configured to launch at startup.

Endurance Gaming Mode seems to work for some games. Sometimes, it doesn’t seem to work. Why is there a difference in behavior?
Endurance Gaming Mode provides the most measurable performance benefit to DX11 games. Games often must consistently produce 60 fps or higher for meaningful power savings.