News Intel's Latest GPU Drivers Are Half the Size They Used to Be

[Admin]

Intel's Arc drivers were relatively huge at launch, but in the past two months they've shrunk to less than half their former . Impressive!

Intel's Latest GPU Drivers Are Half the Size They Used to Be : Read more

 

[Metal Messiah.]

Why the extra 500+ MB? We're not sure, but there were a lot of bug fixes and other factors that likely played a role. Later in October, the size dropped by about 170 MB.

I'm not sure about earlier driver versions, but wasn't the "unexpected" increase in the driver’s size a result of INTEL combining both the Arc Control software and Iris GPU drivers under ONE package as of late ? Which has lead Intel to include compression algorithms in the latest release ?

But like you mentioned it seems a bit odd that compression algorithms are the reason behind the shrink in file size. Btw, the drivers were also supporting both the desktop and mobile graphics side.

 

[JarredWaltonGPU]

I'm not sure about earlier driver versions, but wasn't the "unexpected" increase in the driver’s size a result of INTEL combining both the Arc Control software and Iris GPU drivers under ONE package as of late ? Which has lead Intel to include compression algorithms in the latest release ?

But like you mentioned it seems a bit odd that compression algorithms are the reason behind the shrink in file size. Btw, the drivers were also supporting both the desktop and mobile graphics side.

I actually updated that paragraph, after some feedback from Intel. I forgot all about the Arc Control being a separate piece of software. The new version:

"There are a few things worth pointing out, like the jump in size when Intel went from just supporting the A380 (and various existing integrated graphics solutions) to the official Arc launch drivers. Why the extra 500+ MB? Part of it was merging the Arc Control Center into the main driver download, and there were bug fixes and other factors that likely played a role. Later in October, the size dropped by about 170 MB."

I don't think we'll get any statement as to any other fundamental changes. However, the file format has definitely changed. Version 4125 for example, if I open in 7-zip, I can't really find the file structure. With 4255, I can see what looks to be a normal layout. Also, 4255 extracts (via 7-zip) to 237 files, 11 folders, and a size of 1.86GB. So it has almost a 3:1 compression ratio. I really do wish I could see the same with earlier drivers. Well, I suppose I could try starting the install, see if they get extracted to a folder...

Oh! That's fun. So 4125 extracts some stuff to the user\appdata\local\temp location, but then the main stuff goes into C:\ProgramData\Package Cache\2D0756B5DBFB74417E9B06D2DDE3FBCD47A59DE5 (probably a random folder name). But all the file structure looks about the same. So, let me see... 235 files, 11 folders, and a size of 1.30GB. Wow, I'm not sure what to think about that. The old installer seemed to have a smaller installer?

Ah! I figured it out. The older installer would unpack with a bunch of compressed files (*.dl_ for example). So if you inflate all of those it probably gets to be about the same size. The only two "new" files I can see are:
03/22/2023 11:13 AM 30,599,648 media_bin_32.dll
03/22/2023 11:14 AM 30,789,760 media_bin_64.dll

But 4255 has this as well:
03/22/2023 11:09 AM 18,034,160 igvkMedia32.dll
03/22/2023 11:10 AM 19,019,736 igvkMedia64.dll

4125 meanwhile has this:
02/14/2023 02:21 PM 26,489,385 igvkMedia32.dl_
02/14/2023 02:21 PM 27,003,231 igvkMedia64.dl_

Considering the 4125 dl_ files are still compressed, it looks like there's just some stuff pulled out into a separate DLL now. But let's summarize. Here's the 4125 contents, expanded:

C:\ProgramData\Package Cache\2D0756B5DBFB74417E9B06D2DDE3FBCD47A59DE5>dir /a/s
 Volume in drive C has no label.
 Volume Serial Number is 6E57-D984

 Directory of C:\ProgramData\Package Cache\2D0756B5DBFB74417E9B06D2DDE3FBCD47A59DE5

03/24/2023  06:51 PM    <DIR>          .
03/24/2023  06:51 PM    <DIR>          ..
03/24/2023  07:25 PM    <DIR>          Graphics
02/14/2023  12:43 PM             8,844 installation_readme.txt
02/13/2023  11:40 PM        80,030,712 installer.exe
02/13/2023  11:40 PM            37,477 license.txt
02/14/2023  12:44 PM           582,562 readme.txt
03/24/2023  06:51 PM    <DIR>          Resources
               4 File(s)     80,659,595 bytes

 Directory of C:\ProgramData\Package Cache\2D0756B5DBFB74417E9B06D2DDE3FBCD47A59DE5\Graphics

03/24/2023  07:25 PM    <DIR>          .
03/24/2023  07:25 PM    <DIR>          ..
02/14/2023  02:08 PM            36,827 acxdac.cat
02/14/2023  02:09 PM        33,069,176 clangFEWrapper.dll
02/14/2023  02:09 PM        26,379,336 clangFEWrapper32.dll
07/08/2018  06:25 AM           375,173 ColorImageEnhancement.wmv
02/14/2023  02:09 PM           233,616 ControlLib.dll
02/14/2023  02:09 PM           186,576 ControlLib32.dll
02/13/2023  11:31 PM             1,125 cpa_32.vp
02/13/2023  11:31 PM             1,125 cpa_64.vp
02/13/2023  11:31 PM         2,572,396 cp_resources.bin
03/24/2023  07:25 PM    <DIR>          CtaChildDriver
02/14/2023  01:43 PM            22,474 cui_dch.inf
02/13/2023  11:31 PM         1,361,159 c_32.cpa
02/13/2023  11:31 PM         1,376,256 c_64.cpa
02/13/2023  11:31 PM            57,143 dev_32.vp
02/13/2023  11:31 PM            56,359 dev_64.vp
03/24/2023  06:51 PM    <DIR>          DisplayAudio
02/14/2023  02:09 PM        16,736,480 DnnlPlugin.dll
02/14/2023  02:09 PM         7,284,896 enctools32.dll
02/14/2023  02:09 PM         8,372,208 enctools64.dll
07/08/2018  06:25 AM           641,530 FilmModeDetection.wmv
03/24/2023  06:51 PM    <DIR>          fw
02/14/2023  02:08 PM           159,424 GfxDownloadWrapper.exe
02/14/2023  02:08 PM            37,273 gscauxdriver.cat
02/14/2023  01:43 PM             9,826 GSCAuxDriver.inf
02/14/2023  02:08 PM            89,792 GSCAuxDriverx64.sys
02/14/2023  02:08 PM            37,291 gscheci.cat
02/14/2023  01:43 PM            10,166 gscheci.inf
02/13/2023  11:31 PM            77,089 h265e_32.vp
02/13/2023  11:31 PM            13,807 h265e_64.vp
02/14/2023  02:08 PM            36,827 hdbusext.cat
02/14/2023  01:43 PM             8,738 HdBusExt.inf
02/13/2023  11:31 PM            75,493 he_32.vp
02/13/2023  11:31 PM            13,227 he_64.vp
03/24/2023  07:27 PM    <DIR>          I2CDriver
02/14/2023  02:09 PM         2,301,152 iga32.dll
02/14/2023  02:09 PM         2,869,360 iga64.dll
02/14/2023  02:10 PM        65,248,040 igc32.dll
02/14/2023  02:11 PM        73,144,840 igc64.dll
02/14/2023  01:43 PM             6,260 igcc_dch.inf
02/14/2023  02:11 PM         4,550,992 igd10iumd32.dll
02/14/2023  02:11 PM         4,643,536 igd10iumd64.dll
02/14/2023  02:09 PM         2,322,968 igd10mg32.dll
02/14/2023  02:11 PM         2,410,160 igd10mg64.dll
02/14/2023  02:11 PM        23,997,808 igd10um32xe.dll
02/14/2023  02:12 PM        25,594,296 igd10um64xe.dll
02/14/2023  02:12 PM        16,921,704 igd10umt32xe.dll
02/14/2023  02:12 PM        18,380,368 igd10umt64xe.dll
02/14/2023  02:13 PM        58,875,968 igd11dxva32.dll
02/14/2023  02:14 PM        60,223,560 igd11dxva64.dll
02/14/2023  02:15 PM        57,949,968 igd12dxva32.dll
02/14/2023  02:15 PM        59,158,552 igd12dxva64.dll
02/14/2023  02:09 PM            93,720 igd12mg32.dll
02/14/2023  02:09 PM           118,808 igd12mg64.dll
02/14/2023  02:16 PM        13,560,336 igd12um32xeh.dll
02/14/2023  02:16 PM        12,819,688 igd12um32xel.dll
02/14/2023  02:16 PM        14,057,824 igd12um64xeh.dll
02/14/2023  02:16 PM        13,390,992 igd12um64xel.dll
02/14/2023  02:16 PM           109,128 igd12umd32.dll
02/14/2023  02:16 PM           147,920 igd12umd64.dll
02/14/2023  02:17 PM        57,764,984 igd9dxva32.dll
02/14/2023  02:18 PM        58,944,216 igd9dxva64.dll
02/14/2023  02:18 PM        17,576,128 igd9trinity32.dll
02/14/2023  02:18 PM        19,164,376 igd9trinity64.dll
02/14/2023  02:09 PM           203,288 igdail32.dll
02/14/2023  02:09 PM           236,568 igdail64.dll
02/14/2023  02:18 PM           332,800 igdde32.dll
02/14/2023  02:18 PM           410,272 igdde64.dll
02/14/2023  02:18 PM           232,520 igdext32.dll
02/14/2023  02:18 PM           294,040 igdext64.dll
02/14/2023  02:09 PM         1,082,376 igdfcl32.dll
02/14/2023  02:19 PM         1,144,240 igdfcl64.dll
02/14/2023  02:19 PM         3,352,296 igdgmm32.dll
02/14/2023  02:19 PM         4,310,920 igdgmm64.dll
02/14/2023  02:19 PM           123,048 igdinfo32.dll
02/14/2023  02:19 PM           149,488 igdinfo64.dll
02/14/2023  02:09 PM        55,007,904 igdkmdn64.sys
02/14/2023  02:09 PM        55,007,888 igdkmdnd64.sys
02/14/2023  02:09 PM        12,023,831 igdlh.cat
02/14/2023  02:19 PM        15,482,256 igdmd32.dll
02/14/2023  02:19 PM        20,088,952 igdmd64.dll
02/14/2023  02:19 PM           963,936 igdml32.dll
02/14/2023  02:19 PM         1,277,936 igdml64.dll
02/14/2023  02:09 PM         5,939,720 igdrcl32.dll
02/14/2023  02:10 PM         6,853,128 igdrcl64.dll
02/14/2023  02:19 PM         1,820,288 igdumdim32.dll
02/14/2023  02:19 PM         1,764,552 igdumdim64.dll
02/14/2023  02:19 PM           165,440 igfx11cmrt32.dll
02/14/2023  02:19 PM           210,928 igfx11cmrt64.dll
02/14/2023  02:19 PM           164,416 igfxcmrt32.dll
02/14/2023  02:19 PM           207,816 igfxcmrt64.dll
02/14/2023  02:10 PM           400,528 igfxCUIServiceN.exe
02/14/2023  02:10 PM           405,048 igfxCUIServicePSN.dll
02/14/2023  02:10 PM           972,312 igfxDHN.dll
02/14/2023  02:10 PM           374,328 igfxDIN.dll
02/14/2023  02:10 PM           766,144 igfxEMN.exe
02/14/2023  02:19 PM            44,144 igfxexps.dll
02/14/2023  02:10 PM            45,624 igfxexps32.dll
02/14/2023  02:10 PM           346,816 igfxextN.exe
02/14/2023  02:10 PM         2,249,784 igfxLHM.dll
02/14/2023  02:10 PM           991,936 igfxSDK.exe
02/14/2023  02:10 PM            93,208 igfxSDKLib.dll
02/13/2023  11:31 PM         1,376,256 iglhxa64.cpa
02/13/2023  11:31 PM             1,125 iglhxa64.vp
02/13/2023  11:31 PM            44,194 iglhxc64.vp
02/13/2023  11:31 PM            43,214 iglhxc64_dev.vp
02/13/2023  11:31 PM            43,760 iglhxg64.vp
02/13/2023  11:31 PM            43,732 iglhxg64_dev.vp
02/13/2023  11:31 PM            42,513 iglhxo64.vp
02/13/2023  11:31 PM            43,143 iglhxo64_dev.vp
02/13/2023  11:34 PM             5,077 iglhxsn64.vp
02/13/2023  11:34 PM             5,078 iglhxsnd64.vp
02/14/2023  02:19 PM         4,159,064 igmlsblob64xeh.dll
02/14/2023  02:20 PM         2,309,984 igmlsblob64xel.dll
02/14/2023  02:20 PM           214,536 igsc.dll
02/14/2023  02:20 PM        15,894,984 igvk32.dll
02/13/2023  10:05 PM               135 igvk32.json
02/14/2023  02:20 PM        17,134,552 igvk64.dll
02/13/2023  10:05 PM               135 igvk64.json
02/14/2023  02:20 PM        56,330,672 igvkMedia32.dll
02/14/2023  02:21 PM        57,305,912 igvkMedia64.dll
02/14/2023  02:10 PM        14,900,280 igxehpgicd32.dll
02/14/2023  02:10 PM        18,345,496 igxehpgicd64.dll
02/14/2023  02:10 PM        14,255,160 igxelpicd32.dll
02/14/2023  02:10 PM        17,537,544 igxelpicd64.dll
02/14/2023  02:10 PM        14,255,112 igxelpplusicd32.dll
02/14/2023  02:10 PM        17,537,544 igxelpplusicd64.dll
02/14/2023  02:22 PM        78,822,168 igxess.dll
02/14/2023  01:43 PM           433,418 iigd_dch.inf
02/14/2023  01:43 PM           385,686 iigd_dch_d.inf
07/08/2018  06:25 AM           403,671 ImageStabilization.wmv
02/14/2023  02:22 PM           484,152 IntelControlLib.dll
02/14/2023  02:22 PM           412,296 IntelControlLib32.dll
02/14/2023  02:11 PM           343,696 IntelCpHDCPSvc.exe
02/14/2023  02:11 PM           519,312 IntelCpHeciSvc.exe
02/14/2023  02:11 PM           228,544 IntelGFXFwUpdateTool.exe
02/14/2023  02:11 PM           132,104 IntelGpuCompiler32.dll
02/14/2023  02:11 PM           172,040 IntelGpuCompiler64.dll
02/14/2023  02:22 PM           576,576 intel_gfx_api-x64.dll
02/14/2023  02:22 PM           438,096 intel_gfx_api-x86.dll
02/14/2023  02:11 PM           363,528 Intel_OpenCL_ICD32.dll
02/14/2023  02:11 PM           500,792 Intel_OpenCL_ICD64.dll
02/13/2023  11:31 PM        42,485,712 libigc.so
02/13/2023  11:31 PM        23,927,880 libigd12dxva64.so
02/13/2023  11:31 PM         6,285,176 libigd12um64xeh.so
02/13/2023  11:31 PM         5,670,056 libigd12um64xel.so
02/13/2023  11:31 PM            43,248 libigd12umd64.so
02/13/2023  11:31 PM         1,028,224 libigdfcl.so
02/13/2023  11:31 PM         2,362,008 libigdgmm_w.so.12
02/13/2023  11:31 PM        38,566,232 libLLVM-9.so
02/14/2023  02:23 PM        21,345,680 libmfx32-gen.dll
02/14/2023  02:23 PM        22,932,912 libmfx64-gen.dll
02/14/2023  02:23 PM        27,124,736 libmfxhw32.dll
02/14/2023  02:24 PM        28,667,000 libmfxhw64.dll
02/13/2023  11:31 PM        81,366,600 libopencl-clang.so.9
02/13/2023  11:31 PM           505,936 libUniversalAdapter64.so
02/13/2023  11:31 PM           555,088 libwsl_compute_helper.so
02/14/2023  02:11 PM           365,576 LiteDB.dll
02/14/2023  01:43 PM             3,886 memcntrl.inf
02/14/2023  02:24 PM         8,523,056 mfxplugin32_av1e_gacc.dll
02/14/2023  02:11 PM        20,673,048 mfxplugin32_hw.dll
02/14/2023  02:24 PM        12,429,840 mfxplugin64_av1e_gacc.dll
02/14/2023  02:11 PM        27,949,576 mfxplugin64_hw.dll
02/14/2023  02:24 PM           690,744 mfx_loader_dll_hw32.dll
02/14/2023  02:24 PM           927,840 mfx_loader_dll_hw64.dll
02/14/2023  02:24 PM         2,496,976 mfx_mft_av1hve_32.dll
02/13/2023  11:31 PM            76,725 mfx_mft_av1hve_32.vp
02/14/2023  02:24 PM         3,045,504 mfx_mft_av1hve_64.dll
02/13/2023  11:31 PM            13,635 mfx_mft_av1hve_64.vp
02/14/2023  02:24 PM         2,496,976 mfx_mft_av1ve_32.dll
12/12/2022  06:47 AM            76,724 mfx_mft_av1ve_32.vp
02/14/2023  02:24 PM         3,045,504 mfx_mft_av1ve_64.dll
12/12/2022  06:37 AM            13,634 mfx_mft_av1ve_64.vp
02/14/2023  02:24 PM         2,351,744 mfx_mft_encrypt_32.dll
02/14/2023  02:24 PM         2,865,208 mfx_mft_encrypt_64.dll
02/14/2023  02:24 PM         2,487,656 mfx_mft_h264ve_32.dll
02/14/2023  02:25 PM         3,031,032 mfx_mft_h264ve_64.dll
02/14/2023  02:25 PM         2,500,528 mfx_mft_h265ve_32.dll
02/14/2023  02:25 PM         3,049,648 mfx_mft_h265ve_64.dll
02/14/2023  02:11 PM         2,393,112 mfx_mft_mjpgvd_32.dll
02/14/2023  02:11 PM         2,914,328 mfx_mft_mjpgvd_64.dll
02/14/2023  02:25 PM         2,495,360 mfx_mft_vp9ve_32.dll
02/14/2023  02:25 PM         3,043,928 mfx_mft_vp9ve_64.dll
03/24/2023  07:27 PM    <DIR>          MiniCtaDriver
02/13/2023  11:31 PM            71,041 mj_32.vp
02/13/2023  11:31 PM            12,955 mj_64.vp
02/14/2023  01:43 PM            36,130 MSHdaDac.inf
02/14/2023  02:12 PM           710,624 Newtonsoft.Json.dll
02/13/2023  11:31 PM             1,953 NLog.config
02/14/2023  02:12 PM           886,808 NLog.dll
02/14/2023  02:12 PM            17,432 OneApp.IGCC.COMLibrary.dll
02/14/2023  02:12 PM            26,648 OneApp.IGCC.CommunicationService.dll
02/14/2023  02:12 PM           877,592 OneApp.IGCC.CoreLibrary.dll
02/14/2023  02:12 PM            75,424 OneApp.IGCC.WinService.exe
02/13/2023  11:31 PM             1,673 OneApp.IGCC.WinService.exe.config
02/14/2023  02:25 PM        60,955,512 opencl-clang32.dll
02/14/2023  02:26 PM        82,147,576 opencl-clang64.dll
03/24/2023  06:51 PM    <DIR>          oprom
02/13/2023  10:04 PM             1,372 OSSCOPYRIGHT.txt
02/14/2023  02:12 PM           259,232 TeeDriverGscW8x64.sys
02/14/2023  02:26 PM           136,040 UMED.dll
02/14/2023  02:26 PM           288,304 UniversalAdapter32.dll
02/14/2023  02:27 PM           342,112 UniversalAdapter64.dll
02/13/2023  11:31 PM            76,652 vp9e_32.vp
02/13/2023  11:31 PM            13,646 vp9e_64.vp
02/14/2023  02:27 PM           445,976 vpl_dispatcher_32.dll
02/14/2023  02:27 PM           505,832 vpl_dispatcher_64.dll
02/14/2023  02:12 PM         1,146,208 vulkan-1-32.dll
02/14/2023  02:12 PM         1,432,928 vulkan-1-64.dll
02/14/2023  02:12 PM         1,526,944 vulkaninfo-32.exe
02/14/2023  02:12 PM         1,970,336 vulkaninfo-64.exe
03/09/2022  04:32 AM             4,008 VulkanRT-EULA.txt
02/14/2023  02:27 PM            67,808 XeFX.dll
02/14/2023  02:12 PM         7,992,856 ze_intel_gpu64.dll
02/14/2023  02:12 PM           392,216 ze_loader.dll
02/14/2023  02:12 PM           477,720 ze_tracing_layer.dll
02/14/2023  02:12 PM           144,408 ze_validation_layer.dll
             210 File(s)  1,893,140,702 bytes

 Directory of C:\ProgramData\Package Cache\2D0756B5DBFB74417E9B06D2DDE3FBCD47A59DE5\Graphics\CtaChildDriver

03/24/2023  07:25 PM    <DIR>          .
03/24/2023  07:25 PM    <DIR>          ..
02/14/2023  02:12 PM            37,276 ctachilddriver.cat
02/14/2023  01:43 PM             4,160 CtaChildDriver.inf
02/14/2023  02:12 PM            36,512 CtaChildDriver.sys
               3 File(s)         77,948 bytes

 Directory of C:\ProgramData\Package Cache\2D0756B5DBFB74417E9B06D2DDE3FBCD47A59DE5\Graphics\DisplayAudio

03/24/2023  06:51 PM    <DIR>          .
03/24/2023  06:51 PM    <DIR>          ..
03/24/2023  07:26 PM    <DIR>          11.2
03/24/2023  07:26 PM    <DIR>          12.1
               0 File(s)              0 bytes

 Directory of C:\ProgramData\Package Cache\2D0756B5DBFB74417E9B06D2DDE3FBCD47A59DE5\Graphics\DisplayAudio\11.2

03/24/2023  07:26 PM    <DIR>          .
03/24/2023  07:26 PM    <DIR>          ..
02/14/2023  02:12 PM            40,136 intcdaud.cat
02/14/2023  01:43 PM         5,156,036 IntcDAud.inf
02/14/2023  02:12 PM           308,896 IntcDAud.sys
               3 File(s)      5,505,068 bytes

 Directory of C:\ProgramData\Package Cache\2D0756B5DBFB74417E9B06D2DDE3FBCD47A59DE5\Graphics\DisplayAudio\12.1

03/24/2023  07:26 PM    <DIR>          .
03/24/2023  07:26 PM    <DIR>          ..
02/14/2023  02:12 PM            39,910 intcdaud.cat
02/14/2023  01:43 PM         5,153,144 IntcDAud.inf
02/14/2023  02:12 PM           289,424 IntcDAudD.sys
               3 File(s)      5,482,478 bytes

 Directory of C:\ProgramData\Package Cache\2D0756B5DBFB74417E9B06D2DDE3FBCD47A59DE5\Graphics\fw

03/24/2023  06:51 PM    <DIR>          .
03/24/2023  06:51 PM    <DIR>          ..
02/13/2023  11:31 PM         2,101,248 dg1_gfx_fwupdate.bin
02/13/2023  11:31 PM         2,101,248 dg2_gfx_fwupdate_SOC1.bin
02/13/2023  11:31 PM         2,101,248 dg2_gfx_fwupdate_SOC2.bin
               3 File(s)      6,303,744 bytes

 Directory of C:\ProgramData\Package Cache\2D0756B5DBFB74417E9B06D2DDE3FBCD47A59DE5\Graphics\I2CDriver

03/24/2023  07:27 PM    <DIR>          .
03/24/2023  07:27 PM    <DIR>          ..
02/14/2023  02:12 PM            37,271 intel_nf_i2c.cat
02/14/2023  02:12 PM           203,408 Intel_NF_I2C.sys
02/14/2023  01:43 PM             3,682 Intel_NF_I2C_Child.inf
               3 File(s)        244,361 bytes

 Directory of C:\ProgramData\Package Cache\2D0756B5DBFB74417E9B06D2DDE3FBCD47A59DE5\Graphics\MiniCtaDriver

03/24/2023  07:27 PM    <DIR>          .
03/24/2023  07:27 PM    <DIR>          ..
02/14/2023  02:12 PM            37,255 minictadriver.cat
02/14/2023  01:43 PM             4,606 MiniCtaDriver.inf
02/14/2023  02:12 PM            34,448 MiniCtaDriver.sys
               3 File(s)         76,309 bytes

 Directory of C:\ProgramData\Package Cache\2D0756B5DBFB74417E9B06D2DDE3FBCD47A59DE5\Graphics\oprom

03/24/2023  06:51 PM    <DIR>          .
03/24/2023  06:51 PM    <DIR>          ..
02/13/2023  11:31 PM         1,048,576 dg1_c_oprom.rom
               1 File(s)      1,048,576 bytes

 Directory of C:\ProgramData\Package Cache\2D0756B5DBFB74417E9B06D2DDE3FBCD47A59DE5\Resources

03/24/2023  06:51 PM    <DIR>          .
03/24/2023  06:51 PM    <DIR>          ..
03/24/2023  06:51 PM    <DIR>          Extras
               0 File(s)              0 bytes

 Directory of C:\ProgramData\Package Cache\2D0756B5DBFB74417E9B06D2DDE3FBCD47A59DE5\Resources\Extras

03/24/2023  06:51 PM    <DIR>          .
03/24/2023  06:51 PM    <DIR>          ..
02/14/2023  12:47 PM       240,123,600 Intel-Driver-and-Support-Assistant-Installer.exe
01/27/2023  03:41 PM       231,801,016 IntelArcControl.exe
               2 File(s)    471,924,616 bytes

     Total Files Listed:
             235 File(s)  2,464,463,397 bytes
              35 Dir(s)  259,969,490,944 bytes free

C:\ProgramData\Package Cache\2D0756B5DBFB74417E9B06D2DDE3FBCD47A59DE5>

Here's the 4255 contents (which didn't need expansion):

C:\Users\jwalt\AppData\Local\Temp\7zS0E719120>dir /a /s
 Volume in drive C has no label.
 Volume Serial Number is 6E57-D984

 Directory of C:\Users\jwalt\AppData\Local\Temp\7zS0E719120

03/24/2023  07:10 PM    <DIR>          .
03/24/2023  07:10 PM    <DIR>          ..
03/24/2023  07:10 PM    <DIR>          Graphics
03/16/2023  04:10 PM             8,936 installation_readme.txt
03/16/2023  03:46 PM        80,029,616 Installer.exe
03/16/2023  03:46 PM            37,477 license.txt
03/16/2023  04:10 PM           582,760 readme.txt
03/24/2023  07:09 PM    <DIR>          Resources
               4 File(s)     80,658,789 bytes

 Directory of C:\Users\jwalt\AppData\Local\Temp\7zS0E719120\Graphics

03/24/2023  07:10 PM    <DIR>          .
03/24/2023  07:10 PM    <DIR>          ..
03/22/2023  10:51 AM            37,295 acxdac.cat
03/22/2023  10:52 AM        33,067,040 clangFEWrapper.dll
03/22/2023  10:53 AM        26,373,128 clangFEWrapper32.dll
03/22/2023  10:31 AM           375,173 ColorImageEnhancement.wmv
03/22/2023  10:53 AM           263,552 ControlLib.dll
03/22/2023  10:54 AM           212,872 ControlLib32.dll
03/22/2023  10:31 AM             1,125 cpa_32.vp
03/22/2023  10:31 AM             1,125 cpa_64.vp
03/22/2023  10:31 AM         2,572,396 cp_resources.bin
03/24/2023  07:09 PM    <DIR>          CtaChildDriver
03/22/2023  10:31 AM            22,474 cui_dch.inf
03/22/2023  10:31 AM         1,361,159 c_32.cpa
03/22/2023  10:31 AM         1,376,256 c_64.cpa
03/22/2023  10:31 AM            57,143 dev_32.vp
03/22/2023  10:31 AM            56,359 dev_64.vp
03/24/2023  07:09 PM    <DIR>          DisplayAudio
03/22/2023  10:54 AM        16,778,176 DnnlPlugin.dll
03/22/2023  10:55 AM         7,691,320 enctools32.dll
03/22/2023  10:55 AM         8,809,600 enctools64.dll
03/22/2023  10:31 AM           641,530 FilmModeDetection.wmv
03/24/2023  07:09 PM    <DIR>          fw
03/22/2023  10:52 AM           143,256 GfxDownloadWrapper.exe
03/22/2023  10:52 AM            37,771 gscauxdriver.cat
03/22/2023  10:31 AM             9,826 GSCAuxDriver.inf
03/22/2023  10:52 AM            73,624 GSCAuxDriverx64.sys
03/22/2023  10:52 AM            37,759 gscheci.cat
03/22/2023  10:31 AM            10,166 gscheci.inf
03/22/2023  10:31 AM            77,121 h265e_32.vp
03/22/2023  10:31 AM            13,803 h265e_64.vp
03/22/2023  10:52 AM            37,295 hdbusext.cat
03/22/2023  10:31 AM             8,738 HdBusExt.inf
03/22/2023  10:31 AM            75,569 he_32.vp
03/22/2023  10:31 AM            13,235 he_64.vp
03/24/2023  07:09 PM    <DIR>          I2CDriver
03/22/2023  10:56 AM         2,312,912 iga32.dll
03/22/2023  10:56 AM         2,880,088 iga64.dll
03/22/2023  10:56 AM        57,385,792 igc32.dll
03/22/2023  10:57 AM        64,092,064 igc64.dll
03/22/2023  10:31 AM             6,260 igcc_dch.inf
03/22/2023  10:57 AM         4,627,848 igd10iumd32.dll
03/22/2023  10:57 AM         4,732,288 igd10iumd64.dll
03/22/2023  10:52 AM         2,357,656 igd10mg32.dll
03/22/2023  10:58 AM         2,449,888 igd10mg64.dll
03/22/2023  10:58 AM        24,485,824 igd10um32xe.dll
03/22/2023  10:58 AM        26,105,528 igd10um64xe.dll
03/22/2023  10:59 AM        17,220,632 igd10umt32xe.dll
03/22/2023  10:59 AM        18,715,976 igd10umt64xe.dll
03/22/2023  10:59 AM        20,466,416 igd11dxva32.dll
03/22/2023  11:00 AM        21,828,984 igd11dxva64.dll
03/22/2023  11:00 AM        19,496,376 igd12dxva32.dll
03/22/2023  11:00 AM        20,706,144 igd12dxva64.dll
03/22/2023  10:52 AM            94,104 igd12mg32.dll
03/22/2023  10:52 AM           118,168 igd12mg64.dll
03/22/2023  11:01 AM        13,688,872 igd12um32xeh.dll
03/22/2023  11:01 AM        12,827,840 igd12um32xel.dll
03/22/2023  11:02 AM        14,159,480 igd12um64xeh.dll
03/22/2023  11:03 AM        13,405,840 igd12um64xel.dll
03/22/2023  11:03 AM           109,056 igd12umd32.dll
03/22/2023  11:03 AM           146,784 igd12umd64.dll
03/22/2023  11:03 AM        19,318,192 igd9dxva32.dll
03/22/2023  11:04 AM        20,504,152 igd9dxva64.dll
03/22/2023  11:04 AM        17,601,360 igd9trinity32.dll
03/22/2023  11:04 AM        19,233,024 igd9trinity64.dll
03/22/2023  10:52 AM           224,152 igdail32.dll
03/22/2023  10:52 AM           255,896 igdail64.dll
03/22/2023  11:04 AM           334,272 igdde32.dll
03/22/2023  11:05 AM           409,664 igdde64.dll
03/22/2023  11:05 AM           231,400 igdext32.dll
03/22/2023  11:05 AM           290,344 igdext64.dll
03/22/2023  10:52 AM         1,087,896 igdfcl32.dll
03/22/2023  11:05 AM         1,148,744 igdfcl64.dll
03/22/2023  11:05 AM         3,357,320 igdgmm32.dll
03/22/2023  11:06 AM         4,314,400 igdgmm64.dll
03/22/2023  11:06 AM           125,032 igdinfo32.dll
03/22/2023  11:06 AM           148,840 igdinfo64.dll
03/22/2023  10:53 AM        52,522,440 igdkmdn64.sys
03/22/2023  10:54 AM        52,522,440 igdkmdnd64.sys
03/22/2023  10:54 AM         9,790,359 igdlh.cat
03/22/2023  11:06 AM        11,460,624 igdmd32.dll
03/22/2023  11:06 AM        15,462,520 igdmd64.dll
03/22/2023  11:06 AM         1,017,544 igdml32.dll
03/22/2023  11:06 AM         1,355,376 igdml64.dll
03/22/2023  10:54 AM         6,174,616 igdrcl32.dll
03/22/2023  10:54 AM         7,083,416 igdrcl64.dll
03/22/2023  11:06 AM         2,352,736 igdumdim32.dll
03/22/2023  11:06 AM         2,203,504 igdumdim64.dll
03/22/2023  11:06 AM           166,392 igfx11cmrt32.dll
03/22/2023  11:06 AM           210,344 igfx11cmrt64.dll
03/22/2023  11:06 AM           164,856 igfxcmrt32.dll
03/22/2023  11:07 AM           207,240 igfxcmrt64.dll
03/22/2023  10:54 AM           384,408 igfxCUIServiceN.exe
03/22/2023  10:55 AM           404,376 igfxCUIServicePSN.dll
03/22/2023  10:55 AM           971,672 igfxDHN.dll
03/22/2023  10:55 AM           373,656 igfxDIN.dll
03/22/2023  10:55 AM           750,536 igfxEMN.exe
03/22/2023  11:07 AM            43,520 igfxexps.dll
03/22/2023  10:55 AM            45,000 igfxexps32.dll
03/22/2023  10:55 AM           330,648 igfxextN.exe
03/22/2023  10:55 AM         2,250,136 igfxLHM.dll
03/22/2023  10:56 AM           976,280 igfxSDK.exe
03/22/2023  10:56 AM            92,568 igfxSDKLib.dll
03/22/2023  10:31 AM         1,376,256 iglhxa64.cpa
03/22/2023  10:31 AM             1,125 iglhxa64.vp
03/22/2023  10:31 AM            44,194 iglhxc64.vp
03/22/2023  10:31 AM            43,214 iglhxc64_dev.vp
03/22/2023  10:31 AM            43,760 iglhxg64.vp
03/22/2023  10:31 AM            43,732 iglhxg64_dev.vp
03/22/2023  10:31 AM            42,513 iglhxo64.vp
03/22/2023  10:31 AM            43,143 iglhxo64_dev.vp
03/22/2023  10:31 AM             5,013 iglhxsn64.vp
03/22/2023  10:31 AM             5,014 iglhxsnd64.vp
03/22/2023  11:07 AM         4,471,464 igmlsblob64xeh.dll
03/22/2023  11:07 AM         2,460,200 igmlsblob64xel.dll
03/22/2023  11:08 AM           213,928 igsc.dll
03/22/2023  11:08 AM        16,041,080 igvk32.dll
03/22/2023  10:31 AM               135 igvk32.json
03/22/2023  11:09 AM        17,355,568 igvk64.dll
03/22/2023  10:31 AM               135 igvk64.json
03/22/2023  11:09 AM        18,034,160 igvkMedia32.dll
03/22/2023  11:10 AM        19,019,736 igvkMedia64.dll
03/22/2023  10:56 AM        15,066,520 igxehpgicd32.dll
03/22/2023  10:56 AM        18,515,400 igxehpgicd64.dll
03/22/2023  10:56 AM        14,738,328 igxelpicd32.dll
03/22/2023  10:56 AM        17,865,160 igxelpicd64.dll
03/22/2023  10:56 AM        14,738,328 igxelpplusicd32.dll
03/22/2023  10:57 AM        17,865,112 igxelpplusicd64.dll
03/22/2023  11:10 AM        88,117,520 igxess.dll
03/22/2023  10:31 AM           444,048 iigd_dch.inf
03/22/2023  10:31 AM           387,002 iigd_dch_d.inf
03/22/2023  10:31 AM           403,671 ImageStabilization.wmv
03/22/2023  11:11 AM           544,560 IntelControlLib.dll
03/22/2023  11:11 AM           464,408 IntelControlLib32.dll
03/22/2023  10:57 AM           327,112 IntelCpHDCPSvc.exe
03/22/2023  10:57 AM           503,192 IntelCpHeciSvc.exe
03/22/2023  10:57 AM           212,376 IntelGFXFwUpdateTool.exe
03/22/2023  10:57 AM           130,968 IntelGpuCompiler32.dll
03/22/2023  10:57 AM           169,880 IntelGpuCompiler64.dll
03/22/2023  11:12 AM           576,008 intel_gfx_api-x64.dll
03/22/2023  11:12 AM           437,536 intel_gfx_api-x86.dll
03/22/2023  10:57 AM           362,904 Intel_OpenCL_ICD32.dll
03/22/2023  10:57 AM           500,120 Intel_OpenCL_ICD64.dll
03/22/2023  10:31 AM        41,337,024 libigc.so
03/22/2023  10:31 AM        23,929,856 libigd12dxva64.so
03/22/2023  10:31 AM         6,481,432 libigd12um64xeh.so
03/22/2023  10:31 AM         5,859,544 libigd12um64xel.so
03/22/2023  10:31 AM            43,248 libigd12umd64.so
03/22/2023  10:31 AM         1,047,104 libigdfcl.so
03/22/2023  10:31 AM         2,370,216 libigdgmm_w.so.12
03/22/2023  10:31 AM        25,507,352 libLLVM-9.so
03/22/2023  11:12 AM        21,414,792 libmfx32-gen.dll
03/22/2023  11:12 AM        23,008,240 libmfx64-gen.dll
03/22/2023  11:12 AM        27,124,128 libmfxhw32.dll
03/22/2023  11:13 AM        28,666,424 libmfxhw64.dll
03/22/2023  10:31 AM        81,366,600 libopencl-clang.so.9
03/22/2023  10:31 AM           505,936 libUniversalAdapter64.so
03/22/2023  10:31 AM           555,088 libwsl_compute_helper.so
03/22/2023  10:57 AM           364,952 LiteDB.dll
03/22/2023  11:13 AM        30,599,648 media_bin_32.dll
03/22/2023  11:14 AM        30,789,760 media_bin_64.dll
03/22/2023  10:31 AM             3,886 memcntrl.inf
03/22/2023  11:15 AM         8,522,448 mfxplugin32_av1e_gacc.dll
03/22/2023  10:57 AM        20,672,456 mfxplugin32_hw.dll
03/22/2023  11:15 AM        12,428,720 mfxplugin64_av1e_gacc.dll
03/22/2023  10:58 AM        27,948,488 mfxplugin64_hw.dll
03/22/2023  11:16 AM           690,136 mfx_loader_dll_hw32.dll
03/22/2023  11:16 AM           927,232 mfx_loader_dll_hw64.dll
03/22/2023  11:16 AM         2,497,904 mfx_mft_av1hve_32.dll
03/22/2023  10:31 AM            76,773 mfx_mft_av1hve_32.vp
03/22/2023  11:16 AM         3,048,008 mfx_mft_av1hve_64.dll
03/22/2023  10:31 AM            13,623 mfx_mft_av1hve_64.vp
03/22/2023  11:16 AM         2,498,928 mfx_mft_av1ve_32.dll
03/22/2023  10:31 AM            76,784 mfx_mft_av1ve_32.vp
03/22/2023  11:17 AM         3,048,008 mfx_mft_av1ve_64.dll
03/22/2023  10:31 AM            13,618 mfx_mft_av1ve_64.vp
03/22/2023  11:17 AM         2,353,712 mfx_mft_encrypt_32.dll
03/22/2023  11:17 AM         2,867,176 mfx_mft_encrypt_64.dll
03/22/2023  11:17 AM         2,489,592 mfx_mft_h264ve_32.dll
03/22/2023  11:17 AM         3,032,968 mfx_mft_h264ve_64.dll
03/22/2023  11:17 AM         2,501,960 mfx_mft_h265ve_32.dll
03/22/2023  11:17 AM         3,052,096 mfx_mft_h265ve_64.dll
03/22/2023  10:58 AM         2,394,520 mfx_mft_mjpgvd_32.dll
03/22/2023  10:58 AM         2,916,296 mfx_mft_mjpgvd_64.dll
03/22/2023  11:17 AM         2,496,840 mfx_mft_vp9ve_32.dll
03/22/2023  11:17 AM         3,046,392 mfx_mft_vp9ve_64.dll
03/24/2023  07:09 PM    <DIR>          MiniCtaDriver
03/22/2023  10:31 AM            71,117 mj_32.vp
03/22/2023  10:31 AM            12,959 mj_64.vp
03/22/2023  10:31 AM            36,130 MSHdaDac.inf
03/22/2023  10:58 AM           710,032 Newtonsoft.Json.dll
03/22/2023  10:31 AM             1,953 NLog.config
03/22/2023  10:58 AM           886,168 NLog.dll
03/22/2023  10:58 AM            16,792 OneApp.IGCC.COMLibrary.dll
03/22/2023  10:58 AM            23,448 OneApp.IGCC.CommunicationService.dll
03/22/2023  10:58 AM           788,376 OneApp.IGCC.CoreLibrary.dll
03/22/2023  10:58 AM            59,288 OneApp.IGCC.WinService.exe
03/22/2023  10:31 AM             1,673 OneApp.IGCC.WinService.exe.config
03/22/2023  11:18 AM        60,954,928 opencl-clang32.dll
03/22/2023  11:19 AM        82,146,968 opencl-clang64.dll
03/22/2023  11:33 AM    <DIR>          oprom
03/22/2023  10:31 AM             1,372 OSSCOPYRIGHT.txt
03/22/2023  10:58 AM           243,608 TeeDriverGscW8x64.sys
03/22/2023  11:21 AM           135,968 UMED.dll
03/22/2023  11:23 AM           289,256 UniversalAdapter32.dll
03/22/2023  11:24 AM           342,056 UniversalAdapter64.dll
03/22/2023  10:31 AM            76,708 vp9e_32.vp
03/22/2023  10:31 AM            13,654 vp9e_64.vp
03/22/2023  11:25 AM           445,392 vpl_dispatcher_32.dll
03/22/2023  11:25 AM           505,216 vpl_dispatcher_64.dll
03/22/2023  10:58 AM         1,213,472 vulkan-1-32.dll
03/22/2023  10:58 AM         1,480,736 vulkan-1-64.dll
03/22/2023  10:59 AM         1,608,136 vulkaninfo-32.exe
03/22/2023  10:59 AM         2,173,848 vulkaninfo-64.exe
03/22/2023  10:31 AM             4,008 VulkanRT-EULA.txt
03/22/2023  11:25 AM           126,088 XeFX.dll
03/22/2023  10:59 AM         8,351,640 ze_intel_gpu64.dll
03/22/2023  10:59 AM           397,208 ze_loader.dll
03/22/2023  10:59 AM           478,616 ze_tracing_layer.dll
03/22/2023  10:59 AM           145,816 ze_validation_layer.dll
             212 File(s)  1,618,505,662 bytes

 Directory of C:\Users\jwalt\AppData\Local\Temp\7zS0E719120\Graphics\CtaChildDriver

03/24/2023  07:09 PM    <DIR>          .
03/24/2023  07:09 PM    <DIR>          ..
03/22/2023  10:59 AM            37,775 ctachilddriver.cat
03/22/2023  10:31 AM             4,160 CtaChildDriver.inf
03/22/2023  10:59 AM            20,424 CtaChildDriver.sys
               3 File(s)         62,359 bytes

 Directory of C:\Users\jwalt\AppData\Local\Temp\7zS0E719120\Graphics\DisplayAudio

03/24/2023  07:09 PM    <DIR>          .
03/24/2023  07:09 PM    <DIR>          ..
03/24/2023  07:09 PM    <DIR>          11.2
03/24/2023  07:09 PM    <DIR>          12.1
               0 File(s)              0 bytes

 Directory of C:\Users\jwalt\AppData\Local\Temp\7zS0E719120\Graphics\DisplayAudio\11.2

03/24/2023  07:09 PM    <DIR>          .
03/24/2023  07:09 PM    <DIR>          ..
03/22/2023  10:59 AM            40,634 intcdaud.cat
03/22/2023  10:31 AM         5,156,036 IntcDAud.inf
03/22/2023  10:59 AM           292,808 IntcDAud.sys
               3 File(s)      5,489,478 bytes

 Directory of C:\Users\jwalt\AppData\Local\Temp\7zS0E719120\Graphics\DisplayAudio\12.1

03/24/2023  07:09 PM    <DIR>          .
03/24/2023  07:09 PM    <DIR>          ..
03/22/2023  10:59 AM            40,422 intcdaud.cat
03/22/2023  10:31 AM         5,153,144 IntcDAud.inf
03/22/2023  10:59 AM           273,304 IntcDAudD.sys
               3 File(s)      5,466,870 bytes

 Directory of C:\Users\jwalt\AppData\Local\Temp\7zS0E719120\Graphics\fw

03/24/2023  07:09 PM    <DIR>          .
03/24/2023  07:09 PM    <DIR>          ..
03/22/2023  10:31 AM         2,101,248 dg1_gfx_fwupdate.bin
03/22/2023  10:31 AM         2,101,248 dg2_gfx_fwupdate_SOC1.bin
03/22/2023  10:31 AM         2,101,248 dg2_gfx_fwupdate_SOC2.bin
               3 File(s)      6,303,744 bytes

 Directory of C:\Users\jwalt\AppData\Local\Temp\7zS0E719120\Graphics\I2CDriver

03/24/2023  07:09 PM    <DIR>          .
03/24/2023  07:09 PM    <DIR>          ..
03/22/2023  10:59 AM            37,783 intel_nf_i2c.cat
03/22/2023  10:59 AM           187,336 Intel_NF_I2C.sys
03/22/2023  10:31 AM             3,682 Intel_NF_I2C_Child.inf
               3 File(s)        228,801 bytes

 Directory of C:\Users\jwalt\AppData\Local\Temp\7zS0E719120\Graphics\MiniCtaDriver

03/24/2023  07:10 PM    <DIR>          .
03/24/2023  07:10 PM    <DIR>          ..
03/22/2023  10:59 AM            37,813 minictadriver.cat
03/22/2023  10:31 AM             4,606 MiniCtaDriver.inf
03/22/2023  11:00 AM            18,376 MiniCtaDriver.sys
               3 File(s)         60,795 bytes

 Directory of C:\Users\jwalt\AppData\Local\Temp\7zS0E719120\Graphics\oprom

03/24/2023  07:09 PM    <DIR>          .
03/24/2023  07:09 PM    <DIR>          ..
03/22/2023  10:31 AM         1,048,576 dg1_c_oprom.rom
               1 File(s)      1,048,576 bytes

 Directory of C:\Users\jwalt\AppData\Local\Temp\7zS0E719120\Resources

03/24/2023  07:09 PM    <DIR>          .
03/24/2023  07:09 PM    <DIR>          ..
03/24/2023  07:10 PM    <DIR>          Extras
               0 File(s)              0 bytes

 Directory of C:\Users\jwalt\AppData\Local\Temp\7zS0E719120\Resources\Extras

03/24/2023  07:10 PM    <DIR>          .
03/24/2023  07:10 PM    <DIR>          ..
03/06/2023  12:55 PM        44,797,192 Intel-Driver-and-Support-Assistant-Installer.exe
03/09/2023  02:10 PM       239,947,424 IntelArcControl.exe
               2 File(s)    284,744,616 bytes

     Total Files Listed:
             237 File(s)  2,002,569,690 bytes
              35 Dir(s)  261,107,949,568 bytes free

C:\Users\jwalt\AppData\Local\Temp\7zS0E719120>

So after expansion, the new drivers are about 400MB smaller still. Interesting, not sure if that's all that changed, but there are a lot of smaller DLLs in the updated drivers.

 

[Metal Messiah.]

I actually updated that paragraph, after some feedback from Intel. I forgot all about the Arc Control being a separate piece of software. The new version:

"There are a few things worth pointing out, like the jump in size when Intel went from just supporting the A380 (and various existing integrated graphics solutions) to the official Arc launch drivers. Why the extra 500+ MB? Part of it was merging the Arc Control Center into the main driver download, and there were bug fixes and other factors that likely played a role. Later in October, the size dropped by about 170 MB."

I don't think we'll get any statement as to any other fundamental changes. However, the file format has definitely changed. Version 4125 for example, if I open in 7-zip, I can't really find the file structure. With 4255, I can see what looks to be a normal layout. Also, 4255 extracts (via 7-zip) to 237 files, 11 folders, and a size of 1.86GB. So it has almost a 3:1 compression ratio. I really do wish I could see the same with earlier drivers. Well, I suppose I could try starting the install, see if they get extracted to a folder...

Oh! That's fun. So 4125 extracts some stuff to the user\appdata\local\temp location, but then the main stuff goes into C:\ProgramData\Package Cache\2D0756B5DBFB74417E9B06D2DDE3FBCD47A59DE5 (probably a random folder name). But all the file structure looks about the same. So, let me see... 235 files, 11 folders, and a size of 1.30GB. Wow, I'm not sure what to think about that. The old installer seemed to have a smaller installer?

Ah! I figured it out. The older installer would unpack with a bunch of compressed files (*.dl_ for example). So if you inflate all of those it probably gets to be about the same size. The only two "new" files I can see are:
03/22/2023 11:13 AM 30,599,648 media_bin_32.dll
03/22/2023 11:14 AM 30,789,760 media_bin_64.dll

But 4255 has this as well:
03/22/2023 11:09 AM 18,034,160 igvkMedia32.dll
03/22/2023 11:10 AM 19,019,736 igvkMedia64.dll

4125 meanwhile has this:
02/14/2023 02:21 PM 26,489,385 igvkMedia32.dl_
02/14/2023 02:21 PM 27,003,231 igvkMedia64.dl_

Nice observation and analysis, with breakdown on the file contents.

It's a bit confusing though, especially the final extraction size of the files in both the versions. But is there is a difference between igvkMedia32.dll and igvkMedia32.dl_ files (including the 64-bit version) ?

I would assume the *.dl_ format is just more "compressed" ? Also, I presume the latest 4255 driver version still contains the Arc Control Center software included as well, and Intel has not completely nuked it out as well ?

Since the code does say this , IntelArcControl.exe , 2 File(s) 284,744,616 bytes . So Intel did really used a smarter compression algorithm it seems.

The previous 4125 version has this, IntelArcControl.exe 2 File(s) 471,924,616 bytes. So I would assume they made some changes to the ARC control Software as well ?

 

[JarredWaltonGPU]

Nice observation and analysis, with breakdown on the file contents.

It's a bit confusing though, especially the final extraction size of the files in both the versions. But is there is a difference between igvkMedia32.dll and igvkMedia32.dl_ files (including the 64-bit version) ?

I would assume the *.dl_ format is just more "compressed" ? Also, I presume the latest 4255 driver version still contains the Arc Control Center software included as well, and Intel has not completely nuked it out as well ?

Since the code does say this , IntelArcControl.exe , 2 File(s) 284,744,616 bytes . So Intel did really used a smarter compression algorithm it seems.

The previous 4125 version has this, IntelArcControl.exe 2 File(s) 471,924,616 bytes. So I would assume they made some changes to the ARC control Software as well ?

Here's a better breakdown, in image format. Red is for files that got larger, green is for files (and folders) that got smaller. I've updated the end of the article to link to this post, and provided a bit of an analysis on the compression algorithm upgrade.

Lots of stuff didn't change, but overall the new drivers eliminated at least 450M of uncompressed data. From what I can tell, the main difference seems to be that the new drivers put a bunch of stuff into media_bin_32.dll and media_bin_64.dll, whereas that same information was previously replicated in eight different files. The two new files are about ~30MB each, but the eight other DLLs are each about ~38MB smaller. So, fundamentally, if I'm right, by removing that duplicated data Intel shaved off around 300MB of file size and replaced it with 60MB. That's a 240MB difference. And then, as you noticed, there's "Intel-Driver-and-Support-Assistant-Installer.exe" which now appears to be a tool to download the installer (it's ~44MB) where before it was the full installer (~240MB). Those two changes taken together account for most of the ~460MB file size reduction.

 

[Metal Messiah.]

Lots of stuff didn't change, but overall the new drivers eliminated at least 450M of uncompressed data. From what I can tell, the main difference seems to be that the new drivers put a bunch of stuff into media_bin_32.dll and media_bin_64.dll, whereas that same information was previously replicated in eight different files. The two new files are about ~30MB each, but the eight other DLLs are each about ~38MB smaller. So, fundamentally, if I'm right, by removing that duplicated data Intel shaved off around 300MB of file size and replaced it with 60MB. That's a 240MB difference. And then, as you noticed, there's "Intel-Driver-and-Support-Assistant-Installer.exe" which now appears to be a tool to download the installer (it's ~44MB) where before it was the full installer (~240MB). Those two changes taken together account for most of the ~460MB file size reduction.

Excellent ! Now I get a much clearer picture. Nice finding though, and I appreciate the time and effort you put to analyze the data. Yes, it appears that current 60MB data (media_bin_32.dll and media_bin_64.dll) was previously 300+MB in size, so that does make a difference.

Also, I think INTEL can also provide 2 different drivers of the same version to download. I mean, based on the Intel-Driver-and-Support-Assistant-Installer.exe file, they can use this as a full installer, similar to what we get on an offline download package, where the user does not have to install any other extra files from the internet, since the package contains ALL the files.

Whereas, the other package can include just the TOOL itself for those who want an online installer of some sort. Both would be optional depending on user's needs. Of course, this idea sounds pretty silly and it's pointless to implement 2 files for the same version, but I have noticed some software packages come in 2 different flavors.

Like an "offline" and "online" installer exe file, which differs in size, as it is named on some software download sites. Just saying.