THE CRUNCH
Microsoft has added Intel's flagship Panther Lake mobile platform to the list of devices that support its Automatic Super Resolution (Auto SR) feature. Auto SR is a Windows-based upscaling tool designed to provide resolution enhancement on NPU-powered devices when native technologies like Intel's XeSS are unavailable. The feature is now compatible with the Intel Core Ultra Series 3 Panther Lake designs, allowing the
Microsoft conducted preliminary testing using the Intel Arc B390 GPU found in Panther Lake SoCs. In Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Auto SR upscaled a 1050p resolution to 1600p with Ultra settings, delivering 52 FPS compared to 45 FPS at native 1600p with High settings. This represents a 15% performance gain without a noticeable drop in visual quality. The feature also helped in texture-heavy titles; for example, Assassin's Creed Shadows reached a similar 29 FPS at Ultra High settings when upscaled from 1050p, whereas native 1600p with Very Low settings managed only 31 FPS.
Auto SR is built into Windows and works with almost any DirectX 10 or later game. Microsoft recommends trying the feature with titles such as Avowed, Control, DOOM: The Dark Ages, and The Outer Worlds 2. The current goal is to achieve a playable 60 FPS on devices that struggle to reach that target, with future iterations aiming for 90-120 FPS.