Does the kernel also need to be updated if I update the Intel drivers?

I am using Ubuntu 12.04 with an Ivy Bridge processor and am thinking of updating the Intel drivers from the ppa:ubuntu-x-swat/intel-graphics-updates PPA.

Do I also need to update the kernel in order to get the new features listed on http://intellinuxgraphics.org/2012.07.html (as being kernel related)?

Solution 1:

If you are looking for SNA, there's an article at Webupd8 explaining how to enable it in 12.04, and it don't requires kernel upgrades, just the PPA you already refered.

If you are looking for RC6 support, this suggests it is already supported in 3.2 kernel (if i'm not wrong it is not enabled by default: Ubuntu Wiki).

Solution 2:

I'd avoid using PPAs as I find them to be messy. Check http://www.linux-drivers.org/ to see if your processor and integrated graphics are supported in the 12.04 kernel. If not, you could check the 12.10 kernel and see if the drivers are in that kernel, which I believe they are.