Intel releases its “Performance Maximizer” overclocking tool

While some enthusiasts find the process of manual overclocking enjoyable, it is understandable why many end-users want an easier way to overclock. Some will not have enough time to do the stress testing that’s required, while others will lack the confidence needed for bios-diving and in-depth setting adjustment, but nonetheless want to enjoy the benefits of overclocking. For these people, Intel has released their “Intel Performance Maximiser” overclocking tool. 

With this function, Intel is playing catch-up, offering a solution which is somewhat competitive with AMD’s Ryzen Master utility and Precision Boost Overdrive technology. More accurately, this tool can be seen as a competitor to Nvidia’s OC Scanner, offering users the overclock and stress test their hardware. In short, Intel is playing catch-up, with the incoming launch of Ryzen 3rd Generation no doubt prompting this move. 

Intel’s Performance Maximiser is now available, and users of 9th Generation K-series processors will be able to use it to overclock their systems automatically. This tool will work on Intel’s i9-9900K, i9-9900KF, i7-9700K, i7-9700KF, i5-9600K and i9-9600KF processors, but only when they are used on Z390 series motherboards.

In their Computex demo, Intel managed to get an i7-9700K processor to move from its all-core boost clocks of 4.6GHz to 5.2GHz, providing a considerable boost to system performance. Intel’s performance Maximizer tool will also adjust this overclock over time to keep getting the most out of systems, which eventually will include lower overclocks if your processors potential degrades.  

PCPER was given early access to Intel’s Performance Maximiser and found that the company’s tool was unable to match their manual overclocking efforts. Another factor to consider is that the tool didn’t automatically set memory clock speeds, leaving their system at a stock setting of 2133MHz. They also found that they were able to achieve the same overclocks as Intel at a lower voltage and maintain system stability, giving manual overclocking a huge win on both the power and performance side of the spectrum.