Intel’s giving their older CPUs a boost with Intel Application Optimization

Intel Application Optimisation is coming to Intel 12th Generation and newer processors

Intel are giving their 12th Gen Alder Lake and 13th Generation Raptor Lake processors a gaming boost. With the company’s Intel Application Optimization (APO) software, Intel’s Alder Lake and newer processors will be able to benefit from game-specific optimisations that can boost game performance.

In the video below, Intel showcased Rainbow Six Siege on two identical laptops. One of these laptop had Intel Application Optimization enabled and the other had it disabled. Intel’s software was able to boost the game’s framerates by 14%, though Intel has stressed that performance gains will vary significantly on a system-by-system basis.

Moving forward, Intel plans to add support for more games to their Application Optimisation software. This is in addition to adding support for older 12th generation and newer Intel processors. Intel’s APO software will be available though the Windows Store, and will be updated automatically to give gamers the latest game performance profiles.

Is Intel Application Optimisation basically gaming drivers for CPUs?

In a sense, Intel’s APO technology works in a similar way to GPU drivers. Graphics card manufacturers like AMD, Intel, and Nvidia all release GPU drivers that feature game-specific optimisations. With APO, Intel are giving their CPUs game-specific optimisations that can boost the framerates of supported games.

Intel has showcased that their APO technology can deliver significant performance gains. As Intel updates this software to support more games and CPUs, it could become a major advantage for Intel’s CPU lineup. If APO proves to be successful, it may only be a matter of time before AMD implements a similar features. Perhaps this will be within their Ryzen Master software.

For users of Intel’s 12th generation and newer CPUs, the company’s Application Optimisation technology will effectively arrive as a free performance update. This is great news for gamers, especially if Intel plans to support this software long-term.

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