Intel launches Performance Maximiser overclocking tool

Intel has officially followed rival AMD into the one-click overclock market, launching the Intel Performance Maximiser for simple performance boosting - but only on a select number of its processors.

Overclocking, when all goes well and assuming you don't need additional cooling, is effectively a free upgrade. Taking advantage of silicon being rated for the slowest and least capable dies in a given product range, it allows for the clock speed to be increased and the performance boosted - but outside the enthusiast market many are put off by the thought of fiddling around in a system's UEFI to tweak settings. One-click overclocking tools aim to get you the majority of the way to a quality overclock in a much simpler manner, and the popularity of AMD's Ryzen Master utility showcases just how much demand there is for such a thing.

Intel, never one to leave a potential market untapped, has officially launched its answer to AMD's Ryzen Master: The Intel Performance Maximiser, described by the company as 'an innovative, hyper-intelligent, automatic processor overclocking tool.'

Like its rivals, the Intel Performance Maximiser aims to make the process of overclocking as simple as possible. Analysing, Intel boldly claims, 'your actual processor's individual performance DNA,' the tool recommends overclock settings and allows them to be applied with a single click. An additional 'dynamic overclocking' option adjusts performance over time in response to things like heat and system load.

Not everyone will be able to enjoy the benefits of maximised performance, mind you: Intel's tool is compatible only with its latest 9th Generation Core family, and even then only on models with the K suffix denoting an unlocked multiplier. Those with a Core i5-9600KF, Core i5-9600K, Core i7-9700K,F, Core i7-9700K, Core i9-9900KF, or Core i9-9900K have the option to use the utility; all other processor models are incompatible, at least in the tool's initial release.

While Intel has dabbled in offering software-based utilities for performance monitoring and adjustment in the past, the Intel Performance Maximiser is its boldest attempt yet to capture the heart of that slice of the market which considers itself enthusiast enough to buy K-suffix parts and know what overclocking is but isn't quite ready to start manually tweaking system settings and playing the clock-crash-reboot-clock dance.

More details on the Intel Performance Maximiser, and a link to download it for free, can be found on the official product page.