Intel launches Intel Performance Maximizer 1-click overclocking tool

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Intel has revealed a surprise new overclocking tool. The Intel Performance Maximizer tool offers Intel CPU users 1-click overclocking without having to mess with the hassle of BIOS settings.

The Intel Performance Maximizer tool is available to download right now, although there is a significant catch; it currently only supports Intel Core 9th-Gen i5, i7 and i9 CPUs. It’s obviously restricted to CPUs with the ‘K’ or ‘KF’ suffix, meaning they are therefore capable of overclocking through traditional means. You’ll also need a Z390 motherboard, 8GB RAM, 16GB storage (which sounds ludicrous), and Windows 10 version 1809.

Intel Performance Maximizer Support Processors

Intel Core i9-9900K Intel Core i9-9900KF Intel Core i9-9700K Intel Core i9-9700KF Intel Core i5-9600K Intel Core i5-9600KF

“Confidently add performance to select 9th Gen Intel Core processors with Intel Performance Maximizer,” explains Intel. “This hyper-intelligent automated processor overclocking tool examines your processor’s individual performance DNA and programs personalized settings for custom overclocking made simple.”

Historically, these tools aren’t often all that reliable, particularly if you’re hoping to push your CPU to the absolute max. Intel sounds pretty confident about the capabilities of this tool though, so we’re keen to see how it works in practice.

Naturally, overclocking your CPU never comes without a risk. While Intel’s software will attempt to analyse performance and attempt to ensure it all goes to plan, there is still the risk of damage. The success of it will be hugely dependent on whatever cooling solution you’re using. For, er, “peace of mind”, Intel does offer a Performance Tuning Protection Plan. It’s insurance, basically, and for a one-off payment of $19.99, it covers any damage due to overclocking up to the duration of your standard processor warranty.

It’s a fairly limited bit of software right now in terms of who can actually make use of it, but anything that can be done to make CPU overclocking even simpler has to be a win. For those who want to get in the weeds, the BIOS option will obviously always be there, backed up by this simpler, no doubt less efficient option.

You can download the Intel Performance Maximizer for yourself here.