Intel will soon support its Application Optimizer technology (APO) on the 12th and 13th Gen Core processors. PC Gamer learned this at CES 2024, following several reports claiming otherwise. Multiple K-series Alder and Raptor Lake CPUs are expected to get APO support, including the newly launched Raptor Lake Refresh-HX mobile family.
Intel APO is a form of Dynamic Tuning Technology (DTT) that controls the allocation of CPU resources to various processes running in a given environment. DTT has been supported across a wide range of hardware for quite some time. A good example would be AMD’s Smartshift or NVIDIA’s Dynamic Boost algorithms. They optimize gaming performance by dynamically shifting power between the CPU, and GPU, per the workload needs.
APO is an implementation of DTT that works between the P and E cores. It shifts the power between the core clusters, often to increase the boost clocks on the P cores, doing the reverse for their E siblings. This explains what GamersNexus observed in the past.
In addition to expanding device compatibility, the number of games supporting is also being expanded. Intel plans to add APO to 14 games by the next launch. PC Gamer believes these titles are: Rainbow Six: Siege, Metro Exodus, Guardians of the Galaxy, F1 22, Strange Brigade, World War Z, Dirt 5, and World of Warcraft.
Unfortunately, there’s no clarity on when APO support will be expanded or more games will be added to the compatibility list. Since it leverages Dynamic Tuning Technology, the next update for the DTT drivers is worth looking out for.
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