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In context: Intel's Application Optimization is a utility that makes sure hardware is firing on all cylinders for supported apps and games. By intelligently optimizing thread scheduling along with application threading for a given workload, APO can squeeze out improved performance – up to a 31-percent boost in some gaming scenarios.
Intel has officially "verified" its top-tier Arrow Lake CPUs will play nice with APO software. The new Core Ultra 9 285K, Core Ultra 7 265K, and Core Ultra 7 265KF processors are the first Arrow Lake chips to get the APO stamp of approval. Games taking advantage of the optimization tech could see some decent performance gains.
Users rocking older Intel processors can also use APO, though the chip must have at least six P-cores, and the software will only run the more limited 'Advanced Mode' instead of the verified experience. The new Ultra 5 Desktop Processors (Series 2) can take advantage of the feature, albeit with limited support in Advanced Mode.
Besides the new chips, Intel also confirmed a dozen new game titles that employ the APO optimizations, including several big-name hits. Here's a list of the newly added games:
- Company of Heroes 3
- Counter-Strike 2
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Dota 2
- Fortnite
- Naraka: Bladepoint
- Riftbreaker
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider
- Tiny Tina's Wonderlands
- Total War: Pharaoh
- Total War: Three Kingdoms
- Total War: Warhammer 3
It's great to see Intel continually expanding game support for APO, as the software seems truly helpful in extracting some extra oomph from a rig's hardware. It's also nice that the company includes popular games for benchmarking, like Cyberpunk and Tomb Raider, in these APO updates. That should make it easier for enthusiasts and websites to test the real-world benefits without scrambling to find compatible games. The app also allows users to toggle between the modes and select which games to apply the optimizations to.
The APO software is not yet available through the Intel download center. Instead, users have to download the interface through the Microsoft Store.