Intel has given a sneak preview of what its Application Optimization – or APO – can do for games when using a 14th gen CPU. However, it has triggered disappointment in some as it confirmed there are “no plans” to roll APO out to 12th or 13th gen chips.
We looked at the results of what Intel APO can do for games when one round of testing done by Talon’s Tech pushed Rainbow Six: Siege to over 1,100 fps. This was cause for excitement, given that many expected Intel to eventually roll this technology back as far as its 12th gen CPUs.
The objective of Intel APO is to take a game and boost its performance by optimizing the thread scheduling. In the testing that we saw, even though it was done on global low graphical settings, the difference in performance, when APO is enabled, was clear as day.
It’s because of this, that Intel 12th and 13th gen owners hoped to see APO rolled back to be compatible with their chips and breathe new life into their gaming setups. Instead, Intel confirmed it has “no plans to support prior generation products with Application Optimization”.
While this isn’t a complete ruling out, given that there are only two supported games at the time of writing, it could be that Intel plans to focus its resources on building out this library, before addressing which products are supported.
Based on its own benchmarks, Intel suggests that a 19% performance boost is possible with APO in Rainbow Six: Siege at 1080p, while a 10% boost can be expected in Metro: Exodus, the only other supported title. We imagine the performance boost could be lessened if the tech is adjusted to be compatible with older hardware.
Nevertheless, It’s clear to see why owners of previous chips would be desperate to see the tech rolled backward, but Intel has made its stance clear, for now.
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