Intel has added support for Intel Application Optimization (APO) technology to the latest Core Ultra 200S processors, which is implemented at the driver level and automatically identifies software and its needs, allocating CPU resources in real time to optimize application performance. In games, this gives a performance boost of up to 31%. Support extends to four generations of Intel processors, starting with the 12th generation, with at least six P-cores.
Image source: Intel
Among the recently released Core Ultra 200S processors, the list of APO-compatible chips includes the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, Intel Core Ultra 7 265K and Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF. Even though the lower-end Intel Core Ultra 5 245K and 245KF processors were not included in the list, their owners can still use APO in advanced mode and enjoy higher frame rates in games.
With the release of Arrow Lake processors, Intel has expanded the list of games that can benefit from APO. Initially, only two games were supported – Metro Exodus and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege. In March 2024, 12 new games were added to the list, such as Dirt 5, Dreams Three Kingdoms 2, F1 22, Final Fantasy XIV, Guardians of the Galaxy, Red Dead Redemption 2, Serious Sam 4, Strange Brigade, Watch Dogs: Legion, World of Tanks, World of Warcraft and World War Z, increasing the total number of games supported by APO from 14 to 26.
Some of these games are no longer new, but they continue to be popular and are used for performance testing. For example, Counter-Strike 2, Cyberpunk 2077 and Shadow of the Tomb Raider are the main games for gaming benchmarks, as they allow you to evaluate the capabilities of processors in real-world conditions.