(Credit: Intel)
You might not be able to download more RAM, but with recent-generation Intel CPUs, you can absolutely download more performance. Across a range of seven new games, Intel claims gamers can enjoy an average 12% higher frame rates on Arrow Lake and Panther Lake CPUs by running its Intel Binary Optimization Tool (iBOT), Tom's Hardware reports.
It might be exclusive to select Intel CPUs, but considering those are already a strong value, improved BOT support is a real cherry on top.
The free iBOT tool first appeared alongside Intel's refreshed Arrow Lake CPUs, the excellent Core Ultra 250K and 270K Plus models, but it extends to mobile Panther Lake Core Ultra 300 CPUs, and Intel's high-end 290HX Plus and 270HX Plus chips. It's a translation layer that optimizes x86 applications to use the most efficient instructions, boosting performance where Intel can identify inefficiencies. And it's now applicable to more games.
The list is now 19 games strong, but the new ones include:
Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition
The Callisto Protocol
Homeworld 3
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Little Nightmares III
Warframe
Hollow Knight: Silksong
It's not entirely clear why these games were chosen, as it's a real mix of new and old titles. But performance improvements are impressive: the games deliver an additional 12% FPS on average with iBOT enabled on the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus at 1080p with High Settings, running on an RTX 5090—so, more CPU-constrained. At the top end, though, Hollow Knight: Silksong reportedly runs up to 27% faster.
If you have a compatible CPU and want to run a compatible game, download the Intel Platform Performance Package (version 26.06.100.32) from the Intel website and install it. Then open the Intel Application Optimization tool, and enable Advanced Mode. Find the game you want to enhance and turn its iBOT toggle to On. If it doesn't work, make sure Intel Dynamic Tuning Technology is enabled as well.
With new graphics cards from AMD and Nvidia not expected until 2027 or 2028, software enhancements, improvements to upscaling and frame generation, and even traditional overclocking may become more important in the years to come. And free performance improvements like this from Intel are a real benefit to the wider gaming community. Then again, it could also be an attempt to stop AMD from becoming the dominant consumer CPU brand.
About Our Expert
Jon Martindale is a tech journalist from the UK, with 20 years of experience covering all manner of PC components and associated gadgets. He's written for a range of publications, including ExtremeTech, Digital Trends, Forbes, U.S. News & World Report, and Lifewire, among others. When not writing, he's a big board gamer and reader, with a particular habit of speed-reading through long manga sagas.Â
Jon covers the latest PC components, as well as how-to guides on everything from how to take a screenshot to how to set up your cryptocurrency wallet. He particularly enjoys the battles between the top tech giants in CPUs and GPUs, and tries his best not to take sides.
Jon's gaming PC is built around the iconic 7950X3D CPU, with a 7900XTX backing it up. That's all the power he needs to play lightweight indie and casual games, as well as more demanding sim titles like Kerbal Space Program. He uses a pair of Jabra Active 8 earbuds and a SteelSeries Arctis Pro wireless headset, and types all day on a Logitech G915 mechanical keyboard.
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