The majority of KitGuru readers will undoubtedly be familiar with CPU overclocking. However, we also know the relative difficulty in achieving a perfectly stable clock rate and, more awkwardly, trying to explain to novice friends and family just how the process works and what settings they should apply. Launched earlier this year, Intel's Performance Maximizer automated overclocking tool aims to take the hard work out of the overclocking process.

The legend himself Ian ‘8Pack' Parry gives us the details on Intel Performance Maximizer, including specific insights from his own testing. We also get a first-hand tour of the exquisite £16K 8Pack Supernova XLTD system.

Designed for use with Core 9000 series and 10000 series unlocked processors, Intel Performance Maximizer runs a set of tests to determine how far your system can be overclocked whilst maintaining stability. Perhaps ideal for those who do not know how to overclock or do not feel confident to apply and monitor the correct settings, Intel's stability test runs for an extended period of time to check if the system is capable of the attempted frequency.

8Pack gives us the run-down on his experiences with Intel Performance Maximizer, including testing with a 5GHz binned processor that the automated software managed to take up to a respectable 4.9GHz. More important, according to 8Pack's wisdom, is the fact that the tool applies the overclocked frequencies with safe voltages that are sensible for real-world usage. That's absolutely critical, especially on processors of such expense, as motherboard-defined automated overclocking tools or presets can tend to be overly aggressive with the applied voltage levels.

We also got a tour of 8Pack's limited edition Supernova XLTD – an absolute beast of a system housed in the Caselabs STH10 chassis with a rare Intel Core i9-9990XE HEDT processor. This dual RTX 2080 Ti beast features 14 fans on the custom liquid cooling radiators and was still inaudible stood right next to it.

8Pack Supernova XLTD System Specs:

• Caselabs STH10 Case
• 128GB DDR4 memory
• 2x RTX 2080Ti SLI
• Intel Core i9-9990XE Limited Edition (14 cores 28 thread, boost up to 5GHz, overclocked all-core to 4.7-4.8GHz)
• 4TB NVME storage
• 10TB HDD Storage
• 1600W PSU

The cost? A cool £16K. We'll take the final three, please!

KitGuru Says: Intel Performance Maximizer looks to be one of the useful tools that allows less experienced or less confident enthusiasts to safely dabble in the world of overclocking and start to build their knowledge. And if you're more interested in an elite, limited edition system designed by 8Pack himself, maybe the Intel Core i9-9990XE-powered Supernova XLTD grabs your attention… and £16K of your credit card limit!

Become a Patron!