Intel reports that the lack of game optimization can reduce performance by up to 30 %.

Performance Issues in Games: It’s Not Just About CPU “Power”

Intel Vice President Robert Hallock highlighted in a recent interview that low game performance is often not due to insufficient CPU power. According to him, software optimization plays a key role.

How Users Try to Speed Up Games

Some Intel processor owners disable the efficient E‑cores to “boost” FPS. However, the performance difference between these cores and the more powerful P‑cores is only about 1 %. Hallock explains that the real problem lies in how modern games use the CPU: not just the game itself, but also the OS, drivers, firmware, and task scheduler.

Impact of Lack of Optimization

If a game isn’t “tuned” for a specific CPU architecture, it can lose 10 % to 30 % in speed. Hallock noted that developers often ignore tools like Thread Director and binary code optimization. He added:

> “Yes, a faster chip will give an increase, but without proper optimization you’ll always miss out on 10‑30 %. Gamers say: ‘No software optimization, just faster hardware.’ In reality they want: ‘Give us just 20 % more speed’.”

Comparison with Competitors

In practice, Intel processors lag behind AMD Ryzen X3D models, which feature additional cache and deliver better gaming performance. Despite this, Intel is actively working on software improvements for its chips.

Future Plans

Next year, Intel plans to release its own processor with expanded cache. As Hallock noted, even such a model will require additional optimization from game developers.