Intel has created a piece of software designed to safely end easily overclock some Intel CPUs. In theory, you should simply be able to install the Intel Performance Maximizer, run it and it will then automatically overclock the CPU to a faster speed.
This sounds great, but there are of course caveats. The first is that the Performance Maximizer is only available for a handful of CPUs in the Intel range. The list of compatible CPUs so far is the i9-9900K or KF, the i7-9700K or KF and lastly the i5-9600K or KF.
The software itself is quite significant too, as it requires 16GB of space to do its thing (although thankfully the download is much smaller at 1.5GB). The software analyses your system and suggests some recommended overclocking settings that it, which you can then apply with a mouse clock. There’s also an option for dynamic overclocking which, a bit like Intel’s Turbo feature, adjusts the clock speed on the fly, responding to load and thermals.
However, while Intel seems to be quite confident with its new software, the company sensibly warns on the download site that overclocking your CPU, even with this software, might shorten its lifespan, invalidate certain warranties and potentially make very little difference.
An item that stands out on the page is that the site contains a link to Intel’s Performance Tuning Protection Plan, which for $19.99 US entitles you to a replacement CPU if you overclock yours to death.