If you see this recommended for an old game (like The Sims 3 or older CoD titles), be careful. The optimizer is for Windows XP and older AMD dual-core CPUs (pre-Phenom). On Windows 7 and newer, it's deprecated and can cause CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT BSODs.
In fact, installing it can cause crashes or boot loops because it tries to overwrite modern kernel timer management. amd dual core optimizer
Just a heads-up for anyone finding old links to the "AMD Dual-Core Optimizer" – it was a tool for Windows XP to fix timing issues on older dual-core CPUs (like Athlon 64 X2). It forced the system to use the high-resolution HPET timer so games didn't stutter. If you see this recommended for an old