After arriving two weeks late, AMD's Ryzen 9000 series desktop processors disappointed some buyers and reviewers due to dull performance. Now the company has addressed those problems with several new updates.
The biggest holdback for Ryzen 9000 desktop CPUs was the lack of Windows 11 branch prediction optimizations. For relief, you had to wait for Windows 11 24H2 (currently on the release preview channel), or add the optional update KB5041587. However, AMD announced that the fix is now included by default in both Windows 11 version 23H2, build 22631.44112, and the latest 24H2 builds. This should increase performance by between 3 and 13 percent in various games, with the biggest gains coming to the Ryzen 9000 and Zen 5 processors.
In addition to that, AMD released the AGESA PI 1.2.0.2 BIOS update for the Ryzen 5 9600X and Ryzen 9700X processors. This extends the warranty on those processors to enable a TDP (peak power) level of 105W, well above the launch TDP of 65W. That alone will boost speeds by up to 10 percent on AM5 series motherboards. and X870, AMD said.
It also introduced core-to-core latency optimization for multi-CCD (chiplet) models of the Ryzen 9000 series. Testers noted that two transactions were sometimes needed to read and write when information was shared between cores on different CCDs. . Although AMD called this a “corner case,” the latest BIOS update cuts the number of transactions in half, which helps latency in that scenario. “Our laboratory tests suggest Metro, star field and Borderlands 3 may show some improvement, as well as synthetic tests such as 3DMark Time Spy,” AMD wrote.
Continuing with the theme of speed, AMD noted that the X870 and AMD also introduced support for “enthusiast-class” EXPO DDR5-8000 memory, with a latency improvement of 1 to 2 nanoseconds. While it's not for everyone, “it's a great option for enthusiasts who want to push their systems to the limits,” AMD said.
