What you need to know
- AMD Ryzen 9000 processors had worse performance than expected when they got into the hands of some reviewers.
- AMD has since explained why its own testing and the testing of some reviewers did not align.
- The company also promised a fix for certain issues affecting systems with Ryzen 9000 chips, though the fix originally required Windows 11 version 24H2.
- The fixes have since been backported to Windows 11 version 23H2, increasing the number of systems that can see performance improvements.
Systems powered by AMD's Ryzen 9000 processors are about to see an improvement in gaming performance, at least in certain setups. AMD explained why its own testing figures for the processors were different than results seen by reviewers recently, and the company shared that a future update would improve gaming performance for Ryzen 9000-powered PCs. Originally, gamers were going to have to wait until Windows 11 version 24H2 rolled out later this year, but the fixes have since been backported to Windows 11 version 23H2.
Our testing didn't show significant drops below AMD's in-house benchmark results, but any performance boosts delivered through Windows updates will always be welcomed. Some reviewers saw a wider gap between their results and the results of AMD.
Several factors contributed to the performance tests of reviewers differing from test results shared by AMD ahead of the launch of the Ryzen 9000 processors. One of those factors was that AMD used an Admin account when performing its tests. Admin accounts utilize specific branch prediction optimizations that are not available to non-admin accounts. At least, that was the case before an update was made available. Gamers can now grab an optional Windows update (KB5041587) to improve the gaming performance of their PC.
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An AMD rep said the following to Wccftech:
"We wanted to let you know that the branch prediction optimization found in Windows 11 24H2 has now been backported to Windows 11 23H2. Users will need to look for KB5041587 under Windows update > Advanced options > Optional updates. We expect the performance uplift to be very similar between 24H2 and 23H2 with KB5041587 installed."
Above is a chart of improvements seen by AMD in which game performance is measured in frames per second. AMD expects similar improvements whether a PC is on Windows 11 version 24H2 or Windows 11 version 23H2.
Performance improvements vary depending on the game played. Some games won't see any increase in frames per second. Ryzen 7000 series processors will also see improvements in gaming performance.
AMD also outlined other factors that affected its test results when it first explained the differences:
- "The AMD gaming test suite includes a broad set of esports, AAA, and popular older games, which are a combination of CPU- and GPU-bound titles. Game performance conclusions can be influenced significantly by the makeup of the test suite.
- AMD tested Intel configurations using comparable DDR5-6000 memory as well as Intel default settings-baseline power profile which can have a small impact on gaming performance.
- AMD also tests with Windows Virtualization-based Security (VBS) enabled. This is the default Windows behavior and Microsoft recommends activating VBS to improve security, however it can affect gaming performance.
- The “Zen 5” architecture incorporates a wider branch prediction capacity than prior “Zen” generations. Our automated test methodology was run in “Admin” mode which produced results that reflect branch prediction code optimizations not present in the version of Windows reviewers used to test Ryzen 9000 Series. We have a further update on accessing this performance for users below."
Only some of those factors can be addressed with updates. For example, Intel's chips that compete with Ryzen 9000 processors can handle faster memory. AMD redid its tests to better reflect the differences at peak performance, but it can't do much to close the gap in that area.
With the fixes that are possible being backported to Windows 11 version 23H2, gamers don't have to wait to improve gaming performance.
