AMD Updates on Ryzen 9000 Gaming Performance, Revised Testing See Parity With Intel’s 14th Gen CPUs, Optimized Branch Prediction Update To Boost Games

AMD has recently taken steps to address concerns regarding the gaming performance of its Ryzen 9000 “Zen 5” Desktop CPUs. In a detailed blog post, the company sought to clarify discrepancies between its official performance metrics and those reported by various reviewers, including our own findings.

AMD’s Revised Ryzen 9000 Game Benchmarks Showcase Performance Parity With Intel’s 14th Gen Chips, Fine-Tuning Performance Through Windows 11 Branch Prediction Code Update

The initial performance claims from AMD suggested a 9% uplift at 1080p compared to the previous Ryzen 7000 “Zen 4” CPUs, and a 6% improvement when stacked against Intel’s 14th Gen offerings. These figures were derived from an extensive suite of over 30 games. However, AMD acknowledged that the benchmarking methods employed—primarily in-game tools—might not always provide the most accurate representation of real-world gaming scenarios, especially in high-action sequences that demand more from both CPU and GPU.

In its latest performance evaluations, AMD revealed that it utilized DDR5-7200 memory for testing Intel’s 14th Gen CPUs, alongside enabling the maximum power profile, “Extreme/Performance” mode. This adjustment has led to a demonstration of performance parity between the Ryzen 9000 “Zen 5” CPUs and their Intel counterparts. Additionally, AMD noted that Virtualization-based Security (VBS), which is enabled by default in Windows, was also active during testing, potentially impacting performance metrics.

As a result of these refinements, AMD’s Ryzen 9000 CPUs are now reported to deliver a 10% increase in creative and productivity tasks, a remarkable 25% boost in AI workloads, and a 5-8% enhancement in gaming applications. When compared to Intel’s 14th Gen processors, the Ryzen 9000 series showcases a significant lead in productivity and creative applications, alongside a 30% advantage in AI tasks, while maintaining competitive performance in gaming across popular titles.

• The AMD gaming test suite encompasses a diverse range of esports, AAA, and classic games, reflecting both CPU- and GPU-bound titles. The composition of this test suite can heavily influence performance conclusions.
• Intel configurations were tested using comparable DDR5-6000 memory and baseline power profiles, which may slightly affect gaming performance.
• AMD’s testing included Windows Virtualization-based Security (VBS) enabled, as recommended by Microsoft for enhanced security, although this may impact gaming performance.
• The new “Zen 5” architecture features an expanded branch prediction capability compared to earlier generations. The automated testing methodology was conducted in “Admin” mode, yielding results that reflect optimizations not available in the Windows versions used by many reviewers.

One of the key updates from AMD is the introduction of a new Branch Prediction code patch. The company has identified issues with the Branch Predictor’s functionality within Windows 11 and is collaborating with Microsoft to release a code update that could enhance gaming performance by as much as 13%.

AMD clarified that the Branch Prediction update will function optimally when Windows 11 is run in “Admin” mode, a setting not commonly utilized by gamers who typically operate in standard mode. The forthcoming update aims to ensure that this new code operates effectively within the standard Windows 11 environment. Furthermore, AMD is developing new chipset drivers to address concerns related to “Core Parking.” This performance enhancement will not only benefit the Ryzen 9000 “Zen 5” CPUs but will also extend to the Ryzen 7000 “Zen 4” and Ryzen 5000 “Zen 3” Desktop CPUs.

Some reviewers have noted that a fresh installation of Windows has led to improved performance, a trend that can be expected with a clean operating system. Such installations can enhance the performance of both AMD and Intel CPUs by reducing overhead from various applications and installations.

AMD’s proactive approach to refining its internal testing processes and optimizing the performance of its newly launched chips is a positive development for the gaming community, promising to deliver more accurate and representative performance metrics in the future.