AMD’s Ryzen processors are reportedly experiencing performance slowdowns during gaming sessions, attributed to a potential bug in Windows 11. This issue appears to affect not only the latest Ryzen 9000 series but also the previous generation Ryzen 7000 chips. Insights from Hardware Unboxed, shared via VideoCardz, reveal that the Ryzen 9700X underperformed by several percentage points compared to AMD’s internal benchmarks during gaming tests.
The testing involved a suite of 13 games, where the Ryzen 9700X demonstrated an average performance increase of 3.8% when utilizing a hidden admin account. In contrast, the Ryzen 7700X, its predecessor, showed a 2.6% improvement under the same conditions. While the Ryzen 9000 series did exhibit more significant gains in certain games, the overall performance drop outside of the hidden mode was minimal and likely imperceptible to most users.
Analysis: More questions than answers
Despite these findings, the situation remains somewhat ambiguous. Hardware Unboxed has openly acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding the root cause of the performance discrepancies. While the notion of a bug is one possibility, it could also be that the elevated privileges associated with the hidden admin account reduce overheads for gaming workloads. This raises the question of whether the issue could extend beyond Ryzen processors, potentially impacting Intel CPUs as well, although no tests have been conducted on Team Blue’s chips.
AMD has suggested that this may indeed be a Windows 11 bug, with hopes for a resolution in a future update from Microsoft. However, this assertion is not yet confirmed, and testing Intel processors in the same hidden admin environment will be crucial for a comprehensive understanding of the situation. Should the problem be isolated to Ryzen, it may pose challenges for Intel, as a fix could significantly enhance AMD’s gaming performance relative to Intel’s Core CPUs.
Another unanswered question is whether this issue also affects users on Windows 10. The findings might help clarify why recent comparisons between Windows 11 and Linux performance with Ryzen 9000 processors leaned more favorably towards Linux than anticipated.
While Hardware Unboxed provides guidance on accessing the hidden admin account, it is crucial to emphasize that this mode is not intended for regular use. It is disabled by default for good reason, as it can compromise system security and increase vulnerability to malware. Users are strongly advised against enabling this mode permanently for a slight performance boost. Instead, patience is recommended as the potential fix from Microsoft could take some time to materialize.
