performance discrepancies Archives

AppWizard

March 24, 2025

3 times Microsoft has tried (and failed) to reinvent PC gaming

Microsoft has faced criticism from the PC gaming community due to frequent Windows updates causing crashes and altering features. The Universal Windows Platform (UWP), introduced in the mid-2010s to unify operating systems, faced backlash from gamers for restricting access to game files and complicating third-party software use. Many developers bypassed UWP, leading Microsoft to reintroduce Win32 games by 2019. DirectX 10 was exclusive to Windows Vista, resulting in only 87 games being developed for it due to the unpopularity of Vista and lack of backward compatibility. Games for Windows Live (GFWL) aimed to bring Xbox Live to PC but became frustrating due to its closed ecosystem, leading to accessibility issues and unplayable titles after server shutdowns. Microsoft has since improved the gaming experience on Windows, focusing on user choice and compatibility, with features like Auto HDR and DirectStorage integrated into Windows 11.

Winsage

March 13, 2025

AMD’s most powerful processor ever actually runs better on Windows 10 than Windows 11

Recent benchmarks indicate that AMD's Ryzen 9 9950X3D performs better on Windows 10 than on Windows 11. In gaming tests, it achieved 729 fps on Windows 10 compared to 710 fps on Windows 11, with a further decline when virtualization-based security (VBS) was enabled. For example, in Fortnite, it recorded 591 fps on Windows 10 and 541 fps on Windows 11, with VBS causing a 9.2% performance drop. Other games also showed similar discrepancies between the two operating systems. A custom-tuned version of Windows 11 24H2 did not outperform a standard installation of Windows 10. The Ryzen 9 9950X3D was released on March 12, 2025, and is priced at 9/£699/AU,349. It features 16 cores, but only eight access the 3D V-cache, which may affect its performance compared to the Ryzen 7 9800X3D.

AppWizard

February 13, 2025

Unreal Engine often gets flack for games running poorly or stuttering, but as Avowed demonstrates, it’s really about how devs use it and the pressures of time

Black Myth: Wukong, Frostpunk 2, Palworld, Stalker 2, Tekken 8, Silent Hill 2, and Avowed are all developed using Unreal Engine 5 (UE5). These games have shown inconsistent performance on PC platforms, with social media often blaming UE5. Avowed, developed by Obsidian Entertainment, has erratic frame rates and unconventional upscaling techniques but is visually impressive and generally smooth. Silent Hill 2, developed by Blooper Team, faced bugs and inconsistencies at launch, although patches have been released. Both Obsidian and Blooper Team have experience with Unreal Engine, raising questions about performance issues. Critics compare UE5 unfavorably to Id Tech 7, a proprietary engine known for high performance, due to the extensive customization available to its developers. Unreal Engine is versatile for game development and other applications but presents challenges in transitioning from simple projects to AAA games. Epic Games is addressing common issues like shader compilation stutter and traversal stutter in UE5, but large developers face challenges in updating code without introducing new issues. The timing of game releases often leads to less-than-ideal launch states, with the expectation of post-launch fixes. Avowed may also require adjustments after release, depending on its commercial success and the resources available to Obsidian, who is also working on a sequel to The Outer Worlds using UE5. The main challenge for developers is time, which affects the quality of game releases.

AppWizard

November 22, 2024

Call of Duty: Warzone Runs Significantly Better On Xbox PC & Battlenet Than Steam, Since Season 1 Launched

Players of Call of Duty: Warzone on Steam are experiencing significantly lower frame rates compared to those on Battle.net and the Xbox PC app, with Steam users struggling to maintain even 80 FPS while others enjoy frame rates between 100 to 200 FPS. The most popular GPU among surveyed users is the RTX 3060, which can deliver over 100 FPS at 1440p in competitive titles. The performance issues may be related to optimization challenges specific to the Steam version of the game, with speculation that a fix could be pending approval from Steam. Ongoing post-launch challenges are common for Call of Duty games, and players may want to consider alternatives to Steam for better performance and ownership rights.

AppWizard

September 8, 2024

I tried to settle the dumbest debate in PC gaming | Digital Trends

Many gamers debate the merits of borderless versus fullscreen modes in PC gaming, often seeking optimal settings for performance. A recent benchmarking of modern games revealed little to no performance differences between these display options. Notable titles tested, including Horizon Zero Dawn and Red Dead Redemption 2, showed consistent results, with only Hitman 3 presenting an exclusive fullscreen option. The term "fullscreen" can be misleading, as it traditionally referred to exclusive fullscreen where the graphics card controls the display, while modern games may not adhere to this definition. The introduction of the DXGI flip presentation model in Windows 8 improved frame rendering efficiency, allowing even fullscreen games to utilize the Desktop Window Manager (DWM) for composition. As of 2024, the distinction between borderless and fullscreen modes is less significant, allowing players to choose based on preference rather than performance.

Winsage

August 26, 2024

Whoa! Ryzen 9000 CPUs get a huge gaming bump in Windows preview build

The Ryzen 9000 series CPUs initially received muted reactions due to not showing significant improvements over previous models, as indicated by early reviews. AMD attributed this to differences in testing environments and anticipated performance gains with the Windows 11 update 24H2. The update is available in the Windows Insider preview build, and testing by Hardware Unboxed showed that the Ryzen 9000 series achieved an average gaming performance boost of around 10 percent, with some games seeing increases of over 20 percent and a few up to 30 percent. The update also benefits the previous-generation Ryzen 7 7700X. AMD's initial testing used a Super Admin mode, which is not typical for users, but the 24H2 update aims to provide similar performance enhancements safely. Gamers are looking forward to upcoming X3D variants of these chips for further improvements.

Winsage

August 22, 2024

AMD talks Ryzen 9000 controversy: ‘We were as puzzled’ as reviewers

AMD's launch of the Ryzen 9000 desktop processors revealed performance discrepancies between the company's marketing claims and independent reviewer results. AMD identified several factors contributing to these differences, including variations in Windows operating modes, VBS security settings, Intel system configurations, and game selections for benchmarking. The company used an automated testing framework in Super Admin mode, which allowed for optimizations not present in the standard user mode used by reviewers. This led to inflated performance numbers that did not account for the differences between the two modes. AMD's David McAfee stated that the gap in performance between Super Admin and user modes had widened over time, which they had not anticipated. Additionally, the selection of games and specific scenes for benchmarking significantly impacted performance results. McAfee clarified that AMD did not blame reviewers for the discrepancies, attributing them instead to its own testing decisions. AMD is committed to refining its testing methodologies for better alignment with real-world user experiences.