Technology
Danish Kapoor
Danish Kapoor

AMD increases the performance of Zen 5 processors with BIOS updates

AMD has introduced new BIOS updates that will increase the performance of Ryzen 9600X and 9700X processors and aim to solve latency problems. These updates come about a month after reviews showed AMD Zen 5 desktop processors were performing less than expected. It is also offered in parallel with updates released for Windows 11 that optimize branch predictions on Zen 4 and Zen 5 processors.

Some CPU reviews have reported higher-than-expected inter-core latencies on Ryzen 9000 series desktop processors. AMD addressed this issue with a new BIOS optimization. The latest updates released for AM5 motherboards include AGESA PI 1.2.0.2 firmware. AMD stated that this update will solve the two-process data reading and writing problem that causes lag, especially when data in different parts of the processor is shared. “We were able to halve the number of threads for this use, which helps reduce inter-core latency on multi-CCD models,” AMD explained.

This BIOS update also introduces a 105-watt cTDP option for Ryzen 9600X and 9700X processors. AMD states that these processors have been tested under 105 watts since their launch, so this new mode does not push the processors beyond their design limits. “This increase will be especially beneficial in multi-threaded workloads, but you may also see some gains in less threaded applications,” AMD said.

However, to enable this mode, you need to have a suitable cooling solution. AMD predicts that this new mode will provide approximately 10 percent more performance on Ryzen 9600X and 9700X processors. It is also stated that this mode will not affect the processor warranty.

AMD is making innovations other than the Zen 5 update

AMD is also launching its new generation AM5 motherboards this week. X870 and X870E model motherboards are available at retail outlets. You don’t need to have these new motherboards for Ryzen 9000 series processors; However, these models have USB 4.0 support as standard and PCIe 5 Gen 5 support on both the graphics card and NVMe side. The ability to use PCIe Gen 5 simultaneously is very important before the release of PCIe Gen 5 cards such as the RTX 5090, which are expected to be released in the future. AMD points out that full PCIe Gen 5 support is critical before the new graphics card generation.

The X870 and X870E motherboards also support higher clocked memory. AMD announced that it has enabled DDR5-8000 EXPO support with these new motherboards. With this update, latency improvements of approximately 1 to 2 nanoseconds are provided compared to DDR5-6000.

Danish Kapoor