AMD's latest foray into the CPU market with its Ryzen 9000 series has stirred a mix of anticipation and disappointment among tech enthusiasts and reviewers. While the company had set expectations high with promises of a 16% increase in IPC (instructions per clock) thanks to its new Zen 5 micro-architecture, the reality has proven to be somewhat underwhelming.
Performance Insights
Upon the release of reviews, many found the performance gains of the Zen 5 architecture to be modest, particularly when running on Windows. This lukewarm reception stands in stark contrast to AMD's previous launches, which typically garnered enthusiastic acclaim. The silver lining, however, is that the Ryzen 9000 series is positioned at a competitive price point, with indications that prices may be dropping further.
In response to the mixed reviews, AMD attributed some of the performance shortcomings to optimization issues within Windows. The company has committed to rolling out a performance patch in the near future, while suggesting that users could leverage the hidden Windows Administrator account as a temporary workaround.
Following AMD's announcements, early testing revealed that the upcoming Windows 11 24H2 patch could deliver an impressive 11% average performance boost in gaming scenarios. Additionally, this patch is set to be made available for 23H2 PCs through a preview update scheduled for next month’s Patch Tuesday.
Firmware Enhancements
Beyond software updates, AMD has also promised new firmware that will allow users to increase the thermal design power (TDP) of the Ryzen 9000 X-series from 65 watts to 105 watts. This adjustment is expected to enable sustained higher performance over extended periods.
MSI has taken the lead among motherboard manufacturers by releasing the new AGESA (AMD Generic Encapsulated Software Architecture) firmware. Users can now find an option to enable the “TPD to 105W” feature after installing the AMD AGESA BIOS PI (Platform Initialization) 1.2.0.1 update. Early benchmarks indicate a notable 13% performance uplift in multi-core performance for the octa-core Ryzen 9700X when utilizing this new firmware, although details regarding single-core improvements remain sparse.
For those interested in upgrading, MSI has provided a list of compatible motherboard models that support the new firmware:
- MEG X670E GODLIKE
- MPG B650 CARBON WIFI
- MEG X670E ACE
- MPG B650 EDGE WIFI
- MPG X670E CARBON WIFI
- MAG B650 TOMAHAWK WIFI
- MAG X670E TOMAHAWK WIFI
- MAG B650M MORTAR WIFI / MAG B650M MORTAR
- X670E GAMING PLUS WIFI
- B650M GAMING PLUS WIFI
- PRO B650-P WIFI
For further details, MSI's announcement can be found on its official website.