AMD, Microsoft Deliver Windows 11 Performance Fixes

Earlier this month, we learned that AMD-based PCs that were upgraded to Windows 11 suffered from a 3-15 percent performance hit. Well, good news: AMD has fixed the issues.

“AMD and Microsoft have determined that compatible AMD processors may exhibit reduced performance in certain applications when running Windows 11 build 22000.194,” an AMD support page notes.

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There were two issues, an L3 cache latency problem that impacted performance by 3-5 percent, and a UEFI CPPC2 (“preferred core”) scheduling issue that impacted performance by 8 to 15 percent.

But both are now fixed, one via a Windows 11 cumulative update preview and one via an AMD-issued Chipset Driver package.

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Conversation 20 comments

  • martinusv2

    Premium Member
    22 October, 2021 - 10:21 am

    <p>I noticed that Windows 11 is more responsive since the patches.</p>

    • Maverick010

      23 October, 2021 - 8:13 pm

      <p>It was not just the Ryzen patch. The patch from Microsoft also included several other bug fixes in addition to the Ryzen L3 cache bug. I was expecting just an out of order patch for the Ryzen CPU issue only, and to see there was several other updates included, showed Microsoft went a little above and beyond and working to make sure Windows 11 is not only running as expected, but trying to exceed some expectations. Another example is how they already have the Android Subsystem and Amazon App store up and running in beta, and it is showing to be quite stable and smooth. I am now thinking it could hit the public any day now if not before this year is out.</p>

  • Donte

    22 October, 2021 - 10:34 am

    <p>I solved this issue by sticking with Windows 10. A year from now Windows 11 might be worth it…maybe.</p><p><br></p><p>The real question is how did this happen between Windows 10, which does not have this problem and Windows 10 R2 (Windows 11)?????? </p><p><br></p><p>Did it happen when Microsoft altered something in the kernel to accommodate Intel’s Alder Lake Big/Little CPU’s….that are still not for sale?</p><p><br></p><p>In either case my 5800x in my gaming PC, really a dedicated DSC gaming console, will be good to go if I ever decide to downgrade it to Windows 11.</p>

    • lvthunder

      Premium Member
      22 October, 2021 - 11:08 am

      <p>You didn’t solve this issue. You just avoided it. There is a difference, It’s stuff like this that makes me think there is more going on under the covers with Windows 11 than people realize. I know it’s the popular thing to do is to say Windows 11 is just Windows 10 with a new paint job, but it’s not really true.</p>

      • bluvg

        22 October, 2021 - 12:13 pm

        <p>Yup, major scheduler work for one.</p>

      • waethorn

        22 October, 2021 - 12:53 pm

        <p>Preferential "optimizations" for Intel’s ARM-like big.LITTLE rip-off called Alder Lake.</p>

        • Maverick010

          23 October, 2021 - 8:22 pm

          <p>Not exactly a rip off per se. Intel has done a similar thing before like this just not as successful, and reserved for Mobile space only. Alder Lake, will never compete with ARM in power efficiently (Arm’s main strength) but in performance, it is promising. The major issue I see right now, is Intel power draw can be significantly more. </p><p><br></p><p>Now Ryzen Strix Point may be more of a ? It will supposedly include a Hybrid of Zen 5 cores mixed with optimized Zen 4 cores and I believe the GPU will be some RDNA 2/3 based design. AMD may come in last, but seems like they may have some surprises coming as they have begun to shuffle around their designs a little moving some up a little sooner, like Rembrandt being announced supposedly at CES 2022. </p><p><br></p><p>Overall the industry follows each other, and looks for ways to grow.</p>

          • waethorn

            25 October, 2021 - 2:50 pm

            <p>Apple’s M1 already destroys AMD’s top of the line mobile chip, the Ryzen 9 5900HX in many performance benchmarks. The AMD chip can perform better in a few benchmarks, but with multitudes higher power draw. Overall, Apple’s chips are the ones to beat. The M1 Pro and Max haven’t even been compared yet, but safe to say that AMD, much like Intel, is faltering in innovation.</p>

    • bluvg

      22 October, 2021 - 12:15 pm

      <p>"Did it happen when Microsoft altered something in the kernel to accommodate Intel’s Alder Lake"</p><p><br></p><p>The "preferred core" issue is very likely related to that. As I mentioned in other posts about this issue, this fix required coordination and patches from both Microsoft and AMD.</p>

    • Maverick010

      23 October, 2021 - 8:08 pm

      <p>Actually when Ryzen first launched, Windows 10 had a similar issue with performance and optimizing the schedular, and required a couple of updates both from Microsoft and AMD. The AMD Power Plan is part of the update.</p><p><br></p><p>With Windows 11, the OS schedular was heavily updated with multiple changes including optimizations solely for hybrid CPUs such as Alder Lake and eventually Ryzen 7000 series Strix Point CPUs. Due to all the changes and extra optimizations, it looks like it caused some issues with the L# cache and preferred core. The new Windows 11 patches both from AMD and Microsoft have since fixed the issues fairly quickly and performance is back up to the same if not even better than Windows 10.</p>

  • Sir_Timbit

    22 October, 2021 - 11:47 am

    <p>Makes me wonder how much QA testing Microsoft does on actual hardware sometimes… The jaded part of me increasingly thinks "the Hyper-V VM build didn’t show any problems. Time to push it out!"</p>

    • bluvg

      22 October, 2021 - 12:21 pm

      <p>I’m inclined to pile on regarding QA, but to be fair, this same thing only happens every. single. Windows. release. Then 11 will be fine, and people will make all the same comments about 12 whenever that is released and how they’re never moving to it, etc. Windows 2000 infamously had "63,000 defects" when released, and yet it’s still regarded by many as a high water mark for Windows. Still good to focus criticism where due, of course.</p>

      • chriscarstens

        22 October, 2021 - 1:18 pm

        <p>My HP Envy laptop is a year old. It is my work truck, and I’ve never done anything that even came close to maxing it out — I edit some small video webcasting, do a bit of graphic design, crunch some numbers. </p><p><br></p><p>If I update, I’ll have have to move a couple of stable, installed legacy programs . Pain in the ass.</p><p><br></p><p>Is there even one reason for me to upgrade? I think not.</p>

        • bluvg

          22 October, 2021 - 3:35 pm

          <p>I wouldn’t upgrade either, or at least not today. It’s an open question how long they’ll support Windows 10, though. Support-wise, one way or another we’ll all need to use 11 (or vNext) at some point, assuming we continue using Windows.</p>

    • waethorn

      22 October, 2021 - 1:02 pm

      <p>Alder Lake isn’t out yet. Anything they’re doing with it would be on pre-release hardware. </p><p><br></p><p>You’d think Microsoft would’ve learned something from their experiences with various Intel issues with the Surface Pro 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 rollouts….</p>

  • egab

    22 October, 2021 - 1:12 pm

    <p>Maybe it’s just me, but I found this whole thing to be a non-issue, and was surprised by the how dramatic tech media made it to be. There was a bug, both companies worked fast to fix it, patched were out in no time. Done deal, nothing to report about. It’s expected of a new OS to have some launch day bugs.</p>

    • navarac

      23 October, 2021 - 6:24 am

      <p>The software should have been tested before its premature release. Imaging buying a new car to find that the brakes don’t work correctly! You would be rightly annoyed and go to another manufacturer if you weren’t in the morgue. Microsoft (aka Nadella) is totally irresponsible over this.</p>

      • Sihaz

        23 October, 2021 - 6:07 pm

        <p>Now imagine those brakes worked fine but were tweaked by the garage a week or two after delivery of the car and worked even better after that. (3 – 5 % better). Doesn’t sound so dramatic does it?</p>

      • egab

        25 October, 2021 - 2:11 pm

        <p>Yes, because having non working breaks on a moving vehicle is 100% the same as experiencing 3% efficiency loss for about 10 days of a limited CPU range during a soft launch period of a new OS.</p><p><br></p><p>I wonder how many Windows 11users are now in the morgue because of that.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p>

  • epguy40

    08 December, 2021 - 2:18 pm

    <p>while the AMD performance problems were fixed with these recent updates, another Win11 performance bug has cropped up, affecting some NVMe SSDs, according to some recent reports posted at the following sites:</p><p><br></p><p>www.neowin.net/news/windows-11-crippling-nvme-ssd-speeds-according-to-multiple-user-reports/</p><p>www.ghacks.net/2021/12/07/windows-11-is-reportedly-slowing-down-some-ssds/</p><p><br></p><p><br></p>

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