Initial Impressions of AMD Ryzen 9000 ‘Granite Ridge’
AMD’s latest Ryzen 9000 ‘Granite Ridge’ desktop processors, based on the Zen 5 architecture, have been released to mixed reviews. While AMD initially set high expectations for these processors during their Computex 2024 reveal, the gaming performance metrics reported by tech reviewers have not met these expectations. On average, these new processors are only around 3-5% faster than the previous Ryzen 7000 series (Raphael). However, they do offer notable improvements in energy efficiency.
The Role of Testing Environments
In an effort to understand the discrepancies between its benchmark results and those of independent reviewers, AMD conducted an internal study. One significant finding was that AMD’s testing was performed on Windows 11 23H2 using an administrator mode account, whereas some reviewers used regular user accounts with administrative privileges. This difference impacts how the branch prediction units of the Zen 5 processors function, leading to varying performance outcomes.
Future Updates and Collaborations
To address this issue, AMD has announced that it is collaborating with Microsoft to ensure that the optimized branch prediction behavior tested in admin mode will also be reflected in regular user accounts. This fix will be part of a future major update to Windows 11 (24H2), with an optional update expected to be available sooner, potentially under Windows 11 23H2.
Implications for Previous Generations
Interestingly, the admin mode discrepancy also affects earlier Ryzen models, including the Ryzen 5000, Ryzen 6000, and Ryzen 7000 series processors. This implies that these older processors could also witness a performance boost in regular Windows 11 user accounts post-update.
