A few days ago, it was announced that the next Windows update, version 24H2, is now available to testers registered with the Insider programme. This update promises to improve the performance of AMD processors, both old and new. The Hardware Unboxed site published a test measuring the performance gains of AMD CPUs with a Ryzen 7 7800X and a Ryzen 7 7700X, noting an average performance improvement of 10%, with gains of up to 30% on certain games.
The good news is that you don’t have to wait for the 24H2 update to benefit from these improvements. Users of the current version of Windows, equipped with Update 23H2, have just received an optional update accessible via Windows Update, in the “Advanced Options” tab, with patch KB5041587. As a reminder, Windows must be up to date for this update to be offered. This patch should therefore offer the same performance gains as those observed with version 24H2, according to AMD, which wanted to react quickly to this situation by releasing a patch before the official Windows update.
Performance gains to be taken with a grain of salt and remain debatable
However, the gains achieved with the 24H2 update or with the KB5041587 patch are currently being called into question. A number of testers have examined performance after the update, and some have found far less significant improvements than those reported by Hardware Unboxed, or even regressions.
For example, Hardware Luxx carried out several tests comparing the 24H2 and 23H2 versions, noting a lower average gain, with a performance reduction of up to 8.5% with the 7800X3D in the ‘Control’ game in 720p, and a maximum gain of 23.5% compared to the 30% or more reported by Hardware Unboxed.
So we’ll have to wait for more tests and feedback, as many testers seem to be seeing gains similar to those reported by Hardware Luxx, which suggests that the actual gains may be less than initially claimed. The whole situation should therefore be treated with caution.