Gigabyte continues to distill details about the Ryzen 9800X3D, but above all about the in-house technologies it implements in its bios. We know that this performance boost is called Turbo Game Mode by AMD, and that each manufacturer will try to adapt it to their own bios. Each manufacturer will rename this feature and make a few adjustments. Gigabyte, for example, calls it “X3D Turbo Mode”. But what does this technology actually hide, and how can it simply improve Ryzen gaming performance?
AMD Turbo Game Mode: how it works
The AMD AGESA 1.2.0.2a microcode update is the key to this feature, which provides extra vitamins for gaming. The main objective is to maximize processor performance by deactivating certain elements that can penalize it, but only in games. First and foremost, this mode disables AMD SMT technology. In practice, this means that the processor is deprived of 2 threads per core. Optimizations are also applied to latencies and the CCD (the part of the chip containing the CPU cores). In processors with multiple CCDs, such as the Ryzen 9, they force the CPU to use just one CCD. This explains the significant progress to come, particularly with the 9950X3D.
The other good news is that this feature won’t be reserved exclusively for Ryzen X3Ds: the classic range will also benefit, even if the gain is announced as being more modest.
Gigabyte announced 35%…now we’re talking 5%
But let’s get back to Gigabyte, which in talking about its X3D Turbo Mode actually reveals the gains made by activating AMD Turbo Game Mode. First of all, it’s important to bear in mind that these figures are obtained at 1080P. As resolution increases, the gains are lower. By activating this Turbo Game Mode on a 9800X3D, Far Cry 6 benefits from a performance improvement of 3.56%. Horizon Zero Dawn benefits from a 4.5% improvement, while Tomb Raider improves by 5.01%. Obviously, even if these results only concern 3 games, it’s hard to understand how Gigabyte could have mentioned 35%.
But in reality, these more massive gains would concern the 9950X, 7950X3D (and therefore 9950X3D) processors. These references would benefit fully from the deactivation of a full CCD in games, thus reducing latencies. It should be noted that the figures presented here refer to the activation of Turbo Game Mode, as well as EXPO (OC memory).
In the case of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X, performance is boosted by up to 17.98% in Far Cry 6. Up to 9.39% in Tomb Raider and 7.31% in Horizon Zero Down. For the Ryzen 9 7950X3D, very similar performance improvements are reported. Up to 16.14% in Far Cry 6, 8.53% in Tomb Raider and 11.03% in Horizon Zero Down. Still a long way from the 35%, but already more significant.
