AMD improves Zen 5 CPU latency and performance with BIOS updates

AMD is releasing new BIOS updates that will boost performance for its Ryzen 9600X / 9700X processors and address some latency issues. The performance improvements and latency reductions arrive around a month after disappointing Zen 5 desktop CPU reviews and appear alongside updates to Windows 11 that include optimized AMD-specific branch prediction for both Zen 4 and Zen 5 chips.

CPU reviewers have been reporting a higher-than-expected core-to-core latency across the Ryzen 9000-series of desktop processors, and now AMD has addressed this with a new BIOS optimization.

The latest AMD updates for AM5 motherboards include AGESA PI 1.2.0.2 firmware, which AMD says will address some “corner cases” where it takes two transactions to read and write when information is shared across different parts of a Ryzen 9 9000 processor. “We’ve managed to cut the number of transactions in half for this use case, which helps reduce core-to-core latency in multi-CCD models,” says AMD.

This BIOS update also includes a new 105-watt cTDP option to push the thermal design power of the Ryzen 9600X and 9700X. “These processors have been validated at 105W since their release, so you won’t be pushing them beyond their design limits,” says AMD. “This boost is especially beneficial for multithreaded workloads, but you might see some gains in less-threaded apps too.”

You’ll need to make sure you have appropriate cooling to enable the 105-watt mode, but AMD says it should result in around 10 percent more performance on the Ryzen 9600X and 9700X. This new mode won’t void your warranty, either.

AMD is also launching its next round of AM5 motherboards this week, with the X870 and X870E boards both available at retailers. You don’t need these new boards for AMD’s latest Ryzen 9000-series CPUs, but they do come with USB 4.0 as standard, and they also include PCIe 5 Gen 5 on the graphics and NVMe sides that can be used simultaneously. There are rumors that the upcoming RTX 5090 will be a PCIe Gen 5 card, and AMD teases it’s “more important than ever now that we are on the cusp of a new generation of graphics cards” to have full PCIe Gen 5 support.

The X870 and X870E boards also include support for higher-clocked memory. AMD has now enabled DDR5-8000 EXPO support on these new boards, which includes around 1 to 2ns of latency improvements over DDR5-6000.