The launch of AMD’s Ryzen 9000 series desktop processors, while highly anticipated, resulted in a lackluster performance reception earlier this year. In response, AMD has been actively working to mitigate the damage, citing initial testing methodology flaws as a key contributor to the disappointing benchmarks and rolling out updates aimed at improving performance.
In a recent announcement, AMD introduced an updated firmware for the X870 motherboards and Ryzen 600 chipsets, which promises to unlock a new 105-watt thermal design power (TDP) profile for the Ryzen 9600X and 9700X processors. Although this performance capability was technically available from the start, the latest BIOS updates will allow users to achieve enhanced performance levels without jeopardizing their warranties, making these budget-friendly processors more appealing.
The firmware update also tackles core-to-core latency issues identified by reviewers when comparing the Ryzen 9000 series to its 7000-series predecessors. According to AMD, the newly released 1.2.0.2 BIOS version effectively halves the number of transactions related to this latency, which is a critical enhancement for CPU-intensive games and various benchmarking scenarios—areas where gamers often seek to showcase their setups.
If you’re among the early adopters of the latest AM5-compatible motherboards, it’s essential to update to the latest BIOS as soon as possible. Additionally, AMD revealed that the X870 and X870E boards will now support DDR5-8000 RAM with the new EXPO profile, allowing for remarkably fast memory overclocking capabilities. This latest RAM profile is similar to Intel’s XMP and represents AMD’s commitment to advancing memory performance alongside its CPU offerings.