When Windows 11 was released a few weeks ago, there were a few concerns with the new operating system. Two, in particular, received the most attention, and both had an impact on AMD processors. The performance of AMD processors’ L3 cache was hampered by one, and the “preferred core” feature of certain CPUs was harmed by the other. Today, the public may get patches for both vulnerabilities, with AMD providing a completely new repair for the preferred core issue on Windows 11.
Processors can usually recognize which core is the best at the time and assign a thread to it. While the cores in a CPU are supposed to be similar, there are always minor differences, and this feature, known as “preferred core,” allows CPUs to select the best-performing cores for each given task. AMD processors could no longer use the preferred core function with the Windows 11 update, therefore workloads were assigned to random cores instead, which could result in slightly decreased performance for jobs that only use one or a few cores.
AMD latest chipset driver is out.
This issue should now be resolved with the latest AMD Ryzen chipset driver update, version 3.10.08.506, and threads should be assigned to the correct core once again. Although the driver update is primarily for Windows 11, it can also be installed on Windows 10. You may check the Apps & features page in the Windows 11 Settings app to see if it’s installed. A listing for AMD Chipset Software 3.10.08.506 should appear, showing that you have the most recent version. The updated driver may be found here.
It was simply an issue of increased latency when accessing the cache built into AMD CPUs that caused the L3 cache problem. While a fix was made available to Windows Insiders last week, it is now available for download and installation on the stable version of Windows 11. The KB5006746 updates the build number to 22000.282, which is the same build that Windows Insiders received. You can manually download the update from here, or check your Windows 11 PC’s list of optional updates. The patch will also be included in the required Patch Tuesday release next month.
Since the launch of Windows 11, a few more bugs have been discovered, including one that may cause Windows 11 to prompt users for administrator capabilities when attempting to print anything from a print server. Last week’s update for Windows Insiders in the Beta channel brought many other fixes in addition to the cure for the L3 cache issue on AMD CPUs, however that particular problem has yet to be resolved.
