Possible Windows Bug Found, Hurts Ryzen Gaming Performance

Summary

The video discusses a potential bug in Windows 11 affecting Ryzen processors' gaming performance, particularly Zen 5. AMD and the reviewer found that using a hidden administrator account improved gaming results, suggesting the issue might be more widespread across Ryzen CPUs. The video clarifies that this is not a Zen 5 specific problem and emphasizes the need for a Windows update to resolve the inconsistency in performance across different installations.

Takeaways

• 🔍 There is a potential bug in Windows 11 affecting the gaming performance of Ryzen processors, including both Zen 4 and Zen 5.
• 📉 The issue seems to have a slightly more significant impact on Zen 5 processors, but the difference is minimal.
• 🤔 AMD and the reviewer worked together to diagnose the gaming performance, with AMD confirming the data but noticing a discrepancy with their internal results.
• 🔄 Extensive retesting was done with fresh Windows installs and different hardware to understand the performance variance.
• 👥 After discussions with other reviewers, it was found that the initial data was accurate, and the review was published.
• 🕵️‍♂️ AMD discovered that using a hidden administrator account in Windows could result in significant gaming performance gains for Zen 5 processors.
• 🔑 The local user account with admin rights is not the same as the system administrator account with elevated privileges, which may affect Ryzen performance in bursty workloads like gaming.
• 🎮 The performance boost observed with the administrator account was not exclusive to Zen 5; it also affected Zen 4 processors.
• 📊 The testing showed that the performance uplift with the administrator account varied across different games, with some showing significant improvements and others showing little to no change.
• 💻 The reviewer suggests that the issue may not be specific to Zen 5 and could be a broader issue affecting Ryzen processors in general.
• 🆕 AMD expects a future Windows update to address the bug, which could improve gaming performance for Ryzen processors.

Q & A

What issue was identified in the video script related to Windows 11 and Ryzen processors?

A bug in Windows 11 was identified that seems to be affecting the gaming performance of Ryzen processors, both Zen 4 and Zen 5, with a slightly more significant impact on Zen 5.

What was AMD's initial response to the gaming performance data presented in the video?

AMD concluded that the gaming data was accurate and did not claim it was wrong, but they felt there were a few percentage points missing from the Ryzen 7 9700X results compared to their internal findings.

What steps were taken to retest the gaming performance of the Ryzen processors?

The video creator spent days retesting with fresh Windows installs, different motherboards, and memory kits to understand the issue better.

What is the significance of the 'administrator account' in the context of this issue?

AMD suggested that testing with a 'hidden administrator account' with elevated privileges might yield different results, as it could affect how Ryzen processors perform bursty workloads like gaming.

How did the use of the administrator account affect the gaming performance of the Ryzen 7 9700X and Ryzen 7 7700X?

Using the administrator account resulted in a performance boost for both processors in various games, but the gap between them varied, with some games showing a larger improvement for the 9700X and others showing similar or no change.

What was the average performance improvement for the Ryzen 9 7900X when using the administrator account across the tested games?

The Ryzen 9 7900X saw an average performance improvement of 4% when compared to the initial review data when using the administrator account.

What does the video suggest about the potential impact of this issue on Intel processors?

The video does not provide data on Intel processors, but it suggests that the issue might affect other CPUs as well, not just Ryzen, though this has not been confirmed.

Why did the video creator decide to hold the Ryzen 9 1900X review?

The creator held the review to avoid the possibility of AMD sharing information with others who might have only tested Zen 5 processors and incorrectly concluded that Windows 11 is to blame for its weak gaming performance.

What is the main takeaway from the video regarding the Windows bug and its impact on Ryzen processors?

The main takeaway is that the Windows bug is not specific to Zen 5 processors but seems to be a more general issue affecting Ryzen processors' gaming performance, which may be resolved in a future Windows update.

What is the video creator's plan regarding updating the gaming performance data for Ryzen processors?

The creator plans to wait for a potential Windows update that may address the issue before retesting and updating the gaming performance data for Ryzen processors.

How does the video address the inconsistency in performance results observed by the creator and other reviewers?

The video acknowledges the inconsistency in performance results and speculates that it might be related to the Windows bug, although it is not certain and more investigation is needed.

Outlines

00:00

🕹️ Windows 11 Bug Impacting Ryzen Gaming Performance

The video script discusses a potential bug in Windows 11 that negatively affects the gaming performance of Ryzen processors, including both Zen 4 and Zen 5. The issue appears to be slightly more pronounced for Zen 5, but the impact is minimal. The script clarifies that this is not solely a Zen 5 problem and emphasizes the need for accurate information dissemination. AMD has been collaborating with the reviewer to diagnose the issue, which does not affect sustained workloads like Photoshop or Blender. The video suggests that running processes on an account with elevated privileges, such as a hidden administrator account in Windows, may resolve the issue, leading to significant gaming performance improvements for Zen 5 parts like the 9700x in certain games.

05:03

🎮 Zen 5 Performance Variance and Windows Bug Exploration

This paragraph delves into the testing and analysis of the Windows 11 bug's impact on Zen 4 and Zen 5 processors' gaming performance. The script outlines the process of enabling a hidden administrator account to test if elevated privileges affect performance. Results from various games, such as Cyberpunk 2077 and The Last of Us Part One, show performance improvements when using the administrator account, but these gains are not exclusive to Zen 5, as Zen 4 processors also benefit. The video aims to correct misconceptions about Zen 5's gaming performance being nerfed by Windows 11 and stresses that the bug is a broader Ryzen issue that may be resolved in a future Windows update.

10:03

🛠️ Final Thoughts on Ryzen's Performance and Future Outlook

The final paragraph summarizes the findings and clarifies that the Windows bug is not specific to Zen 5, affecting Ryzen processors in general. It discusses the inconsistency in gaming performance results across different Windows installations and the possibility that the hidden administrator account may be key to unlocking better performance. The script also addresses the potential for a future Windows update to resolve the issue, which could improve Ryzen's gaming performance. The author expresses the intention to wait for such an update before retesting and updating Ryzen gaming data, emphasizing the importance of accurate and consistent information for consumers.

Keywords

💡Zen 5

Zen 5 refers to the fifth generation of AMD's Zen microarchitecture, which is designed for high-performance processors. In the video, Zen 5 is central to the discussion as the narrator explores its gaming performance and potential issues with Windows 11. The script mentions Zen 5 in the context of a bug that may affect its performance, particularly in gaming.

💡Windows 11

Windows 11 is the latest operating system from Microsoft, and it is mentioned in the script as potentially having a bug that impacts the gaming performance of Ryzen processors. The video discusses the possibility that Windows 11 may not be fully optimized for Zen 5, leading to performance discrepancies when compared to AMD's internal testing results.

💡Gaming Performance

Gaming performance is a critical metric for evaluating the capabilities of processors, especially in the context of this video. It is defined by how well a processor can handle gaming workloads, including frame rates and responsiveness. The script discusses the gaming performance of Zen 5 processors, noting a potential bug in Windows 11 that might be affecting it negatively.

💡Bug

In the context of this video, a bug refers to an error or flaw in a software system that causes it to behave unexpectedly or incorrectly. The script suggests that there may be a bug in Windows 11 that is impacting the performance of Ryzen processors, particularly Zen 5, in gaming scenarios.

💡AMD

AMD is a major semiconductor company that produces processors, including the Ryzen line mentioned in the video. The script discusses AMD's response to the potential performance issues with Zen 5 processors under Windows 11, highlighting their collaboration with the reviewer to diagnose and address the problem.

💡Administrator Account

An administrator account in Windows has elevated privileges that allow for system-level changes and access. The video script reveals that AMD suggested testing with a hidden administrator account, which led to significant performance improvements in gaming for Zen 5 processors, indicating that the issue might be related to user account privileges.

💡Benchmarking

Benchmarking is the process of testing a system's performance using specific metrics and workloads. In the script, AMD and the reviewer engage in benchmarking to understand the performance of Zen 5 processors under different conditions, including the use of an administrator account.

💡Frame Rate

Frame rate is the frequency at which frames are displayed in gaming, measured in frames per second (FPS). A higher frame rate typically results in smoother gameplay. The script discusses improvements in frame rate when testing Zen 5 processors with an administrator account, indicating better gaming performance.

💡Sustained All Core Workloads

Sustained all core workloads refer to tasks that require the processor to use all of its cores consistently over time. The video script mentions that AMD believes the potential bug in Windows 11 would not impact these types of workloads, suggesting that the issue is more specific to bursty or gaming workloads.

💡Productivity Applications

Productivity applications are software tools used for tasks like photo editing, video editing, and 3D modeling. The script notes that applications such as Photoshop, Premiere, and Blender were tested and were not affected by the potential Windows 11 bug, indicating that the issue is more isolated to gaming scenarios.

💡Performance Uplift

Performance uplift refers to an improvement in the performance of a system or component. In the context of the video, the term is used to describe the increased gaming performance observed when testing Zen 5 processors with an administrator account, as opposed to a standard user account.

Highlights

A potential bug in Windows 11 is affecting the gaming performance of Ryzen processors, including both Zen 4 and Zen 5.

The issue may be more pronounced for Zen 5 processors, but the extent of the impact is minimal.

AMD and the reviewer worked together to diagnose the gaming performance of the Ryzen 7 9700x.

AMD confirmed the reviewer's gaming data was accurate but noted a slight discrepancy with their internal results.

The reviewer retested with fresh Windows installs and different hardware to investigate the issue further.

AMD suggested that testing with a hidden administrator account in Windows might yield different results.

Using the hidden administrator account, AMD observed significant gaming performance gains for Zen 5 processors.

The bug does not impact sustained all-core workloads, such as productivity applications.

The reviewer found that the performance uplift using the administrator account was not exclusive to Zen 5 but affected Zen 4 as well.

In some games, the performance difference between Zen 5 and Zen 4 processors narrowed when using the administrator account.

The reviewer emphasizes that the Windows bug is not specific to Zen 5 and could potentially affect other CPUs as well.

AMD is working on resolving the issue, which they expect to be addressed in a future Windows update.

The reviewer chose not to retest and update all Ryzen gaming data, waiting for the Windows update instead.

The inconsistency in gaming performance between different Windows installations has been a long-standing issue.

The reviewer speculates that the hidden administrator account might be required to work around an unknown problem in Windows.

The impact of the bug on Intel CPUs is unknown and was not tested in this review.

The reviewer will update their data once a Windows update is released to address the issue.

The gaming performance of Zen 5 remains underwhelming, but a Windows update may improve Ryzen's performance in general.

The reviewer clarifies that the findings do not change the conclusions of their previous reviews.

Transcripts

[Music]

okay you've seen the title in the

thumbnail but chill out let me explain

what's going on here before you race off

to another video or social media

platform to blame Zen 5 shortcomings on

Windows 11 cuz that's not really

accurate so let's not spread yet more

information about zen5 and I realized

I'm only talking to a vocal minority

here but had to give that disclaimer

just straight off the bat now there does

appear to be a bug in Windows 11 that's

hurting the gaming performance of ryzen

processors both zen4 and Zen 5 and we

have some evidence to suggest that the

issue is a little bit worse for Zen 5

but not much worse like a teeny tiny bit

we also don't know yet if this issue

affects processors such as the am4

Horizon models we don't know if this is

an issue at all for Intel processors so

please bear all of that information in

mind for those of you who have seen our

ryzen 7 9700x review you'll know we

worked with AMD to try and diagnose our

gaming performance and in the end AMD

concluded that our gaming data was

accurate they certainly didn't claim

that it was wrong but they did not that

they were seeing slightly better results

internally but stressed that it was only

slightly better obviously though we want

to provide you guys with the most

accurate data we can so I've spent days

retesting with fresh windows installs

different motherboards and memory kits

to try and work out what's going on in

the end after speaking with almost a

dozen other reviewers it became clear

that our data was pretty much on the

money so we went ahead and published our

review now since reviews went live amd's

team has been working around the clock

to try and figure out what's going on

again they weren't expecting Zen 5's

gaming performance to be much better

than what we showed you but they did

feel there were a few percent missing

from the 9700x results so yeah it does

sound trivial I know but like AMD we

want to make sure the numbers a bang on

so after more than a few back and forths

with AMD they asked me if I was testing

with an ad administrator account which

sounds like a bit of an odd question of

course we're testing with an

administrator account and then explain

to them that yeah like any normal person

I install Windows 11 create the user

account during the install process and

once in Windows that account is

described as the local administrator

account but this isn't actually what AMD

meant there's a sort of hidden

administrator account that you can

activate within windows and it has

elevated privileges as I understand the

local account the local user account has

admin rights whereas the administrator

account is the actual system admin seems

odd that there'd be a difference but

apparently there is and as far as I can

tell if the ryen processes aren't run on

an account with these elevated

privileges then they don't function as

intended for bursty workloads so that

means gaming in particular AMD told me

this bug if that's indeed what it is

won't impact sustained all core

workloads so productivity stuff that we

tested such as Photoshop premere s zip

blender and so on those applications

will not be affected by this issue AMD

also told me when switching between the

local user account and the administrator

account they were seeing big gaming

performance gains for Zen 5 Parts such

as the 9700x in multiple games they were

seeing this and therefore they believed

the bug to be responsible for the

difference between their data and my own

review data now I'm not sure why AMD

would have been benchmarking using the

sort of hidden administrator account if

indeed they were perhaps they required

the elevated privileges for their

automated testing software or maybe they

just found this issue while trying to

diagnose the review data I'm not exactly

sure on those details what I do know is

this AMD presented me with this as a

potential scenario to explain why their

gaming data was a bit more positive for

Zen 5 than my own and they asked me if I

could investigate on my end so of course

I did and now I can share with you what

I found the first step is to open up the

command prompt and type in net.exe user

administrator slactive yes once all of

that's been done simply sign out and now

you will see the administrator account

in the lower left corner of the screen

click that and log in and now all of

your windows-based software will need to

be reconfigured for testing as you're

essentially setting up a new user

account so with all of that done let's

take a look at the

results so we'll start with cyberp Punk

277 Phantom Liberty because this is

where AMD claimed they were seeing the

biggest Improvement and they went wrong

wrong using the administrator account we

saw a 7% Improvement to the average

frame rate and that's not a trivial

Improvement it's an extra 10 FPS and

that would make the 9700x 9% faster than

the 7700x based on our review data for

the

7700x however if we also test the 7700x

using the administrator account we find

an 8% boost for that processor which

actually closes the gap between it and

the

9700x previously the zen5 processor was

2% faster but now it's just 1% faster so

although AMD suggested this might be a

Zen 5 bug it seems they've discovered a

Windows bug that hurts both zen4 and Zen

5 performance it might also affect other

CPUs for all we know we haven't had a

chance to test them but we can at least

confirm that this does affect zen4 and

Zen 5 at this point in time now game

where these new Zen 5 processors sucked

was The Last of Us Part One so I tested

that next and found a 6% boost to the

average frame rate and a 10% uplift for

the 1% lows so that's a big Improvement

however if we test the 7700x we also see

a 5% boost to the average frame rate so

whereas previously the 7700x was 1.3%

faster it's now 6% faster so again this

seems to be a Zen issue in general that

said we did find an example in Hogwarts

Legacy where the 9700x does see a solid

performance uplift using the

administrator account but the 7700x

doesn't and I did triple check this data

so whereas the 7700x was 1% faster in

this example using the administrator

account the 9700x is now 9% faster and

that's a decent margin a plague tail

requim is another example where the data

becomes more favorable for the 9700x

previously the zen5 part was just 3%

faster but with the administrator

account it's down 9% faster as the 7700x

saw no

improvement things though go the other

way in Horizon forbidden West previously

the 7700 X was 2% faster in this title

whereas the administrator account

increased that margin in favor of the

7700x to 5% Hitman 3 previously saw the

9700 X win by a slim 1% margin but with

the administrator account performance

was

identical we see a very minor change in

home World 3 the administrator account

boost performance for both models but

whereas the 9700x was 3% faster it's now

4% faster so scaling is basically the

same in this example both CPUs again

become fter using the administrator

account in Spider-Man remastered but

whereas the 9700x was previously 5%

faster it is now 9% faster which is

becoming a decent

margin the administrator account helps

correct the 9700 X's performance in

Starfield though only to the degree that

it now matches or roughly matches the

7700x so an improvement for sure but

hardly anything to write home about both

CPUs saw a 5 to 6% performance uplift

when using the administrator account so

the margin here doesn't really change

the 7700x is now a% faster the ACC

results don't change at all with the

administrator account so the 9700x

remains 18% faster and I believe the big

Improvement here is due to the increased

L1 cash capacity The Boulders Gate 3

data also barely changes so not much to

see here and we see little to no change

for the Counter-Strike 2

results so across our 13 game sample the

9700x saw a 4% performance impr

Improvement on average when compared to

the day one review data meanwhile the

7700x saw a 3% Improvement so what all

of this means is previously we found an

average for gaming that the 9700x was

just 3% faster than the

7700x and when using the administrator

account it's now 4% faster so we've

improved the 9700 X's position by a perc

that's it if we didn't bother to also

retest the 7700x we might have included

that the 9700x is now 7% faster for

gaming which would have been a much

bigger deal but in reality that just

isn't the case so there you have it guys

I rushed to get this out and we've put

our ryzen 9 1900 X review on hold

because I didn't want AMD showing this

information with someone else who might

have only tested Zen 5 processors and

concluded that Zen 5's performance is

indeed being nerfed by Windows 11 when

in reality there is a bit more to the

story in fact there's a lot more to the

story this Windows bug which aim MD has

told me should be addressed in a future

Windows update seems to be more of a

general Ryon bug at least based on the

testing that we've been able to do so

far so it's not an issue that

specifically affects zen5 processors I

need to make that clear uh I think maybe

AMD initially thought that that might be

the case when they first discovered it

but I'm just speculating there the main

takeaway is this is not a Zen 5 specific

Windows bug the crazy thing is I think

I've been grappling with this issue for

a long time now I know there have been

occasions when I've gone and installed

Windows for parts such as the 7800 x3d

and it's delivered stronger gaming

performance than I was seeing previously

like a week prior and then after another

fresh install the results go back to

what I was seeing about a week prior and

other reviewers have also reported this

very same sort of inconsistent

performance issue with certain rise and

processes especially for these Day One

reviews that you've seen over the last

week so I don't know if sometimes

windows installs without the let's call

it bug uh you know rarely does it

install without it but then most of the

time it installs where I don't know you

require these elevated privileges to

work around whatever the problem is I

really don't know I'm I'm completely

speculating at this point all I know is

I have seen some inconsistent results

with you know installations of Windows

you install and it works well and then

you install and it doesn't work as well

as it was previously bit weird I don't

know if this is the culprit or not I

guess is what I'm trying to say and it's

really important to note that all the

information this video changes nothing

about the reviews The Gaming performance

relative to zen4 doesn't really change

as we just saw relative to Intel

processes this may improve ryzen's

position but that's also just an

assumption that I'm being forced to make

at this point in time it's very possible

that the administrator account will also

boost the gaming performance of Intel

CPUs and ideally I would have liked to

have looked into that before publishing

this content but I would need a few more

days to get that testing done and like I

said my fear was that someone would run

with this story and in the process

create Masseria online with claims that

Windows 11 is to blame for Zen 5's weak

gaming performance when in reality that

does not appear to be the case for now

I'm not going to retest and update all

of our ryen gaming data rather I'm going

to wait to see what happens with all of

this will Microsoft as AMD suggests

release a Windows update to fix this

issue don't know yet but if and when

they do that's when I'll update all of

my data because right now if you buy one

of these CPUs and install Windows unless

you specifically use the administrator

account by following the steps shown in

this video you will be getting the

performance that you have seen in the

day one reviews and that's all I have

for you on this issue Zen 5's gaming

performance remains highly disappointing

but it's possible ryzen's gaming

performance in general will be improved

shortly with a Windows update unless

running with elevated privileges poses

some kind of security risk and therefore

this isn't really a bug at all uh we'll

just have to wait and see on that one

also as I said I I do want to be clear

on this we haven't tested Intel CPUs so

it is possible this just improves gaming

performance for all CPUs so I guess time

will tell on that one but if you

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watching this video I'm your host Steve

see you again next time

[Music]

[Music]