The video discusses the recent performance boost for AMD CPUs, particularly in the game Star Citizen, following a Windows update that included optimizations previously only available to Windows admin accounts. Despite hopes for significant improvements, testing revealed minimal performance gains in Star Citizen, leading to disappointment as the update primarily benefits newer AMD CPUs while offering little for older models or Intel users.
The video discusses the potential performance boost for AMD CPUs, particularly in the game Star Citizen, following a recent Windows update. The presenter highlights the release of AMD’s 9000 series CPUs, which have received disappointing reviews, with the 9700X offering only marginal improvements over the previous 7700X. Many reviewers concluded that the 7800X3D remains the better recommendation. However, AMD was reportedly unhappy with the performance results, as their internal testing suggested the 9000 series chips were significantly faster.
The video explains that AMD’s testing was conducted on a Windows admin account that utilized branch code optimizations not available to standard users. To address this, a preview version of Windows was released, which included these optimizations, potentially leading to substantial performance boosts in certain games. Recently, an optional Windows update was made available, providing similar performance improvements without the need for the preview version.
The presenter emphasizes that the performance enhancements primarily affect AMD CPUs from the Zen 3, Zen 4, and Zen 5 generations, meaning that Intel users and owners of older AMD CPUs (2000 and 3000 series) should not expect significant changes. The video references data from Hardware Unboxed, which shows varying degrees of improvement across different games, from substantial boosts to negligible changes.
Focusing on Star Citizen, the presenter conducted extensive testing with different AMD CPUs, including the 5800X3D and the 7800X3D. Unfortunately, the results revealed minimal performance improvements from the Windows update when tested in the game. Despite hopes that Star Citizen would benefit significantly from the update, the findings indicated that the performance gains were within the margin of error, suggesting little to no noticeable difference in gameplay.
In conclusion, while the Windows update may provide some performance enhancements for certain games and AMD CPUs, the presenter expresses disappointment that Star Citizen does not seem to be one of those games that benefit significantly. They recommend installing the update for a potential minor boost but caution users not to expect it to resolve any major performance issues in Star Citizen. Overall, the video reflects a sense of letdown regarding the anticipated improvements for a game that many players are eager to optimize.