Wednesday, January 11th 2012
New Windows 7 Bulldozer Patches Available.
Very quietly Microsoft has released two new patches available for the Bulldozer platform. According to the AMD blog these patches seem to offer little more then a 10% boost but the do improve over all performance. This is what Adam Kozak a product marketing manager at AMD had to say,
"Some of you may remember that AMD FX processors use a unique dual-core module architecture codenamed "Bulldozer", which current versions of Windows 7 were not specifically architected to utilize. In essence, for those with an AMD FX-8150 Processor, for example, Windows 7 sees the eight available cores and randomly assigns threads to them.
In initial testing of the upcoming Windows 8 operating system, we've seen performance improvements of up to 10% in some applications, when compared to Windows 7. This is because the system correctly recognizes the AMD FX processor architecture and cores. Thanks to close collaboration between Microsoft and AMD, Microsoft recently completed back-porting some of the Windows 8 scheduler code for AMD FX processors into a hotfix for Windows 7."
Here are the directions given by Adam Kozak,
So if you have an AMD FX processor, here's what you can do to update your version of Windows 7:
1) Download the scheduler update (KB2645594) and install. This will tell the scheduler that your AMD FX processor contains dual-core modules (in fact this is similar to the SMT path that the other guys use). In essence, threads 1-4 now get assigned to their own module first.
2) Download the core parking scheduler update (KB2646060) and install. This will prevent Windows 7 shutting down unused cores prematurely when there are threads to be assigned (there's a performance penalty parking and then un-parking a core).
The best possible cases for improvement are applications that use ½ cores in your AMD FX processor. In our testing using the AMD FX-8150 processor, we found the best improvement in wPrime, Left 4 Dead 2, and Lost Planet. Below you'll find links to the patches:
Patch 1
Patch 2
Source:
AMD Blog
"Some of you may remember that AMD FX processors use a unique dual-core module architecture codenamed "Bulldozer", which current versions of Windows 7 were not specifically architected to utilize. In essence, for those with an AMD FX-8150 Processor, for example, Windows 7 sees the eight available cores and randomly assigns threads to them.
In initial testing of the upcoming Windows 8 operating system, we've seen performance improvements of up to 10% in some applications, when compared to Windows 7. This is because the system correctly recognizes the AMD FX processor architecture and cores. Thanks to close collaboration between Microsoft and AMD, Microsoft recently completed back-porting some of the Windows 8 scheduler code for AMD FX processors into a hotfix for Windows 7."
Here are the directions given by Adam Kozak,
So if you have an AMD FX processor, here's what you can do to update your version of Windows 7:
1) Download the scheduler update (KB2645594) and install. This will tell the scheduler that your AMD FX processor contains dual-core modules (in fact this is similar to the SMT path that the other guys use). In essence, threads 1-4 now get assigned to their own module first.
2) Download the core parking scheduler update (KB2646060) and install. This will prevent Windows 7 shutting down unused cores prematurely when there are threads to be assigned (there's a performance penalty parking and then un-parking a core).
The best possible cases for improvement are applications that use ½ cores in your AMD FX processor. In our testing using the AMD FX-8150 processor, we found the best improvement in wPrime, Left 4 Dead 2, and Lost Planet. Below you'll find links to the patches:
Patch 1
Patch 2
105 Comments on New Windows 7 Bulldozer Patches Available.
well this is a hardcore enthusiast site after all!
can someone load cinebench please
if its better in wprime then it should seriously translate beneficially to cinebench
PROOF
MY RIG.
Bulldozer a disappointment? Sure to some, not to others.
Is it outright a bad useless terrible chip? No, get a life.
10% from an OS patch?
Not too bad.
Glad to see this, hopefully they can draw a bit more out of it. I recently build a system with a fx8150, I can't say I was blown away by how incredibly slow it is.
Non the less nobody can argue it's not a step in the right direction that I think we can all be happy to see as losing AMD would put Intel in a position we don't want them in.
I would also like to bring into the light being this is NOT a true 8 core cpu...
Disabling Core Parking in windows for my i7 yielded much smoother game play in quite a few games when I left HT enabled, I haven't checked to see if this was an issue with the Bulldozers yet but if someone wants to give it a shot lets hear if it helps :)
So it's just dissapointing.
To all the people coming in this thread, bashing the Bulldozer architecture and its performance results,... go kick rocks. You're biased, ill-knowledge "advice" is unwanted and basically useless. There is nothing wrong with the Bulldozer platform, its not supposed to be an Intel killer. It is what it is; an alternative to Sandy Bridge with a different use in mind. Anyone who knows anything about the Bulldozer architecture knows what it's real intention was/is.
The moral of this patch release is, it's good to see Microsoft work with AMD to increase performance for a unique processor like Bulldozer. It's nice to see a software giant like Microsoft with with AMD to increase performance, especially when it helps improve upon performance of Bulldozer. Win/Win.
You Intel fan boys need to build multiple bridges, and when you're done complaining as you build, you'll eventually get over it.
Fact is, all of you Intel fans want a AMD 7970 for your precious Intel rig. There's no denying that.
So... another moral, learn to appreciate (and respect) all brands and what they produce, unless you want to pay $500 for a low grade CPU from Intel down the road.
Performance of my Sys is still fine. It's just the kind of AMD is dealing with the situation, makes me angry. Bulldozer is what it is. They should never praised it as an eight core CPU.
And the hole FX-rebirth thing just wakes expectations, they could never satisfy. And they knew that. And teasing with patches, which should deliver up to 10% performance increase doesn't help either. Cause as the results here show clearly none increase. Except Resident Evil. But who plays only Resident Evil.
i have a 965be oc to 3.9g.
no change just using windows index bs (still 7.5).
but my ssd went from 7.7 to 7.9.
just thought i would pass this along
i limited my oc to 3.9g because of temp (air).
before the patch, using prime95, i got as high as 60c.
now im at 52c.
only been running for 1/2 hour, but if it holds, i think i will tweak to cpu again.
maybe my idea of using amd chipset, amd gpu and amd processor wasnt so lame after all.
:)
And for the record, I don't give a rat's ass what processor you have: you use whatever you need to get the job done. All this "my processor is better that your processor" crap is just so much forum wanking.
after a hour it went up to 54c.
time to tweak the cpu.
Thank you.
games
Application
www.hardware.fr/news/12089/amd-fx-patchs-windows-7-dispos.html
what im using now was going to be intel, but 130 for cpu, 130 board, 130 for ssd, allowed me to splurge on the case and memory.
and if amd sorts out their latest and greatest, my board has the bios for bd.
maybe with microsquirts efforts i will get 2 extra years from this latest build.
who knows.
maybe this patch improves/hoses non-amd.
i have a i5 laptop with intel gpu.
i rairley use it and have nothing i cant loose on it.
other than the time to re-set it up.
i smell experiments.
in 24 hrs i may know a little more.
but right now the wife sez go to bed.
and i think shes right this time.
:)
All i can really say is be careful 1155 users, you may very well be on borrowed time like 1366/1156 users...
GG AMD! hope that 10% translates into something better.
Cheers to the staff at TPU :toast:
EDIT: @Static~Charge
Trickson is just that a trickster, no different then Mailman (#1 Troller at times lol jk). It's all fun and good reading. Cut the man some slack as he's a good guy ;)
Sorry If I confused you...
but there will be a batch that "should" ROCK, when new and not abused.
my board may not be much good past the next revisions of fx, but if i pay attension to tpu and other class sites, some smart azz is going to nail down the right lot numbers.
damn wife.
batteries are low.
gotta go
:)
4/1