Windows 11’s latest platform work has delivered one of the rarest kinds of performance upgrades: a meaningful, no-cost uplift for gamers simply by installing an OS update. Microsoft’s 24H2 release (and the backported preview patch KB5041587) unlocks better AMD Ryzen behavior in many titles by restoring and improving AMD-specific branch prediction paths in Windows — and the practical result is measurable frame-rate gains for both Zen 4 and Zen 5 desktop CPUs. Early independent testing shows the Ryzen 7 7700X averaging roughly a 10% uplift and the Ryzen 7 9700X about 11% in 1080p gaming across dozens of titles, with some games producing much larger swings — but also a handful showing regressions or stability wrinkles.
Background
What Microsoft and AMD changed
The core of this update is not faster silicon or higher clocks — it’s software reclaiming how the OS interacts with Ryzen’s speculative execution and branch prediction logic. AMD discovered that some Windows 11 code paths were preventing modern Ryzen processors (especially those built on Zen 5) from leveraging improved branch predictors. Microsoft and AMD collaborated to add and backport a set of optimizations that make those branch-prediction enhancements available to normal user accounts (no hidden Administrator workarounds required). The mechanism shipped in the Windows 11 24H2 preview and as an optional backport to 23H2 under KB5041587.How reviewers tested it
Independent labs and prominent YouTube reviewers ran side-by-side comparisons across large game suites (40+ titles is typical). The methodology that produced the headline averages used 1080p settings to ensure CPU-bound scenarios, consistent drivers, and the same GPU (often an RTX 4090 or similar) to minimize GPU bottlenecks. Those tests compared Windows 23H2 (or a pre-patch build) to 24H2 (or 23H2 + KB5041587), and measured average frame-rates and 1% lows to determine real gaming impact. Tom’s Hardware, Hardware Unboxed and other outlets repeated and reported the results.At-a-glance: Ryzen 7 9700X vs. Ryzen 7 7700X after Windows 11 24H2
- Average 1080p gaming uplift: Ryzen 7 7700X ≈ +10%, Ryzen 7 9700X ≈ +11% in multi-game test suites.
- Per-title volatility: most games show a modest gain; some titles explode into large improvements (20–30%); a few regress slightly.
- Zen 4 vs Zen 5 scaling: the generational lead for Zen 5 remains small — the update benefits both generations, so the relative gap between 7700X and 9700X is not meaningfully widened.
Deep dive: what the benchmarks actually show
A broad pattern — consistent lifts, scattered extremes
Across suites of 40+ games run at 1080p, most titles showed a measurable uplift after the update. The median game produced a noticeable, but not dramatic improvement — enough to make competitive play smoother and to raise 1% lows (which are important for perceived smoothness). In many CPU-bound scenarios (low-resolution, high-refresh play), the update moved the needle in a way you feel in-game.Notable behaviors reported by testers:
- Many titles recorded average FPS gains in the low double digits (8–12%).
- Some games produced dramatic increases in both frame rate and 1% lows (examples from independent testing peaked in the 20–35% range for specific titles).
- A small subset of games saw negligible change or slight regressions; a couple of reviewers reported dips in F1 24 and Baldur’s Gate 3 after early 24H2 builds.
Extreme outliers — treat them with caution
Community-aggregated articles and summaries have cited very large single-title gains (some aggregated writeups suggested extreme numbers in select cases). These outliers are interesting but should be treated carefully: variations in test setup, driver versions, CPU TDP modes, or reporting (average vs minimum frame rate, or reporting a single-run maximum) can drastically inflate a percentage number. Some of the most sensational figures circulating in secondary writeups are not directly reproducible from the primary methodology posted by established reviewers. Any extraordinary per-game claim that’s not reproduced by the major bench teams is unverified and should be treated as an anecdote rather than a baseline expectation.Why Zen 4 and Zen 5 both benefit (and why the gap stays similar)
Branch prediction is architecture-agnostic at the OS level
The Windows changes modify OS-level code paths that interact with CPU branch predictors. Because both Zen 4 and Zen 5 expose branch prediction structures to the OS, both architectures benefit from the fixes. Zen 5’s branch predictors are more advanced, so in theory it stands to gain slightly more, but the practical result from tests is both CPUs get similar average uplift, preserving the modest performance delta between them.Power and thermal context still matters
Hardware differences still govern absolute performance. The Ryzen 7 7700X is a Zen 4 chip with a higher default TDP (105 W), designed to sustain higher clocks under longer loads. The Ryzen 7 9700X is an 8-core Zen 5 chip with a lower nominal TDP (65 W) but different boost/cTDP properties; AGESA and firmware can change how much sustained power it can draw. Those TDP and BIOS differences mean some motherboards and firmware combinations can let the 9700X close gaps or show larger gains after microcode/bios updates (e.g., AGESA 1.2.0.2 offering extended configurable power allowances). In short: software updates fixed a scheduling/prediction problem, but raw power envelopes and firmware still shape final frame rates and thermals.Real-world impact for gamers
What you’ll likely notice
- Smoother 1% lows and higher average frame rates in CPU-sensitive situations (1080p, high FPS). Competitive players aiming for high refresh are the biggest beneficiaries.
- Less need for user-side “tweaks” like enabling an obscure hidden Administrator account or aggressive memory timing fiddling. The gains are delivered through the OS without manual stability tradeoffs.
Where gains are muted
- At higher resolutions (1440p, 4K), the GPU is the dominant bottleneck; CPU-side improvements matter less. Expect much smaller perceptible advantages above 1080p.
- Titles with unusual engine behavior or those already dominated by GPU-bound workload still show minimal FPS change.
Risks, regressions, and things to watch for
- Some titles saw small regressions after early 24H2 builds; stability and compatibility remain a moving target and Microsoft iterates after the preview stage. Testers flagged F1 24 and Baldur’s Gate 3 as examples where FPS fell slightly in some test setups.
- Anti-cheat and low-level kernel-mode systems have historically been sensitive to major OS updates. There were early community reports of compatibility issues between certain anti-cheat middleware and Windows 24H2/preview builds; users should check game developer and anti-cheat status pages before updating mission-critical rigs.
- Reports of odd stutter or system-specific regressions exist in forums and social communities. Many of these are tied to specific drivers, BIOS revisions, or user configurations — emphasizing the need to update chipset drivers and motherboard firmware (AGESA) alongside Windows.
- Very large single-game gains cited in secondary articles are not consistently reproduced by major independent reviewers; treat extraordinary claims with caution and rely on trusted benchmarkers for planning.
Practical advice: how to get the update, and optimization checklist
- Check Windows Update for Optional Updates and look for “KB5041587” (or install Windows 11 24H2 via the Release Preview channel or official ISO). Many users saw the fix delivered as an optional patch before the full 24H2 rollout.
- Update your motherboard BIOS to the latest AGESA recommended by your vendor — several vendors released firmware (e.g., AGESA 1.2.0.2) that can change power behavior and lower latency for Zen 5 chips. AGESA updates can yield additional gains or stabilize power delivery.
- Update chipset drivers (AMD chipset drivers) and GPU drivers from the manufacturer page. Driver mismatches are the most common cause of performance regressions after OS upgrades.
- After installing the patch, run a quick sanity check: test a CPU-heavy title at 1080p and monitor average FPS and 1% lows. Compare to your pre-update logs if available.
- If you see regressions, check: BIOS version, chipset driver version, GPU driver version, and any security settings (e.g., virtualization-based security / VBS) that might affect scheduler behavior. Consider reverting the update temporarily while troubleshooting.
What this means for buying decisions and upgrade strategy
- For gamers on the fence about upgrading from Ryzen 7000 (Zen 4) to Ryzen 9000/9700X (Zen 5): the Windows changes make the generational uplift less of an immediate selling point. Zen 5 benefits, but because Zen 4 also improves under the OS fixes, the real-world edge is modest in many gaming workloads. Buyers should weigh platform features (chipset, future-proofing, memory support, cTDP flexibility) and price rather than expect a transformative FPS leap.
- For players with older Ryzen CPUs: this update shows the value of software-level optimization — you can extract extra life from existing hardware. If building a budget or mid-range rig, prioritizing a good GPU and updated platform firmware plus OS patches may be more impactful than chasing the newest CPU generation immediately.
The broader implication: OS-level fixes matter
This episode is a reminder that hardware performance is often a three-legged stool: silicon, firmware, and the operating system. Microarchitectural improvements are only useful if the OS scheduler and low-level runtime properly exploit them. Microsoft’s work here — born out of close coordination with AMD — illustrates the gains possible when OS vendors and silicon designers align.It also underlines the asymmetry in modern performance marketing. Bench numbers published at a CPU launch can depend on the exact software stack used in testing (AMD’s internal “admin” testing setup vs. retail user accounts was a key ingredient of the original launch controversy). Fixes that standardize those optimizations for normal users are therefore material to real-world competitiveness.
Conclusion — what Windows enthusiasts should take away
The Windows 11 24H2 update and its backport via KB5041587 delivered a practical gift to many Ryzen owners: a clean, software-driven uplift to gaming performance without overclocking or unstable tweaks. For the Ryzen 7 7700X and 9700X specifically, the majority of independent testing shows average gains in the neighborhood of 10–11% at 1080p, with a handful of titles seeing more dramatic changes while a few see minor regressions. These changes don’t rewrite the relative performance chart between Zen 4 and Zen 5 — the gap remains modest — but they do improve day-to-day gameplay and make existing Ryzen systems more competitive.Gamers should install the optional patch or 24H2, update BIOS and drivers, and validate with a short benchmark. But prudence is warranted: check compatibility with any anti-cheat or proprietary middleware used by your favorite titles, keep firmware current, and treat exceptionally large single-title performance claims as anecdotes until verified by established testers.
This is a rare example of operating system maintenance materially improving user-facing performance across an entire CPU family — and it’s a pragmatic reminder that keeping software and firmware current often yields more performance per dollar than chasing a new CPU every year.
Source: NoobFeed AMD Ryzen 7 9700X vs. 7700X Performance Differences in Windows 11 Gaming | NoobFeed