AMD Claims Windows Limits Zen 5 CPU Performance by 13% and Highlights Upcoming Windows 11 24H2 Gaming Optimizations

Earlier this month AMD announced its new Zen 5 Ryzen 9000 series desktop CPUs, but claimed that Windows limits their performance by about 13% because the current Windows 11 23H2 and earlier versions lack branch‑prediction optimizations.

External media tested the gaming performance of these CPUs and found that the real‑world results fall short of the ideal figures presented in AMD’s official PPT, which are based on specific optimal conditions.

AMD responded that the responsibility lies with Microsoft, stating they will not take the blame for the performance gap.

According to AMD, the upcoming Windows 11 24H2 (still in preview) will include the missing branch‑prediction code, potentially boosting Ryzen 9000 gaming performance by double‑digit percentages.

Tests by @HardwareUnboxed on the Windows 11 24H2 Build 26100 preview, covering up to 40 games, showed an average performance increase of around 11% compared to the current Windows 11 23H2 Build 2263. Specific titles such as World War 3 , Homeworld 3 , and Remnant 2 saw frame‑rate gains exceeding 20%, with Gear 5 improving up to 35%.

The performance uplift is not limited to the 9000 series; the Ryzen 7700X from the 7000 series also demonstrated roughly a 10% average increase, with some games exceeding 30%.

Even Intel’s 14th‑gen Core processors showed slight performance gains, highlighting that the lack of branch‑prediction optimization has been a long‑standing issue in Windows.

Microsoft has already released the optimization patch for Windows 11 23H2 (KB5041587). Users who do not wish to install the 24H2 preview can obtain this update via Windows Update → Advanced Options → Optional Updates .

Enjoy your gaming!