The chaotic tale that is the launch of Zen 5 continues to grow in the telling. AMD continues its scramble to make these processors perform as they should have done from day one. Moving swiftly on from recent efforts to boost performance via Windows 11 updates, the company is now giving some Ryzen 9000 CPUs more watts to play with.
In our Ryzen 7 9700X & Ryzen 5 9600X review, we couldn’t shake the feeling that the former processor “ought to have launched at 105W because the foundational power of Zen 5 is clear to see.” While the best CPUs should be efficient and performant, these processors can only do so much with a 65W TDP. AMD clearly shares this sentiment, deploying new AGESA firmware containing new ‘TDP to 105W’ BIOS options.
Installing AGESA 1.2.0.1 BIOS on their MSI MPG X670E Carbon Wi-Fi motherboard, X user kuroberumo put the ‘TDP to 105W’ mode to the test. They’re using a Ryzen 7 9700X to do so, but the setting also works with Ryzen 5 9600X. Like clockwork, the Zen 5 processor behaves much less like its predecessor, Ryzen 7 7700X, delivering a welcome generational performance gap.
According to kuroberumo, Ryzen 7 9700X improves its Cinebench R23 multi-core score by 13% with its new 105W TDP. It’s unclear whether this is using Windows 11 24H2, Windows 11 23H2 with branch prediction optimisations, or an earlier version. Regardless, this is a win for Zen 5 and could help change the narrative surrounding the troubled architecture.
It’s unclear whether a higher TDP will boost gaming performance, as Ryzen 9 9950X at 65W performs about the same. Still, with AMD’s branch predictions giving my Ryzen 7 7800X3D a big performance boost, we can live in hope. Here’s hoping these steps help pave the way for a smooth 9000X3D launch.
Expect to see additional results pour in as more users get their hands on this AGESA. After all, a higher TDP could see the scales tip in favour of Zen 5 looking at our Ryzen 5 9600X vs. Intel Core i5-14600K comparison. In the meantime, though, check out our Ryzen 7 9700X vs. Core i7-14700K for a more rounded look at the two soon-to-be higher watt processors as they currently stand.
If more cores is your thing, we have a Ryzen 9 9950X & Ryzen 9 9900X review for you to digest too.