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AMD released its latest chipset driver last month with version 7.02.13.148. It was a major update as the package contains multiple new functionalities including improved support for Microsoft Pluton security co-processor and a new "AMD Application Compatibility Database Driver."
We speculated in our original article that this could have to do with improving app compatibility across Windows 11/10.
Today, alongside the launch of the Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D (check out our review of the former), AMD has also detailed the new features and capabilities of the chipset driver.
First up, the company talks about "updated provisioning packages service." AMD says that this "optimizes Ryzen 9 processor gaming with a combination of power/frequency optimization and core parking."
For those not familiar, a provisioning package (.ppkg) file is a container for a collection of configuration settings that helps configure a PC without the need for fresh imaging. Thus with this new feature, AMD makes it easy to change and upgrade processors without the need for an OS reinstallation.
This should help system builders immensely as 16-core and 12-core X3D processors have an asymmetric design wherein only one of the two CCDs (Core Compute Dies) has the 3D V-cache and thus games must be scheduled to run on this CCD only. In the past, for Windows to know and understand this, an OS reinstallation was necessary when a CPU was changed.
AMD is calling this feature "Automatic Processor Detection" and it will run automatically at every boot. It writes:
Automatic Processor Detection
Automatically checks the system at boot and changes the provisioning packages if the processor has been changed. Because of this change, users are no longer required to re-install windows when swapping out processors.
We mentioned AMD Application Compatibility Database Driver above and the company has also explained what that is.
Essentially, this is a whitelist of titles and games that do not work properly with PPKG and AMD"s 3D V-cache performance optimizer. The Application Compatibility Database driver effectively works by reducing the thread pool size. The company adds that it already uses a similar technique for its Threadripper CPUs and it was developed together with Microsoft as a performance optimization method for lightly threaded applications.
Currently, it works with Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, Dying Light 2, Far Cry 6, Metro Exodus and the Enhanced Edition, Total War: Three Kingdoms, Total War: Warhammer III, and Wolfenstein: Youngblood.