Early Results Achieved with AMD FX Processor Using Windows® 7 Scheduler Update
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.
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 1-2 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:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2646060
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2645594
Our testing shows that not every application realizes a performance boost. In fact, heavily threaded apps (those designed to use all 8 cores), get little or no uplift from this hotfix – they are already maxing out the processor. In other cases, the uplift averages out to a 1-2 percent uplift. But heck, it is free performance, and this is the scheduler model that will be used in Windows 8 (along with some further enhancements), so why not add it to your list of downloads?
If you have an AMD FX processor, head over to Microsoft and grab the free updates.
Adam Kozak is a product marketing manager at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites, and references to third party trademarks, are provided for convenience and illustrative purposes only. Unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such links, and no third party endorsement of AMD or any of its products is implied.
is it just my feeling or the patch does (at least according to fig.) the opposite of what was previously presented?
According to the original description windows scheduler should assing active thread always to the one module and then next thread to the next module. The experiences that we know that the scheduler does not know the original concept of the module and that´s why assing threads randomly to all available cores/modules. If the 4 threads occupy two modules, the other two module may be completely off (core parking C6) and the two active modules can overclock to maximum turbo (4.2 GHz), while keeping TDP.
http://www.extremetech.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FX-Scheduling.jpg
from above description seems it working an oposite way. I got impression that eventually scheduler works completely differently. In case of four thread and four module processor , scheduler always occupies only one core of each module, so each core has own FPU (and therefore does not share anything with other core inside of module), but at the cost of all modules staying active (none at C6), thus draw more power even at light loads. In this case maximum turbo core is not allowed since all modules are enabled. Pretty the same way like here in this topic: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?275873-AMD-FX-quot-Bulldozer-quot-Review-%284%29-!exclusive!-Excuse-for-1-Threaded-Perf.
I am not sure, which descripction is righ ? the first is good for energy saving and the second is better for games (while draw more power)
i found a sollution with direct links:
KB Article Number(s): 2645594
Language: All (Global)
Platform: i386
Location: (http://hotfixv4.microsoft.com/Windows%207/Windows%20Server2008%20R2%20SP1/sp2/Fix387870/7600/free/441064_intl_i386_zip.exe)
———————————————————–
KB Article Number(s): 2645594
Language: All (Global)
Platform: x64
Location: (http://hotfixv4.microsoft.com/Windows%207/Windows%20Server2008%20R2%20SP1/sp2/Fix387870/7600/free/441065_intl_x64_zip.exe)
KB Article Number(s): 2646060
Language: All (Global)
Platform: i386
Location: (http://hotfixv4.microsoft.com/Windows%207/Windows%20Server2008%20R2%20SP1/sp2/Fix391262/7600/free/441279_intl_i386_zip.exe)
———————————————————–
KB Article Number(s): 2646060
Language: All (Global)
Platform: x64
Location: (http://hotfixv4.microsoft.com/Windows%207/Windows%20Server2008%20R2%20SP1/sp2/Fix391262/7600/free/441280_intl_x64_zip.exe)
I have received the second hotfix in my email, however, I seem to be unable to install the first required update. When I click on the click, I am taken to the update details page, which states that the update is obtained through Windows Update. Clicking the link launches Windows Update which then finds no updates for my system. I checked my update history, ad I do not have it installed. A manual option would have been nice, but I suppose that is more Microsoft’s issue.
Overall, I am happy with the FX performance. I have noticed, in games like Rage, that compress enormous texture detail and then decompress on the fly, my friends Phenom II 965 and his roomates i5 2500K both have a bit of texture pop. When you first look at an area, the texture are not fully loaded, as the CPU has to decompress them in. I haven’t noticed this problem at all with my FX 8120 @ 3.9 GHz on all cores. Another friend of mine has the I7 2600K which also doesn’t seem to show the problem. The ability to manage the aditional threads does seem to help. Of course, Id is the only compnay to deal with texture data in that manner so far, but perhaps through tech licensing it will become more widespread.
Will this fix also work for Phenom II X6 processors?!? There is also problem with lessor even single threaded apps that it is moved from core to core not allowing to use the Turbo core technology
I think this is for FX only. The new scheduling does not affect Phenom, I guess.
I INSTALLED HOTFIX ON MY SYSTEM WITH PHENOM II X6 1090T AT 3.72 GHZ, ATI 6850 AND FUTUREBENCHMARK 11 JUMPED FROM 3689 TO 3875
I’ve got a AMD FX 4100 3.6Ghz X4 Black Editon AM3+
I installed on Windows 7 Ultimate x64Edition SP1.
4Gb 1600 Corsair Vengeance DDR3
Nvidia Geforce 9500GT 1024Mb DDR2 PCI-E 16x
ASUS M5A78L/USB3 Mobo
I installed both updates with no problems. After the reboot i hav’nt noticed a performance boost but then i hav’nt benchmarked my PC. I mainly use my PC For gaming and for music production using Cubase 6.
I run Battlefield 3 OK, CoD MW3 and Cubase 6 run perfectly with no problems.
So i’m not sure if there’s been a performance boost or not but everything is running fine here after installing both updates..
What about smt, this feature is still not working in windows 7, will the be addressed in a later hotfix?
just installed both hotfix/patch and this is the Windows Expirience Index result :
http://i.imgur.com/mjBKH.png
I noticed the harddrive (Corsair SSD) on the max of 7.9 but windows now says its a 4 core processor
Mine too, I have an FX-6100, before the updates Windows Index saw 6 cores, after the update I’m down to 3. Please tell me this is normal.
i own a FX-8120 and Win7 64 with both Hotfixes
i noticed that the threats on the cores are not that nervous anymore.
i see the specific cores are longer in the states needed. longer at 1.4GHz and longer at 4GHz
the big drops in aida performance are not so frequent anymore
FPU and Int. Perf. is a little more stable now.
maybe the $-Flush got isn´t that frequent anymore, because of lesser Thread-Jumps
Hi, I have and AMD FX 8150 with 16 gb of ram and I can’t install the hotfix 2646060
It says that this hotfix is not for my computer…
What is wrong?
Thx
maybe u got to install the other one first,
or u don´t have Win7,
or u got the wrong 32bit or 64bit