Ryzen CPU owners can now enjoy better gaming performance thanks to Microsoft’s latest KB5041587 update, which includes AMD-specific performance enhancements. While you can’t download more RAM, if you own a modern Ryzen desktop CPU, you can now download an update that significantly boosts gaming performance.

How to access the new performance improvements

The update delivers a noticeable performance boost for a variety of Ryzen CPUs, including the popular 7800X3D chip. To take advantage of these enhancements, Ryzen users will need to manually download and install the KB5041587 update. The steps to do this are straightforward:

1. Open Windows Update: Go to the Start menu, then select Settings.
2. Navigate to Advanced Options: Under Windows Update, select Advanced options.
3. Find and install KB5041587: Look under Optional updates for KB5041587 and proceed with the installation.

By following these steps, Ryzen CPU owners can unlock the full potential of their hardware, enhancing their gaming experience significantly.

Ryzen CPUs that benefit from the Windows 11 update

Last week, AMD announced that it was collaborating with Microsoft on an optimization patch for Ryzen CPUs, originally planned for the upcoming Windows 11 24H2 update. However, Microsoft has now backported these enhancements to the existing 23H2 version, allowing users to benefit immediately.

The update delivers noticeable performance improvements across various Zen 4 and Zen 5 desktop Ryzen CPUs, including the popular 7800X3D chip. According to AMD, users should search for KB5041587 under Windows Update > Advanced options > Optional updates. The performance boost is expected to be similar between the 24H2 and 23H2 versions once KB5041587 is installed.

Early tests of Microsoft’s 24H2 update for Windows 11, which is expected to roll out in late September, show an average 10 percent improvement in gaming performance at 1080p on older Ryzen 7700X CPUs. For the latest Ryzen 9700X, Hardware Unboxed reported an 11 percent performance increase in the same gaming benchmarks.

These performance gains come after initial benchmark results for AMD’s latest Zen 5 desktop CPUs underwhelmed reviewers, leading to the discovery that AMD and Microsoft had been working together to optimize AMD-specific branch prediction code in Windows 11. With the backporting of these optimizations to the 23H2 version, users no longer need to join the Release Preview testing program to access the 24H2 enhancements and enjoy improved performance on their Ryzen CPUs.