Microsoft has officially fixed an L3 cache performance bug that has been vexing AMD Ryzen owners since the release of the new OS.
The Windows 11 Update released today, KB5006746, “Addresses an L3 caching issue that might affect performance in some applications on devices that have AMD Ryzen processors after upgrading to Windows 11 (original release).”
The Ryzen fix is among other improvements and fixes to the new OS, but Ryzen owners are likely hot to mash the Windows Update button in Windows 11. The L3 bug has been said to increase Ryzen’s latency by as much as 3x but that may have been kind. Testing by Paul Alcorn of Tom’s Hardware found Windows 10 had 12x the bandwith with a Ryzen versus Windows 11.
A CPU’s L3 cache is a small bit of memory inside the CPU that helps keep instructions and data closer at hand and improves performance and responsiveness so the problem was seen as a major bug.
Combined with the earlier chipset update from AMD that corrected a problem with Windows 11 recognizing the CPU’s best cores, Windows 11’s performance issues on Ryzen should no longer be an issue.
To get the update, simply press the Windows key, and type Windows Update. Then click the Check for updates button to see if it’s offered. The Windows version should show OS build 22000.282.
Author: Gordon Mah Ung, Executive Editor
One of founding fathers of hardcore tech reporting, Gordon has been covering PCs and components since 1998.