What you need to know
- A new chipset update for 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen CPUs is now available.
- The update adjusts the AMD Balanced power plan to address "anomalous behavior" exhibited by some "low CPU load" applications that make requests for the highest performance and power state from the processor.
- This update also includes a beta workaround for application launch issues with Destiny 2.
In a community update post released today, AMD announced a new chipset driver is available for its 3rd Gen Ryzen processors, which just hit stores this month. The updated driver is meant to address "anomalous behavior" seen in some performance monitoring utilities when a low CPU load application would request more power and performance from the processor.
From AMD:
Our analysis indicates that certain pieces of popular software, which are widely considered to be "low CPU load" applications, frequently make indirect requests for the highest performance and power state from the processor.Third Gen Ryzen is designed to be extremely responsive to requests for higher performance, and this has led to some of the anomalous behavior observed with high voltages and clockspeeds in monitoring utilities. Our solution is to adjust the AMD Ryzen Balanced power plan to address these cases under light loads, without changing the processor's ability to respond to sustained workloads like games and content creation.
The new chipset driver comes in at version number 1.07.29, and is available for download now. Along with the new driver, AMD has updated its Ryzen Master utility with "new voltage and temperature reporting methodologies that more realistically demonstrate CPU behavior."
If you've been experiencing issues launching Destiny 2 with AMD's latest chips, the new chipset driver also contains a workaround for that. The workaround is considered to be "beta" right now, so there may still be issues, however.
The chipset driver and Ryzen Master updates are available for download at the AMD community site now, along with a more comprehensive look at the issues and how AMD addressed them.
AMD's 3rd Gen Ryzen processors are also now available to buy starting at $200. For more, check out our review of the top-end Ryzen 9 3900X as well.
AMD's latest batch of Ryzen processors are here, and they're expected to bring quite a performance bump over the previous generation with support for PCIe 4.0 to boot.
Portable (and affordable) power accessories we love
Each and every one of these charging gadgets will keep your favorite gear and gadgets going for longer, and none of them costs more than $30.
VisionTek 8,000 mAh micro-USB power bank ($13 at Dell)
This compact dual-output powerbank can speedily recharge any and all your devices, thanks to a two-amp "fast charge feature," using its micro-USB out port. Its simple design includes an LED indicator, and it costs about as much as a single ticket to the movies.
Panasonic eneloop AA batteries (From $13 at Dell)
Panasonic's rechargeable batteries are among the best available, and just a couple of them will keep your favorite remote, mice or other peripherals powered up when you need them. They're also eco. And the company's affordable charger fits and charges both AA and AAA batteries at the same time.
Belkin Qi Wireless Charging Pad ($30 at Dell)
This unobtrusive Qi wireless charging pad looks good (and kind of like a UFO …) and easily charges all your Qi-compatible device up to 5W. Its LED indicator lights up when you're charging. And it costs just $30.
