Asus has released a new BIOS update for select AMD motherboards, introducing the “Turbo Game Mode” designed to optimize gaming performance on a range of Ryzen processors. This mode is aimed at users seeking the best possible experience from AMD’s high-core CPUs by adjusting core usage. Specifically, it disables one of the CPU’s two chiplets (CCD) and turns off Simultaneous Multi-Threading (SMT), optimizing single-threaded performance for games that do not benefit from high core counts.
As confirmed byComputer Base, the update is said to be available forAsus’s ROG X870E Crosshair Heromotherboard. However, other models like the X670, B650, and A620 lineup are also being updated. By disabling the second chiplet, the Turbo Game Mode should reduce potential latency, enhancing efficiency in games that perform better with fewer, faster cores. This approach allows users to quickly toggle between game-focused performance and multi-threaded setups for other tasks.
To enable the feature, users simply need to update their BIOS and activate the setting through the BIOS interface, making it easy to switch back and forth based on specific workload needs.
Last month,Gigabyte announceda similar BIOS update for its AMD motherboards which includes their “X3D Turbo Mode”. As per Gigabyte, this feature can help boost the performance of AMD’s Ryzen 7000X3D, Ryzen 9000X3D, and Ryzen 9000 processors by up to 20%—35%. The company said that the X3D Turbo Mode is a set of ‘unique optimization parameters’ that can improve the performance of AMD’s CPUs.
Unlike Gigabyte, Asus doesn’t specifically mention ‘X3D’ in their release notes. It does however mention the inclusion of AMD’sAGESA AM5 1.2.0.2a firmwareupdate for the AM5 platform, aimed at bringing “performance enhancements, for its upcoming Ryzen 9000X3D CPUs including the recently launchedRyzen 7 9800X3D.” Similarly, MSI has also started rolling out motherboard BIOS updates including the 1.2.0.2a firmware without any additional tweaks.
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Kunal Khullar is a contributing writer at Tom’s Hardware. He is a long time technology journalist and reviewer specializing in PC components and peripherals, and welcomes any and every question around building a PC.
