AMD has released today a different benchmark in which it shows us the performance gains regarding its Ryzen CPUs and their relation with the DDR4 memory thanks to its new AGESA 1.0.0.6 that already come included in the last BIOSes. To perform the tests, AMD has recruited the Sami Mäkinen overlocker which has used an AMD Ryzen 1700 along with an ASUS Crosshair VI motherboard and unidentified RAM.
AGESA 1.0.0.6 Benchmark
The AGESA 1.0.0.6 brings with it two important new features regarding memory compatibility in the form of two new models. The first of which is called Bank Group Swap (BGS) and determines how applications handle physical addresses in memory and second Place we have Geardown Mode (GDM) which allows increasing memory speeds by lowering command speeds and directions. Both modes greatly benefit DDR4 RAM, especially dual-rank DIMMs and given that it’s a free upgrade is entirely welcome.
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While the second test shows the performance improvements thanks to the GDM model from which AMD comments the following:
“GDM is allowed by default for memory speeds higher than DDR4-2667 according to the DDR4 specification. GDM provides the RAM to use a clock. That is half the actual DRAM frequency to lock (store a value) on command or memory address buses. This conservative closure can potentially allow for higher clock speeds, wider compatibility, and better stability. Which is useful for the average user.
Best for overclockers
But what about overclockers? For overclockers, the Geardown mode will be unique because it also tells the memory subsystem to “ignore” the command speed set in the BIOS. Because 1T command rates can be beneficial (although difficult to maintain) for performance, the following table asks if it is useful to run GDM if the desired memory clock speed can be achieved. Spoiler Alert: Probably not. “
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It provides compatibility to modules of greater speed, but regarding performance does not provide anything as we can see in the following graph:
About BGS AMD commented on the following and presented the following tests:
“BankGroupSwap (BGS) is a new memory mapping option in AGESA 1.0.0.6. That alters how applications assign to physical locations within memory modules. The purpose of this button is to optimize how memory requests are made after taking into account the DRAM architecture and memory times. The theory says that changing this setting can change the performance balance in favor of games or synthetic applications. Our data seem to support this.
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So we can conclude that the two modes BGS and GDM provide greater compatibility. Although the performance in games will depend on our configuration.