Microsoft unleashed two patches for the AMD FX processors, this was announced and is thus no surprise, we want to know whether and how the updates are able to increase performance, for this purpose we first present general considerations and then want to see if this can be confirmed by test results.

It is not that long ago that Microsoft had already released KB2645594 accidentally, but then as KB2592546, where in the exact difference except for the numbering accessible, and can not, the operation is described in the same manner. It is obvious, however, that the first version has not fulfilled the ideal for its intended purpose, because Microsoft pulled back the update immediately.

AMD and Microsoft are sitting now in a quandary when it comes to thread efficiently distributed among the modules of the FX CPUs, within a module to divide the integer cores, the front end, the CPU and the L2 cache. This benefit, according to AMD threads, which are closely connected by potentially shorter and faster communication compared to the alternative data exchange via the L3 cache. If two threads but no connection to each other and run together in the same module rather than building a module exclusively for themselves, then "steal" them to each other resources.

By the wayside when it KB2645594 those threads, which effectively would have been run together in a module because they are interdependent, the extent of such dependencies are under a unifying thread in current software, is questionable. After all, in the pre-bulldozer era still not a reason developers to optimize their software so and as long as the Zambezi processors are indeed still do not have.

By the second update KB2646060 that is based on the first, the C6 power state used by the Windows scheduler cautious, neither Microsoft nor Intel will go through at this point in detail, whether it CC6 or PC6 is meant. Makes sense in our opinion, however, only the former variant, can separate from the AMD FX CPUs through power gating individual cores in the modules from the power supply.

Microsoft refers to as a possible negative impact of increased energy demand does not have to work if all the cores of the CPU, the cores are then no longer unemployed as fast in the C6 mode and parked longer supplied with energy. AMD on the other hand sees the advantage of this update based on the fact that the sleep and wake the seeds into / out of the C6 state performance penalty associated with, so frequent change of state at this point more harm than good, may prefer to save a little less energy, but the power to retrieve quickly according to the motto.