AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D Core Parking Problem & Solution

The AMD Ryzen 9 7950/7900X3D processors are performance beasts, but there is something that can lead to notable gaming performance drops, if you don’t pay attention, and has to do with the parking of the frequency cores. 

During countless hours of performance evaluation on AMD’s newest 7000X3D series processors, I realized the core parking in the 7950X3D processor doesn’t always work as it should, leading to notable gaming performance losses. In this article, I will try to help check if you face similar issues and guide you on how to fix them.

You will find all Zen 4 CPU reviews I have done so far below:

• AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D
• AMD Ryzen 9 7900X
• AMD Ryzen 9 7900
• AMD Ryzen 5 7600X
• AMD Ryzen 5 7600X (on MSI MAG B650M Mortar)

This is the first time AMD has released X3D processors featuring two types of CCX (CPU complex or core complex). In the 7950X3D and 7900X3D processors, only one CCX has the extra cache memory, while the other is a “standard” one. AMD did that to reduce the production cost because the super-fast L3 RAM is expensive. Moreover, applications that favor frequency will run faster on the standard CCX.

The 3D V-Cache, found in 7000X3D series processors, allows AMD to stack additional memory on the processor. While most modern PCs typically have large amounts of RAM, this type of memory is much slower to access than the ultra-fast memory used for caching built into CPUs. So doubling the amount of L3 memory, from 64MB on the 7950x to 128MB on the 7950X3D, can boost performance in specific applications that benefit from larger cache memory, including games.

To fully utilize the 7000X3D processors, you must update your mainboard’s BIOS to the newest one supporting 7000X3D processors and install the latest AMD chipset drivers. For the 3D V-Cache to work, the corresponding driver must evaluate real-time performance and dynamically assign the CPU cores based on the workload. You can also manually override this selection through the BIOS.

The PPM Provisioning File driver monitors gaming activity. When a game is detected, it is restricted to a single CCX by dynamically parking the second CCX to reduce latency and increase framerates. The CCX with the larger cache is the preferred one. What happens if utilization is high because other tasks run beside the game’s code? In this case, the parked CCX will be automatically enabled again to handle the extra tasks. The abovementioned procedures seem and are complex, and as a programmer, I understand that AMD’s software engineers had a tough time implementing the required routines.

This scheme shows how the 3D V-Cache Performance Optimizer driver operates. Because of the single CCD, the 7800X3D does not use the PPM Provisioning File driver.