AMD Threadripper WX Dynamic Local Mode Promises Huge Gaming Performance Boost
Yesterday we talked about a software update AMD is rolling out for its top tier Ryzen Threadripper processors, one that will flip a switch called Dynamic Local Mode (DLM) for improved performance. What we didn't discuss is the potential impact this could have on gaming. It's worth revisiting the topic, because according to AMD's internal testing, DLM could lead to significantly better performance in games that apps that respond well to it.
We'll get to the numbers in a moment, but first let's recap what DLM is and why it matters. It's a new piece of software designed specifically for the Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX and 2970WX. On systems equipped with one of those processors, DLM automatically migrates the most demanding application threads onto the CPU cores with local memory access.
"In other words: the apps that prefer local DRAM access will automatically receive it, and apps that scale to many cores will be free to do so," AMD explain.
The reason this matters is because the Threadripper 2990WX and 2970WX both have a mixed memory access design wherein some dies have direct memory access, while others access memory across the Infinity Fabric. You can think of DLM as a sort of traffic cop directing traffic in the most efficient manner possible.
Click to Enlarge (Source: AMD)
Now this is where things get interesting. In several of the applications AMD tested DLM, it saw double digit percentage performance gains. This occurred in a range of games, with AMD noting a massive 47 percent jump in Battlefield 1 at Ultra settings.
"We also want to be clear about the fact that not every application will see a benefit, as not every application demonstrates the threading behaviors that Dynamic Local Mode is designed to assist. Even so, it's clear that some processes really take a liking to Dynamic Local Mode and it's quite satisfying to see such a speedup from a new and free feature for your platform," AMD says.
This is essentially a free performance boost for AMD's top high-end desktop (HEDT) SKUs. It will be rolled out as a Windows 10 background service, and if users see any weird side effects, they can simply disable it. More likely, however, Threadripper 2990WX and 2970WX users will embrace DLM. AMD will include it on the next version of Ryzen Master on October 29.
