AMD Smart Access Memory benchmarked: How much of a difference does it actually make?
Source: Windows Central
AMD'southward "Big Navi" Radeon RX 6000 GPUs, unveiled and released late 2022, include a feature called Smart Access Memory (SAM). It was one of the chief features advertised to come with these RDNA two cards, alongside Rage Mode piece of cake overclocking and DirectX12 Ultimate support with ray tracing, variable-charge per unit shading, mesh shaders, and sampler feedback. AMD stressed that SAM could brand a sizable difference in gaming operation, so we idea we'd examination it out at QHD and UHD resolutions in a bunch of games to detect out how well information technology really works. Does this feature really turn what is already one of the all-time graphics carte du jour options into a beast?
What is AMD Smart Access Retention?
Source: Windows Primal
Smart Admission Retentiveness was introduced alongside Radeon RX 6000 graphics cards (GPU) every bit a manner for AMD hardware to together provide boosted performance in games. With a Ryzen 5000 processor (CPU) and a Radeon RX 6000, GPU both on a motherboard with a 500-serial chipset, the CPU and GPU's data aqueduct is wide open, allowing for full utilization of the GPU'due south VRAM instead of the typical 256MB ceiling.
This is essentially "resizable Base Address Annals (BAR) support" by a fancy new name, a feature that came along with PCIe 3.0. Because none of this is proprietary, information technology's expected that NVIDIA volition implement this feature as well.
In that location's no extra cost on AMD'south side, and marketing claims it can boost performance by upwards to 16% in some titles. That'due south a bold claim and undoubtedly i with focused and specific examination settings. It appears as though AMD used a Ryzen ix 5900X CPU and Radeon RX 6800 XT GPU in its testing, which are both high-end components that the majority of users will no exist using. And while our exam bench is however on the higher cease, it's a more reasonable expect at the performance most people will enjoy when going full AMD.
Source: Windows Fundamental
If you'd like to enable SAM on your own arrangement, you first need to ensure you're using an AMD Ryzen 5000-series CPU, an AMD Radeon 6000-series GPU, and a 500-series chipset motherboard. You lot also demand the latest motherboard BIOS (AMD AGESA 1.1.0.0 or newer) and Radeon driver version xx.11.two or newer.
With that hardware, driver, and BIOS update in place, restart your PC and enter the BIOS. Enter the Advanced settings bill of fare and enable Above 4G Decoding and enable Re-Size BAR Support. Save your changes and boot into Windows 10. SAM should now be enabled on your PC. No need for any toggles or switches once yous've booted into Windows.
Testing Smart Access Retentivity at 1440p and 4K
Source: Windows Central
Nosotros decided to exam SAM using popular games with built-in benchmarks. The uniform testing sequences allowed for more authentic testing than just jumping into a game and recording average frames-per-second (FPS). We ran tests at 1440p (QHD) and 4K (UHD), the two resolutions for which this GPU is best suited. Bank check out our test arrangement specs for an idea of what we're working with. And exist certain to have a look at our AMD Ryzen vii 5800X review for more information about the CPU.
| Category | Spec |
|---|---|
| Bone | Windows 10 Home |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 8 cores, 16 threads Upward to 4.7GHz |
| Graphics | ASUS TUF Gaming Radeon RX 6800 16GB GDDR6 VRAM |
| Motherboard | MSI Magazine B550 Tomahawk |
| RAM | 2x16GB DDR4-3200MHz Dual-channel CL16 |
| Storage | SK hynix Aureate P31 1TB SK hynix Gilded S31 1TB |
| Cooler | Libation Chief Hyper 212 Black |
| GPU Driver | twenty.45.27.02 |
At present onto the criterion results. Nosotros tested commencement with QHD and UHD resolutions without SAM enabled. We then doubled back and retested again at both resolutions with SAM enabled.
Assassinator's Creed: Origins (Ultra Loftier)
Source: Windows Central
We saw a 4.vii% performance increment at QHD, and a three% performance increase at UHD.
Civilization 6 (Ultra)
Source: Windows Central
Nosotros saw a 0.3% performance increase at QHD and a 1.6% operation increase at UHD.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (Ultra)
Source: Windows Primal
Not actually any change here. There was a slight subtract, but results are still quite close.
F1 2022 (Ultra High)
Source: Windows Central
We saw a 1.1% functioning decrease at QHD and a ane.8% performance increase at UHD.
Far Weep 5 (Ultra)
Source: Windows Central
We saw a iv.seven% operation increase at QHD, while performance stayed the same at UHD.
Gears five (Ultra)
Source: Windows Central
Huge decreases in performance here with SAM enabled. We saw an eleven.9% performance decrease at QHD and a nine.7% functioning subtract at UHD.
Grand Theft Machine 5 (Very Loftier)
Source: Windows Central
GTA V testing at both resolutions didn't really make a departure. Few frames here and at that place, but SAM didn't have a huge effect for the virtually part.
Metro Exodus (Ultra)
Source: Windows Central
We saw a 1.iv% performance increase at QHD, while results remained basically the same at UHD.
Ruddy Dead Redemption ii (Ultra)
Source: Windows Central
Red Dead Redemption 2 is a tough game to run. Functioning remained shut at QHD, but at UHD, it saw a 2.6% operation increase with SAM enabled.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Highest)
Source: Windows Central
Nosotros saw a slight dip in functioning at QHD with SAM enabled. Results stayed the same at UHD with and without SAM enabled.
Is AMD Smart Access Retentivity a selling feature?
Source: Windows Central
AMD stresses that results may vary per system, and indeed they exercise. There are no dubiousness games available that will greatly do good from having SAM enabled, only it's certainly not a selling point on its own. It'southward a nice improver to a GPU that is defective some of NVIDIA's master selling features, simply it's probably non going to make equally much of a difference as, say, an RTX 3070 GPU in a game that supports DLSS. Keep in mind AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA are working hard to bring versions of all these features to PC gamers no matter the mix of hardware they're using, and the virtually future may look wildly unlike in terms of what GPUs and CPUs can and cannot do together.
SAM seemed to make the biggest positive difference at a 1440p (QHD) resolution in our testing. Assassin'due south Creed: Origins and Far Weep 5 both saw a iv.7% performance increase at Ultra in-game settings.
As for 4K (UHD), Assassin's Creed: Origins benefitted from a iii% operation boost, while Red Dead Redemption 2 hit a two.half dozen% performance increase. Interestingly, Far Cry 5'southward gains at QHD were gone at UHD, with performance remaining the same before and after SAM.
And Gears five shows us that not all games will do good or remain even with SAM enabled. It saw an 11.9% subtract at QHD and a nine.7% decrease at UHD later enabling the extra characteristic.
Getting back to AMD hardware and SAM, since information technology requires a boot into BIOS, most people volition likely either accept information technology turned on or off and proceed it that way. Our recommendation is to give functioning a await in games you lot frequently play before enabling it, then testing again with SAM enabled. If y'all see a boost to performance, keep information technology on. If you're not, there's no harm in disabling information technology again.
As Tested
AMD Radeon RX 6800
These GPUs aren't easy to find due to stock shortages, but if you manage to go your easily on one, you'll be laughing all the mode to high-finish QHD and UHD PC gaming.
Nosotros may earn a committee for purchases using our links. Learn more.
Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/amd-smart-access-memory
Posted by: hollingsworthageres.blogspot.com
0 Response to "AMD Smart Access Memory benchmarked: How much of a difference does it actually make?"
Post a Comment