AMD Unveils Ryzen AI HX 300 Support for AFMF 2, VGM, and Releases a Preview Driver

[btarunr]

AMD today released early driver support for the Radeon 800M series integrated graphics of Ryzen AI 300 series mobile processors to use AMD Fluid Motion Frames 2 (AFMF 2), and Variable Graphics Memory (VGM) technologies. The two technologies receive optimization for the RDNA 3.5 graphics architecture driving the iGPU of the "Strix Point" silicon on which the Ryzen AI 300 series processors are based on. AFMF 2 is the second generation of AMD Fluid Motion Frames, a technology that lets you nearly double frame-rates on any Direct3D 11 or later game, without the gaming having explicit support for a frame generation technology, such as FSR 3 Frame Generation. AFMF operates out of the game's graphics pipeline, which adds a tiny bit of system latency. AFMF 2 seeks to reduce this latency.

Variable Graphics Memory (VGM) is another interesting feature that builds on top of the UMA (unified memory architecture) implementation of AMD processors with iGPUs. Depending on a 3D application's demands, the technology dynamically allocates up to 75% of the system memory as video memory for the iGPU, while ensuring the game doesn't run into unintentional performance bottlenecks arising from paging main memory if too much of it is used up by the iGPU. For VGM to work, a system needs at least 16 GB of main memory. VGM is not meant to be confused with the shared memory area that the processor allots to the iGPU by default (which ranges between 512 MB and 2 GB), it's designed to augment to this by eating into the system memory.



AMD posted its first party benchmark results on how VGM enables significant performance improvements in AAA games such as "Far Cry 6," "Marvel's GotG," "F1 23," and "Horizon: Zero Dawn." GotG in fact needs VGM enabled to even play on the Radeon 890M iGPU of the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor. AMD also posted its performance results for a combination of AFMF 2 and VGM being enabled, where the four games are shown posting 30-50% increases in frame-rates. Both technologies can be managed in the Performance>Tuning section of AMD Software.



To let those with a notebook powered by the Ryzen AI 300 series mobile processor experience the two technologies, AMD released an off-branch Technical Preview driver bearing version number 24.20.11.01, which works on Windows 11 and Windows 10 64-bit. You can find the driver here.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[TumbleGeorge]

Too expensive is to buy more RAM for driver that boost iGPU. If I choose PC with iGPU only, reason is to be cheap and to save few pennies.

 

[venturi]

How about, instead of using AFMF or FSR or any image downscaling / resolution downscaling gimmicks (like DLSS), give is real performance hardware numbers including ray tracing???

No resolution reduction gimmicks in any comparison, only real numbers!

We are not sheeple, give us real metrics.

 

[Marcus L]

How about, instead of using AFMF or FSR or any image downscaling / resolution downscaling gimmicks (like DLSS), give is real performance hardware numbers including ray tracing???

No resolution reduction gimmicks in any comparison, only real numbers!

We are not sheeple, give us real metrics.

There's plenty of reviews of the 890m in question around the web

Edit: Or am I thinking of the 790m here

 

[john_]

AMD Fluid Motion Frames, a technology that lets you nearly double frame-rates on any Direct3D 11 or later game, without the gaming having explicit support for a frame generation technology

This is a HUGE advantage of AMD over Nvidia that NO ONE talks about.

 

[Vya Domus]

give is real performance hardware numbers including ray tracing

It's an APU with 16 CUs, just look at the RX 7600 and divide by half, it's performance is not exactly an unknown.

 

[CosmicWanderer]

I tried this driver on the ROG Ally in Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown. 1080p, low preset, FSR off.

Before: ~30 fps
After (AFMF 2): ~60 fps

Double the fps without any noticeable visual change and no perceptible difference in latency. To me that's a win.

 

[Mysteoa]

How about, instead of using AFMF or FSR or any image downscaling / resolution downscaling gimmicks (like DLSS), give is real performance hardware numbers including ray tracing???

No resolution reduction gimmicks in any comparison, only real numbers!

We are not sheeple, give us real metrics.

iGPU are kneecapped by the DDR bandwidth. This is a hard limitation of how much performance they can get, no matter how much bigger they can make the iGPU.

 

[A&P211]

Too expensive is to buy more RAM for driver that boost iGPU. If I choose PC with iGPU only, reason is to be cheap and to save few pennies.

Or I would buy one for long battery life. The 890m is a nice igpu, my mostly work laptop has a 780m, I can play some games at work with the 780m and a 100w small changer.

 

[wolf]

This is a HUGE advantage of AMD over Nvidia that NO ONE talks about.

I bought lossless scaling for 8 bucks, works a treat in any game, or content whatsoever that I want motion smoothing / increased perception of fluidity.

Advantage, sure. Huge? Nah.

 

[SIGSEGV]

Ryzen AI 300 series mobile processors. So, what is the actual "AI" monicker for? Gaming?

 

[Neo_Morpheus]

Ryzen AI 300 series mobile processors. So, what is the actual "AI" monicker for? Gaming?

Due to having a NPU and the current market buzzword.

Also, AMD has done this before, Athlon XP comes to mind, which as you guessed, piggybacked on the Windows XP.

 

[UKKN]

I bought lossless scaling for 8 bucks, works a treat in any game, or content whatsoever that I want motion smoothing / increased perception of fluidity.

Advantage, sure. Huge? Nah.

8 Bucks for Subpar FG yeah ok the picture quality and latency feels way worse on LS. That shit does not compare to AFMF2.

 

[wolf]

8 Bucks for Subpar FG yeah ok the picture quality and latency feels way worse on LS. That shit does not compare to AFMF2.

Having used both, I beg to differ, in fact LSFG doesn't turn off in situations where I experienced AFMF turn off, so to me it's even better.

 

[Minus Infinity]

Ryzen AI 300 series mobile processors. So, what is the actual "AI" monicker for? Gaming?

To qualify for copilot+ status it has to have NPU thanks to Macroshite. AMD has not been able to get said qualification since they have been made to wait for Intel to launch Lunar Late.

 

[thevoiceofreason]

Normalizing frame interpolation

 

[Vayra86]

This is a HUGE advantage of AMD over Nvidia that NO ONE talks about.

Yes, because generally you don't really need it if you have a half decent RDNA2 or newer GPU. Most DX11 content that is past gen will just run fine without needing it.

That and they're still fake frames. Its a nice feature though.

I tried this driver on the ROG Ally in Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown. 1080p, low preset, FSR off.

Before: ~30 fps
After (AFMF 2): ~60 fps

Double the fps without any noticeable visual change and no perceptible difference in latency. To me that's a win.

Oh yeah handheld and mobile chips are definitely going to benefit, that's true

 

[john_]

Yes, because generally you don't really need it if you have a half decent RDNA2 or newer GPU. Most DX11 content that is past gen will just run fine without needing it.

That and they're still fake frames. Its a nice feature though.

If you have a 4K monitor and you like putting all settings at the highest, believe me, it helps. I seen that with Rise of the Tomb Raider (2015) that only supports DLSS. Well, 4K, everything maximum was more or less pretty nice with FSR and FG on the RX 6600 directly from the driver. I did enjoyed the game and never felt the need to go pixel hunting to see if upscaling or FG is ruining my experience.

Would it be looking much better with a 7900XTX/4080 with no upscaling and fake frames? Yes, probably, but that's 4-5 times the money I gave for the RX 6600 and I don't really feel that I need something more. Fake frames, upscaling, I think we are mostly educated by now to forget what clear, crisp, precise graphics look like and drool on higher framerates with sometimes unstable, approximate graphics sprinkled with a little ghosting here and there.

I bought lossless scaling for 8 bucks, works a treat in any game, or content whatsoever that I want motion smoothing / increased perception of fluidity.

Advantage, sure. Huge? Nah.

What if there was no Lossless Scaling for you to buy? Considering you bought the app, you agree that it is nice to have upscaling and FG in every title.
Well, AMD is giving this in it's driver. Nvidia doesn't. That's a fact and it would have been important, it would have been a reason to buy Nvidia over AMD, only if it was vice versa. Only if Nvidia was giving it and AMD wasn't. Now that AMD is giving it and Nvidia doesn't..... "Advantage, sure. Huge? Nah.". My point exactly.

Having used both, I beg to differ, in fact LSFG doesn't turn off in situations where I experienced AFMF turn off, so to me it's even better.

Your 3080 supports AFMF?

To qualify for copilot+ status it has to have NPU thanks to Macroshite. AMD has not been able to get said qualification since they have been made to wait for Intel to launch Lunar Late.

I am pretty sure Nvidia will convince MS to change it's mind on this one. And I am pretty sure that Nvidia GPUs will be considered Copilot+ hardware at least 3 months before Radeon cards, for obvious reasons.

 

[RaphaelOne]

AFMF (v2.0) now works with Radeon Chill, an important upgrade that gives you control over the amount of FPS even though AMFM frames are generated behind the game engine (AFMF does not yet work with FreeSync). That is, now AFMF, instead of generating crazy hundreds of fps far beyond the screen refresh rate, can be limited by RadeonChill to, for example, “min 80” and “max 80” native FPS and this gives us ~160 effective FPS (on a 165Hz monitor). This procedure noticeably reduces GPU power consumption and therefore temperatures and noise (tested on RX6800).

 

[john_]

AFMF does not yet work with FreeSync

My FreeSync TV was happily changing refresh rate based on the game's framerate.

 

[wolf]

"Advantage, sure. Huge? Nah.". My point exactly.

Thanks for agreeing. It is an advantage, but it's not huge. Considering the cost of hardware and the cost of the software and what both do, it effectively nullifies AFMF as a selling point of AMD cards to me.

Your 3080 supports AFMF?

Of course not, I own and regularly use other pc's and gaming devices that aren't the specs in my rig.

 

[john_]

Thanks for agreeing.

Cutting pasting the other's post and totally distorting it's meaning. How nice.

Considering the cost of hardware and the cost of the software and what both do, it effectively nullifies AFMF as a selling point of AMD cards to me.

Whatever.

Of course not, I own and regularly use other pc's and gaming devices that aren't the specs in my rig.

OK. No need to tell us.

 

[wolf]

Cutting pasting the other's post and totally distorting it's meaning. How nice.

I already said it was an advantage, but having used it and software that achieves a similar end goal, I don't don't consider it big enough advantage to count as a pro for me buying AMD card. What if LSFG didn't exist? well it does.... not everything in your post requires me addressing it / there is nothing for either of us to gain by doing so. I already say it's an advantage, AMD is giving you something Nvidia does not, and that is good, but I also happen to prefer using a solution that has even greater/broader utility to me, and better results in games to my eyes. I accept that others might not want to buy LS and that AFMF might sway them to an AMD card - great for them! I am here to share how it affects me and my take on it.

OK. No need to tell us.

Does it really make a difference? I've used it on a 780m and 6700XT if it matters to you.

 

[UKKN]

Having used both, I beg to differ, in fact LSFG doesn't turn off in situations where I experienced AFMF turn off, so to me it's even better.

I said AFMF2 on HIGH and Quality it doesn't turn off LS

 

[wolf]

I said AFMF2 on HIGH and Quality it doesn't turn off LS

Good on them for fixing that flaw, from my perspective it's not a big draw card still, given what's available but if it is for others then cool.