AMD Launches FSR 4.1 Early and Targets 7GHz Speeds for Next-Gen Ryzen Processors

AMD has been forced to backpedal on a recent firmware change, released FSR 4.1 for RDNA3 graphics cards early, and is now at the center of a major leak about its upcoming Ryzen 5000 series. The changes include security enhancements, performance upgrades for games, and plans for future CPU architectures that may be a part of AMD's plans in the next couple of years.

Amid a recent controversy, AMD once again backed out of supporting a new feature, Transparent Secure Memory Encryption, in consumer Ryzen chips. It had long been included with Ryzen processors, but users found it stopped working after a new AGESA firmware update.

AMD Restores Memory Guard

This didn't have to be the actual deletion of the feature. It was probably used by a few, if any, consumers. The worry is that AMD deleted a security feature without explicitly notifying users. The change wasn't announced until a security researcher was observing his own system and noticed it was now claiming that encrypted memory was no longer supported.

However, on closer examination, it was established that AMD had disabled the feature on all other Ryzen CPUs but retained it for Ryzen Pro CPUs. Following community complaints, AMD reversed the decision. The company will restore the Memory Guard branding to affected models of its TSME processors via a BIOS update in July, it stated in a statement to Tom's Hardware.

AMD said it is bringing it back after receiving "valuable community feedback. That is, a significant number of users felt compelled to act. You may wonder why it was ever taken in the first place and why it wasn't explained better. Those concerns still stand. It is important to note that AMD does credit the feedback and rectifies the decision.

We see companies all the time making changes we don't like. The reaction may be negative even if those companies change their mind. That leaves companies feeling they don't gain anything from listening to feedback. In this instance, AMD responded to criticism and restored the feature, a positive outcome for users.

AMD Released FSR 4.1 Graphics Cards for RDNA3

AMD has also officially added FSR 4.1 support for RDNA 3 graphics cards, a bit earlier than anticipated. The company originally intended to release the update in July, but instead released it at the end of June.

FSR 4.1 has been tested across hundreds of PC configurations, from the RX 7600 to the RX 7900 XTX and everything in between. AMD, too, says it will support over 300 games. The new Adrenalin 26.6.2 driver is required to enable the feature. It's also introducing Assassin's Creed Black Flag Remake and Doom: The Dark Ages Revelations on day one.

Another interesting piece of news came from AMD, with Jack Huynh speaking about RDNA3-based APUs and integrated graphics solutions. To make FSR4.1 available on more devices, Huynh says the company is working on lightweight machine learning models. It's an indication that APUs receive support, including integrated RDNA3.5 graphics processors.

The "lightweight" machine-learning architectures suggest that AMD will not leverage the same models as those used in the discrete RDNA3 GPUs. Rather, the company seems to be trying to fit the technology within the constraints of the integrated graphics hardware.

If some users would have liked AMD to have taken the time to deliver more capable graphics to its integrated solutions, it is still quite impressive that FSR4.1 support is being expanded to older, less powerful hardware.

AMD is Bringing FSR 4.1 Support to APUs

This news is another sign that AMD is meeting user demand for modern upscaling technology in current hardware. AMD is planning to launch 7 GHz Ryzen processors, according to a new leak. According to the new leak, AMD is aiming for 7 GHz Ryzen processors. One of the biggest AMD data breaches in recent months has emerged about the company's upcoming Zen 6 architecture-based Ryzen chipset lineup.

The information comes from Moore's Law Is Dead, which cites an insider at AMD. The source said that a document about "Powder Horn" mentioned qualification samples at 7 GHz. According to reports, Zen 6 desktop CCDs (Core Complex Dies) are being codenamed Powder Horn. For comparison, Zen 5 CCDs were codenamed Eldora.

Powder Horn documented the possible qualification of samples at 7 GHz. That's not to say that AMD already has 7GHz silicon in production. Rather, it proposes that qualification samples, the ones typically near the end of the processor's development cycle before it goes into mass production, are intended for that frequency.

The presence of 7GHz in AMD's plans as late as the first half of 2026 suggests that Zen 6's design and development were progressing well. Having achieved that, future processors like a possible Ryzen 10950X or even Ryzen 10950X3D could reach at least 7GHz. AMD has stated that Zen 6 could offer its biggest Ryzen update in many a year.

Faster clock frequencies alone aren't the whole solution.

The shift to 2nm manufacturing is expected to be a key technology leap for the AMD desktop processor lineup, with Zen 6 already anticipated to leverage TSMC's 2nm process. Maximum cores is another area where reports indicate a change, with 16 cores becoming 24 on mainstream Ryzen products.

One of the most interesting options in the future could be a 12-core X3D processor, as it's currently an 8-core. If any of these reports are true, then Zen-based Ryzen processors will mark the biggest performance boost AMD has seen since the initial release of first-generation Ryzen.

So far, AMD has more cores, higher clock speeds, a new manufacturing method, and a wider selection of X3D configurations, all ready to make a giant leap for desktop customers. When Ryzen 10000 is finally here, those who do will have a tough challenge on their hands.