AMD Introduces USB 4 Support in Chipset Update for Ryzen 6000 Mobile (Updated)
The USB 4 driver update is exclusive to Ryzen 6000 until Zen 4 arrives
AMD just released a new chipset driver, version 4.06.10.651, centered around supporting AMD's new Ryzen 6000 Rembrandt mobile platform. The driver includes six new drivers, with one of these drivers adding USB 4 support to Windows 10 and 11. However, the system would first require USB 4 ports (these aren't present on all systems) and would also require a BIOS update from the manufacturer to enable the ports. For now, this driver applies strictly to Ryzen 6000, but we expect AMD to extend USB 4 support to Ryzen 7000 once AMD's AM5 platform arrives later this year.
USB 4 is the latest version of the USB connectivity standard and it brings some massive upgrades over the older USB 3.2 specifications. The biggest update includes a bandwidth bump to 40Gbps on the "highest-end" USB4 ports, which is the same speed as Thunderbolt 3. But, the USB4 standard also allows for slower 20Gbps implementations if desired to cut back on cost or power requirements. USB 4 also has the capability to work with Thunderbolt 3 devices thanks to the 40Gbps speeds, but integration is optional for manufacturers.
Ryzen 6000 is the first AMD platform to fully embrace the USB 4 standard, with USB 4 being integrated into the processor itself. However, the system would require dedicated USB 4 ports for the feature to work.
The other five drivers added to this chipset update include Wireless Button Driver, PMF Driver, PPM Provisioning File Driver, AMS Mailbox Driver, and S0i3 Filter Driver. Besides the wireless driver, it is unclear which of these four remaining drivers will be Ryzen 6000 mobile-exclusive or not.
AMD also added a bunch of bug fixes and performance optimizations to the new chipset driver, with most of them applying to all Ryzen platforms. These improvements include bug fixes for the I2C, UART, MicroPEP drivers, and both bug fixes and performance improvements for the PSP driver. AMD also updated the PCI Device Driver to include new program support. All these improvements will work on all Ryzen platforms.
Updates that only affect Ryzen mobile platforms include just two items. The first applies to the AMD power management software that received improved Ryzen 9 mobile support. The second is the SFH driver receiving airplane mode notification support.
You can download the update from AMD. For the best results, we recommend uninstalling the previous AMD chipset driver first before installing the latest chipset driver update, though that's not strictly required.
Updated 6/29/2022: Clarified USB 4 support details — a system would require USB 4 ports and the requisite BIOS support to enable USB 4.
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Aaron Klotz is a contributing writer for Tom’s Hardware, covering news related to computer hardware such as CPUs, and graphics cards.
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Sleepy_Hollowed That’s actually really good, hopefully cheaper than thunderbolt in the end as well.Reply -
KethanTX The system would first require USB 4 ports and they aren't present on all systems? They aren't present on any AMD systems that are available for sale in the U.S. I have been searching for months now on every search engine and web site I can find and though I can find reviews for a couple of laptops with USB 4 ports, I cannot find them actually available for purchase anywher.Reply