AMD releases beta driver enabling hardware accelerated GPU scheduling in Windows 10: benchmarks indicate moderate performance gains

Soon after NVIDIA enabled the feature in a driver update, AMD released a beta driver for Radeon graphics cards, allowing users to leverage Windows 10’s new hardware accelerated GPU scheduling feature. You’ll need to be on Windows 10 build 2004 to make use of the new feature, though.

In a nutshell, hardware accelerated GPU scheduling transfers VRAM management functions from Windows to the GPU itself. In theory, this should have a noticeable impact on performance in VRAM limited situations where the GPU should be more effective at VRAM management. 

Benchmark tests on hardware accelerated GPU scheduling indicate that the feature can result in substantial performance gains, both with low VRAM parts like the GeForce GTX 1650 Super, and high-end parts like the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti when running at high resolutions.

On cards like the 1650 Super, hardware accelerated GPU scheduling can mean the difference between subpar performance and a consistent framerate - in Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, enabling the feature pushed average FPS up from a barely playable 32 FPS to a more comfortable 36 FPS.

We’ve yet to see what impact, if any, hardware accelerated GPU scheduling will have on AMD hardware: we will keep you posted.