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AMD's ASD Boosts Game Load Times by 95% on RX 9070 XT
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1 min read
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Briefly Editorial Team

AMD's ASD Boosts Game Load Times by 95% on RX 9070 XT

TL;DR

  • •ASD cuts initial game load delays by 95%
  • •Minimum FPS improves by 10-18%
  • •Available for AMD PC and laptop graphics

Why it matters

ASD eliminates shader compilation delays, enhancing gaming performance and FPS stability. This is critical for developers and gamers prioritizing efficiency.

Technical Details

AMD's Advanced Shader Delivery (ASD) preloads compiled shaders during game installation, eliminating first-launch delays caused by shader compilation. Initially exclusive to the ROG Xbox Ally handheld, the technology is now available on PCs with AMD discrete GPUs and laptops with integrated AMD graphics.

Test Results

Tom’s Hardware testing revealed:

  • Forza Horizon 6: Load time reduced from 48 to 2 seconds (96%), minimum FPS rose from 54 to 72
  • Outer Worlds 2: Load time dropped from 172 to 9 seconds, minimum FPS increased by 1 frame
  • Avowed: Pre-compilation time cut from 3 minutes to 38 seconds (78%)
  • Ninja Gaiden 4: Minimum FPS improved by 10%

Industry Impact

ASD requires developer support to upload precompiled shaders to a dedicated database. While currently limited to Xbox Store games, its adoption could set a new standard for PC game launch optimization. Users can manually disable ASD by deleting shader files and disconnecting from the internet.