AMD confirms GPU driver bug is wearing out your SSD – how to stop it

ZDNET’s cardinal takeaways

• An AMD inferior is causing drives to continuously constitute and rewrite data.
• A Reddit idiosyncratic reported that their drive’s wellness was being degraded.
• Workarounds are successful spot portion AMD works connected a imperishable fix.

Under mean circumstances, an SSD mightiness spell each time without needing to entree oregon constitute files. But for immoderate AMD Radeon users, thing but mean circumstances are causing drives to continuously constitute and re-write data. The External Events Utility (EEU) that AMD installs alongside its CPU and GPU drivers is reportedly the culprit.

Also: Nvidia RTX 50 GPUs deed with much terms hikes

SSD decease by a 1000 cuts

Reports of the contented archetypal surfaced successful July connected AMD’s authoritative PC idiosyncratic forum, with 1 idiosyncratic stating that the External Events Client Module and EEU were perpetually penning accusation to their SSD aft installing a Radeon 9060XT graphics card. Subsequent comments connected the thread this period corroborate that the contented has persisted contempt respective bug fixes and spot updates, with 2 users reporting hard numbers for information usage ranging from 0.3 MB/s to arsenic overmuch arsenic 1.5 MB/s.

Also: The champion laptops: Expert tested and reviewed

This week, Reddit idiosyncratic darklinkpower posted that the AMD Adrenaline Edition desktop exertion besides had the EEU operator bug, utilizing up to 1% of their thrust wellness per period for astir 16 months. That mightiness not dependable similar much, but it tin origin catastrophic problems if near unchecked.

AMD seems to beryllium alert of the issue; a institution authoritative who goes by AMD_Vik connected Reddit commented that it volition “hopefully [be] fixed successful the adjacent [update].” While there’s small denotation of however rapidly a permanent, authoritative spot volition beryllium pushed to users, determination are a fewer ways you tin support yourself from the bug and forestall your retention thrust from collapsing.

The workarounds

Solution 1: Disable EEU

• Press the Windows cardinal + R, benignant successful services.msc, and property Enter.
• Locate AMD External Events Utility.
• Open the properties menu, extremity the service/process, and alteration the startup behaviour to Disabled.

This seems to beryllium the astir accordant hole for astir AMD users reporting issues, but disabling the EEU tin origin its ain problems, specified arsenic disabling AMD FreeSync enactment oregon introducing show glitches if you hot-swap screens portion your PC is powered on.

Solution 2: Disable ReBAR

The AMD Adrenalin Edition desktop app lets you power however your PC components pass with 1 another, and it mightiness beryllium different facet of a analyzable problem. By allowing your CPU to entree your graphics card’s memory, you tin temporarily boost performance, but the EEU bug seems to fto it and your GPU tally rampant, eating up each spot of representation they tin find. Changing a fewer settings wrong the app whitethorn help:

Also: I tried section AI connected HP’s Omnibook Ultra

• Open the AMD Adrenalin Edition desktop app.
• Click the cogwheel icon successful the program, past spell to Settings.
• Look for Smart Access Memory to beryllium Enabled, Disabled, oregon Not Available.
• If it’s enabled, toggle it disconnected to forestall your CPU and GPU from eating up your system’s retention and RAM.

This is simply a much niche solution that carries its ain hazard of introducing connection issues betwixt your CPU and GPU, truthful I lone urge trying this way if disabling the EEU itself doesn’t resoluteness the issue. AMD’s authoritative hole whitethorn beryllium successful the works, but without a steadfast timeline for release, users are near twisting successful the upwind trying to halt their PCs from hemorrhaging retention capacity.

Taylor Clemons

Staff Writer

Taylor Clemons is simply a tech writer and reviewer based adjacent Cleveland, OH. After graduating from Tiffin University successful 2011, they spent respective years successful tract and plot manufacturing earlier moving connected their ain (now defunct) crippled reappraisal site, Steam Shovelers. From there, Taylor expanded into penning astir user exertion similar televisions, location audio equipment, and astute location devices astatine Lifewire. Taylor's enactment tin besides beryllium recovered astatine The Balance, TechRadar, Tom's Hardware, SPY.com, GameSkinny, IndieHangover, The Inventory, and Forbes. See afloat bio