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AMD's GPU Driver Bug Threatens SSD Lifespan: Temporary Fixes Available

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AMD has confirmed a driver issue causing excessive SSD writes. Here's how to mitigate potential damage.

In recent weeks, AMD has come under fire from users reporting a critical issue affecting SSD longevity. An internal component known as the External Events Utility (EEU) included with their drivers is causing constant writes and rewrites to solid-state drives (SSDs), raising concerns about their durability.

Identifying the SSD Problem

Under standard conditions, SSDs should ideally experience minimal writing activity throughout the day. However, users with AMD Radeon graphics cards have discovered that their drives are undergoing relentless data operations. The potential cause appears to be the EEU, installed automatically with AMD's CPU and GPU drivers.

The first reports of this problem emerged on AMD’s community forums back in July. One user complained that after installing a Radeon 9060XT graphics card, their SSD health began to suffer. Since then, a growing number of users have confirmed the issue, noting that the EEU writes data to their SSDs at a rate of 0.3 MB/s to 1.5 MB/s.

Consequences for SSD Lifespan

A concerning story from Reddit user darklinkpower highlighted the impact of this bug. They revealed that the AMD Adrenalin Edition desktop application also boasts the problematic EEU driver and has consumed approximately 1% of their SSD's lifespan each month over a span of 16 months. While this figure may seem insignificant initially, it can lead to catastrophic SSD failures if the problem continues unaddressed.

AMD’s Acknowledgment and User Solutions

AMD is reportedly aware of the issue. An official spokesperson, identified as AMD_Vik on Reddit, has indicated that a permanent fix is expected soon, though a specific timeline has not been disclosed. In the interim, users can take precautions to help safeguard their SSDs from excessive wear.

Here are two workarounds to consider:

  1. Disable the External Events Utility (EEU)
    • Press Windows key + R, type services.msc, and hit Enter.
    • Find AMD External Events Utility in the list.
    • Right-click and select Properties, stop the service, and set the startup type to Disabled.
  2. Adjust Smart Access Memory Settings
    • Open the AMD Adrenalin Edition application.
    • Click the gear icon to access Settings.
    • Locate the Smart Access Memory option and check its status.
    • If it’s enabled, toggle it off to alleviate pressure on your SSD.

While disabling the EEU is deemed the most effective solution for many, it may lead to complications such as disabling AMD FreeSync support or causing glitches when switching displays on a powered-on system. The adjustment of Smart Access Memory could also potentially disrupt communication between your CPU and GPU.

Final Thoughts

As AMD continues to work toward a resolution, users must remain vigilant and utilize the aforementioned workarounds to protect their SSDs. By taking these precautionary steps, AMD Radeon users can help ensure the longevity of their drives amid ongoing technical complications.

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