Bug: AMD Radeon driver writes uncontrollably to SSDs
AMD is currently investigating a bug in its current Radeon graphics drivers. This leads to a considerable load on SSDs in users’ computers because a large number of unnecessary writes are carried out.
Hundreds of gigabytes a day
On affected computers, a Windows service is supposed to continuously write data to the system drive even when idle. In extreme cases, this could result in several hundred gigabytes of additional write load per day. AMD is already working on a correction, like our colleagues at US Magazine Neowin report. The AMD External Events Utility or its client process atieclxx.exe is apparently responsible for the problem. The component handles various tasks related to graphics output, including detecting connected monitors, display hotkeys and supporting FreeSync. However, some users notice the service due to persistently high write activity on the system drive, even when the computer is not being used.
Reported values vary. Some say around one megabyte per second, other users observe up to five megabytes. At a constant five megabytes per second, that adds up to around 432 gigabytes within 24 hours. This could significantly limit the service life of SSDs with low write resistance in particular. However, it is not yet possible to estimate how much this will actually have an impact. The problem is reminiscent of a previous bug in AMD chipset drivers. However, this time the graphics driver software appears to be affected. There are reports on several Radeon driver versions, including current editions of the Adrenalin series.
Correction is in progress
AMD has confirmed the difficulties. According to a company representative on Reddit, the behavior is related to an interaction between the External Events Utility and Microsoft’s PCIe filter driver. A possible correction should already be submitted for final validation and testing present. It should therefore be included in a driver update soon. However, there is no specific release date yet. Until then, various workarounds exist. Anyone who deactivates the AMD External Events Utility via Windows Services Management can apparently prevent the additional writing processes.
However, this could affect individual functions of the Radeon software, especially hotkeys in Adrenalin. FreeSync and Resizable BAR should continue to work for some users. Alternatively, Resizable BAR can be deactivated in the BIOS. However, this can cost gaming performance. However, it is not advisable to replace individual AMD system driver files with older versions. Users can check write activity in Task Manager or with tools like CrystalDiskInfo.
Amit Gohar is Technical writer at ResearchSnipers.com, he is well versed Technology News writer, he has completed is MS computer Science in 2020. He can be reached at amit.g@researchsnipers.com
