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AMD confirms Radeon driver bug causing nonstop SSD writes

AMD has acknowledged a GPU driver bug involving its External Events Utility that continuously writes data to SSDs, with an official fix scheduled for the Adrenalin 26.11.1 update.

Digital rendering of an AMD Radeon graphics card mounted on a motherboard with yellow caution stripes and the words SSD Write Bug overlaid on the GPU side.
Image: @VideoCardz

AMD has confirmed a bug in its Radeon graphics drivers that causes continuous data writes to SSDs, silently wearing down storage hardware over time. According to reports from VideoCardz and Tom's Hardware, the company has acknowledged the flaw and plans to deliver a formal resolution in the Adrenalin 26.11.1 driver update.[4][6][1]

The issue stems from the AMD External Events Utility service running on Windows PCs. Reports collated by Neowin and HotHardware noted that the service writes data nonstop at rates typically around 1MB/s and up to 5MB/s. One Radeon owner cited by Tom's Hardware claimed the continuous activity consumed roughly 1% of their SSD's total health each month for more than a year.[2][3][6]

An AMD representative informed Neowin that a potential fix is already in final testing. In the meantime, outlets reporting on the flaw note that users can apply working manual fixes to halt the excessive background writes before the patch rolls out.[2][1][3][5]

Key facts

  • AMD confirmed a Radeon graphics driver bug that continuously writes data to SSDs.
  • The excessive write activity originates from the AMD External Events Utility service.
  • Windows users reported nonstop write speeds of around 1MB/s and reaching up to 5MB/s.
  • One user reported that the utility used up roughly 1% of their SSD health every month for over a year.
  • AMD plans to address the bug in the Adrenalin 26.11.1 driver update, with a fix undergoing final testing.
  • Temporary workarounds are available to prevent the driver service from wearing down storage drives.

Sources · 5 sources

  1. NE

    NeowinFeed@NeowinFeedPost on X ·

    A major AMD driver problem has returned which silently wears down SSDs, this time via GPU drivers, and poses unexpected risk to storage devices. There are a couple of working fixes. #AMD #SSD #NVMe #Bug https://t.co/X7AyCj0Xg1

    Open source
  2. NE

    NeowinFeed@NeowinFeedPost on X ·

    Windows users with Radeon GPUs report a driver service writing to their SSD nonstop, with reported rates around 1MB/s and up to 5MB/s. Neowin reports an AMD rep has acknowledged it, with a potential fix in final testing. ^P https://t.co/VuVEjrCgIT

    Open source
  3. HO

    HotHardware@HotHardwarePost on X ·

    A bug in the @AMD External Events Utility can cause excess SSD writes on some machines, but you can fix it. https://t.co/XDsE6Sdnr3

    Open source
  4. VC

    VideoCardz.com@VideoCardzPost on X ·

    AMD confirms Radeon driver bug causing constant SSD writes, fix planned for Adrenalin 26.11.1 🔗https://t.co/1CZjlc7Bd5 https://t.co/tM8dJ6iL3X

    Open source
  5. ZD

    ZDNET@ZDNETPost on X ·

    AMD confirms GPU driver bug is wearing out your SSD - how to stop it - ZDNET https://t.co/74TYD84V1K

    Open source
  6. TH

    Tom's Hardware@tomshardwarePost on X ·

    AMD admits GPU driver bug is writing data continuously, wearing out SSDs — Radeon owner claims External Events Utility used up 1% of SSD health every month for over a year, company promises a fix soon https://t.co/mhaKLTe4u6

    Open source