Connect with us

TECHSAMA

Radeon Software Slimmer: AMD GPU drivers self-overclock CPUs

Apps

Radeon Software Slimmer: AMD GPU drivers self-overclock CPUs

AMD has had a bad year, admitting a month ago that their Ryzen CPUs stutter Windows 11 computers. While people wait for a repair, AMD GPU drivers are introducing a new issue.

When overclocking a computer’s processor, the user can improve overall performance by altering settings in the BIOS or UEFI. If the user doesn’t know how to change the settings, the machine may become unstable, overheat, and crash with BSODs or random reboots, causing data loss.

Last year, the Santa Clara-based business included “Auto Overclock” to its AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin for Windows software, under the Tuning Control area. Enabling this option automatically overclocks the CPU and GPU. It’s a simple approach for those who don’t know their way around the BIOS to alter their computer’s performance. The notion was fine, but ultimately backfired on AMD.

AMD GPU drivers self-overclock CPUs

A few days ago, an Igors Lab study revealed that the BIOS settings on PCs equipped with an AMD CPU and graphics card were being reset automatically. The cause of the issue was determined to be Ryzen Master, which is integrated with the graphics driver.

When it loads a GPU Profile, it modifies the CPU settings, followed by a reboot. Additionally, it altered the Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO) settings regardless of whether they had been specified by the user. Igor says that removing bloatware such as the AMD Ryzen Master SDK with Radeon Software Slimmer can help prevent the BIOS settings from being reset.

AMD GPU drivers self-overclock CPUs

The corporation quickly validated the speculation. This is the statement made by an AMD official to Tom’s Hardware.

“We are aware of a problem with the AMD software suite in which specific AMD processor settings are being adjusted for some customers. We are examining the matter and will provide further information as soon as possible.”

The release notes for AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition 22.4.1, which was released yesterday, also highlight this as a known problem.

“After resetting or importing a profile from Radeon Performance Tuning Options, Ryzen CPU Overclock parameters can be adjusted.”

According to the source, “overclocking a Ryzen CPU voids the warranty immediately.” This may cause concern for people who are impacted by this issue. The firm has recognized the issue, and given that it is the result of a software error, not the user’s, I doubt it will deny the warranty if a user seeks technical help via official channels. I have first-hand experience with AMD’s customer care; a few years ago, they gave me a replacement CPU (Ryzen 3 1200) without asking any questions, so you might say they are rather flexible with their regulations.

According to several customers on reddit, they’ve been encountering black screen difficulties on their Ryzen computers and have resolved the issue by reinstalling the graphics drivers. Another user responded that just establishing a new profile in Adrenalin Software will prevent the PBO values from being reset.

Why is auto-overclocking dangerous?

Certain people prefer to overclock their CPUs in order to extract additional processing power. While overclocking might speed up your PC, if done wrong, it can also cause the processor to overheat, perhaps causing irreversible damage to the CPU and other components. Normally, users must enter and alter their PC’s BIOS settings in order to adjust the clock speed of their CPU, but AMD’s auto overclocking capability enables users to do so immediately from their Windows desktop. While this is more convenient for overclockers — and stops you from messing up your BIOS settings – the idea appears to have backfired.

Additionally, some customers are afraid that unintentional overclocking would void their CPU’s warranty. AMD voids warranties on overclocked CPUs, which makes the inclusion of an auto-overclocking feature all the more bizarre. To be honest, proving that a CPU was overclocked is tough without the user admitting it, but maybe the corporation will make an exception to its terms of service in this instance.

While we would not be concerned about your AMD CPU’s warranty at the moment, you should still ensure that it is not overclocked if you do not want it to.

The safest course of action is to avoid CPU-intensive activity such as gaming, live streaming, or video editing until AMD issues a patch to address the issue. However, some users are circumventing the issue by using third-party software called Radeon Software Slimmer. It’s an open-source application that strips AMD’s drivers of unnecessary features and clutter, including the auto overclocking capability.

I believe that managing BIOS settings from Windows, much alone having a software do it, is not a smart idea. AMD should provide a remedy for this issue shortly.

Continue Reading
You may also like...

More in Apps

  • Apps

    wpDataTables

    By

    The top WordPress table and graph builder available right now is wpDataTables. Web designers have started...

  • Apps

    WhatFontis

    By

    WhatFontis.com provides a solution to a common annoyance for designers. It is attempting to locate a...

  • Apps

    Proto.io

    By

    Designers, developers, business owners, and product managers may use the online application Proto.io to generate prototypes...

  • Apps

    Nutcache

    By

    In line with the idea that “excellent tools foster great productivity,” Nutcache is a productivity tool...

  • Apps

    Mobirise

    By

    With Mobirise, an offline website builder, you have complete control over all aspects of creating a...

To Top