AMD's Driver Issue May Damage SSDs: Steps to Protect Your Drive

A significant concern has arisen for users of AMD Radeon graphics cards, as reports indicate a bug in the External Events Utility (EEU) is causing continuous writes to solid-state drives (SSDs). This problem not only impacts system performance but raises alarms about SSD longevity.

Understanding the Problem

Under typical usage, SSDs remain inactive for extended periods, but AMD Radeon users are discovering their drives are being subjected to relentless data writing. The source of this issue appears to be the External Events Utility, which is included with AMD's CPU and GPU drivers.

The bug first gained attention in July when a user reported that their SSD’s health was deteriorating after they installed the Radeon 9060XT graphics card. Since then, many others have shared similar experiences, confirming that the EEU consistently writes between 0.3 MB/s to 1.5 MB/s to their drives.

The Implications for SSD Health

In a concerning post on Reddit, a user by the name of darklinkpower revealed that the bug associated with the AMD Adrenaline Edition is responsible for consuming about 1% of their SSD's lifespan per month over a period of 16 months. While this may seem like a minor decrease, if left unresolved, it could lead to severe drive failures.

AMD's Response and User Workarounds

AMD has acknowledged the issue, with an official Reddit representative, AMD_Vik, indicating that a permanent fix is anticipated in the upcoming updates. However, a timeline for this resolution has not been provided, leaving users to implement their own solutions in the meantime.

Here are two workarounds that users can try to minimize the damage:

1. Disable the External Events Utility

1. Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog.
2. Type services.msc and hit Enter.
3. Locate AMD External Events Utility in the list.
4. Right-click on it, select Properties, then stop the service and change the startup type to Disabled.

This method has proven effective for many users, as it significantly reduces unnecessary write operations. However, it's important to note that disabling the EEU may lead to issues such as disabling AMD FreeSync or causing display glitches when connecting and disconnecting monitors.

2. Adjust Smart Access Memory Settings

1. Open the AMD Adrenaline Edition application.
2. Click the gear icon to enter Settings.
3. Find the Smart Access Memory option and check its status.
4. If it is enabled, toggle it off to restrict data usage by the CPU and GPU.

This alternative option can help reduce the load on your SSD but may introduce issues in communication between your components. Use this route cautiously, particularly if disabling the EEU itself does not alleviates the problem.

Conclusion

As AMD users navigate this concerning bug, the provided workarounds can serve as a temporary fix while awaiting an official resolution from the company. Taking these preventative steps can help ensure the longevity of your SSD, safeguarding against the potential risk of significant storage loss.