AMD confirms GPU driver bug that causes excessive wear and reduces SSD lifespan
A critical bug in AMD's GPU drivers is reportedly causing some systems to continuously write data to the system drive, potentially accelerating the wear and tear of SSDs. The issue centers on the AMD External Events Utility (EEU), a component installed as part of the AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition, which in some configurations enters a loop of constant data writing even when the computer is idle.
The scale of the data being written is significant, with affected users reporting write speeds ranging from 0.3 to 5 MB/s. At the upper end of that spectrum, a system could generate approximately 432 GB of host writes per day, which totals nearly 13 TB over a full month of uninterrupted activity. Some Radeon owners have claimed this has had a tangible impact on hardware longevity; one user reported that their SSD's health indicator declined by roughly one percent every month for 16 months, though this specific claim remains unverified.
While these numbers are alarming, it is important to distinguish between reported host writes and actual physical NAND flash degradation. SSD controllers employ caching and wear-leveling techniques to manage incoming data, meaning the reported activity does not always translate directly to a linear reduction in drive lifespan. Nevertheless, AMD has acknowledged the problem, with company representatives confirming as of October 21 that they are investigating the cause. The company has attributed the behavior to an apparent interaction or loop between the External Events Utility and a PCIe-related component.
Detection and Scope
The bug appears to affect both Windows 10 and Windows 11 systems across various driver versions, including Adrenalin 26.19.2 and older releases. Interestingly, the issue was not mentioned in the release notes for Adrenalin 26.20.2, which launched on October 30. Because the problem does not seem to follow a clear pattern across specific hardware combinations or driver versions, users are encouraged to manually verify if their systems are affected.
To check for the bug, users can open the Windows Resource Monitor by typing "resmon" into the Run command (Windows + R) and navigating to the Disk tab. The signal of the bug is sustained, continuous write activity from the processes atieclxx.exe or atiesrxx.exe while the PC is otherwise idle. A brief spike in activity is typical for background tasks, but the bug is characterized by a persistent flood of data that does not let up.
Mitigation and Resolution
Until a formal patch arrives, there are a few unofficial workarounds, though each carries a performance or functional penalty. One method involves using the Windows Services application (services.msc) to stop or disable the AMD External Events Utility. While this halts the excessive writes, it may break Radeon hotkeys, display detection, and FreeSync features. Alternatively, some users have found that disabling Resizable BAR (ReBAR) stops the activity, though this is generally undesirable as ReBAR is designed to improve gaming performance by optimizing GPU memory access.
AMD has stated that a resolution is expected to be delivered in driver version 26.11.1, although a confirmed release date for this update has not yet been provided.
The situation highlights the risks associated with background utilities that lack sufficient safeguards against infinite write loops. For now, the safest course of action for Radeon owners is to monitor their disk activity via Resource Monitor and avoid unofficial forum patches until the 26.11.1 driver is officially released and verified.
