AMD Software Adrenalin drivers mess with the CPU without telling you

Some owners of Radeon video cards have found some system instability after installing the drivers AMD Software Adrenalin 22.3.1 or later. The German newspaper Igor’s Lab investigated the problem and found a Abnormal behavior AMD GPU control software: intervenes in the BIOS by modifying the operating parameters of the CPU.

The problem occurs in the case of totally AMD configurations, both as regards the CPU and the GPU, and according to what was reconstructed it would originate from the module Ryzen Master inserted in the latest Adrenalin Software drivers. According to what is reported by the portal, the aforementioned module activates the PBO (Precision Boost Overdrive) of the CPU or the CPU OC entry going to modify frequencies e voltage processor when loading a profile linked to the GPU, even the Default one.

Of course, this created several problems, especially for those who had manually intervened on the CPU configuration. The previously set profile is completely overwritten, forcing more experienced users to repeat the manual procedure within the BIOS. In principle, on the security side, there should be no risks as the CPU integrates all systems designed to prevent physical damage to the component. However, this behavior undoubtedly affects overall system performance with more noticeable effects in cases where the CPU is subjected to a greater workload.

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Currently AMD has not yet spoken about the situation, probably waiting to better understand the origin of the problem. In the meantime, there are two ways to limit the discomfort that certainly won’t make overclockers happy. The first is to create a new profile for the GPU by AMD Software Adrenalin, which interrupts the action of the Ryzen Master module.

The second, on the other hand, is to intervene directly inside the BIOS, manually restoring the desired values or deactivating PBO which brings them back to the standard settings, thus replacing what the module has done. All in all this is an easily circumvented problem, but still frustrating for which all that remains is to wait for an official position from the manufacturer.