AMD fixes bug that put unnecessary strain on SSDs
A new Radeon driver should stop excessive writes to system drives.
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AMD has fixed a problem that caused certain Radeon drivers to continually write data to an SSD. The company recommends that users of affected Radeon cards install the new Adrenalin 26.11.1 driver.
According to AMD, the problem affected systems with Radeon RX 7000 and RX 9000 products. AMD said the driver could cause excessive writes to the system drive even when the computer was idle. Such writes are not in themselves evidence that an SSD is failing, but they can cause unnecessary storage activity and additional wear.
AMD initially described the error as a known issue and was working on a solution. The current release notes for Adrenalin 26.11.1 state that the writes to the system drive have been fixed. The same driver also lists a fix for additional writes that could occur when moving or resizing windows.
According to earlier technical reports, the bug was located in a background process of AMD Software. That process supports features related to displays, FreeSync and Radeon software hotkeys. Users reported that the process could write large amounts of log data even when inactive.
The scale varied from system to system. Online reports mentioned write speeds ranging from fractions of a megabyte per second to several megabytes per second. Such user reports are not automatically representative of all systems and do not prove that every affected SSD suffered lasting damage.
AMD identifies version 26.11.1 as the solution. A separate support page says that users experiencing the error should install this version. Earlier temporary solutions, such as disabling an AMD background service, could affect graphics software features and are therefore not a general substitute for the official update.
For users in the Netherlands, the news is mainly relevant to owners of recent Radeon cards running Windows. According to AMD, the update prevents the described writes, but the company gives no general estimate of the number of affected computers or any possible reduction in SSD lifespan. The scale of any damage cannot be established from the user reports described.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The technical core, affected product lines and solution are set out in AMD's own documentation. Claims about possible SSD wear are carefully attributed and qualified.
- confirmed AMD confirmed excessive SSD writes affecting certain Radeon products. — AMD explicitly identifies this as a known issue. source
- confirmed Adrenalin 26.11.1 fixes the writes. — The release notes list this among the resolved issues. source
- confirmed Online reports do not prove that all SSDs suffered lasting damage. — This is a methodological qualification of user reports, not a new factual claim about a specific measurement. source
Editor's note
AMD has confirmed the error and the solution. Reports of specific SSD damage are user claims and have not been presented as a general finding.Sources
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