AMD Says a Driver Bug Is Automatically Overclocking Ryzen Processors

pcmag.com:

If your Ryzen PC seems to be running even faster than usual, it could be because AMD automatically overclocked your processor due to a driver bug.

As Tom's Hardware reports, AMD makes overclocking easy by offering to automatically adjust BIOS settings for you. Last year, the ability to do this was added to the Radeon Adrenalin Software Suite as a way of simplifying the process even further. However, AMD requires users click past a warning before overclocking a Ryzen chip because it voids the warranty.

This new bug means overclocking happens on Ryzen CPU/GPU combo chips (APU) without the user's knowledge and therefore without them seeing the warning. It occurs when a GPU profile is applied in the driver, which triggers the silent overclock. An AMD representative confirmed this in a statement to Tom's Hardware:

"We are aware of an issue in the AMD software suite that is adjusting certain AMD processor settings for some users. We are investigating the issue and we’ll share more information as soon as we’re able."

AMD isn't offering any advice on how to avoid the automatic overclocking, but it's unlikely to cause any damage to a chip because there are built-in protection mechanisms. It seems likely AMD will release a software update in the next few days which solves the problem.

The unofficial solution to the problem is to use a utility called Radeon Software Slimmer, which was created to "trim down the bloat" contained in Radeon Software. It enables a user to locate and delete the Ryzen Master SDK from the Adrenalin software and prevent the possibility of an automatic overclock. AMD isn't suggesting you use this method, and it's probably best to wait for the official fix.

Sign up for What's New Now to get our top stories