AMD has released a new Radeon graphics driver to stop its software from bombarding system drives with unnecessary writes while computers are sitting idle.
The chipmaker’s Adrenalin Edition 26.11.1 update fixes two separate bugs that could cause excessive disk activity during ordinary desktop use. One affects Radeon RX 7000 series graphics cards and newer models, while the second appears when users move or resize application windows.
The first bug is particularly embarrassing because it triggers unnecessary drive writes when the system is supposedly idle. Apparently, AMD’s software decided that an idle computer was an excellent opportunity to give its storage device some exercise.
According to AMD’s release notes, the second problem produces excessive writes when application windows are moved or resized. The company listed this separately and did not specify which Radeon products are affected.
AMD addressed both faults in the optional 26.11.1 driver, which it released on 12 November. The update is effectively a hotfix for users experiencing the problems, although the company has made it available through its normal driver distribution channels.
The concern is that modern solid-state drives have finite write endurance, with manufacturers generally specifying how much data can be written before the drive exceeds its rated lifespan. Unnecessary background activity consumes part of that allowance without providing any useful benefit to the owner.
That does not automatically mean Radeon users have been wearing out their SSDs at an alarming rate. AMD has provided no figures showing how much additional data the bugs generated, how long they existed or whether affected drives experienced measurable reductions in endurance.
Nevertheless, software that repeatedly writes data to storage during idle periods is hardly desirable, particularly when users have spent good money on a fast NVMe SSD. The situation becomes sillier when moving a window around the desktop is enough to trigger unnecessary disk activity.
AMD has not explained which part of its graphics software was responsible. The release notes describe the symptoms and confirm the fixes, leaving users to speculate about what the driver was doing with their storage devices.
The company has several other outstanding driver problems listed for the release. These include possible crashes or driver timeouts in Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced on Radeon RX 7000 cards and intermittent timeouts in War Thunder on RX 5000 hardware.
There are further known problems involving Cyberpunk 2077 when certain Radeon graphics features are enabled during video playback on a secondary monitor. Some RX 9000 users might encounter visual corruption in Phantom Blade Zero or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered.
Windows 10 users may also face another potential annoyance, because AMD warns that Smart Access Memory may disable after installation. The feature allows compatible processors to access more of a graphics card’s memory and can improve performance in supported games.
If you’ve been using third-party workarounds to suppress excessive disk activity, VideoCardz recommends restoring the original settings before installing the official driver. Otherwise, users risk leaving unnecessary changes in place after AMD has fixed the underlying bugs.
The Adrenalin 26.11.1 driver is available from AMD’s support website, and it resolves the two excessive-write issues.
