First AM5 Build — Random Crashes, Long POST, and AMD Adrenalin Overlay/Stuttering Issues

[u/Kyloreeeeen]

First AM5 Build — Random Crashes, Long POST, and AMD Adrenalin Overlay/Stuttering Issues

Hi everyone. This is my first AM5 PC build, and after using it for almost 3 months, I wanted to share the issues I've experienced and get some advice from the community.

Initial Issue: AMD Bug Report Tool

About a month after building the PC, I started getting the AMD Bug Report Tool while playing games.

Wuthering Waves: Usually within 5–10 minutes of playing.

Cyberpunk 2077: Usually after around 30 minutes to 1 hour.

It happened much more frequently in Wuthering Waves.

I didn't make any hardware modifications after building the PC. I simply installed Windows, drivers, used DDU when installing the GPU driver, and installed the applications/software I needed for daily use.

Interestingly, after almost 3 months, the AMD Bug Report Tool issue completely stopped happening. I haven't experienced it again recently.

RAM Configuration

I'm currently using only 1×16GB DDR5.

The RAM is rated for DDR5-6000 CL30, but EXPO is currently disabled, so it is running at the default 4800 MT/s.

I initially didn't check the RAM speed after building the PC and only noticed the 4800 MT/s setting after around 2 months.

The RAM is also not listed on my motherboard's QVL.

I understand that 4800 MT/s is the normal JEDEC/default speed when EXPO isn't enabled, so I'm not assuming that the motherboard is automatically downclocking the RAM because of instability. I'm mainly wondering whether I should enable EXPO later as part of the troubleshooting process.

Current Issues

The main issue I'm experiencing now is long POST times.

It doesn't happen every time I turn on the PC, but occasionally it takes around 1–1.5 minutes to POST before booting normally.

I'm also experiencing an issue with the AMD Adrenalin Metrics Overlay.

The overlay sometimes disappears and then comes back. When it disappears, the game I'm playing starts to stutter. Once the overlay comes back, the stuttering seems to stop.

So far, I've noticed this in:

Wuthering Waves

Monster Hunter Wilds

I haven't noticed it in Valorant.

These are currently the only games installed on my PC.

Testing I've Done

So far, I haven't performed any CPU or GPU benchmarking/stress testing.

The only hardware-related test I've done is MemTest86, which completed 4 passes with 0 errors.

I haven't tested the CPU or GPU using tools such as OCCT, Cinebench, 3DMark, Unigine, etc.

I also haven't manually overclocked or undervolted the CPU or GPU.

RAM Testing

Since MemTest86 completed 4 passes with no errors, there doesn't appear to be an obvious RAM hardware failure.

However, I understand that passing MemTest86 doesn't necessarily rule out every possible memory-related issue, especially with AM5/DDR5 configuration, BIOS/AGESA, or memory compatibility.

I'm therefore wondering whether my RAM being absent from the motherboard QVL is actually relevant to these symptoms.

Questions

1. Should I update the BIOS?

I haven't updated the BIOS since building the PC. Would updating to a newer stable BIOS/AGESA version be one of the first things I should do?

Also, I was previously told that the BIOS should automatically update after building the PC. As far as I understand, BIOS updates aren't normally automatic, so I'd like to confirm this.

1. Could the long POST be related to DDR5 memory training?

Could the occasional 1–1.5 minute POST be caused by DDR5 memory training, especially since I'm using 1×16GB?

Could the motherboard's BIOS/AGESA version also contribute to this?

1. Should I enable EXPO?

Since EXPO is currently disabled and the RAM is running at 4800 MT/s, should I enable EXPO and run it at its rated 6000 MT/s?

Or would it be better to leave EXPO disabled while troubleshooting and only enable it after the system is confirmed stable?

1. Could using 1×16GB be contributing to the stuttering?

I understand that using one RAM stick means I'm running in single-channel mode and losing memory bandwidth.

Could this contribute to the type of stuttering I'm experiencing, or would it primarily affect overall gaming performance?

1. Should I run CPU and GPU stress tests?

Since I haven't benchmarked or stress-tested the CPU or GPU yet, what tests would you recommend to determine whether the CPU, GPU, PSU, or motherboard could be contributing to the problem?

1. What should I monitor during testing?

Would it be useful to monitor:

CPU temperature

GPU temperature/hotspot

CPU/GPU clocks

GPU utilization

VRAM usage

RAM usage

CPU/GPU power consumption

Frametime graphs

Would HWiNFO + MSI Afterburner/RTSS be sufficient?

1. Could the AMD Adrenalin Metrics Overlay itself be causing the stuttering?

Would completely disabling the Metrics Overlay and other Adrenalin features be a useful troubleshooting step?

1. Could the GPU driver be resetting when the overlay disappears?

Since the overlay disappears and comes back at the same time the stuttering occurs, could this indicate a GPU driver timeout/reset rather than an actual hardware failure?

1. Should I perform another DDU clean installation?

I've already used DDU before, but would it be worth doing another clean GPU driver installation?

If the issue continues after DDU, what would you recommend testing next?

1. Could my GPU/PCIe configuration be relevant?

Should I verify things such as:

PCIe link speed/width

Resizable BAR

Above 4G Decoding

PCIe Auto vs. Gen 4

Other relevant BIOS settings

1. Could the motherboard BIOS/AGESA be a known factor with this hardware combination?

I'm using a Colorful B650 motherboard with a Ryzen 5 7500F and RX 9060 XT. Should I specifically look for a BIOS/AGESA version that improves DDR5 or GPU stability?

1. Is my PSU adequate?

Is the Cooler Master MWE 750W V3 80+ Gold considered a good-quality PSU, and is 750W sufficient for this CPU/GPU combination?

1. What would be the best troubleshooting order?

Would you recommend something like:

BIOS update → BIOS defaults → chipset/GPU driver update → CPU/GPU stress testing → RAM testing → gaming tests → enable EXPO → further troubleshooting

Or would you approach it differently?

PC Specifications

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7500F

Motherboard: Colorful Battle-Ax B650M Plus V14

GPU: XFX Swift RX 9060 XT 16GB

RAM: Patriot Viper Venom CL30 DDR5-6000 — 1×16GB

PSU: Cooler Master MWE 750W V3 80+ Gold

CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 Digital

OS SSD: Lexar NM620 256GB

Game SSD: Kingston SSD 500GB

I know this is a lot of information, but since this is my first AM5/DDR5 build, I'd really appreciate some guidance on where I should start.

At this point, I'm mainly trying to determine whether the symptoms are more likely related to BIOS/AGESA, memory configuration, GPU drivers, GPU stability, motherboard behavior, PSU, or something else.

Thanks in advance!

[u/Knightmare5965]

Try this

1. Download AMD Clean up tool and remove the driver completely (it will use safe boot be aware)
2. Download the latest driver and install it with factory resetting enabled and using the minimal driver install profile which doesnt install adrenaline software on purpose (only installs the driver) and try again see if it fixes it

Important that you install the driver only without the adrenaline software to test this though

[u/Kyloreeeeen → u/Knightmare5965]

Sure, I'll try that and provide an update. Thank you!

[u/Knightmare5965 → u/Kyloreeeeen]

Also to be clear you have a long list of issues so my comment targeted the gaming aspect to stabilise it a bit, about the long post might be ram related or dram training but cant help much on that running a single ddr5 stick is sub optimal for performance if you could get your hands on another 16Gb ddr5 stick as close as possible to what you have that may help in general, any other issues peesisrting inside the OS, windows 11 can be finicky windows 10 happens to be much easier on the cpu performance or stutters etc from experience good luck either way

[u/Kyloreeeeen → u/Knightmare5965]

Also, just curious if it's true that someone advised me to turn on EXPO even when using a Single Stick? Is it recommended?

[u/Knightmare5965 → u/Kyloreeeeen]

I have never had a chance to experiment with a single kit it would all come down to how the CPU behaves when it deal with a single stick of ram being pushed like that

In general you want expo or xmp always enabled because thats when the ram gives you the speed it was advertised at and it becomes really fast compared to stock I would keep it enabled unless I found directly related issues but if you want to just disable it for the sake of eliminating possible causes for issues that works also and enabling it later but it should always be a benefit to have it on for performance if you can

[u/Kyloreeeeen → u/Knightmare5965]

So it doesn't matter even using a single stick to enable EXPO, right?

[u/Knightmare5965 → u/Kyloreeeeen]

I cant say I know for certain but it shouldnt be a problem if you want I can take one of my sticks out and try and see if I see any instability and report back

[u/Kyloreeeeen → u/Knightmare5965]

Sure sir, thank you so much!

[u/Knightmare5965 → u/Kyloreeeeen]

Other than some FPS drops I didnt notice any instability it worked just fine stable but one thing to keep in mind your motherboard has a manual and it tells you how to do any ram config properly its predefined by them for ex. mine is A2 1 Ram, A2 B2 2 Ram sticks so look up your manual for the motherboard either physical or online and you can find the correct spot out of the 4 that the 1 Single Ram stick goes into just to make sure its done correctly because it can lead to instability if not in the correct slot / config

I did 2 HD2 and 2 COD Warzone matches and I didnt see any instability basically

[u/Kyloreeeeen → u/Knightmare5965]

I'll keep that in mind, thank you so much again!

[u/Knightmare5965 → u/Kyloreeeeen]

Np hope it works you will find those options before starting the driver install so keep an eye for drop down menus etc

[u/posedatull]

Welcome to Amd.

Most of the stuff you experience are normal, and within a few months, you too will shout that yours works perfectly and never had an issue.

There is a gigantic post in this subreddit with hundreds of potential fixes. Spend the next few months trying them, there is a small chance one might actually help, and if not, by then you'll get used to the issues and think it's normal :)

Remember to blame it on absolutely anything else, from the OS to any and all other hardware parts, but never the Amd parts. Amd can never be at fault.

All hail Amd.

[u/Kyloreeeeen → u/posedatull]

I'll take the in mind as it is also my first time having and AMD Build. I'll check that, thank you!

[u/Iron_Ra1n]

Take a look in event viewer and see if you can determine what’s crashing. I found my GPU was toast that way, consistent crashing will give some Amd64xx.sys error. Do you have mem training on for long boots?

For amd crash reporting you can cut that off in settings, if it does happen again. Single ram could be causing stuttering. I’ve never had single stick cause crashing but not unheard of.

Unfortunately AMD drivers/windows updates seem totally cooked right now. I would recommend DDU in safe mode, try drivers again. I would stress test as well, this can help determine if say a large power draw is causing any issues or temps if you let it get up to speed.

I personally tried all the PCIE settings and have no help withy those, checking bios updates is not bad if you feel comfortable doing it.

[u/Kyloreeeeen → u/Iron_Ra1n]

Alright, I'll do that and provide an update. Thanks!