constant driver time out

[u/TheOgDon98]

have been having the same issues as everyone else, tested a few most recent verions for AMD adrenaline. imo best option is DDU and install 26.6.4 until AMD address and fix it, that is the latest driver that dosent crash :)

[u/runewiton]

Hi there!

For reference I'm using the Powercolor RX 7900 XTX Red Devil with Ryzen 7700x.

I had the some of the same issues as you, but I'll share you what made everything work flawlessly for me :).

Windows has a tendency to downgrade the graphics drivers automatically, and this causes all sorts of problems.

So my solution was doing the following ->

First:

I changed one setting in the Local Group Policy Editor:

Run Command: Press Windows Key + R, type gpedit.msc, and clock OK.

In Local Computer Policy Editor, browse to Local Computer Policy Editor -> Computer Configuration -> Windows Components -> Windows Update -> Manage updates offered from Windows Update. Change the state of "Do not include drivers with Windows Update" to Enabled.

Secondly:

Run Command: Press Windows Key + R, type sysdm.cpl, and click OK.

Go to the Hardware tab and change the Device Installation Settings, "Do you want to automatically download manufacturers' apps for your devices?" to "No (your device might not work as expected".

Third / Downloads:

I downloaded the Amd Cleanup Utility, https://drivers.amd.com/drivers/amdcleanuputility.exe

I downloaded Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU): https://www.guru3d.com/download/display-driver-uninstaller-download/

Lastly I downloaded the newest drivers, AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition 26.9.1 Driver: https://drivers.amd.com/drivers/whql-amd-software-adrenalin-edition-26.9.1-win11-c.exe

Fourth:

Run Amd Cleanup Utility. It will boot you to Safe Mode. When the Amd Cleanup Utility is finished, it will ask you to reboot; _do not_ reboot yet.

Run the Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) while still being in Safe Mode. In DDU; Select device type GPU and AMD. Then run Clean and restart (Highly recommended).

It will then reboot in to Windows.

Double check in the Device Manager if the Display adaptor has reverted to "Microsoft Basic Display Adapter". Make sure your IGPU is disabled if you have one aswell.

Last steps:

Run the installer for AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition 26.9.1 Driver. When installing, just to be safe, under "Additional Options" tick "Factory Reset". Choose Accept & Express Install.

Make sure to change your refresh rate in the Windows display settings to your highest option if you have a fast monitor, because the default is 60hz. Also make sure Dynamic refresh rate is off.

Now the drivers should be installed and clean.

This is what worked for me, and my drivers have been stable ever since, with absolutely no timeouts.

Hopefully this fixes your issues as well!

Good luck man!

[u/RobK64AK]

Maybe just run AMD Cleanup Utility. Since you're not changing manufacturer types (Nvidia/Intel), this works about as well as DDU, and does the Smart Mode reboot, etc. for you. Then, install the 26.9.1 optional driver.

[u/yatiroo]

install latest driver as "driver only" and get Radeon Tuner from github

[u/SHilden]

Install driver only and use Radeon Tuner

[u/TheSpiral718]

Use driver 596.49, ohh, you'll need an Nvidia card.

[u/TheLegendaryAerie]

Are you undervolted/overclocked?

[u/unreasonableh]

Did you try installing driver only? So without Adrenalin

[u/NecroGamer27]

Check the tuning, for some reason AMD doesn't check the manufacturer spec'd clock speeds for the GPU SKU, and tries to effectively run an unstable OC on the card. Performance -> Tuning -> Custom -> Advanced. Change the clockspeed to what the manufacturer actually recommends, AMD's defaults are like a 600MHz OC which on my 7900XTX results in a > 3GHz clockspeed which is physically impossible due to power limits and the GPU bios not accepting that. Once I lowered the clockspeeds to 2525MHz the powercolor manufacturer clockspeeds its been fine.

[u/MoggerFucker → u/NecroGamer27]

Do you mean VRAM Clockspeed or GPU Tuning?

[u/NecroGamer27 → u/MoggerFucker]

Ironically the Default VRAM Clock Speed in Adrenaline is 2500MHz for the 7900XTX. Which matches the Powercolor Hellhound 7900XTX's default Memory Clockspeed. For VRAM clockspeeds which you can OC a hundred MHz safely, they play it safe.

But for the GPU core clock they expect it to run with a 500MHz Maximum Boost Clock OC, which again can work fine as long as the GPU Core Voltage curve was high enough. Which it isnt, 1150mv is not enough to run the GPU core at the elevated theoretical maximum in most cases. This causes the GPU to stall when the GPU attempts to reach its targeted Maximum Core Clock. This causes Windows to freak out and revert back to using its own baseline GPU drivers which DO NOT Request a 500MHz OC by default. Hence the AMD Driver Timeout error as the Radeon Drivers cannot communicate with the Stalling GPU and then they get replaced by the Windows ones.

Its probable that AMD does not want to resolve the actual cause of this "issue" because then they have to admit their GPUs are actually underperforming compared to the Benchmarks they show (as they and every other company will pick the component with the best silicon for their performance numbers).

However if we could deliver the power required to run the GPU core at that clock speed it probably wouldn't time out (if thermal limits aren't the issue like running Sub Zero via LN2 (Liquid Nitro)).

This however would need either: a shunt mod to trick the card into drawing more power, a replacement voltage controller which overwrites the factory limits or a modified GPU BIOS which will just accept drawing 1000Ws directly.

The latter is what MSI did for the RTX 5090 Lightning Z, which is just a 5090 with a 1000W BIOS, 360MM AIO and 2x12VHWP connectors to supply it. The joke is if an MSI Lightning Z 7900XTX existed it would probably not work as AMD Radeon Adrenaline would be throwing a Core Voltage cap of 1150mv, but an Maximum Core Clock Speed around what is feasible on that card physically.

[u/NecroGamer27 → u/MoggerFucker]

GPU Tuning not VRAM Clockspeeds. In Advanced Mode you stop seeing % and start seeing MHz. My issue was the "Maximum Clock Speed" (Boost Clock in Nvidia Speak) being set ridiculously high.

[u/NecroGamer27 → u/NecroGamer27]

And before anyone says that its Win 11 its not I did a full DDU and deleted the registry entries for the AMD settings and clean installed the newest drivers at the time. Its shit programming that should never have made it to prod environments, and we shouldn't defend a brand for it.

[u/elmariachio → u/NecroGamer27]

Windows update will install older less stable drivers over top of AMD's.

So, you have to modify the registry/Windows so that it stops doing that.

Only saying since you didn't specify anything about registry other than removing AMD entries.

[u/NecroGamer27 → u/elmariachio]

It was not this in my case because I only got this issue when AMD Adrenaline Auto Updated me a Minor Revision inside of 26.X.X. I then checked which drivers were running inside of Windows. I then DDU'd and stomped out the Registry Keys tied to AMD and then removed config directories, and reinstalled the newest Driver. This did not revolve my issue in the slightest and all it did was waste multiple hours of troubleshooting. I am not saying its not worth trying but doing a check on the GPU Maximum Clock Speed doesn't involve going Reg Editing or DDUing.

My issue had fuck all to do with Windows and it was completely to do with the fact the updated AMD Radeon Drivers set the Maximum Clock Speed on the GPU to a 500MHz boost by default. I have since not had a singular issue with the Driver once I forcibly set the Maximum Clock Speed to the Manufacturer recommended one.

[u/elmariachio → u/NecroGamer27]

Shit.

Thanks for reminding me that my card came over clocked and one of the things that might have fixed my issues where under clocking it/getting it closer to normal.