5 Common Problems With AMD Graphics Cards

Buying an AMD graphics card is usually a good option for anyone looking to save money on their GPU without giving up great gaming performance. In many price ranges, Radeon models deliver very competitive specifications compared to equivalent Nvidia rivals. Still, there are disadvantages to buying an AMD GPU instead of Nvidia, and they’re worth considering before purchase.

This doesn’t mean Radeon cards are all problematic, or that every user will face these same problems, but certain reports tend to appear often. Usually, common AMD GPU problems relate to drivers, black screens, or instability during use. The good part is that most of these problems usually have a simple solution.

So, if you’re considering buying an AMD graphics card or already have one, knowing the source of these problems matters, so you don’t panic when they appear. Many of them don’t involve a physical defect in the card, and can be fixed with a driver change. For that reason, we’re highlighting the most common problems and possible fixes to try.

One of the most common problems with AMD GPUs, according to users, is driver timeouts. This problem happens when Windows detects that the GPU stopped responding and decides to restart the driver. This can cause games to close, make a temporary black screen appear, or even require a computer restart. This problem, however, doesn’t mean your graphics card has an issue, since other hardware or software can cause it.

If your desktop has any kind of overclock or undervolt on the GPU, the first step is to restore these to the default settings. It’s also important to check whether the power supply and power cables are connected correctly. If you’re experiencing crashes and artifacts even when everything is stock, it’s important to watch for signs that your GPU is about to fail.

If the hardware seems stable, another way to try to fix this problem is a clean installation of the Radeon driver, which can solve problems with corrupted files or conflicts left by previous versions. AMD itself offers one of these tools, the Cleanup Utility, which serves to remove existing drivers before a new installation.

The most common AMD problems are driver-related, so although they bring fixes, support for new games, and performance improvements, driver updates aren’t always safe. Driver errors can cause crashing, stuttering, performance loss, or even specific failures in some games on Radeon GPUs. If you were able to play a game normally before the update and then had problems, it’s worth suspecting the new driver first.

While it’s recommended to update your graphics card drivers, this doesn’t mean that you have to install every version the second it launches. Before downloading, it’s worth taking a look at AMD’s release notes to see which games have been fixed and which known issues are still present. If you have a stable experience, it can be better to wait for one of AMD’s recommended driver releases rather than immediately installing an optional update.

If problems began right after an update, the best option is to roll back to the previous driver. AMD sometimes recommends reverting to older versions when it comes across problems it can’t solve. In these cases, performing a clean install while downgrading is another way to avoid possible conflicts.

Windows Update can cause problems with AMD graphics cards, because it’s not uncommon for it to replace a manually installed driver with another version. This can make Adrenalin, the software that manages AMD’s GPUs, incompatible with the driver present in the system. In these cases, the program stops opening and displays error messages. AMD itself has already recognized cases where Windows installed an older version over the existing driver.

When this happens, one of the first options is to use the AMD Software Compatibility Tool, which was developed to locate and install a version of the app compatible with the Radeon driver present on your computer. It’s also worth checking which version appears in Device Manager and comparing it with the one installed before, especially when the problem appears after a Windows update.

If the incompatibility continues, completely removing the current driver and reinstalling it with the correct package from AMD’s own site can solve it. If you have the hardware ID of your graphics card, you can block Windows Update changes through gpedit, but this is available only in Pro versions.

Besides the drivers themselves, some features of AMD’s own Adrenalin can also present problems in specific situations. Functions such as Instant Replay, Record Desktop, Anti-Lag, and Overlays work in the background while you play and, depending on the game or installed version, can also cause crashes. The company itself has already identified problems like this.

If your graphics card isn’t working correctly, one alternative is to temporarily disable Adrenalin features and test the game again. Remove Instant Replay, Record Desktop, and Overlay, especially if the problem appears when you want to record a gameplay scene. Problems of this type are not exclusive to AMD, since Nvidia users can face similar problems with Instant Replay.

If the error disappears, reactivate each function separately to try to identify the possible culprit. If no isolated function solves the problem, reinstalling Adrenalin and choosing a simpler version to avoid features you don’t use can also help.

If you have more than one monitor on your setup, and are using an AMD GPU, your graphics card can also have issues. If the screens have different resolutions, refresh rates or synchronization features, symptoms such as flickering, temporary signal loss, high idle consumption or high memory clocks when no game is open can appear.

The first thing that you want to try is lowering the refresh rate of the monitors or try to match it. It’s also worth disconnecting one of the extra monitors to see if the problem goes away. If you’re using VRR, try turning it off for a bit to see if that’s the cause, particularly if the issues began after changing settings related to sync or the screens’ refresh rate.

If problems persist, try other HDMI and DisplayPort cables or ports and update the driver. AMD has already fixed failures related to multi-monitor setups in previous versions of Adrenalin. If you’re using two screens with different refresh rates, verify that your dual monitors are set up properly before concluding that there’s a defect in the GPU or screens.