3 mins
If your PC runs a Radeon graphics card, your SSD may be working harder than it should. AMD has confirmed a bug in its Radeon Adrenalin drivers that makes a background process keep writing to the system drive, even when the PC is sitting idle. The company says a fix is planned for Adrenalin 26.11.1, expected later in November 2026. The story was reported by VideoCardz, Tom's Hardware and Wccftech.
What is the Radeon driver SSD bug?
The writes come from atieclxx.exe, the AMD External Events Client Module. It belongs to the AMD External Events Utility, a service installed with Radeon drivers that handles display-related tasks such as monitor detection and Radeon Software hotkeys, according to VideoCardz.
The issue got wider attention on November 8, when Reddit user darklinkpower posted a warning on r/pcmasterrace, Tom's Hardware reports. Users say the process writes to the system drive nonstop at roughly 0.3 to 1.5 MB/s, and one Redditor measured about 5 MB/s. On X, Tomasz GawroĆski reported 19.5 GB of writes in 12 hours, at about 0.65 MB/s, on Adrenalin 26.10.1 and 26.10.2.
How much SSD wear does it actually cause?
Nobody knows yet. VideoCardz and Tom's Hardware both ran the numbers: at a constant 5 MB/s, that's about 432 GB a day and close to 13 TB a month. But those are writes reported by Windows. SSD controllers use caching and wear leveling, so how much of that data reaches the flash memory, and how much it shortens a drive's life, hasn't been established.
One Radeon owner claimed the driver used up about 1% of their SSD's health every month for 16 months. Tom's Hardware notes that this claim hasn't been independently confirmed. VideoCardz adds that the bug doesn't seem to affect every Radeon system, and some users see no unusual activity on Adrenalin 26.10.2.
Has AMD responded to the SSD write reports?
Yes. On October 21, AMD representative AMD_Matt wrote on the AMD community forum: "Yes. We're looking into it with the aim to resolve it in a future driver release." Later, AMD_Vik explained on Reddit that the problem seems to come from an interaction between the AMD External Events Utility and Microsoft's PCIe filter driver. He said a fix had been submitted and that Adrenalin 26.11.1 should resolve it.
AMD hasn't given an exact release date. Wccftech points out that Adrenalin 26.10.2, released October 30, doesn't mention the issue in its release notes. Tom's Hardware also notes this isn't a first: last year, users flagged a similar logging issue tied to AMD's chipset drivers.
How do you check if your PC is affected?
- Press Win + R, type resmon and press Enter to open Resource Monitor.
- Open the Disk tab.
- Sort the processes by write activity.
- Look for continuous writes from atieclxx.exe. Tom's Hardware also suggests watching atiesrxx.exe.
What users describe is steady writing that keeps going even when nothing is open. If you don't see it, your system may simply not be affected.
What can you do until Adrenalin 26.11.1 arrives?
Users have reported two temporary workarounds. Neither is an official AMD fix, and neither works in every case, according to VideoCardz.
- Stop the AMD External Events Utility service. Open services.msc, set the service to Disabled and stop it. This can break Adrenalin hotkeys and some display functions.
- Turn off Resizable BAR in the BIOS. This may reduce gaming performance, so it's the less attractive option for most gamers.
If you'd rather not change either setting, keep an eye on your drive's health with your SSD maker's tool, then install Adrenalin 26.11.1 as soon as AMD releases it and check its release notes for the fix.
Should you avoid Radeon GPUs or wait to buy?
There's no need to skip Radeon over this. It's a software bug, AMD has acknowledged it, and a fix is scheduled for this month's driver. If you already own a Radeon card, check Resource Monitor today and decide whether a workaround is worth it. If you're shopping, choose your card on performance and price, and update the driver once 26.11.1 lands.
Ready to upgrade? Browse our graphics cards, check out our ready-to-play gaming PCs, or get more for your budget with a refurbished PC.
FAQ
Does the Radeon driver SSD bug affect every Radeon card?
No. Reports span several Adrenalin releases and Windows versions, but some users on Adrenalin 26.10.2 see no unusual disk activity. Resource Monitor is the quickest way to check.
Will this bug kill my SSD?
There's no proof of that yet. The reported figures are writes seen by Windows, and their real effect on SSD endurance hasn't been measured. Checking your drive's health is still a good idea.
When is Adrenalin 26.11.1 coming out?
AMD says later in November 2026, without an exact date.
Is it safe to disable AMD External Events Utility?
Users report it stops the writes in many cases, but Adrenalin hotkeys and some display functions may stop working. You can turn the service back on after installing the fix.
Sources: VideoCardz, Tom's Hardware, Wccftech, and posts on X by @VideoCardz and @tomshardware. Image: AMD.
