5 Common Problems with AMD Graphics Cards

Buying an AMD graphics card is generally a good option for anyone looking to save money on their GPU without giving up excellent gaming performance. In many price ranges, Radeon models offer very competitive specifications compared to their equivalent Nvidia competitors. Still, there are drawbacks to purchasing an AMD GPU instead of Nvidia, and they are worth considering before purchasing.

This doesn’t mean that all Radeon cards are problematic, nor that all users will face the same issues, but certain reports tend to pop up often. Usually, common AMD GPU issues are related to drivers, black screens, or instability during use. The good news is that most of these problems usually have a simple solution.

So, if you’re considering purchasing an AMD graphics card or already own one, it’s important to know the source of these problems, so you don’t panic when they appear. Many of these do not involve a physical defect in the card and can be corrected by a driver change. For this reason, we highlight the most common problems and possible solutions to try.

According to users, one of the most common problems with AMD GPUs is driver wait times. This issue occurs when Windows detects that the GPU is no longer responding and decides to restart the driver. This can cause games to quit, display a temporary black screen, or even require a computer restart. This problem does not mean that your graphics card has a problem, however, as other hardware or software may be the cause.

If your computer is experiencing any type of overclocking or undervolting on the GPU, the first step is to restore the default settings. It is also important to check whether the power supply and power cables are correctly connected. 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 resolve this issue is a fresh installation of the Radeon driver, which can resolve issues with corrupt files or conflicts left over from previous versions. AMD itself offers one such tool, the Cleanup Utility, which is used to remove existing drivers before a new installation.

The most common AMD issues are driver related. So while they provide fixes, support for new games, and performance improvements, driver updates aren’t always secure. Driver errors can cause crashes, stutters, performance losses, or even specific crashes in certain games on Radeon GPUs. If you could play a game normally before the update and then encountered problems, you should first suspect the new driver.

Although it’s recommended to update your graphics card drivers, that doesn’t mean you need to install every version as soon as it launches. Before downloading, it’s worth checking 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 may be better to wait for one of AMD’s recommended driver versions rather than immediately installing an optional update.

If the problems started right after an update, the best option is to revert to the previous driver. AMD sometimes recommends reverting to older versions when it encounters issues it cannot resolve. In these cases, performing a clean install when downgrading is another way to avoid possible conflicts.

Windows Update can cause problems with AMD graphics cards because it is 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 acknowledged cases where Windows installed an old 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 application compatible with the Radeon driver present on your computer. It is 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 persists, completely removing the current driver and reinstalling it with the appropriate package from AMD’s site may resolve it. If you have the hardware ID of your graphics card, you can block Windows Update changes via gpedit, but this is only available in Pro versions.

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

If your graphics card is not working properly, an 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 game scene. Issues like this are not exclusive to AMD, since Nvidia users may face similar issues with Instant Replay.

If the error disappears, re-enable each function separately to try to identify the possible culprit. If no single feature fixes the problem, reinstalling Adrenalin and choosing a simpler version to avoid features you don’t use can also help.

If you have multiple monitors on your setup and are using an AMD GPU, your graphics card may also have issues. If displays have different resolutions, refresh rates, or timing features, symptoms such as flickering, temporary signal loss, high idle consumption, or high memory clocks when no games are open may appear.

The first thing you want to try is to lower the refresh rate of the monitors or try to adapt it. It’s also worth disconnecting one of the additional monitors to see if the problem goes away. If you’re using VRR, try turning it off a bit to see if that’s the cause, especially if the issues started after changing settings related to timing or screen refresh rates.

If problems persist, try other HDMI and DisplayPort cables or ports and update the driver. AMD has already fixed failures related to multi-monitor configurations in previous versions of Adrenalin. If you are using two displays with different refresh rates, verify that both monitors are configured correctly before assuming a fault with the GPU or displays.