AMD is working to fix a Radeon bug that could shorten SSD lifespan

Some Radeon users are reporting an unusual problem with AMD's graphics drivers that could cause their SSDs to accumulate hundreds of gigabytes of unnecessary writes every day. The issue appears to stem from a Windows background service that continues accessing the system drive even when the PC is sitting idle, potentially adding unnecessary wear to the storage device.

The culprit appears to be AMD External Events Utility and its associated process, atieclxx.exe. This component is responsible for several display-related functions, including monitor detection, display hotkeys, and FreeSync support. Under certain circumstances, however, it reportedly keeps writing data to the drive without any obvious reason.

Reported write speeds vary, with some users seeing approximately 1 MB/s and others experiencing rates as high as 5 MB/s. While those figures may seem insignificant at first, continuous writes at the higher rate could add up to roughly 432 GB per day. The potential consequences are particularly concerning for SSDs with limited write endurance, although the extent to which this activity actually affects long-term drive health has yet to be established.

This is not the first time AMD drivers have been associated with excessive background writes. Similar complaints previously involved chipset drivers, but the latest reports specifically implicate the Radeon graphics driver stack. Users have encountered the behavior across several driver versions, including recent Adrenalin releases.

AMD has confirmed that it is investigating the matter. A company representative responding on Reddit attributed the problem to an interaction between AMD External Events Utility and Microsoft's PCIe filter driver. A possible fix has reportedly been submitted for final validation, with AMD hoping to distribute it through a future driver update. There is no confirmed release date yet.

In the meantime, affected users have been experimenting with several workarounds. The simplest option is to disable AMD External Events Utility through Windows Services, which can stop the unwanted disk activity. However, doing so may interfere with certain Radeon features, particularly Adrenalin hotkeys. Some users report that FreeSync and Resizable BAR continue working normally, but the results are not necessarily consistent across systems.

Radeon owners can check whether their systems are affected by monitoring disk activity in Task Manager or using utilities such as CrystalDiskInfo. Look for sustained writes associated with AMD External Events Client Module (atieclxx.exe), particularly when the computer is otherwise idle. Until AMD releases a verified fix, avoiding potentially risky system modifications and waiting for an official driver update is likely the safest approach.

As always, for the latest news on AMD Radeon graphics cards, FSR upscaling technology, GPU software updates, and developments across the gaming industry, be sure to follow our dedicated hardware coverage.