GoKawiilAMD confirms Radeon driver bug causes excessive SSD writes, fix due this month
AMD has officially acknowledged a long-standing bug in its Radeon GPU drivers on Windows that triggers the External Events Utility's atieclxx.exe process to continuously write log data to the system drive, even when idle. Users have reported write speeds of 0.3 to 5 MB/s, potentially generating hundreds of gigabytes daily, and some claim measurable SSD wear over time. AMD says a permanent fix is being validated and will ship in its next driver update later this month.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The bug illustrates how background driver processes meant for routine functions like monitor detection and FreeSync can inadvertently degrade hardware over time, a risk many users would not notice without checking SSD health metrics. The years-long delay between user reports and official acknowledgment suggests gaps in how AMD monitors community bug reports across forums and social media. Until the fix arrives, affected users may need to rely on manual workarounds, such as disabling the External Events Utility service, to limit further SSD wear.
- AMD confirms a Radeon driver bug causes continuous, unnecessary writes to system drives on Windows.
- The issue stems from the atieclxx.exe process tied to the External Events Utility service, writing data at up to 5 MB/s.
- AMD plans to release a permanent fix in its next driver update later this month.
Samsung 990 Pro SSD — If AMD's driver bug has been quietly chewing through your SSD's write endurance, a high-endurance NVMe drive like the Samsung 990 Pro offers a big buffer of TBW rated durability so background write bugs are less likely to threaten your drive's lifespan. It's also a great excuse to upgrade speeds while you wait for AMD's promised fix later this month.
See Samsung 990 Pro SSD on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: techspot.com — Kishalaya Kundu, 2026-11-10
Published there as: “AMD confirms GPU driver bug is writing data continuously, promises fix with next update”
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