https://www.tomshardware.com/news/amd-confirms-its-gpu-drivers-are-overclocking-cpus-without-asking Skip to main content (*) ( ) Tom's Hardware [ ] Search [ ] RSS (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) UK US Australia Canada * * Reviews * Best Picks * Raspberry Pi * CPUs * GPUs * Coupons * More + Laptops + SSDs + Motherboards + Cooling + Desktops + PC Builds + Monitors + RAM + PC Cases + Keyboards + Headsets + Mice + Power Supplies + VR Headsets + About Tom's Hardware Forums (opens in new tab) Trending * Nvidia RTX 3090 Ti * Grace CPU Superchip * AMD 5700X3D * Intel vs AMD * Apple M1 Ultra Tom's Hardware is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more 1. Home 2. News AMD Confirms Its GPU Drivers Are Overclocking CPUs Without Asking By Paul Alcorn published 5 April 22 Radeon Adrenalin drivers have a mind of their own * (opens in new tab) * (opens in new tab) * * (opens in new tab) * (opens in new tab) * (opens in new tab) * Comments (2) AMD Ryzen CPUs (Image credit: Shutterstock) AMD has confirmed to Tom's Hardware that a bug in its GPU driver is, in fact, changing Ryzen CPU settings in the BIOS without permission. This condition has been shown to auto-overclock Ryzen CPUs without the user's knowledge. "We are aware of an issue in the AMD software suite that is adjusting certain AMD processor settings for some users. We are investigating the issue and we'll share more information as soon as we're able." -- AMD representative to Tom's Hardware. Reports of this issue began cropping up on various social media outlets recently, with users reporting that their CPUs had mysteriously been overclocked without their consent. The issue was subsequently investigated and tracked back to AMD's GPU drivers. AMD originally added support for automatic CPU overclocking through its GPU drivers last year, with the idea that adding in a Ryzen Master module into the Radeon Adrenalin GPU drivers would simplify the overclocking experience. Users with a Ryzen CPU and Radeon GPU could use one interface to overclock both. Previously, it required both the GPU driver and AMD's Ryzen Master software. Overclocking a Ryzen CPU requires the software to manipulate the BIOS settings, just as we see with other software overclocking utilities. For AMD, this can mean simply engaging the auto-overclocking Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO) feature. This feature does all the dirty work, like adjusting voltages and frequency on the fly, to give you a one-click automatic overclock. However, applying a GPU profile in the AMD driver can now inexplicably alter the BIOS settings to enable automatic overclocking. This is problematic because of the potential ill effects of overclocking -- in fact, overclocking a Ryzen CPU automatically voids the warranty. AMD's software typically requires you to click a warning to acknowledge that you understand the risks associated with overclocking, and that it voids your warranty, before it allows you to overclock the system. Unfortunately, that isn't happening here. Overclocking isn't suitable for all systems, particularly those with lower-end coolers or motherboards, for instance. Naturally, overclocking also exposes you to increased risk of BSODs that can ultimately result in data loss. Overclocking also causes other ill side effects, like excessive heat generation, which is problematic if you don't have a suitable cooler. Luckily Ryzen CPUs have robust protection features built in to prevent any physical damage to the chip. Still, system instability from a warranty-voiding feature isn't acceptable if you aren't made aware of the risks first. As such, we're sure that AMD will work quickly to resolve the issue. The company says that it will share more information soon, and we've asked about the warranty implications of this driver bug. We'll update you as we learn more. Until then, users have taken to using the Radeon Software Slimmer to delete the Ryzen Master SDK from the GPU driver, thus preventing any untoward changes to the BIOS settings. This is not official advice from AMD, though, and since this is third-party software, proceed at your own risk. Also, note that users of Intel CPUs obviously aren't affected. Paul Alcorn Paul Alcorn Paul Alcorn is the Deputy Managing Editor for Tom's Hardware US. He writes news and reviews on CPUs, storage and enterprise hardware. Topics CPUs Graphics AMD Drivers See all comments (2) [ ] 2 Comments Comment from the forums * JamesJones44 Having this ability seems like a bad idea. If a simple driver can alter the bios settings, this could be used by malicious 3rd party driver to wreak havoc on a system if they decided it was fun. Reply * hotaru.hino JamesJones44 said: Having this ability seems like a bad idea. If a simple driver can alter the bios settings, this could be used by malicious 3rd party driver to wreak havoc on a system if they decided it was fun. Which would only be a problem if a malicious actor managed to get AMD's private key that's used to sign the drivers. Otherwise, it's very hard to install an untrusted driver. Reply * View All 2 Comments Be In the Know Get instant access to breaking news, in-depth reviews and helpful tips. [ ] [ ] [ ] Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands [ ] Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors [Sign me up] Thank you for signing up to Tom's Hardware. You will receive a verification email shortly. There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again. By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions (opens in new tab) and Privacy Policy (opens in new tab) and are aged 16 or over. MOST POPULARMOST SHARED 1. AMD 1 3D V-Cache Optimizer Driver For Ryzen 7 5800X3D Listed In Gigabyte's Chipset Download 2. 2 RTX 3070 Gigabyte Aorus 15P Down to $1,199: Real Deals 3. 3 Retailer Targets Nvidia's RTX A4000 GPUs for Crypto Mining 4. 4 Zotac Creates the First Quad-Slot RTX 3090 Ti Graphics Card 5. 5 Best Gaming PCs 2022 1. Graphics card shipment trends 1 Graphics Card Shipments Grew Nearly 30% to 50 Million Units in 2021 2. 2 3D V-Cache Optimizer Driver For Ryzen 7 5800X3D Listed In Gigabyte's Chipset Download 3. 3 RTX 3070 Gigabyte Aorus 15P Down to $1,199: Real Deals 4. 4 Retailer Targets Nvidia's RTX A4000 GPUs for Crypto Mining 5. 5 Zotac Creates the First Quad-Slot RTX 3090 Ti Graphics Card Tom's Hardware is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). * Terms and conditions (opens in new tab) * Privacy policy (opens in new tab) * Cookies policy (opens in new tab) * Accessibility Statement (opens in new tab) * Advertise (opens in new tab) * About us (opens in new tab) * Contact us (opens in new tab) * Coupons (opens in new tab) * Careers (opens in new tab) (c) Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.