Need assistance with PC gaming and building? Your questions about AMD drivers are welcome!
Need assistance with PC gaming and building? Your questions about AMD drivers are welcome!
I possess a complete AMD assembly listed at the end. I’m facing driver-related concerns that appear to stem from my Red Devil 6900xt Ultimate, 5900x configuration. Initially, driver 22.11.2 delivered strong performance. After upgrading to 23.2.2 and then 23.3.1, I encountered odd issues during ray tracing in several titles. Although ray tracing isn’t a primary focus for AMD, it wasn’t causing problems before the updates and now seems to affect GPU efficiency. (Remark: 23.2.2 failed the AMD stress test—starting normal, then dropping GPU usage to around 10% before finishing successfully at that level). I’ve installed all available drivers from chipset through BIOS, and everything remains current. I’ve also tried closing other programs via Samsung Magician Control Ultimate on Steam with the updated drivers, but after a few minutes of ray tracing, the game would shudder, slow down, and FPS would fall. GPU power usage shifted from 300W to 180-280W (see attached image); normal usage on my machine is 300-304W. The GPU temperature stays within range, and hotspots remain around 90°C. When I switched back to 300W and stopped ray tracing, everything returned to normal. Returning to driver 22.11.2 allows smooth performance with medium ray tracing and full settings. Chernobylite Bench Mark. Using 23.2.2 or 23.3.1 consistently causes the same ray tracing problems. The benchmark runs well for a short time before GPU power drops and FPS decreases. After a few minutes, it recovers partially but then reverts to the same instability as in Control Ultimate. Clearing Raytracing resolves the issue completely. I’ve tested multiple benchmarks and stress tests—no problems detected. (OCCT GPU, FurMark, Kombustor, Cyberpunk Bench Mark, etc.). The issue appears limited to games with ray tracing enabled after certain driver versions. I’ve checked online forums and haven’t found any widespread reports matching my setup. It seems unlikely hardware-related, as the problem disappears when switching drivers and power settings. I’m uncertain if it’s a software glitch or a driver-specific quirk. I’ve tried updating everything, cleaned drivers via AMD tools and DDU in safe mode, updated BIOS, swapped SSD types, and even reinstalled Windows. I haven’t performed a full system wipe. My PowerColor warranty is nearly expired, and I spent a significant amount on this card. I’m hoping it will last longer with the next AMD model, but I can’t rule out GPU involvement. Could be a temporary driver conflict—especially with combined power drops. I’m seeking guidance from the community, as this is puzzling. Thanks for your help!
Use a live USB of Linux Mint. It feels quite similar to Windows and works directly from the stick. Steam is accessible. Try playing games; if they run smoothly, Windows might be problematic. Any performance problems likely point to hardware issues.
Return to the 22.11.2 drivers section, then wait a few months until they release improved versions (resolve all existing problems).