Video summary

Fix AMD Drivers and Stop Windows Breaking Them Again

Main summary

Key takeaways

Technology

Main Idea

The speaker argues that AMD drivers themselves aren’t inherently “bad.” Instead, Windows (via automatic driver management) often causes problems by rolling back, downgrading, or re-installing corrupted or unstable drivers.

Fix: prevent Windows from tampering with GPU drivers, then perform a clean AMD driver removal and reinstall.

Key Claims / Context

  • Online “AMD error report / something crashed” stories are framed as mostly caused by Windows behavior, not AMD drivers.
  • Windows can downgrade or replace drivers without asking, leading to instability.
  • If the system is damaged beyond driver issues, the speaker suggests a clean OS reinstall may be the final fix (not necessarily a restore).

Tutorial: Prevent Windows from Breaking AMD Drivers

Applies to Windows 10 and 11 (Windows 11 includes a small extra step).

  1. Disable automatic driver installation

    • Go to Windows Settings → Device installation settings
    • Change from “Yes (recommended)” to “No (not recommended)”

  2. Optional / Advanced: Group Policy / Windows Update driver inclusion

    • Use Group Policy Editor (may require Windows Pro).
    • Windows 11 path mentioned:
      • Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → Windows Components → Windows Update
    • Set policy:
      • “Do not include drivers in Windows updates” = Enabled

Tutorial: Cleanly Remove and Reinstall AMD Drivers

Tools Mentioned (and Why)

  • DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller): removes graphics drivers thoroughly.
  • AMD Cleanup Utility: AMD-only helper that can automatically reboot into Safe Mode, simplifying removal.
  • AMD GPU driver package: reinstall the correct drivers afterward.

Process Overview

  1. Download and run AMD Cleanup Utility

    • It prompts/automates a reboot into Safe Mode.

  2. (If needed / also used) run DDU

    • Select the GPU to remove.
    • Use an option like “Clear and restart.”

  3. After reboot, verify removal

    • In Device Manager, the GPU should appear as “Microsoft Basic Display Adapter”
    • This indicates the AMD driver stack is gone.

  4. Prevent Windows from re-breaking drivers

    • The speaker suggests letting the system “survive” several reboots / time before manually installing drivers so stability holds.

  5. Manually install the correct AMD drivers

    • Install the proper AMD driver version.

  6. Final verification (display settings)

    • Confirm resolution (e.g., 4K) and refresh rate settings return.
    • Emphasis: refresh rate should be set to maximum
      • Warns it often defaults to 60 Hz even on high-refresh monitors.

Notes About Other GPU Vendors

  • The workflow is described as similar for Nvidia/Intel, but:
    • AMD Cleanup Utility is AMD-only, so Nvidia/Intel users must use manual Safe Mode entry:
      • Hold Left Shift while rebooting
      • Then go to troubleshooting → advanced options → Safe Mode with Networking

Performance / Analysis Claims (Linux Comparison + Benchmarks)

  • The speaker claims driver issues are solvable on Windows if Windows is prevented from corrupting drivers.
  • They also claim Linux AMD drivers are very good, citing about ~15% better performance on “almost any Linux distribution.”
  • Performance differences are mentioned across titles such as:
    • Resident Evil 9
    • Pragmata
    • Shadow of the Tomb Raider

Additional References

  • Mentions SteamOS for desktop usage.
  • Reported FPS values (as shown in the references):
    • Windows: “303 FPS” (sometimes labeled as Windows 10 though it was said to be Windows 11)
    • SteamOS: “350” (in one screenshot)
  • Warns that monitor refresh rate can cap visible FPS differences, e.g.:
    • A 300 Hz monitor running at 60 Hz can hide performance gains.

If a monitor is running below its maximum refresh rate, FPS differences may appear smaller than they actually are.

Reviews / Guide / Tutorial Focus

The video is primarily a step-by-step guide:

  • Block Windows driver tampering
  • Fully remove and reinstall AMD drivers (Safe Mode + DDU + AMD Cleanup Utility)
  • Verify Device Manager + display refresh rate settings
  • Mentions Linux/SteamOS as an alternative/bonus option

Main Speakers / Sources

  • Speaker: the YouTube channel host (unnamed in subtitles; introduces the topic and discusses personal testing on a Radeon 7900 XTX)

  • Sources / Tools referenced:

    • DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller)
    • AMD Cleanup Utility
    • Windows Settings / Group Policy Editor / Windows Update policies
    • Speaker’s own benchmark/screens (mentions tools like RivaTuner Statistics Server and OBS)

Original video