Recent reports have surfaced regarding a troubling issue with AMD’s driver that appears to be disabling Smart Access Memory (SAM) on Windows 10 systems, leading to diminished gaming performance.
AMD is Reportedly Investigating Driver Conflict That Disables AMD SAM on Windows 10
Smart Access Memory, or SAM, is a notable feature that enhances gaming performance by allowing the CPU to access the entire pool of GPU VRAM, effectively eliminating bottlenecks in supported titles. However, a wave of community feedback has highlighted that the latest AMD driver is causing significant issues with SAM functionality on Windows 10.
According to these reports, users have experienced a range of performance setbacks, including game crashes and erratic behavior. The problems seem to have arisen following a malfunction in AMD’s driver, which has resulted in Windows 10 failing to recognize Radeon graphics cards properly. In response, many users have successfully uninstalled the AMD driver using Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) in safe mode, followed by a clean installation offline.
Yet, this solution has led to another unexpected complication. Numerous users have reported that, despite BIOS settings remaining unchanged, AMD’s Smart Access Memory—or Resizable Bar—has been disabled within the Adrenalin software. This occurred even when both Resizable Bar and Above 4G Decoding were enabled, suggesting that the underlying issue lies with the AMD driver itself rather than the system configuration.
Additionally, persistent notifications from Windows 10 regarding hardware changes indicate a potential conflict between AMD’s Adrenalin Edition 26.1.1 driver and the operating system. With SAM allowing CPUs to access the full VRAM rather than a limited portion, many supported games are now facing performance degradation and instability.
While AMD is currently investigating the matter and working towards a resolution, some users have discovered temporary workarounds. Suggestions include verifying the monitor’s refresh rate and re-enabling Variable Refresh Rate in the Radeon software, while others have found success by rebooting their systems multiple times. This is not the first instance of such a bug appearing in Adrenalin software on Windows 10; recently, AMD re-released a preview driver version 26.6.3 aimed at addressing compatibility issues for users with RX 7000 series GPUs.
About the author: Sarfraz Khan is a hardware reporter with a focus on PC components and the builder community. With years of experience writing about PC hardware and laptops, his work has been featured in several reputable technology publications. Sarfraz’s hands-on experience is demonstrated through his first-person accounts of using and comparing different hardware configurations, providing practical and relatable insights for everyday users. His technical analysis is respected by peers in the enthusiast community and has been cited by specialized hardware sites such as Germany’s Igor’s Lab.
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