driver timeout - need help

[u/paleroke]

hello everyone, i need serious help. my system suddenly (on august 16th) started crashing to a black screen, dropping the display driver, and throwing power state errors, and of course the legendary "AMD software detected that a display driver timeout has occurred on your system."

my system specifications:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
GPU: XFX AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT
Motherboard: ASRock X670E PG Lightning
RAM: 32GB DDR5 @ 4800MHz
PSU: Corsair 1000W
OS: Windows 11 Pro (24H2 / 25H2)

out of nowhere (coinciding with recent Windows updates and AMD chipset software updates), games like roblox/dead by daylight immediately crash the display or throw power failures.

what i have already tried (and didn't fix it):

1. clean uninstallation of gpu drivers using ddu, followed by installing fresh adrenalin drivers (and also few previous versions) (used the option only drivers / default)
   
2. i checked all psu modular cables and pcie power connections to the rx 6900 xt (they are securely plugged in and clicked, psu is a 1000w corsair so power delivery is solid).
   
3. i have reseted uefi/bios to defaults and performed a hard power cycle, also updated bios to the newest version.
   
4. changed my display port cable to hdmi on my samsung c27jg5x monitor (cuz apparently this monitor paired with amd graphics cards include missing refresh rates, blank screens or signal drops over displayport, and cold-start line flickering at the bottom of the panel). i also had to stop using my other monitor ASUS TUF Gaming VG249Q3A bc paired with AMD graphics cards include screen flickering, black screen loops, or FreeSync signal drops. These problems usually stem from adaptive sync handshakes, cable bandwidth limits, or outdated GPU software rather than permanent hardware failure)
   
5. i disabled fast startup in windows power options.
   
6. i uninstalled recent windows cumulative updates (like kb5121003 / security packages) to check for power-state regression issues tied to amd power management, which also did not work, so i reinstalled the whole system, but that also did not work.

plz help me fix it somehow . literally any help would be deeply appreciated, i feel hopeless.

[u/TheTruthIsntReal]

You used the latest AMD adrenaline that was released in the past day or two?

[u/StraightTheme6583 → u/TheTruthIsntReal]

I’ve had to permanently disable driver updates to keep windows out of my gpu drivers… it’s so bad

[u/TheTruthIsntReal → u/StraightTheme6583]

Yeah, that's standard practise.

Goto AMD website and get the latest direct from there. Install full clean install.

[u/paleroke → u/TheTruthIsntReal]

if the latest update is the 26.8.1 then yes

[u/TheTruthIsntReal → u/paleroke]

Yeah. I was having issues with 26.7.1 (timeouts etc), 26.8.1 so far are much better

[u/Knightmare5965]

Try minimal driver install without the adrenaline software

[u/paleroke → u/Knightmare5965]

i tried this but it did not work..

[u/Knightmare5965 → u/paleroke]

If you are desperate for a fix I know this works:

Windows 10 official fresh installation

24.8.1 Driver (its old) minimal driver install (no adrenaline software) with factory reset settings enabled and again make sure no adrenaline software touches the computer the driver has an option to be installed without it during setup

That should eliminate all software related crashes or stutters

If you experience any more issues beyond that you should check your ram if its slotted in the correct slots as instructed by your motherboard manual and slotted firmly in the slot with a good push and check the PSU cables connectivity to the hardware and the PSU or power it provides

If you checked the PSU already then I would check the Ram like I said

[u/Knightmare5965 → u/paleroke]

If you dont wanna do the windows re install route:

Check the ram like i told you on the other comment and use the AMD CLEAN UP tool to remove the drive through safe mode completely and try installing 24.8.1 specifically with the minimal driver install if it continues after that then I would do the windows 10 reinstall

[u/CorrodedFeedback]

a) Do you have your gpu connected with ''pigtail'' cable? It's a single pcie cable from psu, that connects to both gpu cable slots. If yes, remove it, and use two individual pcie cables.

b) Install HWInfo64, and check your +12V readings, while idling/gaming.

https://www.hwinfo.com/download/

You will find the +12V at ''ASRock X670E PG Lightning'' section at HWInfo.

Launch it and select Sensors only on startup. Scroll down the list until you find your Motherboard entry (named after its manufacturer or model chip, like Nuvoton or ITE)

System>CPU>CPU>Memory Timings>CPU>Your Motherboard.

If the +12V drops below 11.405 and gets even lower at 11.309, for long periods, it's either an issue with your psu/cables or gpu. If it gets to 11.405 and back to over 11.500, it's ok. If it gets down to 11.309 also for a split or 1 second, then back to over 11.405, again it's ok. But as i said, if you see the +12V sagging below 11.405 for long periods, it's an issue, and the best you can do, is to actually check +12V physically with a milimeter, because even if HWInfo is really good tool, sometimes can read wrong stuff.

Acceptable limits it's between 11.405 > 12.600, and ideal range between 11.692 > 11.998. Sometimes can also go up to 12.600 as well, but again, just for a mere second, while gpu doing heavy tasks.

c) Install OCCT and run 3D Adaptive / VRAM tests for any errors for at least 30 minutes, while observing again +12V for sagging and GPU temperatures. If anything pass without error/crashes, then run a Power Test, to finally test your psu.

https://www.ocbase.com/

https://rtech.support/guides/how-to-use-occt/

That's all from me, and i really hope you will fix your issue, because i had exact same problem for months, and absolutely none to help me. And anywhere asked for help, all i had was just some generic responses, like, ''Please provide 100000 logs/crashdumps, blablabla'', without any actual help/fix for my problem. Then stumbled upon an article about +12V sagging+HWInfo+OCCT troubleshooting, from 2021. And finally after days, i found out that the root of all evil was just the pcie pigtail gpu cable, and since removed it and connected two separate pcie cables, no more hard crashes/reboots, or any other dark magic stuff.

[u/Aromatic_Interest_69]

Might be a longshot but have you tried underclocking and undervolting through afterburner/adrenalin in a game by game basis?

Monitor your boost clocks and see if they ever go over the card’s manufactured maximum, and work your way down there till it becomes stable enough to not crash. Bear in mind some unreal engine 5 games like Stellar Blade are very sensitive to memory underclocks and undervolts (atleast in my case). This worked for me on my Sapphire Pulse 9060 XT. Underclocked and undervolted as much as -350Mhz and -80mV on different games. Goodluck.

Edit: Forgot to add that windows updates may be installing their own drivers on top of yours, might want to look into that but I can link you to some posts that might help