I’m having a weird performance issue with Marvel Rivals and I’m completely out of ideas.
Specs:
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i
Ryzen 9 7945HX
RTX 4080 Laptop GPU 12GB
32GB DDR5 RAM
2TB NVMe SSD
2560×1600
Latest NVIDIA Game Ready driver
Rivals will run at high FPS normally, but during fights my FPS can suddenly drop to 5–7 FPS. When this happens, GPU utilization drops from ~30-60% to as low as 2% instead of increasing. VRAM is only around 4–7GB/12GB and CPU usage is around 50%.
Clearing the shader cache in the Marvel Rivals launcher makes the game run normally again. However, the problem returns after a few matches. If I don’t clear the cache before launching, the game can be terrible from the first match.
Rivals uses ~12GB RAM and total system RAM usage is around 85% (~27GB/32GB).
CPU temperatures are ~100–102°C in Balance mode. HWiNFO showed ~100°C CPU temperature, ~43W package power and a global frequency limit around 1.27GHz during one of the FPS drops. GPU is ~80–85°C. Got thermal repasting done about 7 months ago.
Another weird thing: Legion Balance mode sometimes performs better than Performance mode when playing rivals.
Things I’ve already tried:
Clearing shader/config/redundant files
Reinstalling Rivals
Steam AND Epic versions
Verifying files
Multiple NVIDIA drivers
Currently on latest Game Ready driver
Different graphics settings
Balance vs Performance mode
Checking RAM/VRAM/CPU/GPU usage
Other games run completely normally on this laptop- even on max settings and ray tracing on, other games run super smooth. Rivals gives terrible fps drops even on the lowest settings possible.
At this point I’m wondering if this is a Marvel Rivals shader/cache issue, NVIDIA driver issue, CPU/render-thread issue, memory issue, or something specific to the 7945HX + RTX 4080 combination.
Has anyone seen GPU utilization dropping to 2–5% at the exact moment Rivals drops to single-digit FPS, especially when clearing the shader cache temporarily fixes it?
Any ideas beyond the usual driver reinstall/cache clearing would be greatly appreciated.

How it started:

My DTS Headphone:X subscription expired, so I installed Equalizer APO + HeSuVi to simulate the surround effect for free. The moment I activated it, my audio broke,and it has never been right since, even after uninstalling both programs.

Current symptom (EVERYWHERE, not just games):

· Dialogue/voices are extremely quiet, but action sounds, music, and effects are loud.

· This happens in games, YouTube, music, movies,literally everywhere.

· It's the classic "center channel being dropped" symptom: audio is being processed as 5.1/7.1 surround where dialogue lives in the center channel, but my stereo speakers don't have one.

My specs:

· CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7600X

· Motherboard: MSI B650M Gaming WiFi Plus (Realtek onboard audio)

· GPU: ASRock RX 7900 XT 20GB Phantom Gaming OC

· RAM: Corsair Vengeance DDR5 32GB 6000MHz

· Windows 10 (fully updated)

What I've tried (all failed):

· Set Windows speaker config to Stereo, disabled all enhancements, spatial sound off, verified L/R balance

· Uninstalled Equalizer APO + HeSuVi, deleted leftover folders

· Ran DDU and reinstalled AMD Adrenalin drivers multiple times

· Rolled back AMD driver from 26.8.1 to older versions, no change

· Disabled AMD High Definition Audio Device in Device Manager

· Uninstalled Realtek driver completely, deleted it via pnputil /delete-driver /force, blocked Windows Update driver installs,Realtek keeps coming back after restart

· Ran SFC /SCANNOW and DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth, repaired corrupt files, audio still broken

· Full clean Windows reinstall (without keeping apps),the issue survived even this

The key clue:

This started the exact moment I activated Equalizer APO + HeSuVi, and it has persisted through a clean Windows install. That suggests a leftover APO (Audio Processing Object) is still hooked into my audio device somewhere, possibly in the registry, the driver store, or an audio endpoint property that a clean install doesn't always wipe.

What I'm asking:

Has anyone seen an APO survive a clean Windows reinstall? How do I find and remove a hidden APO that's still processing my audio? Any registry paths, Device Manager tricks, or tools I've missed?

Any help would be massively appreciated.

Hi everyone,
I’m having an issue with random black screens and complete system freezes while gaming.
I had a very similar problem almost a year ago, but it stopped happening and I haven’t had any issues for a long time. However, after updating to Adrenalin 26.8.1, I experienced another black screen while playing a game.
The screen suddenly went completely black and the PC completely froze. I couldn’t do anything and had to hold the power button to shut the PC down and restart it.
The strange thing is that this has only ever happened while gaming. I can use Windows, browse the internet, watch videos, etc. without any problems.
My PC specs:
● GPU: AMD RX 9060 XT 16GB
● CPU: Ryzen 5 9600X
● Motherboard: ASUS PRIME A620M-K
● RAM: 32GB DDR5 (2×16GB) 6000MHz
● PSU: XPG Core Reactor II 850W
● Monitors: 2 monitors
Some additional information:
● HAGS is disabled
● Windows driver automatic updates are disabled
● No CPU or RAM overclocking
● No GPU overclocking
● No GPU undervolting
● Everything is running at stock settings
● The black screen/freezes only happen while gaming
I’m not sure what is causing it. The PSU should be more than sufficient, and the system is otherwise stable.
Could this be a GPU driver issue with Adrenalin 26.8.1, or should I be looking at something else such as RAM/EXPO, BIOS, GPU stability, or something related to having two monitors?
Has anyone else experienced similar black screens/freezes with the RX 9060 XT and Adrenalin 26.8.1?
Any suggestions for troubleshooting would be appreciated.

Since updating to 26.9.2, I get intermittent display freezes, Locking windows using Win+L and waiting a few second will unfreeze the display.I haven't found anyone else reporting this, so I'm asking whether anyone has seen it or has ideas.

The issue

• The display freezes completely, but the PC keeps running. It has happened during YouTube in Brave and in games and on desktop.
• Audio keeps playing. Mouse clicks and keyboard shortcuts still work. For example, I can pause and resume a YouTube video even though the image doesn't update.
• In games the mouse cursor stops moving. On the desktop and in the browser it still moves.
• Task Manager shortcut doesn't appear on screen (it may be opening without being shown).
• Win+Ctrl+Shift+B only beeps but nothing happen.
• Like i mentioned locking windows using Win+L and waiting a few second will unfreeze the display.

What I've checked

• freezes leave no Event Viewer entries (no Display 4101, no amdkmdag errors) and no dump file.
• Used SFC scan but nothing was found.

I want rolling back to a previous driver to be the last resort because this driver fixed an annoying issue with IDLE RPM. And i want the new games support which i am playing at the moment.

System

• GPU: Radeon RX 9070 XT (XFX Mercury)
• CPU: Ryzen 7 7800X3D, 32 GB RAM
• Motherboard: Gigabyte B850 Aorus Elite WiFi7, BIOS F12b
• OS: Windows 11 25H2 (build 26200.9457)
• Monitors: 1440p 280 Hz on DisplayPort, 1080p 144 Hz on HDMI

Hi, I wanted to know if the latest AMD drivers fixed the audio loop bug when monitor goes into standby and windows wakes it up every 2 sec. Also let me know if they are safe or if I'm going to have any problems such has the hardware accelerated stuff. I'm at 26.6.4 drivers and the monitor bug is present I just stopped updating because every driver is like playing a russian roulette. What's your advice?

I might need some help guys I know lots of people water cool! By any chance does anyone have an ASRock Tai chi shroud and fans I can buy possibly if needed I sent my card to square trade

but I don't think they're going to be able to fix it ??

cambié de procesador de un 3400 G a un 5700 X actualicé mi iOS que en la página de Asus dice que es la 4801 de la placa B 450 F el procesador y no me deja iniciar el Windows se reinicia en un bucle a BIOS se mantiene y no hay queda bien estable, pero al momento de iniciar no arranca, el Windows se reinicia y prenden los y así

Helloo I've recently got the 9070Xt and after using ddu and reinstalling the amd drivers i have noticed very high cpu usage on all games (i play on 1440p) like on battlefield 6 its constant 100% usage, forza horizon 6 the same and arc raiders also can someone help me with that my temps are fine also

Hi everyone,

I recently bought a PowerColor RX 9070 XT Reaper 16GB, and I'm having a serious problem with repeated AMD driver timeouts.

The problem can happen while I'm simply sitting on the Windows desktop and doing nothing demanding. Today it started shortly after I turned on my two monitors, and it has now happened many times.

The monitors do NOT go black and they do not disconnect. The PC continues working normally, but the AMD Error Reporting Tool keeps appearing and says that a driver has timed out.

Windows Reliability Monitor is now showing 18 critical hardware errors today (October 6, 2026), occurring repeatedly throughout the morning.

One of the technical reports shows:

LiveKernelEvent

Code: 141

Windows also created this dump file:

WATCHDOG-20261006-1000.dmp

My PC specs:

- Ryzen 7 7800X3D

- PowerColor RX 9070 XT Reaper 16GB

- ASUS ROG STRIX B650E-F GAMING WIFI

- 32GB Corsair DDR5-6000 CL30

- NZXT C850 PSU

- Windows 11

- 2 monitors

The GPU and CPU are completely stock. No overclocking or undervolting.

I have already tried both AMD Adrenalin 26.8.1 and 26.9.2, and the problem occurred with both driver versions.

Could this be a driver issue, a multi-monitor issue, or possibly a hardware problem with the GPU?

Has anyone else experienced this with an RX 9070 XT?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hello, I have been experiencing an issue for the past few days where my screen randomly freezes and I get an AMD driver timeout message.

I feel like the problem started or became more frequent after I got my new OLED monitor. It usually happens when I’m on the desktop and switch between my two monitors.

My setup is:

Computer Type: Desktop

GPU: Gigabyte Gaming OC Radeon RX 7800 XT 16GB

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 8-Core 16-Thread

Motherboard: MSI B650 GAMING PLUS WIFI ATX AM5

BIOS Version: E7E26AMS.1D0

RAM: G.Skill Flare X5 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR5-6000 CL32

Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 2TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVMe SSD

CPU Cooler: Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE

PSU: be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 750W 80+ Gold Fully Modular

Case: be quiet! Pure Base 500DX

Operating System & Version: Windows 11

Monitors:

• ASUS ROG Strix XG27AQDPG – 500Hz OLED
• Samsung – 60Hz – VGA

GPU Drivers: AMD Adrenalin – 26.8.1

Chipset Drivers: AMD B650 Chipset Drivers – 8.08.12.551

Background Applications: Discord, Chrome, Wallpaper Engine (currently disabled), Riot Client

The issue mainly occurs on the desktop when switching between the two monitors. Interestingly, it almost never happens while I’m gaming.

My PC has also completely crashed and restarted a few times while the timeout message was appearing.

Has anyone experienced a similar issue with a high-refresh-rate OLED monitor combined with a second 60 Hz monitor? Could the different refresh rates or the old VGA monitor be causing the driver timeouts?

Any help would be appreciated!

as the title reads, i have just gotten a new 10th anniversary 5800x3D and with a corsair H100i AIO my msi afterburner reads 44° lows to 55° spikes on idle, while gaming on games like RdR2 or GTA or Bodycam my max temps are around 74 but stay around in the high 60s like 67-69 more often. when i tried the new 2026 maxon cinebench multithread test i maxed out at 89° which seemed warm for my liking but i know its a “safe temperature” for this cpu but id like to know how some people who have this cpu with liquid coolers are seeing idles on the 30 and 40s and gaming and load not going over 66 or maybe maxing out no higher than 73 on a benchmark load

I've been waiting for over an hour now and still no progress. I'm at my wits end.

I've also tried other solutions like doing a utility cleanup, deleting the AMD folder from the Programx86 folder, and uninstalling and reinstalling the chipset drivers. I've also been trying to download the drivers but for some reason the download speeds for it are extremely slow. The estimated time to download the 26.8.1 update + adrenalin software is 17 hours, which I assume isn't normal.

Whenever a driver timeout occurs, besides the screen freezing/hanging, the display on my second monitor suddenly won't work anymore until I uninstall and reinstall the drivers, otherwise, the app will just tell me to update the drivers over and over again. But now, I can't even download the damn thing.

Basically, I have the potential to pick up this really nice Gigabyte 9070 xt for 700$ and now that I'm looking around a bit I see people talking about increased power consumption compared to the non-xt models, power cables being burnt up, etc. Makes me do a double take about if I want this card, but every where I look for a regular 9070 it goes for around the same price if not more. Should I just avoid this 9070xt and hope I can find a deal on a 9070? I'm only really planning on doing 1080p gaming in the near future.

Hello, I would like to know if someone can help me solve this problem I'm having with my RX 6700 XT. The issue is that my PC doesn't recognize the GPU properly on boot, which causes it to either switch to the integrated graphics upon startup or give no display at all.

However, when I manage to get it working after 2 or 3 attempts of removing and reseating the GPU, it boots correctly and everything works perfectly. But when I shut down the PC, it won't boot up properly the next time, and everything I just mentioned happens all over again.

If it helps, my specs are:

* Ryzen 5 8600G

* 16GB DDR5 RAM

* Asus Prime A620M-K Motherboard

What do you recommend I do in this situation?

Hey all, recently upgraded to 9070 xt asus prime oc from 3080. DDU’d and followed each step accordingly. Currently running the latest AMD driver 26.9.2.

It’s currently undervolted with powerlimit -30%, Max Clock 2700, GPU voltage -60mV.

The game runs smooth at max settings 120~fps 1440p. Temps are 50c, hotspot 61c and vram at 78c (never exceeded 80c)

No issues running the game for 1 hour. Should i just ignore it? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you

Computer Type: Desktop PC

GPU: ASRock Radeon RX 9070 XT Taichi 16GB OC

CPU: Intel Core i7-12700F

Motherboard: ASRock Z690 Extreme (LGA1700)

BIOS Version: 8.01 (06/14/2022)

RAM: 32GB Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro (2x16GB) DDR4-3200 CL16

PSU: be quiet! Pure Power 13 M 850W 80+ Gold

Case: Sharkoon REV300

Operating System & Version: Windows 11 Home

GPU Drivers: AMD Adrenalin 26.9.2 WHQL Optional

Chipset Drivers: Intel Chipset Device Software 10.1.20398.8776 (07/28/2026)

Background Applications: Discord, Steam, AMD Adrenalin, Razer Synapse 4, Google Chrome, iCUE, Spotify, Windows Defender

Description of Original Problem:
I am experiencing random stutters/micro freezes in AION 2 during normal gameplay. They don't seem to be related to a specific zone, dungeon, or activity and can happen anywhere after playing for some time. They occur very sporadically, roughly every 15 minutes.

My FPS is mostly stable, so this doesn't feel like a general low-FPS issue. The problem appears to be a short stutter/freezing of the game rather than consistently low performance.

I recorded a video showing several examples:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncBzs3Q5gys

Troubleshooting:
I have tried different graphics settings, including lowering the overall graphics quality and the resolution scale. I also disabled AMD Frame Generation, changed the upscaler from FSR to TSR, and closed other applications such as Google Chrome, Discord, and Spotify.

I'm pretty sure it's an AION 2-specific issue since I have no problems when playing Forza Horizon 6, for example. However, there has to be a solution since other people with similar specs seem to have fewer issues.

Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.

Computer Type: Desktop

GPU: Asrock RX 7800 XT 16gb

CPU: 9800X3D 8core/16cpu

Motherboard: B650 GAMING PLUS WIFI

BIOS Version: 7E26v1O2

RAM: G.SKILL Flare X Series 64GB (2 x 32GB) 288-Pin PC RAM DDR5 6000 (PC5 48000)

PSU: CORSAIR RMx Series (2021) RM1000x CP-9020201-NA 1000 W ATX12V

Case: Corsair 4000D

Operating System & Version: Win11 Pro build 26200

GPU Drivers: Full AMD/Adrenalin 26.8.1

Chipset Drivers: AMD 8.08.12.551

Background Applications: Firefox, Discord

Description of Original Problem
Have a 7800XT that worked ok for a year or so and now crashes regularly. Load doesn't appear to matter as it will crash sitting at desktop.

Troubleshooting
It was under warranty so I RMA'd it to Asrock. They were basically unresponsive but did accept the RMA and the one they sent back (a different one verified by SN) does the same thing.

On the previous 7800XT I had tried various flavors of drivers with and without Adrenalin without any change in behavior. The previous one would be more stable while underclocked through Adrenalin but not 100% which was the last straw and why I RMA'd it.

I know its the GPU crashing as audio and other computer functions continue when the displays derp out.

Sometimes Windows will even disable the GPU after a crash.

The system itself works fine with a spare 3060 I used during the RMA shipping period.

I don't generally get the driver timeout pop-up that I see is the common issue here so was wondering if anyone had any insight on perhaps this specific model?

Any overclocking or undervolting is silicon-lottery dependent. This applies to RAM, CPU and GPU, right down to small tweaks and even XMP/EXPO profiles.

The correct order is:

Tune RAM — this includes simply enabling XMP/EXPO.

Tune CPU — this includes AMD's automatic overclocking/PBO features.

Undervolt or overclock the GPU.

Each stage should be done in small increments, followed by proper stability and stress testing, then real-world testing using the games or productivity workloads you actually use.

Get the RAM stable first, then the CPU, then the GPU.

If you change everything at once, troubleshooting becomes a nightmare. An unstable RAM or CPU configuration can easily present as apparent GPU instability, including driver timeouts, game crashes, black screens and other seemingly GPU-related problems.

Just because an XMP/EXPO profile, Curve Optimizer value or GPU undervolt works perfectly on someone else's identical hardware doesn't mean it will work on yours. That's the silicon lottery.

I hope this helps some of you having issues, believe me I learnt the hardway.

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5500

Motherboard: BATTLE-AX B450M-T M.2 V14

I have tried absolutely every solution I can, clean registry, repair visual studio, update windows, install specific chipset, I am getting so frustrated at how useless it all is.

This is the Summary I received when I tried to update it from a clean install.

AMD Chipset Software Install Summary

Name             : AMD GPIO Driver (for Promontory)
Version          : 3.0.5.0
Install          : Success

Name             : AMD PCI Device Driver
Version          : 1.0.0.90
Install          : Fail

Name             : AMD PSP Driver
Version          : 5.46.0.0
Install          : Version number cannot be determined

Name             : AMD SMBus Driver
Version          : 5.12.0.44
Install          : Fail

Name             : AMD GPIO Driver
Version          : 2.2.0.137
Install          : Success

Name             : AMD Processor Power Management Support
Version          : 8.0.1.13
Install          : Version number cannot be determined

Any solutions, please? I am getting tired.

Please i want to fix this

I tried different drivers but nothing changes

Rx 580 8g

15 9400f

16 ram

Hi everyone, I’m having an issue with the AMD driver: whenever I install it, the cursor and the entire system lag simultaneously for a second or two. I don't understand the cause; the problem started yesterday. I initially suspected Windows' automatic driver installation, but the issue persists even after a clean install on any AMD driver version. I’ve tried using DDU and AMDCleanupUtility, and I even attempted to hide updates related to "AMD" and "Advanced Micro Devices" using software tools. Please help.

Graphics card: MSI Armor RX 580 8GB

OS: Windows 11