For some time now, Ryzen CPU owners have been reporting about their Radeon graphics drivers messing up certain CPU specific settings inside the firmware. After the widespread media coverage about it recently, including our own, AMD has confirmed that the problem definitely exists and it is aware of it. However, the firm did not give any specifics about what could be causing the underlying problem nor disclose any dates as to when the bug fix may be issued.
In a statement to the Tom"s Hardware, AMD said:
"We are aware of an issue in the AMD software suite that is adjusting certain AMD processor settings for some users. We are investigating the issue and we’ll share more information as soon as we’re able."
AMD introduced Windows 11 support for Radeon GPUs with its graphics driver version 21.9.1 and alongside this, the firm also added a new overclocking feature called "Auto Overclock" via Radeon Software. Essentially, the feature could be used to overclock the CPU too, alongside the GPU, all at one place.
However, the feature started overriding firmware settings put in by users without their knowledge even when no overclocking is done. Users on various online forums have been reporting messed up Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO) settings (via TalesofWin Reddit).
PBO is the feature that essentially drives auto overclocking in AMD Ryzen CPUs. PBO is meant to boost CPU clocks by analysing the VRM current, SoC power and temperatures and determining how much headroom is there.
Source: Tom"s Hardware