Drivers & Software

[set]

The issue is present on Windows 10 and 11, from Adrenalin 23.12.1 to 24.3.1 for integrated graphics on Ryzen 9 7950X.

The issue is not present in 23.11.1 or for system with only discrete graphics like Radeon RX 6900 XT (other CPU).

Steps to reproduce:

1) Install clean Windows 11 23H2 on system with Ryzen 9 7950X and no discrete graphics, with no internet access.

2) Check that the issue is not present on clean system:

run FindZombieHandles.exe

run in cmd FOR /L %i IN (1,1,1000) DO cmd /c echo %i

run FindZombieHandles.exe again: the same amount of zombie processes.

3) Install whql-amd-software-adrenalin-edition-24.3.1-win10-win11-mar20-rdna.exe

4) Repeat step 2: now all 1000 spawned processes turned into zombies with no apparent owner.

The system with affected drivers becomes completely unusable for me after some time: the system consumes dozens of GB of RAM outside of any apparent process, as I need to run many short-lived processes.

I'm not sure is there any other resource leak in drivers, but the described one is apparent.

[set]

The same issue is present in 24.4.1.

[set]

The issue persists in 24.5.1.

More than that, Windows Update now automatically pushes the buggy versions over stable 23.11.1.

[evil_doer]

Thanks for doing the legwork on how to quickly and concisely show this issue. Now we just need to get AMD to pay attention. 

Ive used the issue reporting tool to point towards this thread. Others should do the same.

[kevindqc]

Yeah, I've had this issue for a while

https://www.reddit.com/r/AMDHelp/comments/121wtde/amd_drivers_memory_leak_through_zombie_processes/

[Soupar]

I can confirm this issue with 24.5.1 on Zen4 7540U (Windows 11 23H2) - reverting to 23.11.1 solvies the memory leaks.

I am frankly astonished something like this isn't solved over half a year and multiple driver versions, esp. because I'm running a very recent Zen4 APU. I've reported it to AMD with their bug report tool, too.

[vhnvn]

I've been struggling with this bug for six months on my GPD Win Max's 7840u using the 23.11.1 driver. Every month, I tried updating to the latest version, hoping for a fix, only to revert back. Now, my 7840u device is broken, and the 23.11.1 driver won't install on my new 8840u. I have to reboot 3-4 times a day. As a coder, this is unacceptable because I rely on mass process creation (just opening VSCode spikes RAM usage).

This bug likely affects ALL new GPD devices with AMD chips. Users who only game or frequently shut down their devices might not notice it. This issue needs urgent attention, possibly even media coverage, to get AMD to acknowledge and address it, as it impacts all new gaming devices.