A growing number of Windows 10 users with AMD Radeon graphics cards are reporting performance problems after installing AMD Adrenalin driver version 26.1.1. According to community feedback, the update appears to disable Smart Access Memory (SAM) on some systems, resulting in lower gaming performance and, in some cases, system instability.
The issue has surfaced across user forums, where affected gamers say the feature becomes disabled despite the necessary motherboard settings remaining properly configured. As a result, some users have experienced lower frame rates, stuttering during gameplay, and occasional application crashes.
Driver Update Triggers Smart Access Memory Problems
Reports suggest the problem begins after Windows 10 fails to correctly recognise the graphics card following the installation of the latest AMD driver.
Many users attempted to resolve the detection issue by using Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) in Windows Safe Mode before performing a clean offline installation of the graphics driver. While this restored GPU functionality in many cases, another problem emerged.
After reinstalling the driver, the AMD Adrenalin software reportedly shows Smart Access Memory as disabled, even though both Resizable BAR and Above 4G Decoding remain enabled in the motherboard BIOS, which are required for the feature to operate.
Some users have also reported repeated Windows notifications indicating that hardware changes have been detected, raising concerns about a possible compatibility issue between Windows 10 and the latest Adrenalin release.
The loss of Smart Access Memory can have a noticeable impact on gaming performance, particularly in titles optimized to take advantage of the technology.
Affected users have reported reduced frame rates, inconsistent performance, and occasional crashes during gameplay. While the severity varies depending on hardware configuration and game title, the issue has become a growing concern among Radeon owners using compatible systems.
At the time of writing, AMD has not released an official fix or acknowledged the issue publicly.
What Is AMD Smart Access Memory?
Smart Access Memory, commonly referred to as SAM, is AMD’s implementation of the PCIe Resizable BAR technology. The feature improves communication between compatible Ryzen processors and Radeon graphics cards by allowing the CPU to access the graphics card’s entire video memory instead of being limited to traditional 256 MB memory segments.
By removing this limitation, Smart Access Memory can improve data transfer efficiency between the processor and GPU, resulting in better gaming performance as well as faster processing in workloads such as video editing, 3D rendering, and content creation.
Intel offers a comparable feature through its own implementation of Resizable BAR, which provides similar performance benefits on supported hardware.
Hardware Requirements
To use Smart Access Memory, systems must meet specific hardware requirements.
Compatible configurations include AMD Ryzen 3000 series processors or newer, Radeon RX 6000 series graphics cards or later, and AMD 500-series chipsets or newer. In addition, motherboard BIOS settings for Resizable BAR and Above 4G Decoding must be enabled for the technology to function correctly.
Until AMD issues a software update, users affected by the bug may continue to experience reduced performance even when their systems meet all compatibility requirements. Those encountering the issue are advised to monitor future Adrenalin driver releases for a potential fix.
