Now Working! - AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition

 October of last year (2021), I posted about issues with AMD's video card and gaming software management console.

I tried various tutorials to get it to work and went as far as uninstalling all video drivers from the system using several different driver removal software packages.  None of it worked.

I've been manually checking for driver updates since I couldn't get the console software to work on my system.  I'd check maybe every two months.  I refused to follow most recommendations of reinstalling the OS just to get this to work and I cursed AMD every time I had to do this manually.  It's not difficult to do, but this is 2022...I shouldn't have to be doing this manually.  I'd also check to see if I could get that console software to run after every update...it never worked (it wouldn't give an error but would flatout not work).

So, today, I checked and saw that there was a recent driver.  I downloaded it manually and installed it.  I checked to see if the console software would work - and it did!  I didn't change a thing with this system, so it wasn't something that I'd forgotten or didn't know how to do.

This tells me that it's a driver-, console- or installer-related issue.

I have noticed that my Nvidia GTX 1060 6 GB video card was still stronger than this AMD RX 6600 and between that and this console issue, was very close to getting rid of the RX 6600 and going back to the 1060 (it's in my storage closet).

Now I get to look at the console and see how well it compares to Nvidia's.

Windows 11 & TPM 2.0 Requirements; Radeon Software Issues

I just wanted to speak a bit on the Windows 11 TPM 2.0 and SecureBoot requirements.

I spent a bit of time trying to understand why TPM 2.0 was needed.  When I investigated, I found that SecureBoot is also a requirement for upgrading to Windows 11.

I suggest enabling it if you have it.  If your system was built 3-4 years ago, it should already be TPM 2.0 capable (you may need to enable it within your BIOS or use a discreet TPM).  If your system is older, your system will more than likely not be capable of using TPM 2.0.

SecureBoot is also a requirement, as both TPM 2.0 and SecureBoot will keep rootkits from starting before the OS boots up.  I'm not sure on if SecureBoot will interfere with dual booting systems (if you've configured your systems to boot both Windows and Linux, for example)...it shouldn't but I'd test first.

The below video has a lot of information about TPM and SecureBoot.

Now, for a different subject.

So, as you know, I've upgraded my GPU to an AMD Radeon RX 6600.  While I love that it's a lot more capable than my prior GPU, I'm finding that I do NOT like certain things about it.  Well, it's not a card issue, specifically, but it is a driver and software issue that I've been experiencing the past few days.

If I right-click on my desktop, I should be able to pull up the AMD Radeon software console.  Well, it hasn't been working.  I've followed several tutorials explaining how to fix this issue, but none of them work.  It's always explained that the issue is due to conflicting drivers and that you have to remove the driver installation folders, safe boot, then use DDU to remove all GPU drivers, then boot back into the OS normally, then reinstall the drivers.  I've done that at least 3 times, back to back and the software still doesn't start.  This is problematic because the software should be checking for driver updates and notifying me.  If the software can't start, it can't check the drivers and notify the system owner.  Apparently this is a known pain point with AMD cards.  I'm not sure how long it'll be before I find a real solution to this issue, but I'll manage, a guess.

Gaming With My Custom Core i5 system!

About a year ago, I rebuilt an old system because I thought the mainboard was dead (only it wasn't).  I ended up buying an MSI MS-7850 mainboard that supported Intel CPUs.  I was coming from an AMD 6-core CPU, but wanted to try Intel's Core i5.  I settled on the Core i5-4690K (which runs at 3.50 GHz and is a 4-core CPU.  This thing is faster than my M17x R3...it should be since it's running later internals.  The system's specs are:

CPU:  Core i5-4690K @ 3.50 GHz (4-core)

Dedicated Video Card:  AMD Radeon HD 5670

Integrated Video Card:  Intel HD 4600

RAM:  8GB

Motherboard:  MSI MS-7850

Hard drive:  C drive - 233 GB; D drive - 500 GB

The video card is a spare that I had in my parts bin...it'll do some gaming but struggles with BF4 in medium settings.  The integrated video card is rather beefy compared to the ones in my other systems (especially my R3).

Anyways, my wife's car went into the shop and needed new front rotors and rear pads...the repair fee was $600 and some change, so I'll have to wait awhile to get my laptop fixed.  I can still use it but can't game with it unless I'm playing a game that is graphics-intensive (like BF4 and others).  I can play War Thunder on the integrated card but I have to dial down the configuration to its very lowest settings.  That takes away the immersion factor quite a bit and the frame rates are very low.

I decided to try War Thunder on my i5 system.  I'm using a Vizio E231-B1 23" monitor with it, connected with an HDMI cable (the video card accepts HDMI connections, which is great).  I can play with the high settings configured and still get 40fps.  It's quick, too.  No, it doesn't have a solid state drive, although I can remove the one that's in my R3 if I'm desperate (it's a Samsung 750GB 840 EVO), but I'm happy with a plated hard drive.  I've another 500GB drive that I use to replace the 233GB drive (that one replaced a bad 1-TB hard disk as a temporary solution).

About that 1-TB drive.  That's what was causing BSODs and shutdowns.  I had the machine open and my kids sat beside it while playing around...someone stepped on the SATA cable while it was plugged into the drive and it cracked the port.  I continued to use it but it must've been short-circuiting.  I misdiagnosed the issue in thinking it was a motherboard issue, only the same thing started happening with the new parts.  That's when I swapped out the hard disk for a small one, to test if it was the issue.  That was the problem.  I told my kids they owe me a big 5.25" drive.  So now I've a spare motherboard and AMD CPU that I can use to build another box (once I get the funds to get more parts -- case, RAM, CD drive, and PSU).

One thing I love about desktop systems is that I can easily replace parts, even major parts such as the mainboard (I can do that with my laptop as well, but it's a bit more complicated in removing such a part).  The reason I got a laptop machine was because I got tired of not having a gaming system when traveling.  I still swear by Alienware laptops, though...most geeks understand why after they've opened one up.  All the major parts are easily accessible and removable.