How can a software change the bios settings?

Ryzen Master SDK. I'm on a 3900X so it doesn't really apply since the relevant changes are only for the 5000 series / Zen3 but it is one of the optional components I strip from the driver after it has been installed. EDIT: Installer Entries · GSDragoon/RadeonSoftwareSlimmer Wiki (github.com) Should find the registry entry for it easily, change System from 1 to 0 and then just uninstall it. GPU driver has no business affecting the CPU so this decision when this component was added is one I really dislike. But at least the optional parts are easily removable, VR component I also remove and as I don't use it the overlay component also goes. Ryzen Master SDK one shouldn't be included in the first place though, AMD Ryzen Master should be it's own software entirely, using Wattman should not apply a PBO2 override on restart for CPU behavior. EDIT: If using Wattman with this component installed this behavior can also be changed in the Zen3 CPU created profile XMLs that are generated by saving the Wattman changes so that when loading the overclock profile it no longer adds the CPU changes but I just remove the component entirely instead, it has it's own dedicated software already, should be kept to that.

so this is why some people like to have AMD CPU+GPU combo, so the driver can just overclock the CPU without them knowing any better 😉

Correct me If i am wrong, but it is my understanding that this should be a rather serious security flaw if software can alter bios settings like that, unless it is intentional, in which case we could assume that AMD has just hacked everyone who installed their latest adrenaline software. Maybe it is not straight up nefarious hack but it is one if it is changing settings without permission (anyone read the ToS? I don't know anyone that does). I wonder if this affects Laptop cpus as well (I happen to have a laptop with AMD Cpu and Gpu, but the power consumption is set by the Asus software. CPU has been running faster thou since that data is from memory, that is my memory not ram, probably not useful data).

So just confirm this would not be applicable to a 3800x?

Every software (with administrator permissions granted at installation time) can alter BIOS settings since years, this is completely normal.

I can understand the rationale behind this from AMD, but it'd be nice if it were user-enabled rather than done in the background.

Undying:

How can a software change the bios settings?

It has been possible for years, especially with UEFI.

BLEH!:

I can understand the rationale behind this from AMD, but it'd be nice if it were user-enabled rather than done in the background.

The idea behind the CPU auto overclocking feature is that it has to be enabled by the end user like in previous versions of AMD's Radeon software. Even if it seems to run after install it's still bad that it overdoes it and messes up/resets the BIOS.

Undying:

How can a software change the bios settings?

UEFI allows configuration from the OS.

Yeah I can 100% confirm Radeon Software is causing this issue after last weekend finally sitting down to troubleshoot. Started experiencing some random crashes when settings bios PBO settings and then gaming, thought it was new bios or beta bios making my system unstable, I always update to each bios and use clean OC/UV/PBO/Timings settings. If I remember correctly I only started having stability issues last few months, around the time Radeon settings introduced CPU tuning into Radeon drivers, what driver was that exactly? I always have a specific Radeon Settings setup with custom Performance Tuning profile for undervolting my gpu and various settings in Graphics section. What I found after installing various drivers repeatedly on weekend: System will run fine and stable if I don't go into Radeon Settings after drivers first installed. Games run fine. As soon as I setup the custom profile and save the new profile and load the profile system will become unstable. If I clicked the reset button under Performance Tuning section system would become unstable. I can replicate this 100% each time, two games I play are very unstable and will force a GPU reset/CTD or a BSOD within a min of starting. I have yet to test if Installing drivers only, with out Radeon Software, assuming this would also fix instability but I use performance overlay and recording features regularly. Only way to fix this is to go back into BIOS load my BIOS profile, save and restart PC. I can then set manual undervolt of GPU in Radeon Tuning but I don't load my custom profile, games run normally. CPU tuning in GPU drivers should not be a thing, needs a serious removal or fix.

somemadcaaant:

Yeah I can 100% confirm Radeon Software is causing this issue after last weekend finally sitting down to troubleshoot. Started experiencing some random crashes when settings bios PBO settings and then gaming, thought it was new bios or beta bios making my system unstable, I always update to each bios and use clean OC/UV/PBO/Timings settings. If I remember correctly I only started having stability issues last few months, around the time Radeon settings introduced CPU tuning into Radeon drivers, what driver was that exactly? I always have a specific Radeon Settings setup with custom Performance Tuning profile for undervolting my gpu and various settings in Graphics section. What I found after installing various drivers repeatedly on weekend: System will run fine and stable if I don't go into Radeon Settings after drivers first installed. Games run fine. As soon as I setup the custom profile and save the new profile and load the profile system will become unstable. If I clicked the reset button under Performance Tuning section system would become unstable. I can replicate this 100% each time, two games I play are very unstable and will force a GPU reset/CTD or a BSOD within a min of starting. I have yet to test if Installing drivers only, with out Radeon Software, assuming this would also fix instability but I use performance overlay and recording features regularly. Only way to fix this is to go back into BIOS load my BIOS profile, save and restart PC. I can then set manual undervolt of GPU in Radeon Tuning but I don't load my custom profile, games run normally. CPU tuning in GPU drivers should not be a thing, needs a serious removal or fix.

if you encounter this problem make it present as a bug to AMD , via the control panel in the Catalist software ... Beta testers do not always manage to share and find all the bugs that may be present , since such problems can only occur in certain combinations of hardware ...

Astyanax:

UEFI allows configuration from the OS.

Kinda bad when you think about it.

=GGC=Phantomblu:

if you encounter this problem make it present as a bug to AMD , via the control panel in the Catalist software ... Beta testers do not always manage to share and find all the bugs that may be present , since such problems can only occur in certain combinations of hardware ...

Yeah submitted a bug report on weekend. Looks like CPU tuning was introduced in the Radeon Software 21.9.1, I think it started with that driver and 22.3.1 driver has made it worse.

TheDeeGee:

Kinda bad when you think about it.

i agree, also i need to correct myself, this has been possible since EFI, not just UEFI.

The mobo vendors have has OS overclocking/tuning utilities for many years baked into their software, you install it once and try it then uninstall the bloat and go back to tuning in BIOS.

Astyanax:

i agree, also i need to correct myself, this has been possible since EFI, not just UEFI.

A BIOS should stay isolated as much as possible from OS Software, especially the voltage and clock parameters.

Bios password protection doesnt avoid this?

It is that kind of goofiness I am not missing since I've switched from a 6800 to a 3060.

So that's why AMDRyzenmasterSDKTask is added as a scheduled task... It points at CPUMetricsServer.exe which is located in C:\Program Files\AMD\CNext\CNext