AMD Timeout Detected — GPU Driver Crash and Recovery on Windows

Fix AMD GPU 'Driver Timeout has been detected' errors causing display freezes, black screens, and game crashes on AMD Radeon graphics cards. This guide covers everything you need to know about this topic, including common causes, step-by-step solutions, and answers to frequently asked questions.

Here are the key things to understand: AMD driver timeout is equivalent to NVIDIA's TDR — the GPU driver stops responding and Windows resets it. The AMD Adrenalin software shows 'Driver Timeout has been detected and recovered' notification. Often occurs during gaming, video playback, or GPU-accelerated workloads. AMD-specific causes include Adrenalin software features (FRTC, RIS, Chill) conflicting with games. BIOS settings for PCI Express power management can affect AMD GPU stability. Understanding these fundamentals will help you diagnose and resolve this issue more effectively.

The most common reasons this occurs include: AMD Adrenalin software features conflicting with game engines. GPU overheating or insufficient power delivery from PSU. PCI Express link state power management putting the GPU into low-power state during load. Known AMD driver version bugs for specific GPU + game combinations. Identifying the root cause is the first step toward finding the right solution.

To resolve this, follow these recommended steps: Use AMD Cleanup Utility to fully remove drivers, then install a known-stable AMD driver version. Disable AMD Adrenalin features: turn off Enhanced Sync, Wait for Vertical Refresh, and AMD FreeSync temporarily. Disable PCI Express power management: Power Options > Advanced > PCI Express > Link State Power Management > Off. Set GPU fan curve to more aggressive cooling using AMD Adrenalin > Performance > Tuning > Fan. Increase TDR timeout: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\GraphicsDrivers add DWORD TdrDelay with value 8. If these steps do not resolve the issue, consider consulting additional resources or a qualified professional.

This article is part of our Windows Error Codes collection on Error Codes Wiki. We provide comprehensive, up-to-date information to help you find solutions quickly.