If you ever run into problems with your AMD graphics card, a fix could be as simple as just reinstalling the video drivers. Installing drivers has never been easier, as most of the work is done by Windows itself. Whenever there is any hardware change detected by the system, the OS automatically downloads and installs the latest drivers. But if you need more control, this guide is for you.
A video driver handles the communication between Windows, the AMD GPU, and the game you are playing, and without it, the hardware will simply not run. This article will list the different methods to download and install the latest drivers, which is something you should do regularly as having the latest drivers is necessary for games to run smoothly.
A guide to downloading and installing AMD graphics drivers
There are two ways of doing this, one is by downloading the Radeon software, and the other is to manually download and install the drivers.
1) Radeon Software
This is a straightforward way of installing drivers as most modern GPUs come with the software right out of the box and no extra steps are needed as the software is automatically updated when connected to the internet. But to have more control, a few steps can be taken to do so.
• Uninstall previous drivers: Search for "Control Panel" in Windows search and go to "Programs and Features". You need to look for "AMD Software" in the list and click on the uninstall button. This will take a few seconds and your screen will blink during the uninstallation, which is normal. After this step, the PC must be restarted.
• Download the Radeon Software: Search for "AMD Auto-Detect and Install tool" on the internet and go to the first link which is the official website. Scroll down to the heading "Download and Setup", click on the first hyperlink and click on "Download Now".
• Installation: After downloading the executable file, run it and click on Install. Next, it will run the installed software and detect the hardware you have installed. You will then have two options, the express or custom installation. Express installation requires minimal tweaking, and the software does everything by itself. For custom installation, you can choose the components you need to install and the installation location. You can choose whichever you prefer. Click on install and wait for it to finish, and your screen will flicker again during this process. Once the installation is complete, the PC must be rebooted.
2) Manual Installation
This method is more or less the same, but you need to know the make and model of your GPU to proceed. Follow the steps from the previous method and uninstall any previous drivers.
• Downloading the drivers: Once you know which model your GPU is, head over to the official website by web-searching for "AMD Drivers" and clicking on the first link. Here, you need to select the GPU series and the specific GPU under that. Once selected, click on "Submit", then the version of Windows you have, and finally, click on "Download".
• Installation: From here on, the process is the same as the previous method and you need to ensure to reboot your PC after it's done installing.