You have just installed a recent AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition driver on Windows 10, and your Radeon card's Smart Access Memory (SAM) feature is now turned off? AMD knows about this problem: it is listed among the known issues of drivers 26.10.1 and 26.10.2 (October 2026). In most cases, you only need to turn the option back on. If it stays greyed out, the cause lies elsewhere (BIOS, CSM mode, unsupported configuration).
Problem
- The Smart Access Memory option is disabled in AMD Software after the driver update.
- You notice lower performance in some games since installing the driver.
- The Smart Access Memory toggle is greyed out and cannot be enabled.
What to know before you start
- A known AMD issue: the release notes of drivers 26.10.1 and 26.10.2 state that Smart Access Memory may become disabled after driver installation on Windows 10 systems. Driver 26.10.2 (October 30, 2026) does not fix it yet.
- Normally automatic: according to AMD, SAM is enabled automatically during driver installation on compatible systems.
- What SAM does: it gives the Ryzen processor full access to the Radeon card's memory. AMD describes a possible performance gain in select games, not in all of them.
- The hardware baseline cited by AMD: a Radeon 6000 Series card, a Ryzen 5000 or 3000 processor (excluding the Ryzen 5 3400G and Ryzen 3 3200G) and a 500 Series motherboard with the latest BIOS. Check your motherboard's documentation for newer platforms.
- Windows 10 is no longer supported: Microsoft ended Windows 10 support on October 14, 2025.
Step 1: turn Smart Access Memory back on in AMD Software
When to use it: always first, after every driver update on Windows 10.
Suggested solution
- Close all your games: AMD recommends this before changing the setting.
- Open AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition (Start menu, type "AMD Software").
- Type Tuning in AMD Software's search box and open the Performance Tuning result.
- Find the Smart Access Memory toggle and turn it on.
- Let AMD Software restart: the screen may go black for a moment, which AMD says is normal.
Expected result: the Smart Access Memory toggle stays on after AMD Software restarts.
Rollback: you can turn it off in the same place if a game misbehaves.
When to stop: if the toggle is greyed out, go to step 2. If it is missing, check that you are using the full installation of AMD Software: AMD states that performance tuning is only available in that version.
Step 2: greyed-out toggle, check the BIOS
When to use it: the Smart Access Memory option cannot be enabled.
Suggested solution
- Restart the PC and enter the BIOS (UEFI), usually with the Delete or F2 key at startup.
- Enable Above 4G Decoding and Re-Size BAR Support (names vary by motherboard manufacturer).
- Disable CSM (Compatibility Support Module), usually in the Boot menu. For a Radeon 9000 Series card, AMD only officially supports UEFI mode.
- Save, restart, then repeat step 1.
Expected result: the Smart Access Memory toggle becomes available.
Rollback: if the PC no longer boots after disabling CSM, turn CSM back on in the BIOS. Your system drive may be in MBR format: AMD points to Microsoft's MBR2GPT procedure before disabling CSM.
When to stop: if your motherboard offers no Resizable BAR option, a BIOS update from the manufacturer is required. For detailed BIOS steps, also see Resizable BAR désactivé avec une carte Intel Arc : vérifier et activer (French guide): the BIOS settings are the same.
Step 3: consider Windows 11
When to use it: the problem comes back with every driver update.
Suggested solution
- Turn Smart Access Memory back on after every driver installation (step 1) until AMD fixes the problem.
- Check the notes of upcoming AMD drivers to see whether the issue moves to the list of fixes.
- If your PC is compatible, consider moving to Windows 11: the known issue only targets Windows 10, and Windows 10 is no longer supported by Microsoft.
Expected result: SAM stays on, or you know when AMD fixes the problem.
Special cases
| Situation | What to know |
|---|---|
| Windows 11 | The known issue published by AMD only concerns Windows 10. |
| NVIDIA or Intel Arc card | Smart Access Memory is AMD's name. On another card, the feature is called Resizable BAR and is set in the BIOS. |
| Laptop | AMD states that its reference driver only offers limited support for manufacturer-specific features. The manufacturer's driver may be preferable. |
| Going back to an older driver | AMD recommends using the AMD Cleanup Utility before reinstalling an earlier version. |
Final check
- ☐ The Smart Access Memory toggle is on in AMD Software.
- ☐ Above 4G Decoding and Resizable BAR are enabled in the BIOS.
- ☐ CSM is disabled and the PC boots in UEFI mode.
- ☐ The setting was checked again after the latest driver update.
Sources
- AMD: Adrenalin 26.10.1 driver release notes ("Known Issues" section)
- AMD: Adrenalin 26.10.2 driver release notes (October 30, 2026, "Known Issues" section)
- AMD: Customize GPU Performance Tuning with AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition ("Smart Access Memory" paragraph)
- AMD: AMD Smart Technologies (Smart Access Memory description and requirements)
- AMD: UEFI-only Support for AMD Graphics Cards (CSM, MBR2GPT)
- Microsoft: Windows 10 support has ended on October 14, 2025
- AMD: drivers and support
Still having the problem?
Reply in this topic with your graphics card and processor models, the motherboard and its BIOS version, the AMD driver version, your Windows version and the state of the Smart Access Memory toggle (on, off or greyed out).