PC Processors

[DamkeM]

Hi everyone,

I’ve been dealing with serious stability issues on my newly built system using the Ryzen 5 8600G APU. While I’ve managed to get things stable for now. I’m sharing my steps here not just to help others, but also to hear your opinions:
 Has anyone found the actual cause or a better/cleaner fix?

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System Specs:

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 8600G

• Motherboard: ASRock B850 Pro-A

• BIOS: v3.20 (latest as of April 2025)

• RAM: Kingston Fury Beast DDR5 (KF560C30BBE-16), 2x16GB

• PSU: CoolerMaster MWE 650W V2 80+ Bronze

• OS: Windows 11 Pro 24H2 (clean install)

• Drivers tested:

  • AMD Adrenalin 25.3.1 WHQL and also versions before, same thing happens.

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Issue Description:

Immediately after assembling the PC and installing the OS, I experienced:

• Random freezes: mouse + keyboard would stop responding for ~1–2 minutes

• Then, a black screen followed by a system recovery and AMD popup:
  “Driver timeout has occurred...”

• Event Viewer logs showed LiveKernelEvent 141 with amdkmdag.sys listed

This happened even during light usage like browsing, watching videos, printing, viewing images, etc.

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Troubleshooting Steps Taken:

• RAM tested using:

  • Default BIOS settings

  • EXPO profile

  • Manual tuning (based on Buildzoid’s DDR5 guide)

• Cinebench 2024 stress tests ran fine (CPU temp ~95°C)

• No BSODs, just freeze/black screen/recovery

• Updated all drivers and BIOS

• Did not reinstall Windows again

• Did not disable hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling

• Did not remove a RAM stick for single-channel testing

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What Solved It:

The system became stable after adjusting the following BIOS settings (under OC Tweaker) or disabling Core Performance Boost option.

• Selected: Cinebench_Profile_1

• Enabled PBO, with Curve Optimizer set to -20

• Set TDP Boost Limit to +85

Since making these changes, I’ve had zero issues. System is fast, responsive, and stress-free.

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What I’d Like to Know:

• Has anyone narrowed down the real reason for these issues?

• Are the BIOS defaults simply too aggressive for the 8600G’s iGPU + SoC power behavior?

• Is ASRock’s BIOS to blame, or is this common across boards/brands?

• Any other BIOS tweaks you’d recommend for better thermals or efficiency?

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Thanks a lot for reading — and in advance for any input. I hope this helps someone out there, and I’m looking forward to your insights.

Best regards

[AkitekIT · Accepted solution]

Yeh. This problem buffles me for days. I've got 8600G relying on IDG. The trick I found works is to limit the Max CPU Staten in Windows advanced power settings when editing power plan. I set min state to 5%, and max state to 90%.

[AkitekIT]

Another thought, as I spotted the same issue with a 8500G after swapping out the ram for the 8600G. The ram I swapped out is able to get the 8600G through POST, but won't be able to load Windows or Debian. The 8500G was working fine till I swapped the RAM. Same driver time out issue. Thus, I reckon the problem is RAM compatibility issue. Another thing that I noticed is that 8600G only runs a tad above 70 degrees, with the stock heat sink and fan,,even under stress test. Before, it can run up to 95 degrees. Though I found that even when the CPU is cool, the issue persists as long as it hits full speed. Above all, it might be a design issue with the CPU and just a bad batch.