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Intel Core 13th and 14th Gen Desktop Instability Root Cause Update

Thomas_Hannaford
Employee
4 27 204K

Following extensive investigation of the Intel® Core™ 13th and 14th Gen desktop processor Vmin Shift Instability issue, Intel can now confirm the root cause diagnosis for the issue. This post will cover Intel’s understanding of the root cause, as well as additional mitigations and next steps for Intel® Core™ 13th and 14th Gen desktop users.

Vmin Shift Instability Root Cause 

Intel® has localized the Vmin Shift Instability issue to a clock tree circuit within the IA core which is particularly vulnerable to reliability aging under elevated voltage and temperature. Intel has observed these conditions can lead to a duty cycle shift of the clocks and observed system instability.  

Intel® has identified four (4) operating scenarios that can lead to Vmin shift in affected processors: 

  1. Motherboard power delivery settings exceeding Intel power guidance. 
    a.  Mitigation: Intel® Default Settings recommendations for Intel® Core™ 13th and 14th Gen desktop processors.  
  2. eTVB Microcode algorithm which was allowing Intel® Core™ 13th and 14th Gen i9 desktop processors to operate at higher performance states even at high temperatures. 
    a.  Mitigation: microcode 0x125 (June 2024) addresses eTVB algorithm issue.  
  3. Microcode SVID algorithm requesting high voltages at a frequency and duration which can cause Vmin shift. 
    a.  Mitigation: microcode 0x129 (August 2024) addresses high voltages requested by the processor.  
  4. Microcode and BIOS code requesting elevated core voltages which can cause Vmin shift especially during periods of idle and/or light activity. 
    a.  Mitigation: Intel® is releasing microcode 0x12B, which encompasses 0x125 and 0x129 microcode updates, and addresses elevated voltage requests by the processor during idle and/or light activity periods.  

Regarding the 0x12B update, Intel® is working with its partners to roll out the relevant BIOS update to the public.

Intel’s internal testing comparing 0x12B microcode to 0x125 microcode – on Intel® Core™ i9-14900K with DDR5 5200MT/s memory1  - indicates performance impact is within run-to-run variation (ie. Cinebench* R23, Speedometer*, WebXPRT4*, Crossmark*). For gaming workloads on Intel® Core™ i9-14900K with DDR5 5600MT/s memory2, performance is also within run-to-run variation (ie. Shadow of the Tomb Raider*, Cyberpunk* 2077, Hitman 3: Dartmoor*, Total War: Warhammer III – Mirrors of Madness*). However, system performance is dependent on configuration and several other factors.

Intel® reaffirms that both Intel® Core™ 13th and 14th Gen mobile processors and future client product families – including the codename Lunar Lake and Arrow Lake families - are unaffected by the Vmin Shift Instability issue. We appreciate our customers’ patience throughout the investigation, as well as our partners’ support in the analysis and relevant mitigations. 

Next Steps 

For all Intel® Core™ 13th/14th Gen desktop processor users: the 0x12B microcode update must be loaded via BIOS update and has been distributed to system and motherboard manufacturers to incorporate into their BIOS. Intel is working with its partners to encourage timely validation and rollout of the BIOS update for systems currently in service.  This process may take several weeks. 

Users can check their system/motherboard manufacturer’s website and/or the Intel® Product Compatibility Tool to see the latest BIOS versions for their Intel® Core™ 13th and/or 14th Gen-powered desktop systems: https://compatibleproducts.intel.com/.  

  1. Processor: Intel® Core™ i9-14900K, Motherboard: Intel Raptor Lake Reference Board (M40919), Memory: 64GB DDR5 at  5200MT/s, Storage: ADATA* SU360, Graphics: Intel® UHD Graphics 770, Graphics Driver Version: 32.0.101.5768, Display Resolution: 1280x800, Operating System: Windows 11 Pro (version 26100.712).
  2. Processor: Intel® Core™ i9-14900K, Motherboard: Intel Raptor Lake Reference Board (RVP SR19), Memory: 32GB DDR5 at  5600MT/s, Storage: Samsung* 990 Pro 1TB, Graphics: MSI* RTX 4090 Suprim X, Graphics Driver Version: NVIDIA* v555.99, Resolution: 1920x1080, Operating System: Windows 11 (version 22631.4169)
27 Comments
Vlad11
Beginner

@CommonRustyMullet You mentioned that you had an RMA on your i9-14900k, and that you still have issues with the replacement CPU. Can I ask when did you get the replacement? And what microcode have you ran it with immediately after replacing it?

CommonRustyMullet

@Vlad11, I processed the RMA toward the end of January 2024. I had firmware F9 for Gigabye z790 UD AX, which did not have any of the microcode updates.

Vlad11
Beginner

Thanks, @CommonRustyMullet , in my case I replaced mine this summer. I installed all the microcode updates as they were released, and it was working fine initially, but now it's unstable again for some reason.

CommonRustyMullet

@Vlad11, I should have mentioned that I found out during my troubleshooting that the motherboard's defaults weren't limiting the CPU to specs, so I had set the Max Current, P1, and P2 to the CPU specs. By then though it was too late for my original CPU. I have run this new one with the BIOS settings at CPU specs since day one, but still have issues as mentioned previously in this thread.

SpeedToaster
Beginner

@CommonRustyMulletYou probably did not set a voltage limit for your processor, such as the IA VR Voltage limit, before the Intel microcode update. Therefore CPU have voltage spikes while idling which cause degradation. Even setting up Power and Current Limit will not save your from the issue where it is the voltage that killed the CPU.

Angelov
Beginner

Hello, everyone.

I have a simple question: would I have problems If I bought a brand new 13th or 14th gen CPU and installed it on a motherboard, that's fully patched with the latest microcode (and the right settings activated)?

Thanks.

Eddiebacher
Beginner

Can this cause your pc not to connect to wifi and Bluetooth?