I5 13600kf completely freezes without load

[SergeyS18]

Good afternoon.

Can you help me solve a problem with my i5 13600kf processor, please.
This processor was purchased in November 2022. It worked fine for a year, but then (approximately in December 2023), the PC started completely freezes without load.

PC Specifications:
BIOS ver. – 1820
Windows 10 – 22Н2

Hardware:
Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-13600KF 3.50 GHz
Asus PRIME Z790M-Plus
RAM Kingston Fury Beast Black AMD [KF556C36BBEK2-32] 32 ГБ
SSD Samsung SSD 980 1TB, SSD Samsung SSD 980 PRO 1TB
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 (16 GB)
ATX Be quiet! System Power 10 850W

The following steps were taken:
1. The BIOS was updated and Windows was reinstalled.
2. PC components were replaced (motherboard, graphics card, power supply, RAM).

Considering that the PC was running smoothly under minimal load, my brother wrote a simple program that counted from 1 to 100.

Program code:
@Echo off

SET A=0
:rep
SET /A A=%A%+1
title " Loop %A% "
for /L %%c in (1,1,100) do (
echo %%c
)
goto :rep

With this program, the PC ran well, but if it was shut down (during Windows shutdown), it could completely freeze at any time. Also, completely freezes occurred during Windows boot (20-30% of cases). After one reboot, Windows usually loaded and I could run the program.

Recently, freezes during startup have become more frequent, and now it takes 10-15 reboots to even get to the program startup stage.

Also, computer does not freeze in BIOS.

I think the issue is related to processor voltage surges during working without load.

Can you recommend any changes to the BIOS settings to stabilize the PC?

[KennethB_Intel]

Hello SergeyS18,

Thank you for reaching out to the Intel Community Forum. I understand that your system with the Intel® Core™ i5-13600KF processor is experiencing complete freezes, especially during startup or shutdown, even when under minimal load. I would like to ask a few questions to better understand the issue and help identify the root cause:

• When did the issue first start occurring?
• How often does the freezing happen? Is it random or does it follow a pattern?
• Have there been any recent changes to your system before the issue began (e.g., driver updates, BIOS changes, new software installations)?
• Does the freezing occur only during startup and shutdown, or does it also happen during regular use?
• Have you tested the system with a different operating system or a clean installation of Windows without additional drivers or software?
• Have you monitored CPU temperatures and voltages during idle and load conditions?
• Have you tried adjusting any BIOS settings related to CPU power management or voltage control?
• Did you overclock the processor? Please note that if the system was overclocked, including voltage/frequency beyond the processor supported specifications, your processor voids warranty.
• Was the processor purchased less than 30 days ago? If so, I kindly suggest checking with the place of purchase for warranty options.
• Do you see any physical damage on the processor? Damage to the product indicates the product changed from its originally shipped condition and might void the warranty.
• Could you please provide the batch number and serial number of the processor? So we can expedite the process for warranty validation?

Please share any additional details or observations you may have. I will wait for your response so I can continue assisting you.

Best regards,

Kenneth B.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[SergeyS18]

Hello Kenneth B.,

Sorry for the long reply



When did the issue first start occurring?
In December 2023.

How often does the freezing happen?
This only happens when the PC without load.

Is it random or does it follow a pattern?
It seems to me that this is due to a drop in the processor power supply voltage.

Have there been any recent changes to your system before the issue began (e.g., driver updates, BIOS changes, new software installations)?
This happened a year after the purchase. First time after playing game - Ready or not. Video driver was updated that day. BIOS has not been changed.

Does the freezing occur only during startup and shutdown, or does it also happen during regular use?
This happens often during regular use, if the PC without load.
This problem was solved by running the .bat file every time the PC started
This .bat file counts from 1 to 100 and then starts over.

Program code:
@Echo off
SET A=0
:rep
SET /A A=%A%+1
title " Loop %A% "
for /L %%c in (1,1,100) do (
echo %%c
)
goto :rep

There were no freezes when working with this file.
But often I can't get to launching this file, because the PC freezes when loading Windows.
I have to reboot my PC sometimes 10-15 times to start the .bat file. This is the main problem.

Have you tested the system with a different operating system or a clean installation of Windows without additional drivers or software?
Installing a clean Windows didn't help.

Have you monitored CPU temperatures and voltages during idle and load conditions?
Vcore 1.412 – 0.756, temperature 39 C - 93 C

Have you tried adjusting any BIOS settings related to CPU power management or voltage control? Did you overclock the processor?
No

Please note that if the system was overclocked, including voltage/frequency beyond the processor supported specifications, your processor voids warranty.
-

Was the processor purchased less than 30 days ago? If so, I kindly suggest checking with the place of purchase for warranty options.
The processor was purchased in November 2022. The warranty has expired

Do you see any physical damage on the processor?
No

[KennethB_Intel]

Hello SergeyS18,

Thank you for your response and for providing detailed information about the issue. Based on your description, it appears that the system freezes primarily occur during low-load scenarios, especially during startup or shutdown. I understand how frustrating this can be, and I appreciate your patience in troubleshooting this issue.

To help further isolate and potentially resolve the issue, I recommend the following steps:

• Update the BIOS: Please update your motherboard BIOS to the latest version available. You mentioned that your current version is 1820. The latest version for the ASUS PRIME Z790M-Plus is 1825. You can download it from the official ASUS support website.
• Load Default BIOS Settings: After updating the BIOS, please load the default BIOS settings to ensure no incorrect configurations are causing the issue.
• Minimal Configuration Test: Try starting the system with only the essential components: motherboard, processor, power supply, and one RAM module. This can help identify if another component is contributing to the issue.
• Memory Check:
  • Ensure the memory modules are properly seated.
  • Try using different RAM sticks or slots.

• Run CPU stress test. For Windows use the Intel Processor Diagnostic Tool and run Burn-in Test.

Please try these steps and let me know the results. I will wait for your update so I can continue assisting you.

Best regards,

Kenneth B.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[KennethB_Intel]

Hello SergeyS18,

I hope you were able to try the troubleshooting steps I provided earlier. Please let me know the outcome so I can determine the next steps to assist you further.

Best regards,

Kenneth B.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[KennethB_Intel]

Hello SergeyS18,

We will send you an email for better assistance regarding your concern. Please check your inbox and respond so we can continue supporting you.

Please be informed that we will now proceed to close this thread. Should you want to continue the support, please reply to the email we'll be sending you.

Thank you!

Best regards,

Kenneth B.

Intel Customer Support Technician