Instability Issues with Intel Core i9-13900K – Need Help!

[Modismos]

Hi everyone,

I've been experiencing frequent system crashes and instability issues with my Intel Core i9-13900K. The crashes occur during various activities, including gaming, running CPU-intensive applications, and even during regular web browsing. Here's a detailed breakdown of my setup and the steps I've already taken to troubleshoot the problem:

System Configuration:

• CPU: Intel Core i9-13900K
• Motherboard: ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
• RAM: 2x32 GB Corsair Vengeance 6600 MHz
• GPU: Asus ROG 4090
• Power Supply: Asus ROG Thor 850 Watts
• Cooling: Custom water cooling setup

Issues Encountered:

1. Frequent Crashes: The system crashes during gaming and while running benchmarks like Cinebench and 3DMark's Time Spy Extreme. The crashes often lead to a blue screen of death (BSOD) or a black screen.
2. Overheating: The CPU temperatures sometimes spike, leading to thermal throttling and instability.
3. Power Limits: Adjusting power limits and settings has provided temporary relief but not a permanent solution. Reducing the power limit to 253 watts made the system more stable, but issues persist under higher loads.

Troubleshooting Steps Taken:

1. Updated BIOS and Drivers: Ensured all BIOS settings and drivers are up-to-date.
2. Stress Testing: Conducted stress tests using Cinebench and Intel Processor Diagnostic Tool. The system passes short tests but fails under prolonged load, especially with multi-core tasks.
3. Checked Cooling: Verified that the cooling system is functioning correctly and that the thermal paste application is adequate.
4. Memory Tests: Ran Memtest86 with no errors detected in the RAM.
5. Voltage Adjustments: Tried different voltage settings, including undervolting and adjusting the load-line calibration.

Despite these efforts, the problem persists. I've read that some users have had similar issues with the i9-13900K and have had to RMA their CPUs. Before I consider that route, I wanted to reach out to the community for any additional advice or solutions that might have worked for others.

Has anyone else faced similar issues with the i9-13900K? If so, what steps did you take to resolve them?

Any insights or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Emily

[TimGS]

I loaded the latest motherboard firmware from ASUS and all BSODs cleared up.  I also installed a new AIO Cooler from ASUS to keep the processor cool :))

[Sky03]

Hey!!! Did intel fixed it?

[TimGS]

I believe that this was more of a work around than a fix.  I am not an expert and I wish someone from Intel would chime in with a clear answer to what they did.  My belief is that they enabled some sort of throttling.  It was bit weird that the CPU would just run away and just shutdown while just the OS (and all the other behind the scenes junk) was running idle.