July 2024 Update on Instability Reports on Intel Core 13th and 14th Gen Desktop Processors

[Thomas_Hannaford]

*9/25/24 - Please go to the following link for the latest updates: Intel Core 13th and 14th Gen Desktop Processor Vmin Instability Issue Root Cause*

*Update 8/26 clarifying support guidance for Intel Core 13th/14th Gen desktop tray CPU purchases*

*Update 7/29 regarding customer support process guidance (included below as well): https://community.intel.com/t5/Processors/Clarification-Update-on-Intel-Core-13th-14th-Gen-Desktop/m-p/1618462

Based on extensive analysis of Intel Core 13th/14th Gen desktop processors returned to us due to instability issues, we have determined that elevated operating voltage is causing instability issues in some 13th/14th Gen desktop processors. Our analysis of returned processors confirms that the elevated operating voltage is stemming from a microcode algorithm resulting in incorrect voltage requests to the processor.

Intel is delivering a microcode patch which addresses the root cause of exposure to elevated voltages. We are continuing validation to ensure that scenarios of instability reported to Intel regarding its Core 13th/14th Gen desktop processors are addressed. Intel is currently targeting mid-August for patch release to partners following full validation.

Intel is committed to making sure all customers who have or are currently experiencing instability symptoms on their 13th and/or 14th Gen desktop processors are supported in the exchange process.

To help streamline the support process, Intel's guidance is as follows:

• For users who purchased 13th/14th Gen-powered desktop systems from OEM/System Integrator - please reach out to your system vendor's customer support team for further assistance.
• For users who purchased boxed 13th/14th Gen desktop processors - please reach out to Intel Customer Support for further assistance.
• For users who purchased tray 13th/14th Gen desktop processors - please reach out to your place of purchase for further assistance.
•  

[G_K_]

Hi

I am experiancing a very instability issues but with a Intel(R) Core(TM) Ultra 9v185H, 2500 Mhz, 16 Cores, 22 Logical Processors.

The issue is the laptop turns off, restarts with the Critical Kernel-Power 41 Windows error. 

Would it be the similar issue like with the 13/14th gen processors. How to get an update of the firmware or how to check if that's installed?

[pressed_for_time]

The 185H is a Meteor Lake CPU, so this is nothing to do with the desktop 13/14th gen processors. You should take this up with the support department of the manufacturer of your laptop. There seems to be claims by some sources on the internet that the  Critical Kernel-Power 41 Windows error could be caused by an inadequate or failing power supply. Others say it is a Windows error. Talking to the maker of your unit is the best option.

[G_K_]

Believe me I did talk with them, my laptop was already two time on guarantee 'repairs'. The first time they claimed it was my falt!!!! that I am using the laptop not in the proper way XD, and that there is not issue, they could not reproduce it.

The very day it arrived to me back from the 'repair' after 10 minutes of using it, it crached, so I send it back, just today I recived it, second time back, and at the welcome it broke twice. And they claim the repair replaced.... a tape.

So the Asus manufacturer is hopeless! Or rather their repair unit.

[MuriloGoedert]

Hi, I had the same issue last month with my i7 14700KF. I figured out that it was related to incorrect XMP profile configurations on my motherboard. After weeks of searching for a solution, I solved the problem by manually adjusting the RAM timings according to the RAM specifications. Some timings that my motherboard applied with the XMP profile were a little bit different from the Corsair specifications.

My specs:

MB Gigabyte B760M AORUS PRO AX (Last bios update)

RAM 2x24GB Corsair Dominator Titanium RGB, 7200MHz, DDR5

CPU Intel i7-14700KF

GPU Nvidia RTX 4070

I hope this help you

[tat0k]

Hi

i9-14900k here with no external gpu attached (just using internal iris) and using only cpu fan heatsink. Not gaming pc, just for run FEA and the heavy calculation software.

How to detect instabilities?

Robytech is checking by the nvidia install driver failure? should i bought nvidia gpu just for testing?

Currently I am using Load Intel Base power setting enabled, and dual tau given as P1 192W P2 253W with ASROCK mobo

The temp never raise to 90s C with this.

Otherwise, it the temp shoots up 100C instantly using cinebench with AK620 digital.

Regards

[pressed_for_time]

> Robotech is checking by the nvidia install driver failure? should i bought nvidia gpu just for testing?

I thought that this was a problem earlier in the year and is now solved.

Have an NVIDIA graphics card myself and experienced an install failure with the latest driver at the time. What happened was that NVIDIA's installer detected that with a K processor I had onboard graphics. Having installed the graphics card driver it then switched to the onboard graphics which had no monitor attached to it. Result black screen with a hang. In the BIOS the graphics card was set as the primary display device, and multiscreen was turned off. But this made no difference.

A quickly released revised driver fixed the issue. Have had no issues with recent drivers.

[Charizor234]

Good to see this. Working on RMAing my I7 14700kf because after 6 months of these microcode issues, it's experienced such thermal damage that I can't even boot it with a newer BIOS version. Now I get 2+ weeks of trying to work using my laptop. 

[UTLF]

I have a few questions that I couldn't find clear answers to anywhere online, so for my own peace of mind I thought I'd sign up and ask them myself:

Are F series CPUs affected? (I have an i7-13700f)

Is it recommended that we disable Turbo Boost in BIOS for the time being? (I went from 1.37v playing Halo Infinite with it on, to 0.83v with it disabled while also playing Infinite)

Is there anything we can do in the meantime outside of waiting for the microcode update/Intel program that will detect any issues related to this? (I have updated my BIOS through Lenovo, but don't have much knowledge about anything else when it comes to over/underclocking, etc - I see people mentioning ACLL or something like that)

I would be extremely grateful if Intel could answer these questions

Thank you!

[SpeedToaster]

Yes, even i7-13700T (a 35W SKU) is affected.

Could you turn off IA CEP on your motherboard & use LLC to control your voltage?

If not, you could also lower maximum turbo boost ratio to lower your maximum vcore.

[UTLF]

I can't change many CPU options in the BIOS due to my chip being locked, this is a prebuilt so there are limited options

All I can do right now is turn off Turbo Boost, it dropped from 1.37v (highest, while gaming) to 0.84v (highest, while gaming) with very little affect on performance

Even though I don't think this chip has much risk compared to higher-end chips (going off of what I've read online) I still hope Intel provides more information ASAP and clears all of these questions/rumors going around by giving a solid list or SOMETHING other than "X might be affected" and "the fix is coming soon" - they need to make a post where all the CONFIRMED info is contained rather than informing people in Reddit comments or random Q&As with journalists, having everyone speculate and spread FUD while Intel sits quiet - should people even be using their PCs until the fix comes out????

All we have right now are fearmongering youtubers and people running around parroting what they say - I get these things take time, but when it's a serious issue like we're facing right now, people can't really sit in the dark and wait while their CPUs potentially fry; mid-August is still 2+ weeks away, which is a long time for something like this!

[SpeedToaster]

That is very true, intel should be the one to release more information to let us understand the situation, but right now they are mostly not doing too much and maybe trying to throw away their responsibility to users....

You could use apps like intel xtu and throttlestop to control the turbo ratio for how many cores in use. They can be applied when when Windows boots. Your system should be safe from degradation.

[CoolBook]

---

@UTLF wrote:

All we have right now are fearmongering youtubers and people running around parroting what they say - I get these things take time, but when it's a serious issue like we're facing right now, people can't really sit in the dark and wait while their CPUs potentially fry; mid-August is still 2+ weeks away, which is a long time for something like this!

---

I agree, and you could probably ignore 75% of what those people are saying. Focus on high voltages being the main issue.

I think it would be a good start to mimic the microcode fix "manually" ASAP.

– Intel is validating a microcode update to limit VID requests above 1.55V as a potential future corrective action, targeted for production release in mid-August...

I would personally never go above ~1.35V though.

[UTLF]

The issue is my chip/BIOS won't allow me to change anything, so I can't even mimic the microcode fix if I wanted to

I have been monitoring my CPU usage and voltage, it was 1.37v with Turbo Boost enabled, and never goes past 0.85v with it disabled; that's all I can do right now - can't find any guides relating to the 13700F either

I think I'm fine for now, it's probably the more powerful chips that have a higher risk... hurry up Intel...

[Mr_FranCk]

I wouldn’t worry to much if I were you. The problem is mainly reported for K versions. Since the 13th came out, it has been known in OC communities that under voltage is the most efficient single tweak you can apply from a i5 13600k/kf to an i9 13900ks. Basically, I just felt lazy so here’s the well written chatGPT answer to your problem:
“The “Use Intel Power” option, typically found in BIOS settings, is generally associated with the power management profiles that manage CPU performance and power consumption. This option is more commonly discussed in the context of the high-performance “K” and “KF” series processors, which are designed for overclocking and higher power usage.

For non-KF CPUs, such as the standard non-overclockable variants, the BIOS settings will still include power management options, but they might not explicitly label them as “Use Intel Power.” Instead, they will have standard power profiles like “Balanced,” “Power Saver,” and “High Performance,” which manage the CPU’s power consumption and performance within the limits set by Intel’s default specifications.

If you want to ensure that a non-KF CPU operates within the most stable and energy-efficient parameters, look for BIOS options that align with Intel’s recommended settings or default power profiles. This might be under headings such as “CPU Power Management,” “Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology (EIST),” or similar terminology.

For specific details, checking the motherboard’s manual or the BIOS documentation for the exact model and firmware version you are using is recommended, as implementations can vary between different motherboard manufacturers.”

[UTLF]

Thank you for your reply!

Do you think I should leave Turbo Boost off regardless?

[CoolBook]

---

@SpeedToaster wrote:

Yes, even i7-13700T (a 35W SKU) is affected.

How do you know that?

Does it really need more than 1.55V to reach the specified 4.9GHz boost?

[SpeedToaster]

There was a video from gamers nexus talked about which SKUs are affected from a gaming company. They explicitly said i7-13700T is affected due to motherboards pl1 is way higher than 35W (I think it was 253W on one motherboard I saw) which allows high vcore.

You do not need 1.55V to boost to 4.9GHZ boost, not even 5.9GHZ boost need such a high vcore. Mine i9-13900KS need maximum 1.45V to do 6GHZ on 2 cores (I undervolted mine using AC/DC LL adjustment). I would recommend for those cpus, the maximum vcore should be lower than 1.5V.

At 5.8GHZ max turbo, my max Vcore is 1.37V.

[G_B]

I tried to launch cs2 go with the all methods i found on internet and none of them worked. Game freezed or reset my pc each time. Today I saw a video that set my 13700k p core from 54x to 50x with Asus ai suite 3 and able to launch cs2 go. Not sure it means cpu is degraded or not. Will contact customer support.

[SpeedToaster]

Yeah, just contact them and see what they say, also update your BIOS to the newest version.

[tat0k]

Since maybe you got some degradation. Please check with intel processor diagnostic tools. Will it see the degradation. Compare with the one that succeed ran cs2gp

[G_B]

Thank you all. I have the latest bios with 0x125 microcode. I will run intel processor diagnostic tool. Hope it gives some guidance. https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/download/15951/intel-processor-diagnostic-tool.html