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

[Modismos]

I think I came a little early to see if there was any reply. 

[CoolBook]

Hi @Modismos 

Any progress?

Very hard "black screen" crashes could be related to PSU issues.

It looks like your system is on the limit for 850W.

I would run the RAM at stock to rule out IMC and RAM issues. Memtest86 is basically useless unless there is a real hardware defect.

Then limit max frequencies/voltages to reduce heat and get at least below 90C during stability testing. 80C - even better. 

[JamesPang]

https://www.reddit.com/r/overclocking/comments/1axepvu/optimizing_stability_for_intel_13900k_and_14900k/

Try to set the Core Current Limit to 307Amps

[stynbo]

hi 

I have the same cpu and motherboard with  BIOS 2402 and i have no stability issue.

here my setting :

XMP=off

CPU Core/Cache current limit max=307A

PL1=125w 

PL2=253w

SVID behavior= Typical scenario ( if i use "intel fail safe" my cpu up 20°c with 1.55V...)

Package power time windows=56s

[Barbaros]

I have the same CPU, Memory and motherboard and GPU and I am having issues constantly. I am really disappointed with this and I hope that Intel's fix which will be released in August would fix this. 

The worst part is that our 13900K CPUs might be piece of waste if this bug is damaging the CPU physically and whatever configuration we have, it wouldn't work at all eventually. 

[JamesPang]

Barbaros,

see this link here lol https://wccftech.com/intel-14th-13th-gen-instability-issue-elevated-voltages-not-root-cause-micrcode-fix/

The august fix might not be the conclusion to all of this issues

[Barbaros]

Hi James, Thanks for sharing the link. I really wonder how it plays out..

[pressed_for_time]

Are there specific issues such as BSOD or game crashes. What sort of error messages are you getting?