Issues with system with i7 13700K

[Kenny026]

Summary of issue: Random freezes on a clean install of Windows 11. Before the reinstall the freezes were random reboots.

What I have tried: Reinstall windows, disable c-states in bios, disable xmp in bios. Bios upgrade to latest version. Disconnected all but needed hardware. Memtest without errors, Samsung SSD test without errors.

System Specifications:

• Operating System: Windows 11 23H2, OS Build 22631.2861

• CPU: 13th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-13700K 3.40 GHz

• CPU Cooler: BeQuiet Dark Rock Pro 4

• GPU: Gigabyte RTX 3070 TI

• Motherboard: Gigabyte Z790 Aorus Elite AX

• RAM: Corsair DDR 5 Vengeance 2x32 5200

• Storage: 2x1TB Samsung 980 Pro

• PSU: Corsair RM850x

• Display: 77" Samsung Q95C HDMI

The only errors i see after a freeze are the WHEA-Logging in the eventlog for Processor-APIC-id: 74 and 24. 

I turned down the default turbo ratios in bios which Gigabyte is using in optimized defaults but no results. P-Cores are now at 34 and the E-Cores at 25. I never did any manual overclocking. 

Running the Intel Diagnostic tool gives a fail on CPU load. HWInfo does not show any significant increase in temps for CPU, memory or GPU. 

Can someone give me some hints on further testing? It is becoming quite frustrating.

[Alberto_R_Intel]

Kenny026, Thank you for posting in the Intel® Communities Support.

We will be more than glad to assist you with this matter. 

In order for us to provide the most accurate assistance on this scenario, we just wanted to confirm a few details about your system:

When did you purchase the Intel® processor?

Did you build the PC?

Was the system working fine before without showing the random freezes and reboots issue that you are describing?

If yes, when did the issue start?

Did you make any recent hardware/software changes that might cause this problem?

Does the problem happen at home or in the work environment?

Any questions, please let me know.

Regards,

Albert R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Kenny026]

Hi Alberto,

I purchased the complete system on 22-12-2022. About a year later, 24-12-2022 the issues started out of nowhere. That is when i started updating the bios and taking all the steps. 

Yes, i did build the PC myself. I work in IT and in the beginning of my career which started in 1996 till around 2003 i did nothing else then building PC's. That is why i will never buy a preconfigured system

I made no  hardware changes and i even checked the logs to see if there were windows updates which might have caused this. The first unexpected reboot was 24-12-2023 at 11.02 in the morning. 

I use my pc also professionally for office, and rdp connections. And gaming. The strangest thing is that this happens most in low workloads like working with outlook, word or browsing the internet and less with gaming. 

I attached the latest results of the Intel Processor Diagnostic Tool from just now together with logging of HWInfo. No temp issues or anything i can find in there. Nothing in the windows eventvwr other than below.

Naam van toepassing met fout: Math_PrimeNum.exe, versie: 0.0.0.0, tijdstempel: 0x64486c18
Naam van module met fout: Math_PrimeNum.exe, versie: 0.0.0.0, tijdstempel: 0x64486c18
Uitzonderingscode: 0xc0000094
Foutmarge: 0x0000000000001618
Id van proces met fout: 0x0x3794
Starttijd van toepassing met fout: 0x0x1DA3FD89C419277
Pad naar toepassing met fout: C:\Program Files\Intel Corporation\Intel Processor Diagnostic Tool 64bit\Math_PrimeNum.exe
Pad naar module met fout: C:\Program Files\Intel Corporation\Intel Processor Diagnostic Tool 64bit\Math_PrimeNum.exe
Rapport-id: 4a99adea-09a0-4886-b80c-c2529e733069
Volledige pakketnaam met fout:
Relatieve toepassings-id van pakket met fout:

[Alberto_R_Intel]

Hi Kenny026, Thank you very much for providing that information and the reports.

Based on the reports and as you mentioned, everything, the temperature, and overall functionality of the unit seems to be normal. The only unexpected result is the "Prime Number = Fail" in the Intel® PDT Test. Please check the following link for further details about this topic:

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000094564/processors.html

Even though you already tried different troubleshooting steps, please verify the link below in case you have not tried some of the suggestions in there:

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000035634/processors.html

Additionally, follow the steps below in order to try to fix issues related to games:

 Solution A):

-In BIOS, select "ADVANCED MODE", in the Tweaker tab, locate the CPU Vcore and select "Normal" option, select "Dynamic Vcore(DVID)" option, change it from "Auto" to "+0.005V"

-Increase the DVID by +0.005 and reboot OS, until the game crash disappears and the system is running stable.    

Solution B):

-In BIOS, select "Tweaker", select "Advanced Voltage Settings", select "CPU/VRAM Settings", adjust "CPU Vcore Loadline Calibration", recommend starting from "Low" to "Medium" until system is stable.

After implemented A or B, run XTU test again and if the AVX2 test can pass.

Run games and see if the issue happens again.

After tying all the steps above, if the issues remains, then, if it is possible of course, we recommend to use your processor on a different board or use your board with a different processor. This is to confirm if the problem follows the board or the processor. We understand that this option is not always available.

If the problem persists, then the next thing to do will be to replace the processor. In order to do that, please get in contact directly with your local Intel® department through any of our support channels to claim the warranty on your unit, If necessary you can always refer to this thread:

Chat support:

http://intelsupportchat.force.com/icslivechat/ics_tech_processor_ww_english_Chat

For phone support, depending on your location, you will see the contact information on the links below:

EMEA contact information: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/contact-support/emea-contact.html

APAC contact information: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/contact-support/apac-contact.html

LAR contact information: https://www.intel.la/content/www/xl/es/support/contact-support/lar-contact.html

North America: Phone Number 1-916-377-7000, Monday – Friday 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM (Pacific Time).

Regards,

Albert R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Kenny026]

Thanks Albert, 

I will start working on this tomorrow. Do you recommend going for Gigabyte Z790 Aorus default settings with Turbo Ratios? So 53 and 42 for P and E-Cores before changing voltages? 

I have a new power supply here. Do you think it is valuable to try that? Or do think the PSU is just fine?

[Alberto_R_Intel]

Kenny026, You are very welcome. Thank you very much for your reply.

Perfect, take your time to do the tests.

In reference to your first question, even though we are the ones providing those details, we suggest to contact Gigabyte Support to check on those settings and for further guidance on this topic before making any changes. They are the ones that provide support for everything related to the BIOS of their board:

https://www.gigabyte.com/Support

Regarding the power supply testing, sure, even though it does not seem to be related to that part, that is a very good way to make sure about it and rule out a possible problem with that component.

Regards,

Albert R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Kenny026]

Hi Albert,

so over the weekend i have been testing with the first suggestions of increasing the DVID values. I set the turbo ratios to default Gigabyte settings of 53 and 42 for P-Cores and E-Cores.

DVID to 0.005V had no result, 0.010V and the pc crashed after some hours and after setting the values to an increase of 0.015V is has been a smooth sail. So no reboot after saturday morning and no crashes.

Besides that i have been doing stress tests during the nights. See the results in the attachments. No reboots, lots of cycles of stress testing and no freeze or reset. Must be good right?

So a final question i have... What causes that my CPY needs more voltages right now? This is not because of failing hardware right? I'm not really seeing the logic behind this....

[Alberto_R_Intel]

Hi Kenny026, Thank you very much for sharing those updates and the pictures.

Excellent, it is great to hear that after setting the turbo ratios to default Gigabyte settings of 53 and 42 for P-Cores and E-Cores and DVID to an increase of 0.015V, the problem got fixed and now the PC is working properly. Yes, the fact that you run stress tests and there is no freeze or reset is great too. 

Regarding your question about why your processor needs more voltages right now, no, it is not because of a hardware failure. Still, I will do further research to gather the details on the reason why and provide a response as soon as possible.

Regards,

Albert R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Kenny026]

Great! Thanks, and i am happy to help with logging. Let me know what i can do!

[Alberto_R_Intel · Accepted solution]

Kenny026, I just received an update on this matter.

After reviewing the case, we would like to let you know that there are several reasons why to increase the voltage is needed and not necessarily because of a hardware failure. We cannot confirm exactly what could cause it, but it could be related to an increase in power consumption, heat generation, and/or the hardware being used. 

Regards,

Albert R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Kenny026]

Hi Albert, 

well the last is certainly the case. I have been using the system much more since septermber. Not in daily hours but i put my PS5 aside and started gaming on PC much more.

Heat is still ok. I monitor the temps a lot and ever since the issues began, the cpu sometimes peaks to 90 degrees under high load but i can say the the Dark Rock Pro 4 does a good job.

Thanks a lot for your support Albert. Happy customer here.

You can close the case.

[Alberto_R_Intel]

Kenny026, You are very welcome. Thank you very much for your response.

We are happy also to know that there is no overheating problem and the computer in general is working properly. We are glad to help.

Any other inquiries, do not hesitate to contact us again.

Regards,

Albert R.

Intel Customer Support Technician