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.
•  

[Vaveen]

You working for Intel damge control its simple if you have any complaints anything not working you need a RMA if it doesnt work on 15 augustus i gone rma  my i7 14700k simple as that no answer i will write ECC e'asy as that.3..

[Vaveen]

Oh and btw i will not be'' the only one...

[pressed_for_time]

This is a support forum. If you have issues you could raise them here. There are users here who will help you if they can. I accept we all have different experiences of Intel hardware. But it does not do any harm to ask. I have had a few issues with non-Intel hardware where forum users were able to point out solutions. But if I had any issue with my Intel CPU I would raise it here. There are also support forums for your motherboard that can be useful.

[Vaveen]

I m using the z790 gigabyte gaming x ax if i intall the latest bios i even crashes after 45 min as i cant select the intel specification setting  and it restarts the computer even when not using it .I run the bios before the latest one there i can use the intel specification one .I just dont game anymore untill we have the mid augustus micro patch from gigabyte.

[pressed_for_time]

I don't work for Intel, I am just a user of its hardware like you.

Intel gaming laptops sell in huge numbers, if there was a issue with 13900HX or 14900HX machines we would certainly know by now. And there is absolutely no sign of it.

Desktop processors are a different issue. Intel has extended the boxed processor warranty to 5 years. The latest BIOS and driver updates have dealt with most of the issues. Like you I will be applying the August BIOS update even though I have no issues to date.

If you have issues with your CPU that justifies an RMA then RMA it.

[FantaKal]

It's really cute that you can sincerely think that problems like those that have emerged can be fixed via software: they are clearly problems of architecture and chip construction pushed well beyond their limits for marketing reasons.
The only thing those updates will do is lower the voltages, they try to contain the spikes, to make the processor's life long enough to go out of warranty, avoiding a bloodbath with RMAs. This is on the consumer side, on the business side, where the processors work 24/7 and start to give problems after 4-5 months, in an ecosystem that does not provide for overclocking (indeed it is often underclocked, because stability is favored as much as possible) , even with e-cores disabled, multipliers drastically reduced and voltages lowered, the damage is already enormous (and at the company level it hurts much more).
Furthermore, how can we trust what the company says when first they hid the problem, then blamed it on the motherboard manufacturers, then minimized it, then churned out a bios update, the July one, 125, which for many users made the problem worse instead of solving it... then they hid an oxidation problem, then admitted it but did NOT tell us which batches of chips were involved and, finally, they didn't tell us when that problem was solved (if it has been solved)... 2023 is 12 months long, there are those who bought the processor in March and those in November... and they did all of this AWARE of what they were doing from the beginning.

ZERO TRUST.

[Vaveen]

Yup 100 procent thrue

[Mr_FranCk]

Some parts of your statement is on point, but you're definitely drinking JayzTwoCents or Gamer Nexus' kool-aid. 

The oxidization issue was addressed early on and has only affected early 13th gens cpus. It doesn't involve 14th gen at all and isn't linked to the actual issue. That being said, it would be the proper thing to disclose which units might have the issue. Intel really missed it there. 

Intel DID not release any fixes yet. The only fix you've seen going around are made by mobo manufacturers and Intel clearly stated that those corrections could harm more than help. 

I'm not giving them a blank slate, I currently own a 13600kf and a 14900kf and i've been following this for some time.
More transparency would be greatly appreciated, but in a world where each and every news is twisted for views, I am well aware that it just isn't an option.

I'm quite involved in the PC community and i have had many tell me that their RMAs went swiftly with defective units. 

[Kal1979]

You have a 13600K and a 14900K...
2 questions:

1)Assuming the 13600k is from May 2023 (or April, or June, ore March or July), would you like to know if it was produced in a fixed process or if there still was exposure to oxdidation...?

2)Assuming they were for new built, and not to upgrade an already existent LGA1700 (but even in those case we could argue), NOW, August the 5th 2024,would you buy those processors again...?

I think I already know the answers........

[FantaKal]

oh no, sorry but you can't downplay oxidation thing like that. Ok it doesn't involve 14th gen (if you belive them), whatever... But it'is still something absolutely disgusting (and, to me, ILLEGAL).

I've a 13700K bought in April 2023, IT IS my danm RIGHT to know if that processor was manufactured BEFORE OR AFTER the production issue was fixed, I don't take an 'early 2023' (maybe, just trust us) for an answer, how could you? what the hell does it mean???

I want A DATE after which the problem was solved (IF), a list of serial number of CPUs that are suspected to be affected and a serial beyond which CPUs are safe... and THEY KNOW ALL OF THIS...!!!

Would you have bought a 450 o 600$ CPU if, on the box, was printed 'Ehy, we don't know if this CPU was manufactured the right way or not'...?
I really don't think so...!

SO, or they PROVE, being CRISTAL CLEAR, that my CPU was manufactured with a corretc process or I WANT A FULL REFUND, 'cause, in the doubt, I would never ever have bought that!
This is legal matter: if someone hides characteristics or defects of the object of sale, the sale is void, in many jurisdictions around the world... and Intel knows this well: they are doing everything to cover their ass as much as possible, or do you really think that when faced with something that it has already cost them 30 billion in capitalization, what they worry about are retail consumers?

2) I'don't need to drink anything, I inform myself then just use brain and apply logic: first of all remembering me what Intel has said is POINTLESS, because Intel has no more credibility whatsoever: they already said they everything and the opposite of everything; for example, first they denied that oxidation was a problem related to what is happening, then, in the same press release, they said that 'only for some processors did it turn out that the problem was connected'... So: was it or not???

They released baselines ​​to motherboard manufacturers, inviting them to implement those in their bios, then it turns out that even with those baselines values ​CPU have issues; THEY released a microcode patch in July, saing it didn't fix the root cause problems (so what was it correcting, what was it for?); I red of people having bigger problem after that patch!
It's the same thing said a few more on top for the 13th gen: even on the 14th gen issue their only concern is saving what can be saved, holding on while waiting to have the 15th gen in hand (manufactured by TMSC, oh what a coincidence, uh...!?! Doesn't this make you understand anything?) to be able to divert attention. Telling us the truth and behave in a serious manner towards us is the last thing on their minds... You keep repeating 'Intel has already said that', 'Intel has already responded this'... but how the hell can you still trust Intel???
They knowingly released defective processors (I repeat: THEY KNOWINGLY RELEASED DEFECTIVE PROCESSORS, with false performance claims (and this affermation, at least for 13th gen IS NOT IN DISPUTE), they pushed those processor beyond the limit for marketing reasons, not caring about the consequences in the medium to long term, and if they where able to manage the problems with big business customers, in server farms, on underclocked processors, it didn't even come out: they were still blaming the motherboards or someon else (even the users, for sure) and taking us for fools, with our money in their pockets...

3)I'll say it again for the hard-of-sighted: they knowingly released defective products, with false performance claims, and this affirmation is not in doubt: it's a fact. If they released processors knowing about the oxidation problem, and they themselves already ADMITTED THAT, or if they didn't recall them after discovering it, and they didn't, that means THEY INTENTIONALLY SOLD DEFECTIVE CPUS HIDING THEIR ISSUES (potential o not): THAT'S A FACT. Non margin of interpretation!
And today, after all this unspeakable, absurd, fraudulent and mocking behavior and these manipulative explanations, talking about that and the 14th gen CPU problem all you have is 'yes, but ehy, it's not so bad, trust Intel'...???

LMAO

4)Intel just need:

-a FULL admission of guilt

-a CLEAR indication of the problem

-a CLEAR indication of the processors involved,

-a PRECISE indication of how the performance of the processors will be redefined once the patch has been applied (because they will be redefined!)

-a declaration of willingness to compensate anyone who wants to return CPUs which, today, under these conditions, would definitely not buy again, not even by mistake.

Anything that now comes out of Intel that is not anticipated by ALL those things are NO LONGER CREDIBLE.

END OF THE STORY.

(obviuously they never do that, because it will cost them too much).

They'll not see my money for a long time, for what it counts...

[sstevo66]

https://community.intel.com/t5/Processors/Clarification-Update-on-Intel-Core-13th-14th-Gen-Desktop/m-p/1619169#M75296

I asked about this before the big announcement on earnings/layoffs. Link above.

This is pretty scandalous and apparently there is a class action lawsuit or 2 in the works. Be great if that was done to use that cost savings to pay for intel's negligence, but we know better. We are simply customers, loyal even during the AMD rise to prominence. Intel caters to large shareholders.

[FantaKal]

the caviat is tha no laptop chips are used in servers, if so we'd have already seen those chips fail as well. Same Architecture, same production process, same outcome... just more time needed to see it... Unless you really think this is a microcode issue.......

[Dhruv_M]

Would this affect the 13620H for my Dell Inspiron 16 Plus? Its not a gaming laptop but it is powerful enough to run moderate-high intensity games.

[pressed_for_time]

Intel has extended the warranty on both boxed and OEM desktop processors due to the instability issue. A full list of affected processors has been issued - it includes all the desktop models based on Raptor Lake architecture but does not include any mobile processors. As your processor is not on the list it is not affected as far as Intel is concerned.

[Donahue259]

intel doesn't want to release anymore known models effected because they are waiting to be fined so they weasel out of this mess and then the government will pay it for them with our taxes. typical corporation bailouts for criminal practices. Guarantee every single 13th and 14th gen is faulty. they just want to take the penalty approach and act like they didn't do anything HIGHLY ILLEGAL.

[Gringo85]

Well speaking from experience here. So I bought this prebuilt PC from Origin. A lot of many I paid for it with a 13900KS, long story short, a year or so after I was having all types of instability issues, including but not limited to: Game crashes and BSOD with multiple codes until Windows will no longer boot up. I ended up troubleshooting the issue and bought a 14900K to replace the 13900KS. End result, the CPU was damaged beyond usability. Obviously, the issue was the CPU after a year use, nothing else was changed. You may ask, why did I buy a prebuilt, especially since I had always built my own. Two years ago or so it was very hard to get video cards so these prebuilt companies were hoarding all these video cards and making deals, that was how I could snatch a 4090. I think this is the beginning of the end for Intel, definitely for me as my next built it’s going to be my first AMD built since like 15 years ago. Like some people say a picture is worth a thousand words. Just check Intel stocks and after their massive layoffs the stock is down to $20.11 per share from $49.09 that it was just six months ago, 59% decline. If you don’t think that troublesome, I don’t know what else to tell you but it sure looks like the ship is taking water and sinking unless they pull a magic trick.

[Donahue259]

they need to give every single customer who bought a 13th gen or 14th gen CPU the 15th absolutely free. what are they going to send to replace your faulty CPU? THE SAME FAULTY CHIPS! GOOD LUCK INTEL!! 

[Kal1979]

I'd be happy with just my money back: they can keep the 15th gen, at this point... Screw them.

[cloudllove]

H45 platform, such as the 13900h series CPU of the laptop, is affected by oxidation?  This is important and is more concerned by users.

[pressed_for_time]

The oxidation issue was restricted to the desktop processors only. It does not affect any mobile processor.

[cloudllove]

Excuse me, are you sure about this answer? Or do you have any basis? I found that your replies are usually very professional and clear. Thank you again.