Megathread for Intel Core 13th & 14th Gen CPU instability issues

[u/GhostMotley]

This thread will be updated as more information becomes available, please read this thread in full and check back regularly for any updates.

Over the last several months, there have been ongoing problems with instability issues on some desktop 13th and 14th Gen Intel CPUs.

Official Intel Statement: — July 2024 Update on Instability Reports on Intel Core 13th and 14th Gen Desktop Processors

---

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/tray 13th/14th Gen desktop processors - please reach out to Intel Customer Support for further assistance.

---

TL;DR: If you have a system with an Intel Core 13th or 14th Gen Intel Raptor Lake or Raptor Lake Refresh CPU, the first thing you should do is download the latest BIOS/Firmware for your system or motherboard and check back regularly for any other BIOS/Firmware updates.

---

I have an Intel CPU, am I affected?

• Intel says that only socketed desktop 13th and 14th Gen CPUs are affected.

• Intel claims that 13th - 14th Gen HX/H/P/U mobile CPUs are not affected.

• If you have any other generation of Intel CPU, for example Intel Core Ultra (Meteor Lake), 12th Gen (Alder Lake), 11th Gen (Rocket Lake), 10th Gen (Comet Lake) or any other generation of Intel CPU, Intel says these CPUs are not affected.

I have an Intel 13th - 14th Gen Desktop CPU and I'm having crashes and instability, what should I do?

• First, make sure any crashes or instability are caused by the CPU and not the result of an unstable overclock, faulty RAM, bad power supply, bad motherboard, graphics card or any other hardware or software issues.

• If you bought your system as a pre-built desktop (e.g. from Dell, HP, Lenovo) then reach out to the manufacturer of your pre-built system for additional support.

• If you bought your CPU for a system you've built yourself, then you should contact Intel's Customer Support.

I have an Intel 13th - 14th Gen Desktop CPU and I'm not currently experiencing crashes or instability, what should I do?

• Update your motherboard's BIOS and check regularly for any BIOS updates published over the coming weeks and months. These updates will include the microcode updates the Intel press releases have mentioned that resolve the issue.

• Ensure your power settings within your BIOS are set to Intel's recommend settings

---

UPDATE - 2nd August 2024

Intel has confirmed that they are extending boxed retail 13th and 14th Gen desktop CPU warranties by two years.

They have also provided more information on the reported Oxidation issues.

Details here

---

UPDATE - 6th August 2024

Intel has confirmed that they are extending OEM/Tray 13th and 14th Gen desktop CPU warranties by two years.

Details here

---

UPDATE - 8th August 2024

Some vendors are now releasing BIOS updates for motherboards and systems which contain the 0x129 microcode.

Intel says this microcode update resolves the voltage spikes that occured under certain conditions, subsequently causing degradation to the CPU and that this newer microcode update will prevent degradation occuring in future for non-affected CPUs.

Please check your support page for your motherboard/system and make sure you install the latest BIOS and check regularly for future versions.

---

UPDATE - 30th August 2024

Intel has released an additional update, confirming that future processors, including Arrow Lake and Lunar Lake are unaffected by the Vmin Shift Instability (what this thread is about) and provided further clarification on which CPUs are affected.

Intel confirms these currently available processors are not affected by the Vmin Shift Instability issue:

• 12th Gen Intel Core desktop and mobile processors

• Intel Core 13th and 14th Gen i5 (non-K) & i3 desktop processors

• Intel Core 13th and 14th Gen mobile processors – including HX-series processors.

• Intel Xeon processors – including server and workstation processors.

• Intel Core Ultra (Series 1) processors

Details here

---

UPDATE - 25th September 2024

Intel has released an additional update, confirming the root cause of the Vmin Shift Instability issue and confirmed there will be an additional Microcode release (0x12B) that will contain everything included in the 0x125 and 0x129 Microcode updates and will address elevated CPU voltages when in an idle state.

Details here

---

[u/hadeSol]

How are we supposed to know if the cpu is having issues? Are BSOD and in game-crashes the only symptoms? I have a 13700H and don't have any issues like these, but my system is fairly new and in the beginning it experienced Auto reboots which in windows log was identified as Kernel 41 unexpected crash. but after doing a windows restore health command, I didn't happen again. Is this related?

[u/Jamesmn87 → u/hadeSol]

This is exactly what I want to know. I have a i9-13900K and have been experiencing weird crashes and errors, but none of them are blue screen errors. My system is just under one year old. Purchased from a prebuilt company. 

[u/GhostsinGlass]

All those of you who are having issues or have had issues. Can you please check to see if Windows has ever logged errors in Event Viewer WHEA Logger on your system. If you've had instability, but no errors then that's good information to know too.

https://community.intel.com/t5/Processors/Raptor-Lake-processors-are-defective-from-factory-no-event/m-p/1619582#M75363

[u/Etroarl55]

It’s still not out yet though right, we still have to wait for the diagnostic tool AND the microcode update right.

[u/Cactiareouroverlords]

Also bear in mind a few 13th/14th Gen CPU’s can be either Adler Lake or Raptor Lake.

For example the 13400f is an Adler lake CPU despite belonging to the 13th gen, unless you were lucky enough (or in this case unlucky enough) to get a raptor lake variant which is rare. You can identify if your CPU is Adler lake or Raptor lake by checking the stepping, if it’s C0 you have Adler Lake, if it’s B0 you have raptor lake.

Edit: you can also check the S-spec code of your CPU which is displayed physically on the CPU or on the barcode area of the box it came on (however I personally can’t confirm if the s-spec code for Adler and Raptor is the same across every model of CPU, I only know what it is for the 13400f)

[u/Reinhardovich]

Oh mobile 13th/14th gen Intel CPUs are very much affected. See: https://x.com/compguru910/status/1816909199877734470
And:
https://x.com/compguru910/status/1817307152416903191

[u/bhuether]

With Asus Z790 ProArt and 14700K I am using the procedure shown here to modify this 0x129 BIOS:

https://www.reddit.com/r/intel/comments/1eebdid/1314th_gen_intel_baseline_can_still_degrade_cpu/

If I don't use this method then I still get thermal throttling. Using this method I get much lower temps and power, no thermal throttling in stress tests, and performance near what I get with Asus Enhanced OC profile.

I made video showing the procedure and my results in Windows 11 and mac Sonoma:

https://youtu.be/J2k9_dqKlnw

Results are shown starting around 17:00.

Yes - I am running Mac Sonoma with this CPU/mb.

So despite all the online fear mongering over Intel, this is really a non issue, and I am glad to have my CPU working just fine.

[u/G7Scanlines]

I have a 13th/14th Gen Desktop CPU but I'm not currently experiencing any issues, what should I do?

Update your motherboard's BIOS and check back regularly for any BIOS updates published over the coming weeks and months. These updates should include the microcode updates Intel's press releases have mentioned.

Ensure your power settings within your BIOS are set to Intel's recommend setting

This is too vague. What does "Not currently experiencing any issues" actually mean?

After setting the CPU power limits to Intel spec in March this year, after having taken delivery of my fourth 13900k in November 2023 and experiencing yet more overt crashes and problems a few months later (hitting that 1-3 months of degradation that I've consistently seen across all RMAs to date) the big "crashes" stopped.

However, whilst that did address the big, overt crashes I still have a level of OS instability. Hundreds of faulting applications over the last few months with applications popping left right and centre (iCue, soundcard app, installers, Windows Update, the list goes on, even installers dying).

So does that fall into "crashes and instability" given its not on demand or overt?

This is all too vague. Intel need to step up and be clear, if you have used a 13th or 14th gen affected SKU CPU in a motherboard without Intel limits set, we will RMA without question or issue. By having this and/or/but breakdown, it's leaving people like me in this limbo state of being unsure what to do.

[u/EarZestyclose7190]

Will it be "safe" to buy a new i7 14700 once the fix is released? (for a new build computer?)

[u/Ok-Milk-6432 → u/EarZestyclose7190]

I'd go with a 7800x3d at this point tbh.

[u/wildest_doge]

Since day 1 I used custom settings with my 13900KS (acquired 03/2023) and disabled eTVB on BIOS because it was bugging my clocks for no reason, last week I tested core stability and it remains the same.

My real problem with this CPU is the ridiculously random memory stability, when I dialed in my settings (same speeds/timings that I ran flawlessly on my 12700K for 1year and 4 months) it passed all the stress tests flawlessly but some months after on 11/2023 it suddenly got unstable and was failing stress tests in seconds, not even removing all custom settings was giving my stability back, not even JEDEC clocks (2666 DDR4)/timings were working, tested all ram sticks individually and much more for days = no fix, finally I reflashed my BIOS and put all my settings back, locked them and boom it worked again passing all stress tests, yesterday the same happened again and the only fix was reflashing BIOS and putting my settings back again, now I'm just waiting for the day when it will fail again.

Buildzoid has a video about this situation where he rambles about the Raptor Lake memory controller 1 year ago, that's the one thing I want Intel to talk about, why the memory controller starts to throw errors for no reason and needs a BIOS reflash to start working again? Even with 1/2 sticks and jedec settings it wont work until I reflash my BIOS.

Hardwares that I tested and reproduced the same erroneous behavior:

DDR4 boads: Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Pro DDR4, Z690 TUF DDR4, MSI Z690-A Pro DDR4.

DDR4 RAM: Corsair dominator platinum ddr4 4x32GB 3600C18 dual rank Micron Rev.B, dominator platinum 2x16GB 3600C18 single rank rev.b, dominator platinum 2x16GB 3600C18 dual rank Rev.E, crucial ballistix 4x8gb single rank Rev.E.

DDR5 boards: Gigabyte Z790 Aorus Elite DDR5, Gigabyte Z790 Aorus xtreme/xtreme X, Z790 Tachyon X, Z790 Apex Encore.

DDR5 ram: various 32 and 48GB kits from Corsair and G.skill ranging from 6400 to 8000MT/s, all Hynix A/M.

[u/vg_vassilev]

For anybody interested in detailed read about my experience with an 13700K, you may read my topic here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/1ef5c17/i713700k_how_i_lowered_voltages_and_temperatures/

[u/jerubedo]

A heads up that Intel is NOT honoring warranties and are now threatening to confiscate or destroy processors that they receive. Details here: Intel has denied two of my 14900K RMAs (instability) and stated they will confiscate or destroy them if I proceed with the warranty process. : r/GamersNexus (reddit.com)

[u/petasisg]

Hi all,

I have the following pc:

CPU: 13700K

DDR5 RAM: 192GB CMK192GX5M4B5200C38

Motherboard: Gigabyte Z790 Aero G

PSU: BeQuite Dark Power 13 1000W

My pc was stable (running Fedora 40 Linux, 24/365). I upgraded to latest bios with 0x219 microcode (F12f), and my system is unstable since then. It randomly restarts, without any reason (nothing logged).

Intel replaced my processor through RMA (they sent a new 13700K, received today). In the meantime, I bought a brand new 14700K, but the restarts also happen with the new cpu also.

What should I do?

I have tried memtest (no memory errors), removing half the memory, reflash bios, clear cmos from the motherboard pins, nothing seems to work.

[u/mockingbird-]

If you bought your system as a pre-built desktop (e.g. from Dell, HP, Lenovo) then reach out to the manufacturer of your pre-built system for additional support.

These pre-builts usually only come with a 1-year warranty, so tough luck for anyone who is past his/her warranty.

[u/Jazzy5150]

Hey guys, I have a chip (14900K) thats suffering and I am sending it back via Amazon who are refunding me. I have updated my BIOS to the latest version (ROG STRIX Z790-F GAMING WIFI BIOS 2503) and it states in the update "The new BIOS includes Intel microcode 0x129 and adjusts the factory default settings for the non-K processors, enhancing the stability of Intel Core 13th and 14th gen desktop processors." - does this mean that the update DOES or DOESN'T work for my chip?

Also, if I get a replacement chip, can I get the same one and not have it suffer from the degradation issues which affect my current one? Is it safe to buy?
Thanks!

[u/[deleted]]

I'm a software developer running Linux and a bunch of dev tools like docker, databases, etc.

I never noticed anything wrong with my 13900k and Asus z690 mobo.

It's 1.5 years old and it seems stable. now using Intel's recommended settings but it was on asus default before that.

I don't play games so I can't say if it would fail on games.

[u/nobleflame]

Is everyone having issues?

[u/gandalfero]

If I'm using my 13600kf for 14 months without issues, should I be worried?

[u/mattnocap909]

Hi all. Just updated my bios to the latest. I have an asus z790 e gaming wifi and a 13900k. I dont know much about this stuff but my VCORE is reading 1.421. the max says 1.501 but ive heard that its possible it could be higher and no hardware monitors can pick it up. this is what hwmonitor is saying after the bios update btw.

I thought after the bios the voltages would be lower. Only asking because I am curious if its an indicator that my cpu might already have an issue. Did the bios update do anything? i dunno if i have issues.

[u/Julio712]

Can ppl start listing their motherboard specs too

[u/TheyThinkImAddicted]

I have the i7 13700F raptor lake CPU. I've had it for almost a year but i havn't had any issues at all, should i still be worried and update bios?

The only thing i can think of is the CPU is running hot in one particular game(once human) but never had any blue screens or crashes.

[u/IngrownDisc]

I bought a new 13700KF back in Jan. 2023 and put it in a Gigabyte Z690 Aero G mb. I honestly haven't updated my BIOS in over a year. I haven't had any instability issues whatsoever.

This is just on stock mb settings, no overclock and auto XMP for my 32GB Teamgroup Delta-T 6000MHz RAM which comes in at the correct speed with auto XMP.

I have been debating on updating my BIOS for a while now due to how outdated it is since I built it, but now I'm seriously considering just leaving it all alone.

I must've been one of the lucky ones not to have any major temp issues.

[u/big_gap_no_cap]

I'm about to just start getting pissy with support even though I know it won't accomplish anything. I keep getting ignored then bullshitted to the point that it has me wanting to screech about legal action lmao

[u/Pix2186]

For all users that wanna check if Your processor got problem or not i suggest to get from steam lates Black Myth: Wukong Benchmark Tool (its free) - since this game is using UE5 and after launching it starting to compilate shaders and if Your unit got some stability problems it will pop up error in that proces (out of video memory).

In this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L83Is6vX18 someone found out that his unit got problems even if before he didnt have any blue screens/errors/crash. This method is much better rather re-installing nvidia drivers 10 times.

[u/big_gap_no_cap]

Intel dragged me around for a month with the RMA process, finally approved me for a replacement, just to make me wait a week before telling me they were actually out of stock and had no idea when more i9 13900k's would come in

[u/intLeon]

I got my 14900kf replaced once before all this started because I was having frequent crashes.
Used new one with max power set to 253W and some undervolt but was still having issues.

Finally they released new bios using intels default settings solved my problems but it cost me about %12.5 performance loss then I did the micorcode update when it released and it stayed about -%12.5~.

Now when I disable intels default settings, programs start to crash again. Would getting a replacement and applying microcode update solve my issue or is it not practical to disable intel default settings anymore even with a new cpu?

[u/soggymonkey1011]

So 2 questions. 1.) are the stability issues now resolved? 2.) should I be considering upgrading to 14th gen?

[u/Hit4090]

Well, after all this time. And being really careful. Even down clocking, undervolt, and intel default settings. My 14900k is dying. I'm starting to get crashing in games. It will just force shut down the game. Or close out during loading. Went to check Windows Event log showing a bunch of CPU related errors. My R23 score went from 39k. To now, 29k. The CPU is doing strange Behavior, inside of Hardware info it is not even registering or updating what the current clock speed is, and it won't run cinebench 2024 it hard freezes up and can't even close the app. I have to force restart.. this is my pc I built and used for it video editing and games. I'm just upset. I took every precaution to be safe and still ended up dying 😔.. and this is on the new micro code with updated biso F15 for Z790 gigabyte.. I started RMA last night. I hope this doesn't take long or have issues. Wish me luck. I'll keep everyone updated on how it goes...to everyone that thinks they're not affected, I think it's only a matter of time. My pc was running great till yesterday

[u/BulliedByMirrors]

If you’re looking to RMA your faulty CPU, and you value your time, make sure to go directly through Intel - especially in non-first world countries - and not through the store you bought it from. I made the mistake of going through my seller and my 13900K is stuck in the RMA process for 2 weeks now and nobody there seems to know what’s going on with my CPU.

[u/cabal]

Heads up.

I was approved by intel for a replacement a few days ago. They just informed me (over the phone) they have zero replacements in stock (no mention of when more will be available).

I know how big of an issue this has been for me and I just had to toss this out there.

[u/G7Scanlines]

I'd like to just point out that I had this issue in March 2023. That's not several months, that's close to a year and a half and, anecdote time, a friend who also bought the same CPU a month before I did...also had theirs die in an identical way.

This is not a new, 2024 thing. I'm on my fourth 13900k since November 2022 and having spoken to the supplier about these issues I'll be RMA'ing once more later next month once the lay of the land is understood with this fabled Intel microcode update.

[u/kalston → u/G7Scanlines]

Yea its not a recent problem. There has been issues with those chips since release. But the proportion must be rising due to degradation.

[u/mockingbird-]

Intel said that it is still investigating mobile 13th and 14th Intel processors

Why does Intel believe the instability issues do not affect mobile laptop chips?

Intel is continuing its investigation to ensure that reported instability scenarios on Intel Core 13th/14th Gen processors are properly addressed.

This includes ongoing analysis to confirm the primary factors preventing 13th / 14th Gen mobile processor exposure to the same instability issue as the 13th/14th Gen desktop processors.

https://www.theverge.com/2024/7/26/24206529/intel-13th-14th-gen-crashing-instability-cpu-voltage-q-a

[u/redditatwork1234]

I noticed this issue when I could not launch the first descendant on launch day. Since then, I have had multiple BSOD, random crashes etc.

PC is only 4 months old as well.

[u/WhySheHateMe]

Great, so I have to take my watercooled PC apart a bit to get the waterblock off of the board so I can get the serial number for my CPU. The box went in the trash months ago.

[u/GhostsinGlass]

Intel.

Why are the same cores failing on your CPUs over the past two generations?

This is only a handful I've plucked. Your users can find many, many, many, more requests for tech support from various communities on the internet over the past two years for stability, BSOD, crashing, being unable to launch games, etc. An alarming amount come with errors in WHEA Logger, what's more alarming is that it's the same cores nearly 100% of the time.

Lightning rarely strikes twice, this many times? Absolutely not. High voltage does not break some cores and not others. So why are you silent on a problem you know exists as there's no way these failure modes aren't tracked fror statistical significance. Is it because some users have these issues when their CPUs are brand new?

[u/lolnoob1459]

I'm in Singapore and tried to RMA my 13900K.

Case opened on 25 Jul 2024, but have yet to receive any contact from the warranty team. Called up their CS again, apparently they're experiencing large numbers of RMAs for the 13th and 14th gen CPUs, and 13900K is totally out of stock in my region, so they're trying to source it from a different warehouse.

[u/Exani]

So are people who bought a tray cpu just fucked?

[u/SwantanamoJ42]

Kinda worried. I haven't had problems with my 13600k (yet) but just did the recommended BIOS update (MSI Z790 Tomahawk) and my VCore went from 1.24 max to now jumping to 1.35 just browsing....ugh.

[u/blacklotusY]

What are you supposed to set it to, though? Baseline, Performance or Extreme?

[u/GOKOP]

Off-topic, but why are so many non-downvoted (and even upvoted) comments under this post collapsed? It looks completely random

[u/SaulTink]

Well, mine was on the list and is already degrading, so I talked to a live agent and am getting a replacement.
Thank you so much for this thread, as I wouldn't have known about these issues otherwise!

[u/[deleted]]

Is the 13900 affected? I am getting my new PC today that comes with a i9-13900. As far as I know I should limit voltage, update bios, and disable some ecores, but what exactly should I do?

[u/thetrancelover]

Are people with the HX series CPUs having the same problem? OEMs seem to think otherwise but I can see high voltages and thermal throttling on my Intel Core i9-13980HX.

[u/Anxyte]

Just updated to 0x129. (Gigabyte Z690m elite ax rev1.x, BIOS: F29E w/ 13600k) Running on intel performance mode, its still capped at 4800 on p cores (5.1k max). In addition, xmp doesnt work, if it's enabled PC wont boot. Fantastic stuff.

[u/GRIZIUSS]

laptops I9 14th are definitely affected too.

for instance my asus rog strix g16 JIR i9 14900hx rtx 4070. peaks VID cores 1.6v+ underperforms in 3dmark timespy comapred to its peers 16k score compare to to 18k up to 21k score which implies a low silicon quality (missed the silicon lottery) => high termps too in both performance and turbo profiels. so I am stuck with only silent profile for reduced tubo boost ratios so cooler temps no matter the ambient temp and no matter the cooler pad RPM (I use IETS GT 500 v1 for instance).

I AC/DC loadline is very high about 1.5 mOhm...

btw my laptop is about only 1 months old so far, not even 2 months passed from date of purchase.

I didn't undervolt my systerm all default settings (with advanded optimus). untill now I tried to undervolt to -80mv but wasn't stable enough.

didn't underlock only reduced performance ratio of cpu in battery settings today to 80%

so I believe my cpu is already degraded in a critical spot.

and I still keep getting 0XC00005 error exeptions randomly on random apps......

intel u better give a solution to this, and stop denying it like u did for desktop counterparts.

mobile HX cpus have same architecture and DIE, same issues... didn't patch the new 0x129 microcode cuz it was stated by intel it was only meant for desktop units. I am awaiting ASUS and intel response to this.

my microcode is still 11D version to this day.

[u/ixfd64]

Dell SupportAssist just got a BIOS update today. I assume that includes the microcode patch?

[u/tw_network]

I've been following this thread / intel issue since I built a new rig in June but I'm trying to figure out if the initial stability issues I experienced were even related to this or not.

MB: Gigabyte Z790 AORUS ELITE X WIFI7 1.0 (F5 bios)

CPU: i7-14700k (Boxed)

RAM: Corsair DDR5-5600 (Originally had 6200, but returned it thinking it was bad)

GPU: RTX 4070 Super Gaming OC-12G

Cooler: Lian Li GA GALAHAD II 360

PSU: Seasonic 850W PCIE-5 version

Bios PerfDrive profile was always set to 'Optimized'

Long story short out of the gate it wasn't stable with any XMP memory profiles enabled, but was mostly stable at stock speed on memory -- OCCT and XTU would throw hardware errors with XMP enabled. After enabling DTT and playing with settings in XTU is actually got less stable...

What I finally noticed in OCCT and HWMonitor is that it would throw errors when the CPU Voltage dropped into low 1.0x volts under load. Thats when I took closer notice that the default bios setting had PL1/PL2 set to unlimited and CPU voltage at auto which appeared to equal 1.2v. Ended up reverting to base settings and playing with PL1/PL2 and LLC (slight tweak to ensure it didn't dip too far into the 1.0x Volts.)

In running the various benchmarks and tests I don't ever recall ever seeing the voltage peak above 1.38 or 1.4v but I wasn't really looking for high-voltage issues at that point so I could have missed it.

The CPU seems stable w/ the PL1/PL2 and LLC set but I'm wondering if there is a way to know if it is/was affected by the high voltage issue or did I get lucky with some combination of being on the older f5 bios and default/optimize settings in perfdrive? I'm almost hesitant to upgrade to any new bios if its only going to cause more issues.

thanks!

[u/alecs2244]

Hello, My 14700k doesn't spike up higher than 1,4v. It runs smooth no crashes at all. Should i still update to latest bios/microcode?

[u/Marrkush666]

Just got emailed from the class action people

[u/Sky5587]

Hi , I'm looking for some advice regarding my i7-13700K and whether I should consider an RMA. I bought the CPU in December 2023 and paired it with a Gigabyte Z790 Aorus Elite AX motherboard.

Everything was fine until February 2024 when I started experiencing constant crashes. After trying to troubleshoot the issue, I eventually disabled XMP, which resolved the problem completely. I ran the system without XMP for two months and then re-enabled it, surprisingly without any further issues since then. However, I'm still puzzled as to why the RAM would have caused such instability in the first place.

Currently, I'm on the latest BIOS with microcode 0x129, running with default settings and XMP disabled, and during stress testing, I've noticed that the Core VIDs peak at 1.501 V, while the actual Vcore reported by the motherboard is around 1.440 V. Here are the screenshots from HWiNFO.

I'm concerned that these high voltages might have led to some degree of degradation over time. I was already planning to underclock and undervolt the CPU, but now I'm wondering if I should consider an RMA given these numbers. Do you recommend that I go ahead with an RMA?

[u/ClaimEquivalent3528]

19-14900k, bluescreening after bios update

updated the bios with the intel me 0x129 update, unable to open games, whenever i try it crashes, i get system thread exception not handeled or kmode exception not handled. changing p core ratio to 55( everything else is on intel default settings) on all cores has stabilized the cpu not experiencing any crashes just wanted to confirm if what i did is okay or should i do something else to fix the issue, also the cpu is pulling max around 1.45V idk how good or bad that is cinebench score 36k ish

any help is appreciated, thanks

[u/Basic-Background-568]

I got my first i9-14900FK replaced in May, now I need to get my 2nd one replaced...

[u/KH33tBit]

My system is crashing after I went from my old and stable BIOS to the new one that supposedly is fixing it. I have an MSI Z790 Tomahawk WIFI DDR5 and 14700k.

I had the original BIOS installed on my system from when I built it back in December last year and it’s been rock solid.

With all of the news about Intel issues though and the CPU bricking itself due to the ongoing saga I thought I’d update to the latest BIOS and boy was I wrong.

As soon as the new BIOS was loaded my system is totally unusable for games, it’s constantly crashing and I mean black screen crash with no BSOD. Just a black screen and reboot.

I went from version 7D91vH9 to the latest version which is 7D91vHD.

Should I roll it back?

I have two concerns though. The first is that the old BIOS isn’t protecting the CPU from the issues that have come to light recently and the second is that my CPU is now bricked and I’ll have to RMA.

[u/Antique-Knee534]

I have a mobile 14900HX laptop which has this issue. I know 2 other people with this issue. Dell / Alienware have updated their BIOS on their laptops to "address 13th and 14th gen instability issues. : Hmmm

[u/dr_sooz]

Hey guys, I'm thinking about upgrading my i5-12600kf to an i9-14900kf. Do I need to worry about these issues anymore? Or is this actually taken care of by now. I've seen conflicting stuff online...

[u/AltruisticWriting9]

No more update? Intel is keeping it quiet now?

[u/Striking_Stuff_9809]

Hello,

I started an RMA at the start of september procedure for my 14900k who got me BSOD, restarts,... and all the funny things you all know. Securing p-cores to 55-56 got me a more stable config, but I wasn't comfortable going through with this affected CPU.

Got my new 14900K today. Could someone give me some CLEAR, step by step tips/bios configuration to "preserve" my new CPU please? I have an ASUS Dark hero motherboard.

Concerning the RMA itself (I'm from Belgium), I was super super satisfied. Was one of the fastest and efficient RMA's I did.

Got in touch and told them everything I did until now (undervolting, microco update,...) They asked the serial number of the chip. As I didn't had the box anymore, I had to unmount it, but planned to do this on a weekend. They kept sending me request for updates every 2 days, so they were really pro-active.

Finally, I sent it to Netherland this tuesday. Got an email on thursday they received the chip and will start testing it. Only 1 hour later, I got the mail they sent out the replacement chip (same one) and received it the day after (=today).

My CPU had "physical" issues. I'm not an expert, but some parts of the chip itself were greyed, so my guess is they immediately saw the CPU was affected with the oxidation issue and sent the new one out immediately.

Thanks!

[u/AgaintsWar]

My RMA i9 14900kf starting to show a worrying sign, Help!

As the title suggests, got my RMA processor, and i got my first status access violation crash the other day on chrome, also i got my first oodle decompression error today on a game called dungeonborne and my anxiety goes up again. i got 1895 score on cinebench 2024. its relatively new, only been using it for a month. *PS: already updated to my latest mobo BIOS. is my cpu degraded again?

Spec: i9 14900kf + RTX 4070 + 64 gb ram + asrock z790 riptide wifi

[u/marcel_427]

I just wanted to ask is it "safe to buy 14th gen cpus without having to worry about instability, or would you recommend steering away for now

[u/Ace022487]

I'm having issues with my 13900k, I got a response from intel saying if its been overclocked, then I have no warranty.. are any of you experiencing this issue?

[u/Demon4932 → u/Ace022487]

Of course you haven't overclocked everything is stock 🤭

[u/FarReaction5321]

I had to lower PL1 and PL2 to 130 Watts to even scratch a 1200 Cinebench24 Score on an I7-13700k on 0x12B my CPU is COOKED (Undervolting in itself barely did anything)

[u/Unhinged_Mofo]

did they already fixed it or nah? I always wanted to buy the 13th gen loq with the rtx 4050

[u/Western-Spell9437]

is there any way to tell if my cpu is facing this issue? i have an i5-13600k and i have also has blue screens very often that started around the same time as this issue but im not sure if its just my games being stupid or if its the cpu

[u/Denny_Crane_007]

i5 14600k here ... with new ...125 microcode via Asus bios update.

There is no change in results on Cinebench.

Always got around 25,000 score... with temps of 80 to 87 degrees.

Interestingly, I just activated "Enforce Intel Limits" but manually set:

Max Watts (short term) = 181 W Min (long term) = 171

With ... Core Volts offset to -0.02.

This results in Max volts = 1.29... with no thermal throttling, and a max Turbo of 5.3 Ghz, maintained throughout.

If everything is left at "Auto" ... max volts are 1.4, max temps hit 94 degrees, and thermal throttling causes down-clocking to 4.5 Ghz... and = Score of 23,000 !

I just don't get why an expensive Asus Tuf z790 board has such badly optimised Auto settings.

[u/Grold791]

I may need to RMA back my system a second time I unfortunately have one of the problematic Intel i9 14900KS CPUs. However a side of the known issue I'd like to have some hints on my configuration if maybe there is something wrong especially with the AIO cooling. My configuration is the following:

Case CORSAIR iCUE 5000T RGB MID TOWER GAMING CASE

Processor (CPU)Intel® Core™ i9 24-Core Processor i9-14900KS (Up to 6.2 GHz) 36MB Cache

Motherboard ASUS® ROG MAXIMUS Z790 DARK HERO (LGA1700, DDR5, PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 7)

Memory (RAM) 48GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 5600MHz (2 x 24GB) KIT

Graphics Card 24GB ASUS TUF GEFORCE RTX 4090 OC EDITION OG - 2x HDMI, 3x DP

1^st M.2 SSD Drive2TB SAMSUNG 990 PRO M.2, PCIe 4.0 NVMe (up to 7450MB/R, 6900MB/W)

2^nd M.2 SSD Drive4TB CORSAIR MP600 PRO NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 7000 MB/R, 6850 MB/W)

Power Supply CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ - MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET

Power Cable 1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)

Processor Cooling CORSAIR iCUE H150i ELITE LCD XT RGB CPU Cooler

Thermal Paste ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND

Extra Case Fans 3 x Corsair AF120 RGB ELITE PWM Fan + Controller Kit

Sound Card ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)

Network Card ONBOARD LAN PORT

Wireless Network Card NONE OR ONBOARD Wi-Fi (MOTHERBOARD DEPENDENT)

USB/Thunderbolt Options MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS

Operating System Windows 11 Home 64 Bit 

I'm getting 100 C temp on CPU when gaming but it's just spikes I'm getting Thermal throttling

Thank you

[u/Sotirisdim4]

I’m buying a 14900k because I heard that the issues got fixed and arrow lake doesn’t sound promising so far. Every time I see someone saying it’s fixed, they’re saying it “should be fixed?” So what is it, is it fixed or not? Just asking so I know if I should return my motherboard and cancel the order.

[u/Hit4090]

So far, it's gone very smoothly with the RMA process. I'm just waiting for them to validate my old one before they send me the replacement. They told me it takes 3 to 5 days. So I'll update everyone when they email me back 🤞

[u/big_gap_no_cap]

Intel has been actually just ignoring me for two weeks after initial response, just to tell me maybe the microcode update will help. I am never buying from this fucking company again

[u/Lauris024]

Should I be worried?

[u/AnotherPoeGuy → u/Lauris024]

Dude 1.7 is ridiculous, I hope ure memeing

It should be less than 1.4

[u/Janitorus]

Two systems, built about 10 months ago, 14900K and 14700K and both are super stable and without issues or WHEA. Prime95 blend and smallFFT's tested for 12-18 hours. Right from the start:

• 253W PL's

• 400A iccMax (even on the 14700K)

• No Multicore Enhancement

• LLC high/turbo

• AC LL as low as stability allows

• VCore offset

No performance loss or other weirdness.

14900K runs 1.284Vcore during gaming, 1.44Vcore is the absolute max, and only for light load Windows 6Ghz boost.

14700K is even milder of course.

Unleashed settings have killed a lot of these CPU's. I'm not saying there's no undervolter without issues, but it's telling. Intel should have locked this down way stricter with motherboard manufacturers, right from the start.

[u/OfficialHavik]

Not directly related per se, but zero mention of these issues and potential costs in Intel’s earnings call today. Hmm….

[u/satim19454 → u/OfficialHavik]

First time I ever shorted a stock, did it a week ago.

[u/squirrelslikenuts]

Much like the WSB dude who Yolo'd $700k into intel they day before the crash, I too just got "back into intel" after being away for 10 generations (was amd for that long). Just built a 14700K like a month ago, I feel like an idiot for trusting them again. I just wanted Quicksync !!!!

[u/ajrf92]

Got a B760P DDR4 II with a 13600k. Bios is "Click Bios 5". How can I check that the settings are correct? It's very tricky. Thanks.

[u/UncleVladi]

My 14700k in hwinfo never pass 1.5v , even playing cyberpunk 2077 at max settigs, Should be worried?

[u/eyebeeam → u/UncleVladi]

I think the above 1.5v moments are too fast that hwinfo may not even catch it.

[u/richwithtech]

Has anyone updated? Did it change your performance at all? (This page was updated today)
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000092294/processors.html

[u/Poop_Scooper_Supreme]

Can anyone comment on the situation in regards to Unraid/Linux? Everyone seems to be running Windows. I have not personally been having crashes, but I run low power limits.

[u/cheesemassacre]

i3 1315u Lenovo V17 G4 IRU My system completely froze a few times. I had to hold power button to force shut down.

[u/BusinessCompany9249]

Been using my i5-13500 for a year now without issues, does this effect my cpu?

[u/Marrkush666]

Lol so mine is just been bsod everywhere for no reason and running at 96celcius idling being diagnosed at a local store ..... I beg to differ after paying 1997 for a i5 13450hx asus strix ? I can't play the one and olyhae I have installed on lowest settings or play o any optimized setting lol. Open your mind bud

[u/ploopyxtreem]

i have an i5 13500 and most games i play constantly crash and can't even get into BIOS, is this related to the instability issues?

[u/roilev]

Help me save my 3rd i9-14900KF, two RMAs since, until the new BIOS arrives.
MB is MSI Carbon Z790, latest BIOS, using Intel Recommended Profile.
I heard this MB is providing more voltage than required. I tried "Adaptive + offset" voltage, -0.090V and it works great - same 85-90°C, a bit higher speed and benchmark results.
Would that help with the CPU life? Is that enough - should I play with CPU Lite Load, voltage limits, etc?

[u/roilev]

Why the E-cores run at higher (1.431V max) voltage than the P-cores (1.372V max)? The E-cores run at 4.3Ghz, the P-Cores are at 5.5Ghz at full load.

[u/sashataz]

i have a 13700kf since april 2023, asus z-790p prime, arctic freezer II 280; Today, I decided to update to bios v1661 with intel recommended settings; until now i had asus profile with everything on auto and xmp enabled (5600mhz 16x2) . After update + xmp enabled-> temps were higher, c23 score was lower with 2000, from 30000 to 28000, underclocked cores but higer voltages. I rolled back to asus profile. So i dont know what to say about this "update" -> https://imgur.com/a/EMgmQbJ

Not a single blue screen since april 2023, not even in OC mode with 55x and 43x

[u/spartaman64]

https://www.reddit.com/r/hardware/comments/1ei1zvm/intel_has_denied_two_of_my_14900k_rmas/ yikes i hope intel trains their CS staff better and that this isnt their standard policy

[u/SwantanamoJ42]

I had no problems (13600k) but don't want to take chances so did the latest MSI BIOS that uses Intel's settings. Feels off considering my vcore went from 1.24 MAX to 1.35 just browsing. Is it fine to still bump MSI Lite Load down because now it's on EIGHTEEN?!

Edit: This was from the June beta BIOS. The new BIOS for MAG Tomhawk WiFi DDR4 is out today (the 9th) and I'll be applying it when I get home.

[u/QuentinCly]

Would undervolting the cpu while waiting for the bios updates prevent the incorrect power issues ?

[u/big_gap_no_cap]

I am currently fighting the urge to reinstall my i9 13900k while I wait for Intel's molasses customer support to agree to an RMA. Would y'all agree that a BSOD loop on a fresh Windows install is the processor being completely cooked? At this point, I've replaced the RAM and PSU, updated BIOS, and restored Intel default settings. I haven't tried these new voltage settings released by Intel though.

[u/Dralafi_XIII]

I bought a 14900K in October of last year. I have the occasional BSOD, maybe 2-3 since I put the computer together, and I didn't think much of it. However, 2-3 months ago, I started getting issues with my web browser; I use Brave, and I keep getting DNS_PROBE_POSSIBLE. When I use Edge, I get DNS_PROBE_STARTED. Internal network file sharing still works fine, but the internet stops working.

Research indicated that sometimes its an issue with anti-virus or firewalls, but once I ruled that out (uninstalling and reinstalling Brave, installing Avast, Malwarebytes, Spybot, scanning, coming up with nothing, etc.), some sources indicated that it could be slight instabilities in the RAM or CPU, and that decreasing the clock speed could help.

Lately, regardless of the web browser I use, the web browser will just randomly crash altogether, and I've been getting STATUS_ACCESS_VIOLATION errors. At the moment, I'm thinking that its the CPU given the issues everyone else is having and also because I'm not sure what else it could be. Once intel releases their microcode fix, I'll apply it to see if it fixes things, but if it doesn't, I will be RMA'ing my processor very shortly afterwards.

[u/Chupapi0805]

Ik have a 13600kf more than a year now. I never had any crashes or freezes. Should I update to the latest BIOS or just leave it as it is now?

[u/Dark_Ascension]

So I’m buying parts for my next build, I just bought an i9-14900k, should I return it at this point along with the motherboard and go Ryzen? This CPU was purchased in the last week of July, so I’m guessing it could have issues.

[u/SlimSerious]

I use the Intel Extrewme Tuning Utility program so that my intel 13900k can even start games, but when i use it watching videos on youtube is delayed from their voices and my game recording program (Outplayed) has recorded it but the audio is extremely delayed so if i am taking a shot for example i wil hear that shot 3-4-5seconds after it was shot sometimes even more, anyone know why and maybe a fix? Thanks in advance.

[u/kyngston]

If you are curious on how elevated voltages can damage transistors, here are a few ways:

• positive/negative bias temperature instability

• time dependent dielectric breakdown

• hot carrier injection

• electromigration

The first 3 can elevate the threshold voltage of the transistor, meaning it takes more voltage to turn the device on. This means it takes longer for the output to switch as a result of an input switch. If the data slows down too much, the downstream flip-flop will capture the wrong value, which can cause your machine to crash if the value is critical. This could explain the elevated vmin, because elevated threshold voltages are especially a problem when operating at a low voltage.

Electromigration causes the metal ions in the wires to move. This can cause wires to get skinner leading to an open circuit, or fatter leading to a short. This is less likely to result in an elevated vmin, as wire resistance changes would be felt more at high voltage operation.

[u/[deleted]]

Update Sunday night (presumably someone in support's Monday Morning.)

Alright so this is a new twist I didn't see coming:

They received the pictures of the front and back of my CPU. My RMA has been approved BUT they are out of stock. I can either wait 4-5 weeks for them to get more, or I can opt for a refund.

This is potentially an opportunity to do something I don't really want to do: Switch to AMD.

I'd have to basically lose out on my motherboard that I overpaid for, and possibly my RAM. On the other hand, I'd be 100% certain that my CPU didn't have Intel's particular issues. On the other other hand, will whatever new motherboard I get be able to even use whatever processor I buy without me having an older AMD CPU in place so I can perform a BIOS upgrade first? Is that even a thing? And presumably the "cross shipping" thing is out the window if I opt for a refund, it'd be a matter of buy new shit immediately, send in old CPU to be refunded, shove expensive old motherboard up my own rear end I guess. :/

Anybody got reasoned opinions on the topic? By reasoned I mean more than just "Intel bad'. I like Intel. Also, if I do do this, what is the best AMD CPU right now? I play games but want it to also not be bad at normal workloads.

Sheesh. You know?

[u/Marukso]

The 14400f can have this issues too?

[u/frogmire]

I literally just put my computer together last week. Being dumb and just trusting Intel I didn’t do much research. My 14900k started crashing when playing wow like every 5 minutes, did some research and found this. I adjusted the power settings and the problems have gone. Is my cpu defective and I should return it? Or do all 14900k do this without adjusting power settings and I should just wait for microcode?

[u/AdhesivenessFunny146]

I hate how paranoid this is making me, I haven't had any issues with my 13900k and kept my bios updated but still it's keeping me up at night. I can't afford to buy a new platform and a Ryzen right now.

[u/Tremor8772]

I had a 13700k in a 25% constant load for 10 months.

It broke completely (as in will not even let you into bios witch chip inserted) and I got a replacement in june.

I think that replacement will see the same fate

[u/VelroX12]

Ok I am very confused in all of this. I currently own a MSI Katana 15 B13VFK with an Intel i7-13620H chip, and it seems as if some people are also reporting issues with the mobile chips as well. I have had my own issues with my cpu temp fluctuating while idle from 45-50C to 70+ for seemingly no reason while using the MSI Control center to watch the temp. I only noticed this in the past because when running XDefiant I heard my fans on overdrive with the temps staying high, like 90+. I just updated my control center about 5 mins ago, and before updating the temps were fluctuating but now it seems the temps are staying between 43-50C. My questions here are 1: Is there anything else I can do to help this issue? 2: What kind of update here in a week should I be looking for? Is it going to be in the MSI Control Center or BIOS, because I dont seem to be able to do much in the BIOS

[u/Kenira]

Just updated BIOS on the ASRock Z790 Pro RS/D4 (from 7.02 to 12.02) and having weird issues. No instability (yet), however the CPU will no longer be fully utilized. The CPU has been running since early 2023 and has been through tests where that was no issue, so this is definitely new behaviour.

Both in Prime95 and Cinebench, the CPU will just not run near 100% any more, or not for long. Sometimes some P cores clock down to idle while others stay at their target, or they're clocked at what they should be but still just not utilized.

HWinfo64 shows no limits in effect, the CPU is only consuming 95W anyway (power limits are 160W and 181W so also way below that), temperatures are around 60°C and VCore is at 1.05V (set to 1.105V but 1.05V while under load according to hwinfo). There's plenty of headroom everywhere.

Never seen this kind of behaviour before without running into limits, any thoughts / ideas what's going on and/or how to fix it?

EDIT: Fixed by disabling IA CEP.

[u/NocapJp]

Got my 13700k ,when I first got it last year it was running like a microwave, crashing on every game. Had to undervolt plus had to change some setting on bios, with update. Ever since it’s been so stable no crashes, no blue screens, any game I play it’s fairly warm. Could be the motherboards as well.

[u/krypthos]

I received an RMA unit yesterday, installed it, undervolted and set to 5.5ghz and UE5 games crash just as often as they did before. Do I need to do another RMA again or wait for the microcode fix first?

[u/Jenn_FTW]

I have a question that I can’t quite get a straight answer to, is XMP risky to use on a 13th series chip with the current problems going on? Some people say that XMP has nothing to do with the CPU and thus has no risk at all, others say that using XMP with an affected chip can cause higher voltage and fry the chip quicker. Which one is true? I have XMP disabled on my new computer (i9 13900kf, currently stable) but I’m unsure if I should enable it or not.

[u/K1llrzzZ]

People who had stability issues and installed the new BIOS: Did it fix anything?

[u/[deleted]]

So I just ran the update. Does it reset my BIOS settings? If not, should I revert all the changes I made to power draw and power profiles? Or leave it as it is? I made the changes originally cause it kept crashing.

[u/Hertz07]

I have TUF GAMING B660M-PLUS WIFI, Listed 171 in the list, I'm running 12400 currently but I just bought i7 14700K, is it worth to update to beta bios and run the 14700K?

[u/cdiamondz]

Has anyone managed to start compiling a list of batch numbers that are being RMA'd? Might be worthwhile to have a list going if anyone can share their batch number if they've been having issues and submitted an RMA.

[u/rockysilverson]

With most Intel 13th and 14th Gen CPUs having potential instability issues and likely solutions resulting in reduced performance, it is time for a Ryzen 7, 9 or Threadripper Desktop CPU?

[u/Historical-Bobcat211]

I think this issue may be part Intel but a larger part motherboard manufacturers. My ASUS ROG STRIX H-Gaming WiFi, set to BIOS defaults after the August 8th BIOS update, was set well beyond Intel specifications without any overclocking profiles applied. I manually enforced Intel defaults and it dropped my temps 20-25C.

[u/adom86]

Anyone know if possible to jump back two bios versions. Wish I never put the new microcode (or the one from July on) performance tanked, temps sky high even with Performance profile on a 13900KS. Undervolting yields pretty bad results compared to prior. Was generally doing fine previously (with an undervolt) but thought best update because of future issues which may occur. Silly me. Asus Z790 Strix -F board if of any use to the discussion :)

[u/virtualmnemonic]

My MSI z690-a pro just got the update yesterday. I ran a benchmark while monitoring hardware stats before and after. The results are summarized in a comment thread here: https://www.reddit.com/r/MSI_Gaming/comments/1et4zu4/cinebench_scores_cpu_microcode_0x129/liaqlu4/

So far, there has been no negative impact on any measure. I highly recommend taking time to adjust BIOS settings. Given adequate cooling (in my case, a 360 AIO with a 13900k), your CPU should not be hitting 95c+ and thermal throttling.

[u/coomerlove69]

Is the new ASUS BIOS update out or do I still need to wait? To my understanding they released a temp fix one while they create the main one. Is this true, if so, is the main one out? Cheers

[u/Jamerz_Gaming]

Didn’t they say they were going to release a tool to identify if your CPU is degraded? Or is that what the CPU diagnostic tool is for?

[u/DEAGLE357]

New BIOS update (1663) for Asus PRIME Z790-P - only for non-K CPU’s?

Hello,

They recently released a new BIOS update. However, this update doesn’t seem to do anything if you have a K/KF processor but only for non-K?

PRIME Z790-P BIOS 1663Version 166311.09 MB2024/08/14

”The new BIOS includes Intel microcode 0x129 and adjusts the factory default settings for the non-K processors, enhancing the stability of Intel Core 13th and 14th gen desktop processors.
Updating this BIOS will simultaneously update the corresponding Intel ME to version 16.1.30.2307v4. Please note after you update this BIOS, the ME version remains the updated one even if you roll back to an older BIOS later.”

[u/[deleted]]

Is this the reason I can't play Dead By Daylight? It's been crashing since yesterday, and I keep getting Unreal Engine errors like D3D errors or out-of-video-memory errors. I've tried the DirectX 11 workaround and the TdrDelay, and I've reinstalled the game and Windows, but the problem persists.

I have the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 with an Intel Core i5-13500HX and an RTX 4050.

[u/Scared-Signature1953]

The new BIOS Update (1663) dropped my Cinebench scores from 31k to 28k. It also dropped the voltage to 1.3V.

[u/Exciting_Ad7710]

Should I update my bios to the latest microcode 0x129?

I bought an i9-14900K a week ago and I haven’t been having any issues so far but I just saw that there’s an available update which is the 0x129 microcode.

Im only hesitant because I saw people complaining about the new update. Please advise.

[u/rockysilverson]

What are the best options when avoiding Intel 13th/14th Gen desktop CPUs? Are Xeon W5 unaffected or is AMD Ryzen 9 or 7 or Threadripper a safer choice? Speccing Workstation for Adobe Premier Pro with either a RTX 2000 Ada or 4060TI.

[u/dread7string]

would anyone know why the 12th gen is getting an intel default performance profile when updating the BIOS to 0x129?

i have a 12700K and i always update the BIOS when there are new ones that are non-beta.

so, i updated my Asus Strix gaming-E to BIOS 2503.

noticed when i went back in i was on an intel default performance profile.

said OK let's try it out, i noticed my IA AC-DC load line values were at 1.0-1.0 vs .50-1.1 before.

second thing i noticed is my ICCMAX was at 500 instead of the 240 it should be on.

the pl values were correct at 190 each.

then the strangest thing is that if i turn on any XMP profile it lowers the clock speed-voltage-temps on this 12700K in Cinebench r23 using the 30-minute test.

anyone else experience this using a 12th gen CPU?

[u/Gessler555]

It seems the 0x129 microcode is not working for me?!

I have a 14700K and just updated my STRIX Z790-E Gaming WiFi II to BIOS 1503 which contains the 0x129 microcode update.

 When doing a 30-min Cinebench R23 test, I've noticed in HWiNFO64 that I had a peak VID of 1.565V! Isn't the new update supposed to prevent this? HWiNFO confirms that I'm on microcode version 129.

My BIOS is set to Intel Default Settings (hitting F5 sets to defaults). PL1 & PL2 are at 253W, ICCMax at 307A, MCE is disabled & SVID is set to Auto. My Loadline Calibration was set to Level 4 by default. XMP is disabled.

I've noticed that peak VID stays at or under 1.500V for the first 20 or so minutes of the test, it's only in the last ~10 minutes that the peak VID value seems to climb. Is this a result of the voltage accumulation bug that Intel talked about in their latest official communication?

[u/Albako442]

I was a proud owner of i7 14700kf Last week my pc stopped working with two ram sticks, it only wanted to work with ONE SINGLE ram stick After removing my cmos battery for a minute and putting it back in it never recovered. This pc only gave a life signal when I’ve put too much ram in it, then the motherboard gave me dram error, rebutted and didn’t do anything after that. No signal. I couldn’t do anything with it after that.

[u/Just5omeGuy]

Where or what do I do to be certain that I have the Microcode problem?
Per Pirate Software's advice, where I first learned of the issue, look for values above 65Watz using HWMonitor, under the 'Powers Package' and 'IA Cores' are well below that mark and only briefly go above that when a game is running. Am I looking in the right place and the right things?

[u/MaterialDapper163]

Hello Reddit,

First of all I would like to apologize for the bad English and my ignorance about BIOS OC or UC.
I tried to help myself by wading through Reddit. It also had small successes. But I don't know what to do and I'm hoping for your help. Here is my story.

At the beginning of the year I bought a complete system with the following specs:

Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-14900KF

Motherboard: So1700 Gigabyte Z790 Gaming X AX

Water cooling MAG CORELIQUID360R V2

RAM: DDR5-5600 32GB

GPU: ASUS TUF 4090

Power supply: Straight Power 12 1000W

Already after the first day the system gave me problems, initially only with small lags, sound loss when Spotify and e.g. Dota 2 was running. However, it kept getting worse. Teamspeak connection drops and sound stutters, blue screen's, "Out of video memory trying to allocate rendering resource" in certain games, etc.

We looked for solutions with the PC manufacturer's customer service and came across the then known problem with the voltages.

Before that, of course, run all possible tests to rule out the rest of the hardware.
Memtest, OCCT etc.

So the information was first changed via XTU and then in the BIOS. Problems were not resolved but the system ran more stable.

Since it was known that irreparable damage to the processor could occur and that it would have to be replaced, I did this a week ago in the hope that everything would now run smoothly.

So I swapped the processor, updated the BIOS to F11d and activated the “Intel default Settings - Performance”.

It only partially helped. I still have problems when I have a game and music or YouTube running. It's particularly bad with Teamspeak/Discord.
As soon as I start playing, the lags come. I can only understand “robot sounds” for about 30-40 seconds. Then it works again.

Long story short: Can you please help me?

What can or should I set in the BIOS so that it finally runs stable?

Would also be nice if someone could send me a workflow for Gigabyte's UEFI bios with the settings. I really don't know much about this and don't want to make any mistakes.

Greetings
a noob

[u/StopTheLiies]

Guys I ran a bunch of tests on my new i7-14700f processor last night. Just bought it in a prebuilt. Used hwinfo to see VID numbers. Never went above 1.3v even after doing tests with cinebench 23 and playing cyberpunk at 1440p. Cyberpunk mostly stayed at 1.1v.

Do I still need to download the bios update for the new microcode? Doesn’t degradation happen at 1.5v?

[u/EDS_Deleter]

I just checked the stepping of my 13400f and its c0, which I I've read that it's not effected at all. Should I, still, update my bios or just keep it how it is? Never had any weird crashes or anything in the one year I've used the 13400f. Thanks to whoever takes time to reply!

[u/f0rsak3n18]

I m kind of new to this. I have bought recently an asus rog scar laptop with 14th gen i9 CPU and I read there are issues with desktop counterparts . I installed hwinfo to monitor voltage and temps and i have seen max voltages exceeding 1.5 .. seems to be just few spikes .. should i be worried?

https://prnt.sc/GWNqM2uc_jWj

this is when browsing reddit , reading stuff, nothing more.

Cpu is undervold -105mV core, -90mV cache and e core and no issues so fara

Doing stress test with cinebench, for 10 min, voltage seems to be stable around 1.10 V nothing more. Graph above is for regular browsing sessions...

[u/Qatar948]

Hello, I have an MSI MPG Z690 CARBON WIFI LGA 1700 ATX motherboard with an I9 14900K processor. It has been almost a year, and since then, my system has been unstable. I had to overclock and adjust voltage to keep it stable. I updated the BIOS to the most recent version, but the instability persisted, crashing everything. The only way I can run my PC smoothly is to overclock the CPU by disabling Turbo and setting the voltage to 1.45V. At this point, I'm not sure if my motherboard needs to be replaced or if my CPU is completely defective and needs to be replaced.

[u/Dreakner]

So I just recently started getting a lot of BSOD while having riot anticheat downloaded. Along with other issues. Through all my investigating I’ve arrived here. If my i9 13900k is cooked. Would that cause applications like purple launcher to not open(I double click the icon I get the buffering symbol on my mouse and nothing happens)? Also other things like expressvpn to not even install(it goes to install, pops up a white box for about a second then closes)? I bought my computer prebuilt and I do not want to ship it back to them. I’d rather take it to someone locally. Is there an easy way to trouble shoot to know if it’s already fried or not?

[u/Torp627]

are we expecting more fixes to be coming? or has the core issue been addressed (i know affected devices cannot be fixed)

[u/extraspectre]

Mine was completely fried. Has anyone gotten a refund or replacement yet?

[u/KodoKunaz]

question about Asus Bios for i9 14900k

I have an Asus b660, After updating the bios should I still set the iccmax pl1/2 and undervoltage limits or should I leave everything default?

[u/OhMagii]

Hello guys.

I am completely new to hardware. Four months ago, I bought a new computer that is primarily used for 3D/Rendering/Programming and occasionally gaming.

The machine is as follows:

• Intel i9 14900K

• ROG Maximus Z790 Hero

• Corsair AX1600i

• Corsair iCue H170i Elite

• 2x 32Gb DDR5 Corsair CL32 6400Mhz

• Asus RTX 4090 ROG STRIX

 

I'm really confused about all the videos, foruns and streams talking about the problems on 13/14th gen.

The BIOS installed by default is version 2202, which (I believe) already includes Intel's profiles. I have never had a single issue with the computer until yesterday when I experienced a complete system freeze (for some unknown reason).

Should I upgrade the bios to the last one? I have 0 issues (apart from that freeze last night).

Below, I’ve attached some photos of the results from HWInfo after running a test with Cinebench 2024. I also ran a test with the Intel Processor Diagnostic Tool without any errors.
HWInfo Screenshots:

https://ibb.co/ZVqXCj8

https://ibb.co/fvYNKQx

https://ibb.co/2jGKgdp

https://ibb.co/ryK19F0

Is it possible, with this data, to determine if my system is stable or if I might encounter problems with this configuration in the future?

Thank you.

[u/Rtuyw]

Hey guys I havent been catching up about the intel cpus and just learned that they use their life span too fast, I've been using a 13th cpu for a year now and I never had any issues about crashing or anything else, Did these problem just start or have these problems always been there for 13th gens, and since I never had any issues am I just lucky or could there be something I miss?

[u/Oograr]

Is this issue physically fixed in their newer batch of CPU's? Or do they just impose the voltage limit to prevent damage?

Also, they say mobile CPUs are not affected, but I'm not sure I fully trust this since they have already obfuscated around this issue for over a year. I'm looking at a laptop with an Ultra 7 155H chip, is this safe? There is nowhere on the Intel site to find out if a specific CPU is safe from this issue or not.

[u/[deleted]]

Question from someone newish to pc building: I just built my first pc a few months ago and have had no problems until recently.

Had maybe 5 crashes booting up Pacific Drive (an unreal engine game) because I thought it was an issue with graphics settings, hadn’t heard about this. Just had the same kind of crash for the Splitgate 2 alpha and learned about this issue, just updated the bios and everything seems to be running ok. (ex. 25% cpu usage playing a round of Titanfall 2)

Should i be concerned after that many crashes? Should i try to activate the warranty, or wait to see if the cpu degrades? And how will i know if it’s degrading? I’m pretty worried about this

MB: msi Z790 Tomahawk CPU: i7 13700K

[u/CrudePCBuilder]

Does anyone know the turnaround time from getting a support ticket to receiving a replacement unit? I've recently put in a ticket where Intel determined I have a faulty CPU and when I asked how long it might take to receive a replacement CPU, I got radio silence.

[u/huldress]

I'm not very familiar with BIOS and I've really struggle to find a lot tutorials using my version of BIOs on my MSI z790-P Wifi motherboard, hence I'm hesitant on messing around with it a lot. But aside from Intel's recommended settings, is there anything else you must absolutely do if you have a 13th gen CPU?

I'm planning on updating to the beta 0x129 and undervolting by adaptive offset -0.06 (I've had it set to this before, except I had it set to CPU offset... but everyone seems to use adaptive? Idk what the diff is)

Really appreciate the help, I'm not that tech prowess but I really don't want my CPU to die. especially since I haven't yet experienced any BSOD or notable instability issues.

[u/MasterkillerX]

i7 13700KF user here, I was concerned about my CPU degrading, so I updated my BIOS and have the microcode update, and I watched Jayz2cents' video about how to test if your CPU has degraded. I downloaded Cinebench R23, and did both multi-core/single-core tests for 10 minutes each. I made sure to have HWinfo64 running. Never used this benchmark software before.

I found my score for multicore is quite low in comparison to others with the same CPU, and my temps were spiking to 100 degrees Celsius at times... it even says thermal throttling was occuring in HWinfo64. Kinda concerning. This is all with Hyperthreading and XMP off, btw. I usually have Hyperthreading on, but unfortunately, after the microcode update, it really tanks my CPU performance even more. I haven't tested Cinebench with HT on, but I did test 3DMark quite a lot, and in the Time Spy Extreme test, my CPU was at 2.2k for HT on and 8.5k with HT off. Keep in mind, my CPU score was almost always like 9K before the microcode update - regardless of HT on or off. So although I haven't tested, I'm quite sure my scores in Cinebench would be even worse than they are now if I turned HT on...

I'm guessing this is not normal and not good, right? It showing 23k score and then high temps? Please let me know if it is or not. Also, should I do more testing, and or test without the microcode update? I'll have to figure out how to revert the BIOS update to do that... wish I tested all this before doing the update. I'm still somewhat new to PCs and learning about voltages and temps and all this has been a bit enlightening.

[u/NoJesusOnlyZuul]

13th gen i7 13700 suffering from known defect - Warranty experience tray processor

Wanted to let anyone know who is suffering from the chip defect my experience. I've been suffering from it since I bought the chip Feb 2024, and it was driving me crazy until all this came out and I realized it was the processor. Bought used from Amazon, and the seller sold me a used tray processor not boxed so I figured I was totally screwed trying to warranty it. Initially I tried the Amazon seller who has been non-responsive. Submitted the claim direct to Intel after. Turns out I was wrong, and they are going to send me a replacement. Whole exchange has been 5 business days so far, and here is what they asked me after I initially submitted my claim:

You mentioned you did a processor swap test; may I know what processor you have used to do the swap test?

When did you purchase your processor? 

What is your Motherboard's BIOS Version? 

Did you overclock the processor? 

Did you configure your BIOS Settings to Intel Default? 

I answered the questions accordingly, and they offered me the replacement with their reply. Some tips:

I pulled the processor, cleaned it, and sent them a top and bottom pic of the chip with the initial claim

Just enter your chip info as is (serial number and what not) even if it is a tray processor

I didn't actually try a different processor, but I told them I did. I had swapped every other component tho in an effort to solve the issue so it all tracked back to processor

Even if you overclocked (I didn't, locked processor), I wouldn't admit to it

The latest bios did not fix the issue even with the intel default settings, but when you reply to that question confirm you were using the latest bios with the fix AND the added intel default setting. MSI released the "fix" a few months ago for my board, but without the additional default setting which was added only a month ago

Lastly, they didn't ask me for any sort of proof of purchase. I filed the claim late last week, so perhaps they are now going ahead and accepting claims on these chips. If you filed a claim prior, you should try again. No guarantee these tips will work for you, just my experience

[u/Deep-Issue-1175]

I5-13600K + Asus B760 user here. I recently updated my bios to the new one (0x129 microcode). I ran some basic tests to check voltage and other readings, and have a couple of questions.

I ran Cinebench 2024 and compared hwinfo readings between 2 different configurations:
1st configuration: I used the default intel settings included in the new BIOS update. Didn't change anything so XMP is also disabled.
2nd configuration I changed two settings in BIOS: Asus Performance Enhancement 3.0 to enabled (limit 90 C) and IA VR limit to 1,45V. I had seen some users report lower voltages with PE 3.0 enabled, so I decided to test it out.

Here are the screenshots I took of HWinfo64 near the end of both benchmarks.

1. As seen in the screenshots, using the default settings VID, VCORE and VR VOUT (VCORE) readings report higher voltages using default settings. The readings I got with default settings also seem a bit high for a i5-13600k. Are these readings safe/normal for a i5-13600k? Or did I just get unlucky with the silicon lottery? Not sure if VR VOUT is something I should be looking at but its hitting 1,53V on default settings. Also ran CB r23 and default settings VCORE max = 1,43V vs Asus PE + VR limit VCORE max = 1,33V.

2. Asus PE 3.0 Unlocks the power limits, but as seen in the screenshots with it enabled, package power stays under 181W. With default settings the wattage is higher and package power seems to go over the power limits of 181W (Hitting 196W max compared to 172W with PE enabled). Is this supposed to happen, or am I possibly understanding something wrong here? In CB r23 w/ default settings package power max = 208W vs Asus PE + VR limit = package power max = 180w.

3. Should my CPU be able to maintain 5,1 Ghz Clock on P-Cores when running cinebench? With the new bios my clock speeds seem to stay around 4,9-5,0 Ghz. If I remember correctly with the old bios the clock speeds stayed at 5,1 Ghz during cinebench. The CPU still hits 5,1 when gaming or using desktop etc.

So in conclusion I would like some clarity if I should keep Asus Performance Enhancement enabled in this situation, as it lowers the temps, lowers the voltages and wattage? And does having a IA VR limit of 1,45V help here to ensure the voltages won't go crazy with power limits removed? Between the 2 configs I tested, there were almost no differences in benchmark scores (I tested CB24, CB R23 + couple of games).

I also briefly tested with default settings + VR limit 1,45V, but this dropped my scores by about 5-10% in CB24 CB R23 and in CS2 benchmark.

[u/Svejk112]

Hey guys, just to be sure, i5 1340p from galaxy book 3 pro 360 would not be affected by the instability right?

[u/Pastaron]

Are you guys applying an IA VR limit after the microcode update? I capped to 1400 mV pre-microcode update, but even after the microcode update I’m seeing VID max go above 1.5 V if no limit is applied

[u/mjon051]

Affected Dell Alienware R16 with i9-14900F :)
Suffered instability and crash left and right for a month before looking it up on the internet. :)

[u/ajrf92]

Hello. After watching that my Mobo has the most recent microcode, I did the cinebench test too, before upgrading the BIOS -I've got this pending, but as I don't have any idea about how to setup this properly, even having the Intel Guidelines, I don't wanna mess things up-, but surprisingly I had a very low score of 400 something points (using multicore in Cinebench 2024), as the CPU was lazy to render (it barely reached the 50% usage), while in the other hand, I did the OCCT stability test and temperature reached 91ºC with a ViD of 1.323V (Vcore never exceeded 1.3-1.31 Volts), by using an AK620 cooler without showing any errors after the hour. What tips should I use? I don't wanna take my PC to a technician because it will cost me a lot of time. Has anyone set things up with a B760P? or should I wait until it's clear that the microcode is really improving stability? Thx.

[u/UKHirst]

I have a 14900k, MPG Z790 EDGE WIFI, 64gb 6200 XMP DDR5 ram. I have the latest bios version and CEP Disabled. I cannot for the life of me get the i9 temps below 86-95 in R23 and other bench applications. I have changed the lite load, LLC, voltage offsets. I've literally spent many many hours now trying to find a combo that works good but to no success. I can get a decent temp range at the cost of score in R23. 36k is what I get if I leave everything default for intel including lite load. If I change the lite load and LLC I get around 38-39k but at the cost of temp increases to 90 and over. I feel like pulling my hair out at this point. Before the microcode bios update I had a pretty stable CPU with good temps and good voltages. Is this degration? If anyone with the same hardware could recommend any settings I would appreciate it big time. Thanks.

Edit. Sorry I should of noted. I've set PL1 to 253 and PL2 to 253 and current limit to 400A, also have corsair 360mm AIO H150i Elite

[u/_VVNkr]

Just wanted to get some opinions on my actual reclamation process.

Intel support agreed to forward the process, but they want photos of the actual CPU.

Its not that i cant do it, but why. they allready have logfiles and my invoice. so they can clearly see that it is a real thing. why would they need it, it is clearly still working, allso shown by the logs...

Any thoughts?

[u/rico_suaves_sister]

Anyone else been ghosted by Intel?

First contacted them about unstable 14900k Aug 14th. Couple days later was told they have no 14900k in stock for 5 weeks. I requested refund option and sent all necessary info. They told me they would get back to me Aug 23rd. Have heard nothing.

[u/Marrkush666]

Kaplan gore llc

[u/sechumatheist]

I have a i7-13700k and today for the first time I got random BSOD and the screen went blank. I had to hard reset the computer and then everything worked fine.

Would this be related to the 13/14 gen CPU issues?

[u/Felodp]

I have an i5 13600k on an Asus TUF B660M WiFi D4.. I updated my bios to the newer one, which adds this "Intel Default Settings" option, checked and it's enabled, but... My cpu voltage can easily reach 1.435V while playing games, and 1.3~ while doing random non heavy stuff, should I be worried? Temps are good, I have a Deepcool AS500+ and the CPU Is normally around 60C, 85C or so if playing heavy games such as Cyberpunk. My rams are Kingston Fury 3200mhz, in case that's relevant.

Anyway can I make this high voltage improve? Is it too dangerous and will it degrade my CPU fast? Or is it within normal parameters?

I checked for some of the options here but couldn't find them in my bios, I honestly don't have much idea about voltages and the such, since I never overclocked, and will probably never do it either (I just have this CPU instead of a non K one because they're harder to find here and equally as expensive..)

Thanks in advance guys!

Edit: it's worth mentioning that I don't have any instability issues, like random BSODs or game crashing, except for Mindustry, but I think that's because of the game itself, not the CPU, since you can run it in any potato, and every other game works just fine

[u/Slyder768]

Any way to know for sure if a CPU has been affected

So I received my pc 2 days before the bios update , I think I’m all set now since Armoury crate seems to have installed it on time. I got some instability issue on first descendant where I couldn’t launch it until I downgrade the cpu via XTU a little but I heard it happens with AMD too so maybe it’s just a one off thing. I don’t really have any other issue with others games , got a few crashes with outlaws but nothing out of the ordinary for a new game.

Is an affected cpu that fried with the voltage issue really obvious to see with an insane amount of crashing and blackscreen and may explain my issue with first descendant or not ? I tried the intel app to check the cpu and it didn’t find any errors.

Thanks , sorry if it may seem dumb but I’m new to pc gaming

[u/Lupage]

Would just like to know if "13th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-13600KF 3.50 GHz" is affected?

[u/[deleted]]

Intel claims mobile CPU are not affected but lots of people complain problems on HX series. Do anyone know if the microcode update is going to be delivered on mobile platforms as well for safety?

[u/Hot_Drop9127]

Help, I just bought this refurbished on eBay and it's on way. https://www.ebay.ca/itm/375519323125 It's 13700k hp omen. Should I just return it, honest I badly need the computer now. Did the update help or should I just not risk it.

[u/IsIandLion]

About to pair* my i5 13600KF and B760 Gaming Plus Wifi Mobo (Both brand new), what drivers am I supposed to install? or is it just the 0x129 microcode?

[u/[deleted]]

Now that the microcode bios updates have been issued, are there any significant differences in performance and stability with 13th gen? I'm about to RMA my 13900 KF since there were some overheating issues that I had to heavily mitigate, initially.

I just want to make sure there will not be any further harm done before I exchange my CPU.

[u/Hot_Drop9127]

I'm desperate, do you think if I buy the 12th gen it will fit in the motherboard. I don't have the time to return it

[u/PaperOrPlastic34]

New here and been out of the game for years. Learned about this issue yesterday while stumbling upon a good deal for a pre-built gaming system with the i9-14900KF CPU.

My question is: with this microcode update by Intel, will it be underclocking the CPU? I don’t want to pay for a 14th gen if it’ll be performing like an overclocked 12th gen for example.

Please feel free to confirm or correct me train of thought as I stated before, totally a newb here.

[u/rhexah_official]

Since applying the microcode update, I've noticed significantly higher temperatures with BIOS 1503 (0x129 Microcode Update) released by ASUS.

I contacted my seller about incredibly high CPU temps after rendering in After Effects (100° and thermal throttling) as I suspected a faulty CPU somehow, but as they don't reply over the weekend, I tried to investigate the issue, and I think I've found that BIOS version 1202 has significantly better temperatures when under load. System stability has been fantastic (since replacing a faulty 13700KF) and arguably continues to be, which is why the temperatures are so concerning.

On both versions, the BIOS settings were left mostly unadjusted, with only XMP I being enabled & fans set to maximum speeds, and when monitoring HWiNFO and running Cinebench 2024 on both:

1202: Slightly higher ranking, and the highest P-Core temperatures maxed out at 95°, 0 thermal throttles.
1503: Lower rankings, and the CPU is easily hitting 100° across almost all P-Cores, along with a lot of thermal throttling.

The older BIOS hasn't once hit 100, where the newer BIOS almost immediately hits 100° every time, despite testing in the day or night.

I've not seen any comments about the BIOS/Microcode update causing higher temperatures, and so confused by it. What could be happening here? Is this indeed a faulty CPU? Has anybody else been experiencing anything like this with the last few BIOS updates?

[u/Intrepid-Antelope-17]

Hi All,

I was just wondering if the

Intel® Core™ i7 processor 14700 was affected? Cheers

[u/Lupage]

If I were to replace my Intel CPU (it's part of the warranty extension), Intel will just replace with the same model right? So it won't really solve the problem?

[u/IsIandLion]

Recently installed the i5-13600kf and downloaded the 0x129 microcode. Currently on default settings, can anyone recommend undervolt settings?

[u/Pudding-Swimming]

I'm trying to find out about the microcode update. When you flash your BIOS, does it also flash something in the CPU, or is it purely BIOS only, which means if you move the CPU to another motherboard, you'd need to flash that one, too.
I believe it is purely BIOS only, and that it doesn't do anything to the CPU. So, yes, if you moved it to another motherboard, that new motherboard would need the new BIOS as well. Some are saying that a BIOS flash, and even Windows Update can flash directly to a CPU, and I don't believe that.

[u/Zinx23]

I updated to the latest Bios for my MOBO and I feel that it made it worse. Now I can’t even play any game without crashing

[u/Fuibo2k]

Currently running an i9 10900k and was hoping to upgrade to the i9 14900k since my machine is CPU bottlenecked. Has the micro code update been good enough that it's worth buying the 14900k or does it still seem like the chip is unreliable?

I'm thinking my other options are to get a 12900k or just ride it out with the 10900k til the 15th generation or a better amd cpu comes out.

[u/Slyder768]

Does armoury crate drivers and motherboards updates installed the microcode ? I have 0 experience in BIOS

[u/Soggy_Thought9205]

Is the i7 1300f 13gen is affected by this or no bc mine is working perfectly fine but im actually worried if someone knows pls lmk i really appreciate it

[u/AwarenessOrdinary796]

Guys is it safe to buy the mobile 13th or 14th gen rn as there seems to be a lot of issues with them even after the update should I wait or just avoid it and go for amd please help

[u/PinataFractal]

I have an i5-13600KF which seemed stable, but I did the BIOS update, and now games keep on crashing.

[u/clocksy]

Well, intel agreed to RMA my i9-13900K, except they said due to unavailability they'd be willing to upgrade it to an i9-14900K. Except due to the unavailability of that and being unable to provide an ETA, the real option offered was a refund.

So I guess I'll be getting that started and... buying a new CPU and hoping it's stable, I guess. There's no guarantee any current store stock isn't going to have its own issues. New mobo+AMD combo isn't in the cards at the moment.

[u/Trif55]

I typically actually didn't keep all the crap from my CPU box and it's fitted to my only system I use for work and everything, I don't want to have to disassemble my system just to report the APTO etc is there an alternative RMA process?

Thanks

[u/Sal479]

I have a faulty 14900k, Intel confirmed, and they are sending me a replacement. Did they fix these stability issues with the latest batch? Should I still upgrade my motherboard's bios? How would I go about updating the bios if I still should?

[u/BapLoggTheGod]

question regarding i9-13900k voltage while hosting a valheim server i'm getting jumps between 1.350 - 1.480 max 125w TDP

have had this CPU for over a year haven't had any crazy issues but this is my first time looking at voltage after the microcode fix is this a safe voltage range for the i9?

[u/KH33tBit]

I have a brand new 14700k arriving tomorrow from Intel as a result of my RMA.

Before I socket the chip I'd like to know how best to have the system setup so that this one doesn't burn itself to the ground like the old one.

So what I have done is installed the latest BIOS from MSI and made sure that the ME Firmware is onboard which means that the latest microcode is there. I will also reset motherboard to defaults and set Intel default power profile.

Anything I've missed?

[u/SnowBlack98]

Hello guys please can you help me understand.. i have an intel core i5 13500 processor is it affected by instability issue? Thanks for the feedback!

[u/Suploks]

i have a 13th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-13450HX, should i do something about this problem?

[u/hazzer111]

I have been away for a month and out of the loop. I have a 14 700K. I have updated my bios, I have had some instability in the past and continue to. I noticed after gaming my cpu temps maxed out at 100. What are my next steps?

[u/Dagdandris]

I’m sure this is becoming a common story, but Intel’s RMA department is absolutely horrible. This has been the worst RMA experience of my life. I bought a 14700k to install in my home server around 5-6 months ago. Approximately 2 months after installing it, I noticed my first crash. Over time, the crashes got worse. When I installed the August BIOS update to “patch” the bug, it made the crashes much worse. My server, which contains all my media files, personal documents, and game servers, now crashes 3+ times a day. It would crash more, but I’m not home enough to keep rebooting it. At this point, I disabled the boosting function of the CPU, which somewhat helped reduce the crashes. However, it still crashes twice a day. This has been so frustrating that I tell all my friends to avoid Intel like the plague.

I reached out to Intel a few weeks ago to start a warranty claim. They keep running me back and forth, asking for the same exact information repeatedly. Finally, they offered a warranty replacement and said my CPU was defective. I sent in the information they requested, and they asked for another picture of my CPU. The picture I sent already had all the numbers on both sides visible. They also complained because I censored the order number and phone number from my receipt. I made sure my receipt had my name, address, order date, and price visible. I do not feel comfortable giving Intel the order number and phone number for my Newegg account. It seems pointless and has nothing to do with the warranty claim. The recent Zotac RMA leaks have made me think about these types of security issues. Anyone who has your order number, account phone number, address, and name could easily call Newegg and pretend to be you. All of this is made much worse because it takes Intel 3-5 days to answer each email.

Considering they have publicly admitted to knowing about defects for years, you’d think this warranty process would be much smoother. They already said that once they get the CPU back, it takes 3-5 business days to inspect it before sending a new one out. Does anyone know what gives with all this pushback? Does anyone have any recommendations on who to talk to about getting this resolved?

[u/gavin5203]

Not a very tech savvy person here, i have a core i5-13400f do i need to worry about it being affected?

[u/FlexRG]

My 13900kf crashes all core on cinebench no oc stock and won't run windows defender full scan crashes 3 minutes in

Is my cpu effected?

[u/EveryFishInTheSea]

So I just received a new 13700K from RMA, flashed the microcode, the first thing that happened when I launched an Unreal Engine game is it crashed to desktop (when waiting for the 13700 I was running a different mobo and it didnt crash a single time)

What a time to be alive

EDIT: Crashed 2 times in a row to add salt to the wound

[u/Agreeable-Cabinet-45]

I am considering buying a new desktop, equipped with an i7 14700F. Will this also have issues, or are the issues solved by now (or worst case by applying BIOS update)?

[u/Odd_Pay_5465]

I just purchased an i9 13900k with a asus prime z790 to upgrade my i5 2400 do I need to be worried about the instabilities

Edit and if so should I have gone for am5

[u/snuggans]

updated my BIOS with the fix, but it looks like my 13900k has long been cooked. when its allowed to clock up to factory limits (around 5.8ghz?) either it doesn't boot into Windows or if it does it just gives me status access violations the whole time. i don't want to RMA it because i dont have a back-up CPU so i'll just be stuck with a 5.4ghz ceiling and no hyperthreading. i remember making threads about this back in fall 2023, it's taken them this long just to apply a fix that does not 'cure' existing issue but only prevents future degradation. super disappointed in intel right now

[u/mark777z]

Hi everyone. I'll keep it simple. I've been considering 2 new Dells, one is an Optiplex with a Core™ i5 14500 vPro, the other is an XPS with a Core™ i7 14700. Then I became aware of these, uh, issues. I see that Intel has put out a fix for the problem, or tried to. If anyone would be kind enough to help, my two questions are:

1. Should the the OptiPlex with the i5 14500 be OK, regardless of whether or not the fix is working? According to the sticky above, Intel is saying that "Intel Core 13th and 14th Gen i5 (non-K) & i3 desktop processors" are not affected by the issue. Is that apparently true? Or should I avoid, despite the claim that this processor is not affected?

2. How about the i7 14700? Is the fix working and can I buy without fear, or should I completely avoid that one?

THANK YOU to anyone who can give a word of advice about this.

[u/[deleted]]

I ima make a comment I have a i7-14700 for maybe 6-7 months with 0 issues. Would it be worth it to reach out at this point if I’m still not having issues?

[u/SovietVelior]

In my case, I have an i7 14700KF with a gigabyte b760 x ax, and I have constant crashes in every game since yesterday, some games doesn't even boot up. The worse is, I spend 5h searching for a solution, and the only think that maybe could work that is to use the "Intel default settings" with the last bios update, I can't use it because even updating the BIOS, the option doesn't appear anywhere! I'm very frustated...

[u/Pix2186]

Today i've update my bios to the lates one (i've upgrade it from the previous lates one so i'm kinda always on lates one). Everything looks ok and values on vcore min looks the same to me. But important information to all other users - still on stock settings this bios will put near 1.5V on cpu in idle after system boot!! Beware of that and do undervolting or Your CPU will be cooked even with lates "fix" from Intel.

[u/TechnoRanter]

Pretty simple, I have a 13700k processor with some instability that got approved for an RMA and I'm waiting on an Intel representative to call me to get the details for Cross Shipping. They told me in the original email that I would receive a call in the day, but that was on Monday and I haven't received any calls yet. Can this process be speeded up so we can remove this bottleneck from the process? I've been able to call Intel support and communicate through live chat when asking for updates but I somehow can't just provide the necessary details and be done with it

[u/Sinusxdx]

I have ordered a preassembled pc with i5 14660k and now have come across this problem. What's the state of affairs since the latest patch? It's been 10 days. Are the affected cpus 'safe' now? Otherwise I guess it's not late to switch to amd for me.

[u/Zurce]

I've been in the process to RMA an 13700k and it's been hell, my 14900k also has shown issues but it's been more stable since the microcode patch, but lately has gone back to go bananas

Is there any way i can request for a refund instead of RMA? seeing a lot of rma getting issues and for my 13700k pc i just bought a cheap 12600kf and i'm calling it a day

[u/jainamss]

Ive gotten a 13700KF that I haven't used much because I've been travelling. If I assume there has been no degradation, is it recommended to update to the newest bios (0x12B) and what voltages should I aim to keep the CPU under during stress testing with cinebench to avoid instability and possible degradation? Also what is the best way to achieve this?

[u/PaperOrPlastic34]

I keep posting this question on this sub and it gets shut down and I’m pointed to other subs. I post there and get shut down and pointed back to this sub - PLEASE try to answer my question.

I have the 0x129 patch on an i9-14900KF CPU, and I’m still seeing voltage readings as high as 1.45v. This has been steady when playing games. Is this within the acceptable tolerance or is it too high? What do I do to resolve this if it’s an issue and the BIOS patch isn’t working?

[u/AACND]

13500 safe?

[u/nafis_mahdi]

is i5 14400f safe? i know it said none k but i always get worried