Modern processors are so complex that even small imperfections during manufacturing can have severe and far-reaching effects. This appears to be the case with 13th and 14th generation Intel Core desktop processors, where users are experiencing widespread instability due to manufacturing issues.
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The good news is that Intel has a fix ready for later this month. The bad news is that your processor may already be permanently damaged.
The cause of this issue is The cause is an error in the CPU microcode. (This is firmware that runs on the processor and controls its low-level operations), causing the chip to request more power than necessary, pushing the processor outside of its safe operating range. This issue only affects desktop processors, not mobile versions of 13th and 14th Gen Intel Core processors.
Intel is working on updated microcode that fixes the issue and expects it to be ready by mid-August. This is good news, but here’s where things get complicated.
First, this updated microcode needs to reach affected PCs via a BIOS update from the motherboard manufacturer or a Windows update, so it may take some time to reach affected users.
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But things get even worse. Tom’s HardwareOnce your PC starts crashing, your processor has “irrecoverably degraded” and is permanently damaged. Microcode updates cannot repair a damaged processor. Intel advises that “customers experiencing instability with their 13th or 14th Generation desktop processor-based systems should contact Intel Customer Support for further assistance.”
Intel also isn’t making it easy for customers to know if they’re affected: the company has not yet given 13th and 14th generation Intel Core users a way to know if their processors are affected. YouTube video by Robeytech This shows how to test for this issue using the Nvidia GeForce driver package: The problem is that this only works for Nvidia GeForce GPU users, so there is no generic test that will highlight affected processors.
Intel confirmed that Intel Core 13th and 14th Generation Desktop Processors rated 65W and above (including K/KF/KS and 65W non-K variants) may be affected, but not all. The company said: Said The company said it was “investigating options to more easily identify affected processors on end-user systems,” but did not provide further details or a timeline for this.
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But what if your PC isn’t crashing, but you want to prevent damage? Here’s some advice from Intel: “Intel recommends that users adhere to Intel default settings for desktop processors and keep their BIOS up to date. Once microcode patches are released by Intel partners, we encourage users to check for related BIOS updates.”
As for whether Intel will issue a recall, the company said The Barge The short answer is “no.”
