Intel's CPU instability and crashing issues also impact mainstream 65W and higher 'non-K' models — damage is irreversible, no planned recall

News
By
Contributions from
published

Intel will replace impacted units but doesn't plan a recall.

asdf
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Intel has now divulged that the crashing issue affecting 13th and 14th-gen processors impacts all 65W and higher CPUs, meaning even more mainstream un-overclockable models are impacted. Intel announced Monday that, even though it still continues to investigate, it had finally gotten to the bottom of crashing issues plaguing its chips. As we reported on Monday, the microcode update is coming in mid-August, but if the bug has already damaged your CPU, you’re out of luck — the damage is irreversible, and the chip will need to be replaced. Intel has no plans to do a recall, but it is replacing impacted processors.

The issue began in December 2022 and has exploded since then. Consumers with Raptor Lake and Raptor Lake Refresh CPUs experienced crashes and BSODs during gaming and other workloads. Intel finally acknowledged the root cause: erroneous microcode instructing the CPU to ask for more voltage than was safe.

Once the damage is done, there’s no going back. You can reduce the chance of the bug occurring by using the Intel Default Settings in your motherboard BIOS while waiting for the microcode update, but this isn't a guaranteed fix.

Intel also revealed the full scope of the bug’s impact. We once believed the issue only happened with the most powerful Core i9 and i7 SKUs, but Intel says it’s much more widespread. The crashing issues could impact any Raptor Lake or Raptor Lake Refresh chip drawing 65W or more power. Furthermore, the bug also affects the mainstream non-K models and their K/KF/KS counterparts, Intel told the Verge. 

This doesn’t mean every Raptor Lake or Raptor Lake Refresh CPU will experience crashing issues. However, any customer who is or has been seeing instability issues on their desktop CPU should contact Intel Customer Support.

“For customers who are or have been experiencing instability symptoms on their 13th and/or 14th Gen desktop processors, Intel continues advising them to contact Intel Customer Support for further assistance. Additionally, if customers have experienced these instability symptoms on their 13th and/or 14th Gen desktop processors but had RMA return merchandise authorization requests rejected, we ask that they reach out to Intel Customer Support for further assistance and remediation.”

What’s troubling is that Intel has not and will not issue a recall for the affected CPUs. It also hasn’t halted processor sales pending the updated microcode rolling out.

See more CPUs News
Jeff Butts
Jeff Butts
Contributing Writer

Jeff Butts has been covering tech news for more than a decade, and his IT experience predates the internet. Yes, he remembers when 9600 baud was “fast.” He especially enjoys covering DIY and Maker topics, along with anything on the bleeding edge of technology.

With contributions from
259 Comments Comment from the forums
  • jp7189
    I thought it was just a couple of models that Intel was pusing too hard to keep up with AMD. This paints a different picture.
    Reply
  • rluker5
    It should be noted that not all crashing is due to high voltage induced degradation. Or else we would not even know what the blue screen of death is.

    And not all high voltage is due solely to CPU requests as motherboards choose what voltage to send to the CPU. Any auto OC feature will deny the CPU request and send what the motherboard thinks is best.
    Reply
  • abufrejoval
    What's the news on the laptop chips?

    After all that's where things would get really ugly...
    Reply
  • salgado18
    Intel looks like the bad guy who pushed his machine too hard trying to beat the hero (or win the race, or whatever). "AMD is getting ahead, we need more power!" "But sir..."

    (I'm not calling Intel the bad guy, just comparing the anecdote)
    Reply
  • punkncat
    This answers the question I had, specifically being was it only the high end K skew, or all. This is super unfortunate for anyone that has Intel 12-14th gen chips (PLEASE SEE POST #20, TY). The other aspect of this is now, how long do we wait to see what happens with 15th gen? A thing like this just being smoothed over for a year and a half + surely isn't going to leave me confident in buying Intel replacement/upgrade for years to come at this point.

    I suppose that many of us will have to take a wait and see attitude. If there is some method upon which we can know for fact that it is a 'post-problem' chip it may make them a relevant choice again. Personally sort of ticks me off since I went with a 12th gen chip which are priced quite attractively right now with the future plan to be to update into a 14th gen a couple of years from now.
    Reply
  • CelicaGT
    65W base TDP or actual power draw? If the former, why? Is this the cutoff for Thermal Velocity Boost? The claim that mobile chips are not affected seems to support TVB still being the issue since they don't seem to support it. My 13900HX does not list TVB as supported, only Turbo Boost Max 3.0 (Which I disabled. Temps are down and performance is the....same). Perhaps TVB is where the errant algorithm lies? Enquiring minds (and stakeholders) want to know! Considering how much they've bungled this whole mess up they need to issue a clear, concise statement on which chips are affected with batch numbers etc etc. Stick a sock in the mealy mouths of anyone with an MBA and issue a limited recall.
    Reply
  • endocine
    This impacts all RL And RLr CPUs, with no "fix" of dubious quality until august, they put a stop sale on existing CPUs, damage is permanent and irreversible, and they aren't doing a recall? Where is the FTC or other similar government agencies stepping in on behalf of the consumer? Really, intel, do you expect anyone to knowingly choose to buy another CPU from you again?
    Reply
  • parkerthon
    When Zen 3 was released I went to AMD first time in a very long time. Felt the overall responsiveness of system was “eh”. Then back with 12th gen Intel. The way Intel is handling this debacle though has me questioning why I would buy another CPU from them. It’s not just the fact there are issues with their chips, it’s that they degrade and become unstable over time which can be very hard to isolate. No way do I want to deal with something like that. Combine that with them running hotter as well and I will take stability and reliability over speed any day. Unless AMD has its own moment like this with its next gen, then next four years minimum will likely be all AMD builds for me. Shame, I’d much rather give my money to a US company.
    Reply
  • CelicaGT
    parkerthon said:
    When Zen 3 was released I went to AMD first time in a very long time. Felt the overall responsiveness of system was “eh”. Then back with 12th gen Intel. The way Intel is handling this debacle though has me questioning why I would buy another CPU from them. It’s not just the fact there are issues with their chips, it’s that they degrade and become unstable over time which can be very hard to isolate. No way do I want to deal with something like that. Combine that with them running hotter as well and I will take stability and reliability over speed any day. Unless AMD has its own moment like this with its next gen, then next four years minimum will likely be all AMD builds for me. Shame, I’d much rather give my money to a US company.
    AMD is based in Santa Clara, California. It is an American multinational corp, just like Intel.
    Reply
  • Alvar "Miles" Udell
    What’s troubling is that Intel has not and will not issue a recall for the affected CPUs. It also hasn’t halted processor sales pending the updated microcode rolling out.

    That is completely normal. AMD did the same thing with the Ryzen 1000 series, they replaced them if they died or started throwing errors and left them alone if they didn't. Same thing happens to vehicles with potentially catastrophic issues, they fix them if they start showing issues and leave them alone if they don't. Why? You said it yourself.

    This doesn’t mean every Raptor Lake or Raptor Lake Refresh CPU will experience crashing issues.
    Reply