Intel has a big problem: unstable CPUs will always be broken

Martin Jud

30.7.2024

Translation: Patrik Stainbrook

After over a year and a half of reports around unstable 13th and 14th generation CPUs, Intel has finally responded. A patch has been announced. However, this’ll only help processors that are still functioning correctly – if at all.

First reports of problems with Intel CPUs apparently surfaced online as early as December 2022, with the frequency steadily increasing. Due to numerous user complaints about desktop PC crashing when playing games or running CPU-intensive programs, Intel had to react. The company announced an investigation in April 2024.

At the same time, Intel announced a microcode patch that «addresses the root cause of exposure to elevated voltages». Partners can expect this patch in mid-August after complete validation. UEFI updates for end customers are expected to follow soon after. Anyone currently experiencing instability problems should contact Intel customer support, even if a CPU replacement has already been rejected once.

More processors potentially affected than expected

Intel’s brief statement appears to confirm the company has found the cause. On closer inspection, however, it raises more questions than answers. There was no direct mention of fixing the bug with the patch. Only the «root cause». The exact processors involved also weren’t specified.

Affected processors apparently irreversibly damaged

The online magazine continues: «We’re told that the microcode patch will not repair processors already experiencing crashes, but it is expected to prevent issues on processors that aren’t currently impacted by the issue. For now, it is unclear if CPUs exposed to excessive voltage have suffered from invisible degradation or damage that hasn’t resulted in crashes yet but could lead to errors or crashes in the future.»

In the worst case, this’d mean even a CPU that appears to be running correctly could be damaged. In other words, it could ultimately affect huge swaths of processors. However, Intel doesn’t think this is likely and has already reassured that the patch will be an effective preventative solution for processors already in operation. So far, Intel hasn’t contradicted the magazine’s claims that faulty CPUs can no longer be saved.

What isn’t true, apparently, is the assumption that the instability could be related to an oxidation problem during production. In an interview with Tom’s Hardware, Intel says that such a manufacturing problem did indeed occur with some early 13th Gen CPUs, but that it had already been fixed in 2023. The company claims it isn’t related to the instability problem at hand.

Respectively, this is a second problem that should lead to processor replacement, just like the current one. Provided there’s still a warranty in the event of accidental damage – or Intel decides to be generous and extend it.

They haven’t fixed the whole problem

In its statement, Intel emphasises its confidence that owners of affected CPUs need not worry about invisible degradation if no problems have occurred yet. However, the company also claims to have discovered the root cause of the voltage problem. It’s also looking for further problems.

If there’s still more to come, Intel’s already tarnished image could be scarred. The company’s fighting tooth and nail against this. However, it’s not considering a CPU recall or even a sales stop. And it hasn’t yet provided any information on a possible warranty extension. However, Intel recommends customers with an affected CPU that isn’t yet defective keep the UEFI (formerly BIOS) up to date and use the default Intel settings.

Martin Jud

Senior Editor

martin.jud@digitecgalaxus.ch

I find my muse in everything. When I don’t, I draw inspiration from daydreaming. After all, if you dream, you don’t sleep through life.

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