Intel’s CPU crashing and instability problems: what’s happening, causes, and how to avoid them.

The problem

For the past few months, there have been reports of Intel’s CPU crashing and instability problems. The issue primarily affected 13th and 14th gen desktop processors. Affected CPUs include the Core i9-13900K and 14900K, but there were also exceptions.

Instability Root cause:

After further analysis, Intel confirmed that the elevated operating voltage was caused by a microcode algorithm that resulted in “incorrect voltage requests to the processor.” This microcode algorithm caused 13th and 14th gen CPU instability which caused “irreversible degradation of the impacted processors,” and there is no solution to reverse the damage that has already occurred. Intel is working on a microcode patch to fix the issues, which is expected to arrive mid-August.

Intel’s Customer support

In response to the issues, Intel has advised all affected users to contact Intel’s customer support for replacement processors.

• How to check if your processor is affected
  • Luckily, there is something you can do to check if your processor is affected. Intel’s website provides a list of affected processors. Identify your processor by checking your system’s information. You can do this by opening the system information app on your Windows computer or going to the “About this Mac” section on your macOS. Then, compare your processor to the list to determine if you are affected.

What to do if your processor is affected

• If your processor has been affected, there are a few steps you should take.

1. First, backup your data. Ensure all your essential information is saved and backed up to reduce the risk of losing valuable information.

2. Update your BIOS. Make sure that your computer’s BIOS is up to date. Intel will most likely distribute their microcode update through BIOS, so make sure your system is up to date to ensure the problem is resolved when the update is released.

3. Contact Intel’s customer support. Intel’s customer support can help you through the process of replacing your damaged processor. The microcode update will not be able to fix already damaged processors, so Intel ” Intel has pledged to grant RMAs to all impacted customers” and will be working on replacing affected units.

What you can do until the solution arrives

In the meantime, you can attempt to improve the stability of affected processors.

• Using the default power settings can reduce the chance of bugs occurring in your motherboard BIOS until the new update comes out.
• Adjust Loadlines and Vcore: Users have noted that setting the IA AC and IA DC loadlines to 1 and adjusting the Vcore loadline to Turbo achieved lower temperatures and improved performance.
• Avoid specific settings: Intel has reported that several settings may cause stability issues. These settings include “Disabling Current Excursion Protection (CEP), Enabling the IccMax Unlimited bit, Disabling Thermal Velocity Boost (TVB) and/or Enhanced Thermal Velocity Boost (eTVB), Disabling C-states, Using Windows Ultimate Performance mode, and Increasing PL1 and PL2 beyond Intel recommended limits”.

Unfortunately, many of these solutions are temporary fixes and may not completely eliminate your instability issues. On the bright side, more permanent solutions should soon be coming.

Intel has finally tracked down the problem making 13th- and 14th-gen CPUs crash | Ars Technica

Intel finally announces a solution for CPU crashing and instability problems — claims elevated voltages are the root cause; patch coming by mid-August [Updated] | Tom’s Hardware (tomshardware.com)

Intel Responds to Core i9 Stability Issues (gamerant.com)

Solved: Solution for Intel CPU Stability Issues: Lower Temps & Better Performance – Intel Community