Intel Publishes Official Response To 14th Gen & 13th Gen CPU Instability Issues: Cites Elevated Operating Voltages As Root Cause, New Microcode Patch In August

Intel has provided an official statement regarding 13th and 14th Gen CPU instability issues, citing elevating operating voltages as the root cause.

It looks like Intel has finally discovered the root cause of all the instability issues that have been affecting its 14th Gen and 13th Gen CPUs. It is explained in a community note that the elevated operating voltages were the primary contributor to the issues and were the result of problematic microcode algorithms that resulted in incorrect voltage requests to the CPU. The full statement is provided below:

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 this right with our customers, and we continue asking any customers currently experiencing instability issues on their Intel Core 13th/14th Gen desktop processors reach out to Intel Customer Support for further assistance.

Intel Community

Intel states that they will be delivering a microcode patch that will address the root cause of the issue. The new microcode patch is currently being validated across various scenarios of instability to ensure the best possible outcome and is expected to roll out by mid-August to partners. This means that motherboard vendors will be rolling out their respective BIOS updates for 600-series and 700-series motherboards after mid-August after they have fully validated the new microcode on their motherboards.

The chipmaker also confirms that while Oxidation issues existed, they were addressed back in 2023:

We can confirm there was a via Oxidation manufacturing issue (addressed back in 2023) but it is not related to the instability issue.

Long answer: We can confirm that the via Oxidation manufacturing issue affected some early Intel Core 13th Gen desktop processors. However, the issue was root caused and addressed with manufacturing improvements and screens in 2023. We have also looked at it from the instability reports on Intel Core 13th Gen desktop processors and the analysis to-date has determined that only a small number of instability reports can be connected to the manufacturing issue.

For the Instability issue, we are delivering a microcode patch which addresses exposure to elevated voltages which is a key element of the Instability issue. We are currently validating the microcode patch to ensure the instability issues for 13th/14th Gen are addressed.

Intel @ Reddit

Intel has further stated that it asks users of its 14th Gen & 13th Gen CPUs who are facing instability issues to reach out the Intel Customer Support for further assistance.

We also have a timeline of all the events that unfolded throughout the whole instability dilemma:

Now the matter of the degradation remains as several chips are much less capable due to these higher voltages. Several users now run their chips in underclocked and undervolted scenarios to retain optimal stability and switching to the standard profiles still leads to crashes. So whether Intel will offer a separate solution for those remains to be seen.