Intel isn’t recalling its 13th- and 14th-gen Core processors, even though the instability issue may be more serious than initially thought. The Verge reached out to Intel spokesman Thomas Hannaford about the situation, and his answers weren’t exactly encouraging.
Image source: Intel
First, as it became known from Hannaford’s answers, the so-called overvoltage issue, which causes instability, may potentially affect any 13th and 14th generation Core processors with a nominal power consumption of 65 W, and not just the K, KF, and KS series models with a higher nominal TDP, as was previously believed. This does not mean that absolutely all 13th and 14th generation Core processors will sooner or later demonstrate instability. Intel says that it will release a microcode update in August that should prevent problems in the operation of processors associated with overvoltage. However, it is not a fact that this update will help processors that have already encountered a problem with stability. “It is quite possible that the patch will reduce instability issues with these chips,” said an Intel representative, and immediately added that owners of processors who have already encountered instability should still contact the company’s technical support.
It appears that Intel is also replacing unstable processors. However, the company cannot guarantee that the replaced chips will immediately receive the new microcode update. Intel has just started rolling it out to new batches of processors. The company has also asked its OEM/ODM partners to install the update before shipping products to customers. However, Intel says that partners will not be able to update their products until mid-August, when the new microcode version is released.
It is also unclear at this point when motherboard manufacturers will release BIOS updates based on the new microcode. The problem is that a BIOS update is the only way to get the necessary microcode update for DIY solutions. Intel is not yet ready to comment on extending the warranty on its 13th and 14th generation Core processors, nor can it provide details on what information the owner of a problematic processor must provide to a service center in order to replace the chip.
The company also refuted rumors that problems with its 13th and 14th-generation Core processors could be caused by oxidation due to manufacturing errors. The company confirmed that some 13th-generation Core units did have issues with trace oxidation, but that the issue was resolved in 2023. Intel also disputed claims that 13th- and 14th-generation mobile Core processors were also susceptible to instability due to overvoltage. According to the company, all the problems experienced by users of such processors are related to common software or hardware errors in laptops, and they are not related to the problems experienced by owners of desktop processors.
It is noteworthy that Intel recommends using third-party applications as an accessible preventive means of checking for processor instability. This is reported by the YouTube channel Robeytech. Before checking, it is necessary to install the latest BIOS versions for motherboards and use only the settings recommended by Intel to exclude other possible factors of incorrect PC operation. For owners of systems with Nvidia video cards, the company recommends reinstalling the full GeForce driver package several times (5, or better 10). The driver installation process actively uses the processor and file decompression functions, which is one of the triggers for unstable operation. In this case, the following error will appear during driver installation.
Image source: YouTube / Robeytech
For reliability, it is recommended to reinstall the driver 10 times. If an error occurs during the installation process, the owner should reboot the PC. After that, the user can either contact Intel support or wait for the release of a microcode update (somewhere in mid-August). If the new BIOS version based on the new microcode also does not fix the problem of unstable processor operation, then the owner of the chip should definitely contact Intel technical support.
As for Radeon graphics card owners, they are advised to run the 10-minute Cinebench test several times. But, unfortunately, this method is not as reliable as a test as in the case of the Nvidia driver. Why Intel itself has not developed a simple software tool to test its processors for stable operation and relies on third-party applications in this matter is a mystery.
In any case, the responses from an Intel representative to The Verge suggest that the company is still not treating, or pretending not to treat, the unstable performance issue with 13th and 14th-gen Core chips as anything more than a simple issue that can be resolved through tech support.
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