There is no solution to the problem of Intel 13th and 14th Gen processors crashing — no permanent damage

On Monday, it initially looked like the beginning of the end for Intel’s desktop CPU instability issues — the company confirmed that a patch would be released in mid-August that would supposedly address the “root cause” of the high voltage exposure. But if your 13th or 14th Gen Intel Core processor is already crashing, this patch clearly won’t fix the problem.

Citing unnamed sources, Tom Hardware Reports Any degradation to the processor is irreversible, and an Intel spokesperson didn’t deny that when we asked. Intel is “confident” that the patch will prevent it from happening in the first place. (As another precaution, you should update your motherboard’s BIOS as soon as possible.) But if a faulty processor is damaged, your best bet is to replace it rather than tweaking the BIOS to try to mitigate the problems.

Intel insists that extremely high voltages are not the only reason some of these chips are failing. Intel spokesman Thomas Hannaford confirms that a The main reason, but the company is still investigating. Intel Community Manager Lex Hoyos also revealed some reports of instability that could be The reason is due to the problem of oxidation manufacturing. Which was fixed at an unspecified date last year.

This raises a lot of questions. Will Intel recall these chips? Extend the warranty? Replace them with no questions asked? Halt sales like AMD did with its Ryzen 9000 processor? Identify the batches that are affected by the manufacturing defect?

We asked Intel these questions, and I’m not sure you’ll like the answers.

Intel has not halted sales or recalled any inventory. It will not recall any products, ever. The company is not currently commenting on whether or how it will extend the warranty. It will not share its estimates with anyone. the edge The company did not explain why it continued to sell these chips before any fix.

Intel hasn’t told us yet how warranty replacements will work other than trying to contact customer support again if you were previously denied. Nor has it explained how it will reach out to customers with these chips to warn them about the issue.

But Intel Do He told us he’s “confident” you don’t need to worry about invisible degradation. If you’re not currently experiencing issues, the patch “will be an effective preventative solution for processors already in service.” (If you don’t know if you’re experiencing issues, Intel currently suggests Rubik’s Test.)

For the first time, Intel has confirmed the extent of the problem. The high voltages are likely to affect any 13th or 14th-generation desktop processor that draws 65 watts or more of power, not just the top-of-the-line i9 chips that initially appeared to be affected.

Here are the questions we asked Intel and the answers we received via email from Intel’s Hannaford:

How many chips does Intel expect to be irreversibly affected by these issues?

13th and 14th Gen Intel Core desktop processors with a base power of 65W or higher – including K/KF/KS versions and non-K 65W versions – may be affected by the high voltage issue. However, this does not mean that all processors listed are (or will be) affected by the high voltage issue.

Intel continues to validate the data to ensure that the reported instability scenarios reported to Intel for 13th and 14th Gen Core desktop processors are addressed.

For customers who are experiencing or have experienced instability symptoms on their 13th and/or 14th Gen desktop processors, Intel continues to advise customers to contact Intel Customer Support for further assistance. Additionally, if customers are experiencing these instability symptoms on their 13th and/or 14th Gen desktop processors but have a return authorization, [return merchandise authorization] If requests are declined, we ask them to contact Intel Customer Support for further assistance and remediation.

Will Intel issue a recall?

Will Intel proactively warn buyers of these chips of the warning signs or the need for this update, and if so, how will it warn them?

Intel plans to release the microcode update to production for OEM/ODM customers by mid-August or earlier and will share additional details about the microcode patch at that time.

Intel is exploring options to easily identify affected processors on end-user systems. In the meantime, Intel recommends that users stick to Intel’s default settings on their desktop processors, as well as ensuring their BIOS is up to date.

Has Intel stopped sales and/or pulled any inventory from channels while the update is being validated?

Does Intel expect the fix to be effective for chips that have already entered service but are not showing any symptoms (i.e. invisible degradation)? Are these CPUs living on borrowed time?

Intel is confident that the microcode patch will be an effective preventative solution for processors already in service, although validation still ensures that Intel’s reported instability scenarios for 13th and 14th Gen Core desktop processors are addressed.

Intel is exploring options to easily identify affected or vulnerable processors on end-user systems.

that it maybe The patch will provide some instability improvements for currently affected processors; however, customers experiencing instability on desktop systems based on 13th or 14th Gen processors should contact Intel Customer Support for further assistance.

Will Intel extend the warranty on these 13th and 14th Gen parts, and for how long?

Since this issue is so difficult for Intel to pinpoint, what evidence will customers need to share to get an RMA? (How lenient will Intel be?)

What will Intel do for 13th Gen buyers after 13th Gen parts run out? Final shipments were scheduled to end last month, I read.

Intel is committed to ensuring that all customers currently experiencing instability symptoms with their 13th and/or 14th Gen desktop processors are supported in the exchange process. This includes working with Intel’s retail and channel customers to ensure end users are taken care of regarding instability symptoms with their 13th and/or 14th Gen desktop processors.

What will Intel do for 14th Gen buyers after 14th Gen parts run out?

Will replacement/return chips be shipped after the microcode update is applied in advance starting in August? Is Intel still shipping replacement chips before this update?

Intel will apply the patch to 13th and 14th Gen desktop processors that have not yet shipped once the production patch is released to OEM/ODM partners (targeted for mid-August or earlier). For 13th and 14th Gen desktop processors that are already in production, users will need to apply the patch via a BIOS update once it is available.

What, if anything, can customers do to slow or stop the degradation before updating the fine-grained code?

Intel recommends that users stick to the default Intel settings on their desktop processors, as well as ensuring that their BIOS is up to date. Once a microcode patch is released to Intel partners, users are advised to check for relevant BIOS updates.

Will Intel share specific manufacturing dates and serial number ranges for the oxidized processors so that important companies can selectively remove and replace them?

Intel will continue to work with its customers regarding reports related to Via Oxidation and ensure they are fully supported in the exchange process.

Why Intel thinks instability issues are a problem Does not affect laptop chips?

Intel is continuing its investigation to ensure that the reported instability scenarios in 13th and 14th Gen Intel Core processors are properly addressed.

This includes ongoing analysis to confirm the fundamental factors that prevent 13th and 14th Gen mobile processors from experiencing the same instability issues as 13th and 14th Gen desktop processors.

That’s all we’ve heard from Intel so far, though Hannaford assured us that more answers are on the way and that the company is working on solutions.

Again, if your CPU is indeed bad, you need to order a replacement from Intel, and if Intel won’t do it, please let us know. In the meantime, you’ll want to update your BIOS as soon as possible because your processor could be damaging itself invisibly – and if you know how to manipulate BIOS, you might want to set your motherboard to Intel’s default performance profiles as well.

Finally, here’s a Robeytech video that Intel recommends to Reddit users to help them determine if their computer chip is experiencing a problem. Intel says it’s looking into other ways to determine this as well.