Intel has provided an official statement regarding the stability issues affecting its 13th and 14th generation Core processors. After much speculation and complaints from users and developers, the company has confirmed that these issues are caused by high operating voltages caused by a faulty algorithm of microcode.
Intel statement
Thomas Hannaford, an Intel representative, said: “After extensive analysis of 13th and 14th generation Intel Core desktop processors returned due to instability issues, we identified high operating voltage as the root cause. This is the result of a microcode algorithm incorrectly applying voltages to the processor.”
Intel points out that this is not a defect in the chips, but a microcode algorithm that will be corrected by a patch. This patch, which will fix the problem, will be released in mid-August after it has been validated. The update will also require UEFI/BIOS updates from motherboard manufacturers, which users will need to install.
History of problems with 13th and 14th generation processors
Stability issues have been reported since the beginning of the year, particularly affecting the Intel Core i9 13900K and Core i9 14900K models. Concerns grew recently when Dino Survivor developers from Alderon Games announced a switch to AMD servers due to frequent problems with Intel processors.
YouTuber Level1Tech investigated the issue, finding that Intel's 13th and 14th generation processors are experiencing significant difficulties, particularly in server workloads. The 13900K and 14900K models were the most affected, and the 13700K and 14700K may experience similar but less common issues.
During the period when Intel did not provide clarification on these issues, there was a lot of speculation. One of the popular theories suggested chip degradation due to excessive voltages, a hypothesis that has now been confirmed.
Intel, one of the world's largest manufacturers of processors and computing technologies, has often been criticized for the way it handles communication of technical problems with its products. This approach was also evident with the recent stability issues of the 13th and 14th generation processors. The company has adopted the “better late than never” principle, and it remains to be seen whether the August patch will restore user confidence and fix completely these problems.
