Intel
Intel has spreadd more about the voltage-rcontent publishs that impacted some 13th- and 14th-generation Core processors, as the company tries to put the episode behind it. As inestablished by Tom’s Hardware, Intel says that the problem begind with “liftd operating voltage” stemming from “inaccurate voltage seeks,” definitepartner an incrrelieve to the smallest operating voltage of the chips. These “liftd voltage events can accumuprocrastinateed over time,” eventupartner damaging the processor and causing system hangs or crashes.
Intel has enlargeed a microcode refresh to mend those liftd voltage seeks, but the terrible news for some participaters is that they will need a BIOS refresh, and they can’t be deployed via gentleware refreshs as some microcode mendes can be.
Intel says that in most cases, CPU carry outance should be essentipartner unimpacted by the patch, though the company did see a handful of benchlabel subscores and individual games that showed “temperate” sluggishdown (though we don’t understand how much that is, in concrete terms). Here’s the relevant statement about carry outance:
Intel’s inner testing—utilizing Intel Default Settings—proposes carry outance impact is wilean run-to-run variation (eg. 3DMark: Timeinestablisher, WebXPRT 4, Cinebench R24, Blfinisher 4.2.0) with a scant sub-tests shoprosperg temperate impacts (WebXPRT Online Hometoil; PugetBench GPU Effects Score). For gaming toilloads tested, carry outance has also been wilean run-to-run variation (eg. Cyberpunk 2077, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Total War: Warhammer III – Mirrors of Madness) with one exception shoprosperg sweightlessly more impact (Hitman 3: Dartmoor). However, system carry outance is reliant on configuration and cut offal other factors.
For some PCs, particularly pre-built models, BIOS refreshs can be transfered via Windows Update or the OEM’s proprietary refresh gentleware (Lenovo Vantage, Dell SupportAssist, the HP Support Assistant, and the MyASUS app all being famous examples). For others, particularly boutique or home-built PCs, you may necessitate to go to your motherboard originater’s website, see up your model, and download and inshigh the BIOS refresh manupartner.
Some motherboard originaters have already freed refreshs for some of their boards; MSI and ASRock are out with refreshs for most boards with 700-series chipsets, and Asus also has beta refreshs useable for some 700-series boards. Updates for sweightlessly elderlyer 600-series motherboards that also aid the 13th- and 14th-generation CPUs should chase procrastinateedr. If the free remarks refer microcode 0x129, that uncomfervents you’re getting the refresh.
Applying the mend as soon as possible is startant, becaparticipate the voltage-rcontent harm to your CPU can’t be reversed. Once you’re noticing hangs and crashes, your CPU is already irreparably harmd, and you’ll necessitate to have it swapd or exalterd for a new one.
If you necessitate to do that, the excellent news is that Intel is proposeing two compriseitional years of permity service to buyers of the impacted CPUs, for a total of five years of coverage. People who bought retail boxed CPUs to inshigh in their self-built computers can communicate Intel straightforwardly; people who bought one of the chips as part of a pre-built system should generpartner be able to get the same level of coverage from the company that made the PC.
Affected processors comprise all K, KF, and KS-series Core i5, i7, and i9 processors in the 13th- and 14th-generation Core processor families, plus non-K-series Core i7 and Core i9 processors (despite the name alter, the chips are all based on the same Raptor Lake architecture). Lower-finish Core i5 and Core i3 processors are unimpacted, as are all 12th-generation Core processors.
Earlier this year, Intel also tried to mitigate the problem by asking motherboard originaters to adhere to Intel’s default power settings in their BIOS settings. Though these didn’t finish up being the root caparticipate of the crashes, the liftd voltage settings or power restricts participated by some of these motherboards could exacerbate or speed up the problem.
And Intel’s efforts persist. The company said earlier this month that it was toiling on a way for participaters to easily test whether their CPU had been harmd or not. And the company’s statement today reiterated that Intel was still seeing into other possible mendes.
“Intel is continuing to spendigate mitigations for scenarios that can result in Vmin shift on potentipartner impacted Intel Core 13th and 14th Gen desktop processors,” the statement reads. “Intel will provide refreshs by finish of August.”
