• TWEAK
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• Processor - cpu

Intel points to motherboards for instability

Translate from : Intel peger på bundkort for ustabilitet

Intel's 13th and 14th Gen Raptor Lake Core i9 processors have recently been the focus of attention due to widespread reports of crashes and instability, often during gaming. With CPUs drawing more and more power at the high end, the issues are likely related to temperatures and power delivery on certain 600/700 series motherboards, and a focus on increasing clock speeds, benchmark scores and performance at the expense of stability.

ASUS has already fixed the issue with a BIOS update that introduces a more sensible 'Intel Baseline Profile' for power limitations using Intel's recommended settings. Other major motherboard manufacturers such as MSI and GIGABYTE have followed suit with their own BIOS updates and revisions.

In a statement provided to Igor's Lab, Intel points to motherboard manufacturers for disabling "thermal and power delivery protections designed to limit the processor's exposure to long periods of high voltage and frequency."

It is a strange attitude when the instability lies with the CPU, but there may be an explanation. Intel has observed that this issue may be related to out-of-spec operating conditions resulting in sustained high voltage and frequency during periods of high heat.

Analysis of the affected processors shows that some parts experience shifts in minimum operating voltage that may be related to operation outside of Intel's specified operating conditions. While the actual cause has yet to be identified, Intel observes that the majority of reports of this issue come from users with motherboards capable of overclocking.

Intel notes that 600/700 series motherboards often set BIOS defaults to disable thermal and power delivery safeguards designed to limit the processor's exposure to sustained periods of high voltage and frequency. Intel requests system and motherboard manufacturers to provide end users with a default BIOS profile that matches Intel's recommended settings. Intel strongly recommends that end-user default BIOS settings ensure operation within Intel's recommended settings.

In addition, Intel recommends that motherboard manufacturers implement warnings to end users that warn them about the use of locked or overclocking features. Intel continues to actively investigate this issue to identify the root cause and will provide further updates as relevant information becomes available.

Intel will release a public statement on the status of the issue and Intel's recommended BIOS settings in May 2024. Intel's 'Extreme Power Delivery' for the 13th Generation Core i9-13900KS can result in a peak power consumption of 320 watts, so reducing the power limit naturally lowers the performance.

Perhaps Intel should have set stricter guidelines or requirements for motherboards that support increased power limits. Intel has not found the root phase of the problem, and will release a follow-up statement to the public next month.