Intel responds to stability issues with 13th and 14th generation Core processors

According to foreign technology media WccfTech, Intel attributed the stability issues of the 13th/14th generation processors to motherboard and BIOS system manufacturers.

Intel recently sent a statement to the media, but it has not yet been made public to consumers. The full statement translated by IT Home is as follows:

Intel has observed that this issue [referring to stability] may be related to out-of-specification operating conditions, resulting in sustained high voltage and high frequency during high temperature periods.

Analysis of the affected processors showed changes primarily in the minimum operating voltage of certain components, which could be the result of operation outside of Intel's specified operating conditions.

While the root cause has not yet been determined, Intel has observed that most reports of this issue are from users with unlocked/overclocked capable motherboards.

Intel has observed that users of 600/700 series chipset motherboards often set BIOS defaults that disable thermal and power protections that limit sustained high voltage and high frequency performance of the processor, such as:

Disable Current Overload Protection (CEP)

Unlimited maximum current (Unlimited ICCMax)

Enable Thermal Velocity Boost (TVB) or Enhanced Thermal Velocity Boost (eTVB)

Other settings that may increase the risk of system instability:

Disable CPU C-states

Use Windows Ultimate Performance Mode

PL1 and PL2 settings exceed Intel recommendations

Intel requires system and motherboard manufacturers to provide end users with a default BIOS profile that meets Intel's recommended settings:

Intel strongly recommends that customers ensure their default BIOS settings are within Intel recommended settings.

In addition, Intel strongly recommends that motherboard manufacturers remind end users to use their motherboards in a non-overclocked state as much as possible.

Intel is continuing to actively investigate this issue to determine the root cause and will release additional details once relevant information is confirmed.

Intel will make a public statement regarding the status of the issue and Intel recommended BIOS setting recommendations in May 2024.

The media's evaluation of Intel is:

Many consumers will further improve the performance of Intel's 14th and 13th generation CPUs by adjusting the BIOS settings.

The reason many consumers buy unlocked chips is for overclocking or other adjustment purposes. If Intel requires them to be set to an unlocked state, what is the point of consumers paying extra to buy them?

We look forward to Intel's announcement in May, but we don't want Intel and motherboard manufacturers to blame each other, but to truly solve the problems encountered by consumers.