Intel Identifies Voltage Issue Causing Crashes in 13th and 14th Gen CPUs

Intel has pinpointed the source of instability issues affecting its 13th and 14th Gen Core processors, attributing the problems to "elevated operating voltage." In a Monday update, Intel announced that a fix is in the works.

“We have determined that elevated operating voltage is causing instability issues in some 13th/14th Gen desktop processors,” Intel employee Thomas Hannaford shares on the company’s forum. “Our analysis of returned processors confirms that the elevated operating voltage is stemming from a microcode algorithm resulting in incorrect voltage requests to the processor.”

Intel plans to release a microcode patch for motherboard manufacturers by mid-August. In the meantime, affected users are advised to contact Intel support. The company first acknowledged the issue in April following reports from owners of the Intel Core i9-13900K and i9-14900K experiencing frequent game crashes.

Despite previous guidance from Intel and BIOS updates from motherboard manufacturers, the instability issue persists. The pressure on Intel to resolve the problem has increased, particularly after Alderon Games, developer of "Path of Titans," posted a YouTube video revealing "thousands" of game crashes among players using Intel’s 13th and 14th Gen CPUs. Additionally, a video from Gamers Nexus highlighted ongoing issues, stating they "can’t recommend Intel" processors at this time due to the persistent instability.

Intel's forthcoming microcode patch aims to address these issues and restore stability for affected users.