Intel: “Final” update to combat stability problems

For months, Intel owners were kept on tenterhooks by the instability problems of the 13th and 14th CPU generation. These could lead to crashes or even complete failure due to the degradation of the expensive processors. After the manufacturer spent the last few weeks researching the cause and published microcode updates to prevent the problem, Intel has now finally found the solution to the mystery.

As the company explains in a post on its own community blog, the instability problem known as “Vmin Shift” is caused by a small circuit within the new CPU cores. This cannot cope with the high voltages – the Core i9-14900K sometimes requires an insane 1.5 V. This statement confirms previous investigations and assumptions; in addition, the exact “crash location” was also identified.

Accordingly, the existing guidelines for motherboard manufacturers have been expanded again, as they are already required to comply with Intel’s “Baseline Profile”, which regulates the maximum voltage and power consumption. This profile will be introduced at the latest with the microcode patch 0x129, which is now available for download on all Intel-capable motherboards.

A new addition is the announcement of the microcode update 0x12B, which includes further changes in addition to the 0x129 patch mentioned above. These relate to “increased voltage requirements of the processor when idle and/or during low activity” and are intended to ensure that the instability problems no longer occur.

However, this update cannot save CPUs that are already damaged: Affected processors are physically damaged and can no longer be repaired, so customers only have the option of returning the product. Intel has recently extended the warranty to five years.