The instability in 13th and 14th Gen CPUs is due to "elevated operating voltage" caused by a "microcode algorithm."
Analysis of returned processors confirmed that incorrect voltage requests were the primary cause. Despite this, Intel will continue its investigation to address all reported instability scenarios.
A microcode patch to fix the issue will be released next month, with validation and delivery expected by mid-August.
“Intel is committed to making this right with our customers, and we continue asking any customers currently experiencing instability issues on their Intel Core 13th/14th Gen desktop processors reach out to Intel Customer Support for further assistance,” the company said in its formal statement.
Intel has urged customers experiencing instability to contact Intel Customer Support.
The issue gained attention following a video by Level1Tech’s Wendell, highlighting crash reports from game developers and server instability. Initially thought to affect only consumer platforms, the instability was also found in server-focused boards.
Gamers Nexus’ Steve Burke cited possible oxidation problems, but Intel clarified that this issue was addressed last year and only affected a small number of CPUs. Intel denied recent claims that the problem extended to laptops, stating the issues are confined to desktop chips.