Intel has had a rough summer, and now that the brand’s Intel Gamer Days deals are arriving, you may be wondering if it’s safe to buy the 13th and 14th Gen CPUs. Reports of instability issues have been piling up over the past few months, as more gamers and PC builders have noticed their machines freezing, shutting down unexpectedly, and generally exhibiting bizarre performance issues.
This affected some of the best CPUs for gaming, including Intel’s flagship 14th generation and, most importantly, the higher-end 13th generation chips. Thankfully, warranties have since been changed so that any consumer affected by the bugs can request a new processor that is not affected by the same issues. Motherboard manufacturers have released fixes in the form of BIOS updates that ensure the issues do not spread to chips that were previously unaffected.
But even so, that’s not a huge vote of confidence for consumers – especially since AMD’s alternatives typically cost less. With that in mind, we ask whether it’s safe to buy these otherwise excellent gaming processors again. To fully understand that, I think it’s important to give you a full rundown of the issues themselves.
Instabilities, explained
So what caused these weird instability issues in the first place? Well, inside the best gaming PCs is a processor that essentially acts as the brain of your computer. Each core of that brain requires a specific amount of volts to function, and they request that specific voltage via a microcode algorithm they use to communicate with the motherboard. When the CPU is under load, these voltages can rise, and usually when it’s not working as hard, they’re less demanding. This requested level is called the operating voltage, and it’s what we monitor when we test the latest CPUs.
It turns out that Intel’s Raptor Lake processors had a bug in their microcode algorithm that caused them to request increased operating voltages from the motherboard. This can cause instability, as too high a voltage can wear out chips like these over time. The brand said this on its community forum:
“Our analysis of the returned processors confirms that the increased operating voltage is caused by a microcode algorithm that results in incorrect voltage requirements for the processor.”
I hope that this very technical statement actually makes sense to you with my explanation above.
Just as overclocking, if done carelessly, can be dangerous to your PC components, CPUs that require too much voltage themselves can do the same. Essentially, Intel’s CPUs were overvolting themselves, and that can lead to a number of random problems that gamers reported earlier this year. The annoying thing is that there’s no way to change things for processors that are already affected, so you can understand why people were frustrated.
The corrections
Unfortunately, Intel has not been able to fix the problems in its products that were previously considered volatile. If your CPU is having problems (which you can monitor with your favorite software), you will need to use one of the following solutions.
Intel has now changed the microcode algorithm for its 13th and 14th generation products, so new products sold from this point onwards will no longer suffer from the same problems. Fortunately, the warranty period for boxed CPUs has also been extended. If you bought your processor separately, your best bet is to contact Intel customer support to get a new model.
If you purchased a gaming system with the CPU already installed, you should contact your system manufacturer who can also assist you under this warranty. Full warranty details can be found in Intel’s announcement.
Intel has also worked with motherboard manufacturers and provided a microcode patch that blocks increased voltage requirements of new processors. You should check your motherboard’s firmware and support page to see if a BIOS update has been provided that you can benefit from.
And what now?
So, with all that out of the way, should you buy 13th or 14th Gen Intel chips? For now, we’d cautiously say yes. We’ve deliberately waited to write this article until the dust settles on BIOS update fixes and warranty claims because we wanted to see how the solutions are received.
In my opinion, these processors are safe to repurchase because even if you get one that doesn’t work properly, you’re protected by the extended warranty and your motherboard’s latest BIOS will most likely prevent the problem if it hasn’t occurred yet.
However, we’d like to take this opportunity to recommend that you get a decent cooler and look into some decent CPU monitoring software. Even the Intel Core i5-13600K I use in my personal machine can get a bit hot with just an air cooler, and Intel’s latest processors have a reputation for running hot. Keeping a CPU cool, whether for gaming or content creation, is one of the best ways to maintain it over time. Admittedly, I chose the riskier route of air cooling because it’s in an ITX case with limited space, but our review of the 13900K shows that Raptor Lake products can be manageable when paired with the right cooler.
If you decide to get a new Intel chip, you’ll want to monitor your voltages closely if you’re concerned that these problems are continuing. Undervolting might help, but keeping an eye on things with programs like HWiNFO, NZXT CAM, MSI Afterburner, or your motherboard’s software can give you an accurate picture of your chip’s health.
For more information about PC parts, see best graphics cardsThe best RAM for gamingand the best pc cases.
