Intel Raptor Lake: Another microcode update against excessive CPU core voltages
The stability problems with Core i-13000 and i-14000 series processors are once again keeping Intel busy. A further microcode update should solve the problem.
(Image: c't)
The problem of excessive voltages in Raptor Lake processors of the Core i-13000 and i-14000 series is once again catching up with Intel. After several months of troubleshooting and numerous microcode updates in September last year, the chip manufacturer had actually declared the issue to be over. According to this, there were further cases in which the core voltage of the processor increased undesirably under low load after several days of continuous operation.
The microcode update 0x12F should now resolve this problem. According to Intel, it has no effect on performance. Mainboard and PC manufacturers are distributing the updated firmware via BIOS updates. They are already available for download for some motherboards in the 600 and 700 series. Users can find the BIOS updates on the product page of their mainboard in the support section.
Vulnerable clock tree circuit
In September 2024, the chip manufacturer identified an insufficiently dimensioned clock frequency signal distribution network (clock tree) circuit as the main cause of the instabilities and even total failure of the Raptor Lake processors. Due to various bugs in the voltage control and specification violations for the motherboard manufacturers, unusually high core voltages occurred, causing this circuit to age more quickly. As a result, Intel replaced affected CPUs and extended the warranty, among other things. Whether the chapter with the 0x12F microcode update is finally closed cannot be judged.
However, the error complex does have one positive aspect. With the successor processors Core Ultra 200S (Arrow Lake), under pressure from Intel, all LGA1851 motherboards comply exactly with the power limits specified by Intel in the BIOS default settings, as has been the case with AM4 and AM5 motherboards since the first Ryzen generation 2017 for AMD systems. With the previous Core i generations, the board manufacturers set utopian high values, especially for the K types, which caused the CPUs to burn up an unnecessary amount of energy, among other things.
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