Intel’s fix for high-end CPU crashes is coming, but a new leak suggests Team Blue could still be in trouble
Intel’s problems with high-end 13th and 14th generation CPUs crashing and becoming unstable may not be over with the patch Team Blue has planned for mid-August, at least if leaked information is anything to go by.
You probably didn’t miss the latest development from Intel. Earlier this week, the company said that it was experiencing instability issues due to an issue with the “increased operating voltage” of its newer (and possibly lower-end) Core i9 processors. These issues should be resolved with the aforementioned microcode update coming next month.
However, this patch may not be the complete solution to the CPU crash issue as information may have been leaked from Igor’s laboratory correct – add your own spices of course – Intel is still investigating other root causes for the instability demonstrated here.
The details obtained by Igor’s Lab – apparently from an internal communication within Intel – state the following: “Intel is observing a significant increase in minimum operating voltage (Vmin) across multiple cores on affected processors returned by customers.
“This increase is similar in outcome to parts exposed to elevated stress and temperature conditions for reliability testing.”
The notes go on to say that factors causing this Vmin increase include elevated voltages (which the patch addresses), as well as high clock speeds and elevated temperatures (the former will of course drive the latter). And that even when the CPU is idle and relatively cool, spikes in activity can cause short-term elevated voltages, and at a “high enough voltage these short-term events can accumulate over time, contributing to the Vmin increase.”
The conclusion is: “Intel analysis shows that the maximum voltage demanded by the processor should be reduced to reduce or eliminate exposure to voltages that could lead to an increase in Vmin.
“While Intel has confirmed that increased voltages impact the increase in Vmin, investigations continue to fully understand the root cause and address other potential aspects of this issue.”
Analysis: A waiting game
As Igor’s Lab notes, there’s nothing “objectionable” about these (alleged) internal notes from Intel, and they underscore something we reported in our previous article on the subject. In a separate statement on Reddit, Intel noted that the elevated operating voltage issue was a “significant element” in the crashing issues users are experiencing, suggesting that there are other elements at play. As we noted in our previous discussion, these may be factors that have not yet been identified (unlike previous advisories and patches, such as Intel’s tweaks to Enhanced Thermal Velocity Boost).
In short, there may still be problems lurking and the August microcode update, which is supposed to limit the maximum voltage the CPU can request (called VID) to 1.55V, may not be a panacea for the crash problems.
As Intel further states in the leaked notes, “While this microcode update addresses the elevated voltage aspect of this issue, further analysis is required to understand whether this proposed fix addresses all scenarios.”
In essence, if these musings from Intel staff are indeed correct, the company isn’t entirely sure that this will fix everything. The leaked material even goes on to state that: “This microcode update, once validated and released, may not provide a fix for existing systems in the field experiencing instability symptoms.”
Could that be because they’re too far gone in terms of the problem that they’ve been experiencing for months now, and the degradation issues within that? That’s where a lot of the concerns are, from what we’ve seen, and the potential future effects of this problem in the longer term.
Intel apparently advises that: “Systems that continue to exhibit symptoms associated with this issue [after the microcode update] “The processor needs to be returned to Intel for RMA.”
As Intel previously stated, the company is “committed to making it right” with customers by fixing these crash issues, so one would hope that affected CPUs will be replaced without question.
In the meantime, all we can do is wait and see if there are any more glitch revelations and perhaps necessary patches beyond what’s come to light so far. One glimmer of good news, however, is that Intel also makes it clear that its early tests indicate the August microcode update should have “minimal performance impact” — albeit with the caveat that this conclusion is based on a small number of benchmarks.
Through Tom’s Hardware
