Intel joins the cabal of bad actors who are making it harder for Windows users to use their preferred operating system as it admits to a core processing issue with its 13th and 14th gen chips.
According to Intel employee Thomas Hannaford, gamers, creators, data analysis, machine learning researchers and others that were complaining of system crashes over the past year, were not experiencing one-off anomalies, but a systemic miscalculation of voltage request from their PCs system on chip (SoC).
Based on extensive analysis of Intel Core 13th/14th Gen desktop processors returned to us due to instability issues, we have determined that elevated operating voltage is causing instability issues in some 13th/14th Gen desktop processors. Our analysis of returned processors confirms that the elevated operating voltage is stemming from a microcode algorithm resulting in incorrect voltage requests to the processor.
Thomas Hannaford – Intel employee
While Intel is finally addressing the microcode issue publicly, users have been on the record for almost two years complaining of failures as a result of overheating. At times, the microcode requested voltage so high that users experienced permanent damage to their systems that Intel is now offering to replace those affected chips at no cost.
Hannaford says that Intel is “targeting mid-August for patch release to partners,” that will presumably address the root cause of the elevated voltage request from the microcode on its 13th and 14th Gen chips. Fortunately, the microcode issue is commonly associated with the desktop variants of its 13th and 14th Gen processors and should leave its lower-powered laptop customers unaffected, at least according to Intel.
Intel is aware of a small number of instability reports on Intel Core 13th/14th Gen mobile processors. Based on our in-depth analysis, Intel has determined that mobile products are not exposed to the same issue. The symptoms being reported on 13th/14th Gen mobile systems – including system hangs and crashes – are common symptoms stemming from a broad range of potential software and hardware issues.
So, anyone experiencing issues with their Intel-powered laptops can chalk it up to less nefarious processor engineering and more to the general incompetence of Intel and its PC partners as they work out driver, battery, modem, and other hardware kinks via BIOS or proprietary software solutions.
Microsoft’s latest Windows on ARM push with Qualcomm becomes a clearer sign that the company doesn’t want to get caught with another “hot bag” experience for its users with no offramp for alternatives to pivot to as Intel continues to botch processor releases.
