Intel has announced a fresh microcode update for the 13th and 14th generation Raptor Lake processors – the same ones that suffer from excessive operating voltage, which causes irreversible changes in them, leading to failures and unstable operation of the PC. The update will not help already failing chips, but should take care of working processors.
For processors that have already failed, a software solution to the problem has not been found; but the working ones will work safer with the 0x12B microcode update, which Intel has already provided to motherboard manufacturers – it can prevent one of the main causes of chip damage. In this case, it prevents the processor from requesting too much power when it is idle or performing light tasks.
It will take several months for motherboard manufacturers to release and test BIOS updates for their products. Previous BIOS updates have deployed older Intel microcode fixes that help prevent processor failures and set new power settings. If the processor has already failed, a firmware update will no longer help – it should be sent to Intel or the computer manufacturer for a replacement under an extended warranty.
Earlier, scattered reports began to appear that the problem also affected mobile versions of Raptor Lake processors, but Intel denied this – according to the manufacturer, failure threatens only chips for desktop PCs.