A user sues Intel for hiding defects in Raptor Lake processors

Intel was sued for hiding information from customers about defects in 13th and 14th generation processors that caused system crashes and instability. According to the lawsuit, Intel continued to promote its products despite being aware of voltage problems leading to frequent reboots and black screens.

Image source: MSI

The critical situation with processors was announced by plaintiff Mark Vanvalkenburgh, who purchased an Intel Core i7-13700K in January 2023. According to The Register, the lawsuit alleges that VanValkenburg faced serious problems after the purchase. “After purchasing the product, Plaintiff learned that the processor was defective, unstable, and frequently crashed,” the complaint states. The system was plagued by random screen blackouts and automatic restarts, and an attempt to install a patch from Intel led to nothing. The plaintiff believes that Intel knew about the defect, but continued to actively advertise its products without mentioning the possible problems.

The lawsuit, which may become a class action, cites various media reports and social media posts dating back to December 2022 that describe what’s happening with Intel’s 13th and 14th generation processors, better known as Raptor Lake. . These reports confirm and document erratic system failures and instability, as well as higher than expected product return rates. By the end of 2022, Intel was aware of the defects discovered during testing, but did not inform consumers about it, which led to the company being accused of fraud.

Intel only acknowledged the problem in July 2024. According to the company’s communications manager, Thomas Hannaford, an analysis of processor returns showed that instability was caused by increased voltage, which was created due to an error in the microcode algorithm. In September, the company published a detailed analysis of the situation, called Vmin Shift Instability, and linked it to overheating and wear of certain processor components.

To resolve the issue, Intel has released three microcode update patches, the latest of which was introduced in September. In addition, the warranty has been extended to two years for a number of affected processors and the customer support program has been expanded. Intel has not yet made any official comments regarding the lawsuit.