A few months ago, Intel released a microcode update for Raptor Lake processors that was intended to fix instability. Since then, there have been few reports of problems with these chips, but it seems that the previous firmware did not fix everything. Last week, Intel released another microcode update, labeled 0x12F, aimed at fixing instability related to Vmin Shift.
Image Source: Intel
Microcode update 0x12F is said to be an extension of version 0x12B with additional fixes. Specifically, it addresses an instability issue with Raptor Lake processors running for multiple days in a row when running low-threaded, low-activity tasks.
Intel has confirmed that installing the 0x12F microcode does not introduce any additional performance degradation beyond what may have already been introduced by previous updates. To be clear, the 0x12F update is intended exclusively for 13th and 14th generation Core processors and does not apply to the latest generation Intel Core Ultra 200S chips, which, at least officially, have not been affected by stability issues.
Most of the Raptor Lake issues were addressed in September 2024 with a major firmware update called 0x12B. It addressed a number of key issues related to the processors’ power delivery system, which had previously led to their accelerated degradation. Version 0x12B combined previous microcode updates — 0x125 and 0x129 — and fixed a situation where Raptor Lake chips would request higher voltages during low activity or idle states.
Prior to these firmware updates, many Raptor Lake processors, especially the K-series models, experienced accelerated wear due to excessive stress on the Clock Tree chain inside the IA core parameter, as well as elevated temperatures and voltages. A failure of the Clock Tree caused a shift in the clock signal duty cycle, which in turn led to system instability and, in some cases, processor failure.
Raptor Lake owners won’t have to wait long for BIOS updates with the new microcode version. According to ComputerBase, some motherboard manufacturers, such as ASRock, have already started releasing fresh BIOS versions based on the 0x12F microcode.