Intel’s 13th and 14th generation CPUs, known as Raptor Lake and Raptor Lake Refresh, have been facing some stability problems due to a flaw related to raised operating voltage.
The processors were found to request higher voltages than necessary, causing instability, crashes, and random restarts. This issue, referred to as Vmin Shift Instability, affects the clock tree circuit within the IA core, making it susceptible to reliability issues under raised voltage and temperature.
The instability may cause permanent damage to the CPU, making it unreliable. There have been reports of frequent crashes and system instability, even after installing patches.
Intel has released some microcode patches to fix the issue, with the final update (0x12B) released in September 2024. The patches change the Enhanced Thermal Velocity Boost (eTVB) algorithm and prevent the CPU from requesting raised voltages when idle or under light load1.
Intel has extended the warranty for affected processors by two years and improved its RMA process to help users with these issues.
If you’ve got problems with your 13th or 14th gen Intel processor, it’s recommended to check for the latest BIOS updates and contact Intel customer support for further help.